Social Studies
The Social Studies Department offers courses that enable students to acquire a well-rounded background in the social sciences. We promote citizenship skills that will serve as a proper foundation for college majors like history, sociology and political science. We also concentrate on developing an awareness of action in an historical and social perspective. Emphasis is placed on resource and outside assignments. We challenge our students with thought-provoking questions to help them cultivate independent and critical thinking and a strong sense of social justice.
The program is comprised of a selection of courses which enable students to achieve a background in the social sciences. The aim is to promote skills in citizenship that will serve as a proper foundation for college majors in the area of social studies. Courses concentrate on developing an awareness of action in an historical, social perspective. Emphasis is placed upon resource and outside assignments. By challenging our students with thought-provoking questions, we hope to cultivate independent, critical thinking and a strong sense of social justice.
Courses
Introduction to Geography (627)
This 7th grade course introduces students to a comprehensive study of geography as a foundation for understanding contemporary problems and issues and the relationship between geography to culture. In-depth studies of primitive, agrarian, industrial, and post-industrial societies afford students an opportunity to examine representative cultures and societies.
Introduction to Civics (628)
This 8th grade course concentrates on the study of civics. Study of federal, state, and local governments is tied to an appreciation of American history with emphasis on the theme of "conflict and resolution." Other themes focus on citizenship, the "separation of powers," and the role of the individual in society.
Global Studies 9 (215)
This course will focus on Africa, South Asia, East Asia and Latin America. The course will also examine Western Europe, the countries that formerly made up the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Each area will be developed around the following topics: geographic/historical setting, the dynamics of change, contemporary nations and cultures, economic development, and global context.
Global Studies 9 Honors (219)
This advanced course will focus on the Third World: Africa, South Asia, East Asia and Latin America. It will also examine Western Europe’s new geo-political boundaries since the fall of the Soviet Union. The course concludes with a study of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Throughout the course, students will be constantly asked to compare and contrast conditions in these countries to those of the Western World using critical thinking skills developed during the year. Dynamics that bring about new social orders will also be discussed. The course textbook will be supplemented with extensive outside reading and resource work.
Western Civilization 10 (222)
This course offers a survey of Western civilization from the earliest days in the Near East through the period of the Renaissance. Emphasis is placed upon Greece, the Hellenistic Age, Rome, and Europe into the Middle Ages. A chronological approach is used stressing political, diplomatic, economic, and social trends. Students do a considerable amount of writing in homework assignments, papers, and on examinations. Extensive research work and outside reading are required as well.
Western Civilization Honors (223)
This course features an in-depth study of the history of Europe from Ancient Greece through modern times. Emphasis is placed upon geography and sociology as well as Western Civilization’s contributions to the Modern World. Also featured in the course will be the Roman World, the growth of Christianity, Medieval Europe, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution and World War I. Students will be expected to do a considerable amount of outside reading and project work. Written homework and research papers will be assigned on a regular basis. This is a writing intensive course.
U.S. History 11 (232)
This course ranges from the colonial period to the 1990s. It traces the continual thread of American political and economic philosophy from the time of the founding fathers through the current Administration. The course is designed to develop reading comprehension through a careful analysis of material presented in the text and in outside reading. Comprehension skills involving map reading, deductive reasoning, and analytical comparisons are stressed.
U. S. History 11 Honors (233)
An honors survey course of American history, this course combines the history of politics and leadership with the history of American social and cultural life. Exposure to key events and the diverse mix of people that helped shape our country is a vital component of the course. Outside reading and various writing projects will be an integral part of the course.
Advanced Placement U.S. History (234)
The first semester begins with the colonial period up to the growth of big business after the Civil War. The major themes of the course will include the conflict between Jeffersonian ideals and Hamiltonian pragmatism, the failure of American democracy to resolve the conflict between states’ rights and the Union, and the growth of American culture. The second semester examines the dilemma of race from Reconstruction to the busing crisis in Boston, the reform of the economic system, the wars between capital and labor, the Populists and the Progressives, the nature of FDR’s New Deal, and the issue of the imperial presidency from the Spanish American War to Vietnam. A great deal of outside reading is required. Students who take this course are required to take the nationally administered Advanced Placement Test in American History. Students who perform well on this exam will receive college credit.
Advanced Placement European History (244)
This college level course offers a survey of European history from the high Renaissance through the 1970s. Emphasis in the course is upon political and diplomatic history, intellectual and cultural history, and social and economic history. A great deal of outside reading and at least three papers/projects are required. Students who take this class must sit for the nationally administered Advanced Placement Test in European History. Students who perform well on this exam will receive college credit.
U.S. Government (247)
This course is an introduction to the structure of the United States government. Students will study the branches of the federal government, the functions of state and local governments, and the principles of modern democracy. The course is designed to provide students with an understanding of their rights, duties, and responsibilities as informed, law-abiding citizens. The course explores political issues, parties, demographics, and the role of the media in our democracy. Additionally, students will engage in an examination of the priorities of the federal government in the context of current events and determine how changes in government reflect the needs and wishes of the electorate. Extensive outside reading, several writing assignments, and a research project are required.
Psychology (248)
This course studies the human mind and human behavior by examining emotions, sleep and dreams, memory, intelligence, human development, personality theory, and mental disorders. Significant outside reading and a research project are required. Emphasis will also be placed upon critical thinking and student participation in class discussion.
Economics (702)
This course deals with the fundamentals of microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics (individual consumer and business decision making) involves buyer/seller relationships and rational economic behavior in a free market, command market, or directed market. Macroeconomics (the study of the entire financial industry) deals with fiscal and monetary policy, balance of payments, inflation, recession, depression, etc. This course will explain in detail the workings of the United States economy and its effect on the world economy. An investigation of the stock market will be a featured part of the course. Students will also take part in a simulated stock market game. The course is open to juniors and seniors.
Introduction to Philosophy Honors (046)
This honors-level course will introduce students to the basic problems and methods of philosophical inquiry. Focus will be placed upon the work of major thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, St. Anselm, St. Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, Voltaire, Locke, Kant, Marx, and Sartre. Topics to be discussed will include the nature of philosophy; the nature and limits of human knowledge; the nature and existence of God; the scope and limits of human freedom; the differences between right and wrong conduct; the nature of the moral life; and the meaning and value of human existence.
Especially ideal for seniors taking Advanced Placement Modern European History, this challenging, demanding course will help students chart the intellectual history of modern Europe. Emphasis will be placed upon critical and analytical reading, writing, thinking, and arguing in the field of philosophy and theology.
The History and Culture of Latin America
This course offers students the opportunity to explore the history of Latin America from the pre-Colombian period to the present with special emphasis on the development of democracies, economic growth and the relationship of the various countries of Latin America with the United States, as well as the role of Latinos within the United States. This course will also consider such cultural expressions as music, literature, art, and film, especially in terms of social protest. Students will be challenged with present day problems that require individual research, analytical papers, and debate. In the interdepartmental spirit that characterizes the school, attention will also be paid to the growing role of Liberation Theology at the grass roots level, especially among base communities, in the development of social justice, and both civil and human rights in the hemisphere. Documentaries, films, audio recordings and the internet will be used throughout the year along with a textbook.