Social Studies

624 – WORLD CONTEMPORARY STUDIES                                                               

1 Credit
Grade Offered: 9

 

This course is designed to enable students to enhance their understanding of the interrelatedness of the world's regions, cultures and historical backgrounds.  The five themes of Geography - location, place, human-environmental interaction, movement and region are emphasized. Through directed study, instruction and practice students will develop basic map skills, critical thinking skills, writing skills, and other general social science skills. The course invites active and critical listening, reading, viewing, thinking, discussing, reflecting and writing; asking that learners engage themselves in a quest to become responsible and educated Catholics and citizens.

625 – HONORS WORLD CONTEMPORARY STUDIES                                               

1 Credit
Grade Offered: 9

 

This course is designed to enable students to enhance their understanding of the interrelatedness of the world's regions, cultures and historical backgrounds.  The five themes of Geography - location, place, human-environmental interaction movement and region are emphasized. Through directed study, instruction and practice students will develop basic map skills, critical thinking skills, writing skills, and other general social science skills. The course invites active and critical listening, reading, viewing, thinking, discussing, reflecting and writing; asking that learners engage themselves in a quest to become responsible and educated Catholics and citizens.  The course will proceed at a faster pace and in more depth than the traditional World Contemporary Studies course.

630 – ECONOMICS                                                                                                 

0.5 Credit
Grades Offered: 11, 12
Prerequisites: None

 

After a unit on personal finance, students will learn that economics is a social science that is concerned with how resources are used to satisfy people's wants and needs. Economics enables us to understand and deal with problems that arise in our society and the world. This class is designed to give students a good, fundamental background of economic and financial principles and concepts so that they can be more informed and better citizens. Major emphasis is also placed on the economy of the United States, how it is closely integrated into the world economy and how our economic policies impact other countries and vice versa.

632 – AMERICAN HISTORY                                                                                       

633 – HONORS AMERICAN HISTORY                                                                       

1 Credit
Grade Offered: 10, 11

 

This is a course for Honors level juniors.  It is a survey of the critical events and individuals; from the U.S. Civil War through the War on Terrorism, that have shaped modern America.  Great emphasis is placed on developing careful reading and listening skills, thinking critically, closely examining primary source documents, and on note-taking.  Yearlong themes of the course include the concept of ‘mission’ in U.S. History, the growth of federal power at the expense of the states, and America's gradual development as a world leader. This course will move at a faster pace, further emphasis will be placed on literary proficiency and more in-depth than the traditional United States History course.

641 – AMERICAN GOVERNMENT                                                                           

0.5 Credit
Grade Offered: 11, 12
Prerequisites: None

 

This required course is concerned with the inner workings of our three main federal branches of government: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary.  Personal liberties are thoroughly discussed, and coverage of the operation of our Republican and Democratic parties is included. The intent of the course is to prepare students to fully understand the functions of the American Government and fulfill their role as U.S. citizens.

0.5 Credit
Grade Offered: 11, 12 (Elective)
Prerequisites: None

 

This course is designed to help students examine how race, ethnicity, and culture influence our experiences in the world today, and implement a multicultural approach to learning. This course will provide students with the knowledge and concepts they need to develop appropriate, informed, and sensitive responses to the rich diversity of student learners in the classroom. The course will explore cultural assumptions, attitudes, and values that shape our perceptions and predicate our actions. This course will not be just about exploring various cultures in the classroom. It is also about addressing inequities, stereotypes, and the ways they filter down to how we treat and view other people.

645 – MILITARY HISTORY                                                                      

0.5 credit
Grade Offered: 11, 12 (Elective)
Prerequisites: None

Armed conflicts are amongst the most transformative events in human society. This course will take an in-depth look at the most influential wars throughout history. While notable military tactics, technologies, and leaders will be covered, a larger emphasis will be placed on giving context to their social, political, and economic causes and effects.

647 – PSYCHOLOGY                                                                                              

0.5 Credit
Grade Offered: 11, 12 (Elective)
Prerequisites: None

 

Students will learn to recognize and understand many factors that affect the behavior of humans and other living organisms.  Topics studied include:  motivation, personality, learning, altered states of consciousness, the nervous system, intelligence, social relationships, defense mechanisms, mental illness and mental well-being. Class work is supplemented with discussion, experiments, demonstrations, and guest speakers. Psychology is the science that studies the behavior and thinking of living organisms.

650 - AP PSYCHOLOGY                                                                             

1  Credit
Grades Offered: 12
Prerequisites: None

The AP Psychology course introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. While considering the psychologists and studies that have shaped the field, students explore and apply psychological theories, key concepts, and phenomena associated with such topics as the biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, learning and cognition, motivation, developmental psychology, testing and individual differences, treatments of psychological disorders, and social psychology. Throughout the course, students employ psychological research methods, including ethical considerations.

651 – AP U.S. HISTORY                                                                                            

1 Credit
Grades Offered: 10, 11
Prerequisites: “A-“ in Hon. World Contemporary Studies, A in CP World Contemporary Studies or “B-“ in AP European History, endorsement of the teacher, and approval of the department leader

 

This course is a survey of American History from the colonial period to the present. The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full year introductory college courses.  Students will learn to analyze and interpret primary sources including documentary material, maps, statistical tables, editorial cartoons, and photographs.  In addition, students will read and evaluate the evidence and changing interpretations of important historians. Special emphasis is given to clarity of written expression. A pre-course (summer) reading and writing assignment is required.
 

652 – AP EUROPEAN HISTORY                                                                                    

1.0 Credit

Grade Offered: 11, 12
Prerequisites: A in previous social studies courses, endorsement of the teacher, and approval of the department leader.

This course is a full year survey of European History from 1450 A.D. to the present. The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full year introductory college courses. Students will learn to analyze and interpret primary sources including documentary material, maps, statistical tables, editorial cartoons, and photographs. In addition, students will read and evaluate the evidence and changing interpretations of important historians. Special emphasis is given to clarity of written expression. A pre-course (summer) reading and writing assignment is required.
 

653 – AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS                                                                        

1.0 Credit
Grade Offered: 11, 12
Prerequisites: “B” in AP American History or an “A-” in Hon. American History or A in CP American History, endorsement of the teacher and approval of the department leader. 

 

This course is an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States.
The course involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. politics and the analysis of specific case studies.  It also requires familiarity with various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U. S. political reality. A pre-course reading and writing assignment is required and may be offered 2nd Semester only

654 – AP MICROECONOMICS                                                                  

0.5 Credit
Grades Offered: 11,12
Prerequisites: None       

 

AP Microeconomics is an introductory college-level course that focuses on the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual economic decision-makers. The course also develops students’ familiarity with the operation of product and factor markets, distributions of income, market failure, and the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the economy. Students learn to use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts.

655 – AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY                                                              

1.0 Credit
Grades Offered: 11,12
Prerequisites: None

      
The AP Human Geography course is equivalent to an introductory college-level course in human geography. The course introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth's surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine socioeconomic organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their research and applications.