Social Studies

SOCIAL STUDIES

Social Studies incorporate a number of interrelated disciplines.  It includes Geography, Psychology, Civics and Citizenship, Civic Action and Global Politics, World History, American History, Politics, Sociology and Economics.  All of these disciplines affect each other.  It is a study of what happened in the past and how this affects what society does in the present and in the future.  Social Studies helps to determine what will and what will not work to solve the problems of society at home and worldwide.

REQUIRED TO GRADUATE      4 credits

REQUIRED SEQUENCE

Civics 9 - Year

U.S. History 10 – Year  or Advanced Placement U.S. History - Year

World History/Physical Geography - Year  or Advanced Placement World History - Year

Human Geography of Global Issues - One semester or Advanced Placement US Government and Politics - Year

Economics – 11th or 12th grade - One semester

ELECTIVES GRADE 11 AND 12

Psychology                                          One Semester   

Sociology                                             One Semester

THESE COURSES OFFERED AT CFHS          

#1301 – CIVICS 9

Full Year - 1 Credit

Grade 9                                                                                               

Civics is the study of citizenship and government.  It is the ability to understand and function in a democratic society.  Students will gain an appreciation for the duties, rights and responsibilities of America citizenship.  Students will also be expected to know and comprehend how our three branch system of government works.  Students will be exposed to and understand our political heritage, with particular emphasis placed on the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and the U.S. Constitution.   Other class time will be devoted to learning about the two-party system, campaigns and elections, the voting process, and state government. 

#1302 - U.S. HISTORY

Full Year -1 Credit

Grade 10                                                                                           

This course provides a chronological survey of the history of the United States.  Students examine topics beginning with the period of exploration and colonization, continue through independence and revolution, constitutional debate between the Federalist and Republicans, Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy, sectionalism and Civil War, Reconstruction and industrialization, immigration and urbanization, imperialism and the progressive era, World War I and the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War.  The course concludes with a study of the emergence of modern America. 

#1308 - ADVANCED PLACEMENT U.S. HISTORY

Full Year - 1 Credit                      

Grade 10                                                                                             

This year long course will cover nine periods of American history beginning with period one (1491) and ending with period nine (to present date).  This Advanced Placement course has a demanding level of rigor that utilizes primary sources document analysis and student based inquiry.  Students must be capable of careful, technical reading, exact and informative writing, perceptive evaluation of historical documents, critical analysis of divergent thinking and oral defense of controversial issues.  This class is designed to prepare students to take the Advanced Placement American History test, which, when successfully completed, could earn them college credits.  Students enrolling in the APUSH can expect to receive course work which will need to be completed over the summer.  Failure to complete that required summer work is an automatic removal from the class.

Students may be required to purchase an AMSCO textbook.

Prerequisite:  Instructor Approval

#1303 - WORLD HISTORY

Full Year - 1 Credit

Grade 11                                            

In this course, students will learn the techniques of historical study – looking for causes and effects of various events.  We will begin with pre-history- prior to written language-and continuing up to the present.  Through the course, we will emphasize the repeating patterns and themes that are found in history.

#1309 - ADVANCED PLACEMENT WORLD HISTORY        

Full Year - 1 Credit

Grade 11                                                                        

This is a “hybrid course.”  Most weeks, the class will meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Tuesday and Thursday are days for you to read, or work on activities for the class.  The teacher will be in the class room during this time to answer questions, etc.

The Advanced Placement World History course places an emphasis on six overarching themes; (1) patterns and impacts of interaction among major societies; (2) relationship of change and continuity; (3) impact of technology and demography; (4) systems of social structure; (5) cultural and intellectual developments; (6) changes in functions and structures of states, and how they are exemplified in history.  The time periods we cover begin in 1200 AD and continue to the present.  The objective of the course is to prepare the students for the Advanced Placement exam by developing necessary skills through rigorous study and activities.  Students must be capable of careful, technical reading, exact and informative writing, perceptive evaluation of historical documents, critical analysis of divergent thinking and oral defense of controversial issues.  Students are encouraged to take the Advanced Placement World History test, which, when successfully completed, could earn them college credits.

Prerequisite:  Instructor’s approval.

#1304 - ECONOMICS

1/2 Credit                              

Grade 11 - 12                                                                                                   

This is a “hybrid course.”  Most weeks, the class will meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Tuesday and Thursday are days for you to read, or work on activities for the class.  The teacher

will be in the class room during this time to answer questions, etc.

Economics is the study of the choices that people make to deal with the basic economic problem of scarcity - wants and needs are unlimited and resources to meet those wants and needs are limited.  In the first quarter students will explore microeconomics which looks at the choices of individuals.  We do this by first exploring historical and philosophical roots of economics and basic themes of supply and demand, prices and market, and personal finance topics like budgets, wealth creation and debt.  The second quarter is an examination of macroeconomics which looks at the whole economic system.  We use the Great Depression and the modern day recession to explore the role of the government, the role of the banking system including the Federal Reserve Bank, fiscal and monetary policy, national debt, economic indicators and global economic policy.

#1306 - PSYCHOLOGY

1/2 Credit

Grades 11 -12                                                                                     

Psychology is the study of behavior and the mind.  The purpose of the course is for students to understand why people behave the way they do.  The main units in the course will be the history of psychology, biological bases of behavior, learning and memory, cognition, developmental psychology, social psychology, and mental disorders and treatment.  We will lead and participate in experiments, watch videos, and take a field trip in order to visualize these concepts.  Specific activities in the course include experiments in conformity and violating a social norm, writing a paper on a mental illness, and researching careers in psychology.  Other topics that will be covered include sensation and perception, states of consciousness, motivation and emotion, and personality.

#1307 - SOCIOLOGY

 1/2 Credit

 Grade 11 - 12                                                                                                  

This is a “hybrid course.”  Most weeks, the class will meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Tuesday and Thursday are days for you to read, or work on activities for the class.  The teacher will be in the classroom during this time to answer questions, etc.  This course explores the role that the external world has in shaping who we are. The field of sociology looks at socialization or how you learn your culture.  We examine relationships with parents and peers, institutions like education and religion and government and economic systems.  We will explore the impact that these have in shaping us, how all human beings share culture similarities as well as the emergence of differences.  Topics to be explored are sociological perspectives, an examination of American culture, world cultures, the role of institutions, social and economic class distribution, prejudice and discrimination, changing gender roles, the role of education and social problems in current events.  This course can be a personal exploration of the subject as well as preparation for a sociology course in college.

#1305 – HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF GLOBAL ISSUES

1/2 Credit

Grade 12

Using modern and current events, students will explore the way that humans interact with their physical environment and create political, economic and cultural systems that shape our choices and our interactions within that environment and the world at large.  Students will develop an understanding of the impact that these human actions have on local, regional and global issues.  Students will examine the cultural geography of our community, state, region and world and will use a variety of demographic and geographic tools in their exploration of these issues.  The goal is to encourage students to develop a world view and the understanding that local actions have global connections and personal choices can have global consequences.

#1310 - ADVANCED PLACEMENT U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

Full Year - 1 Credit

Grade 12                                                                                 

# 9904    WORLD POLITICS                   (ITV full year course)

½ Credit

Grades 11 - 12