Social Studies

Graduation Requirements for Social Studies:

11 credits are required from courses that meet requirements under 

Geography, World History, US History, Economics, Government

Human Geography

• Required: 9

• Length of Course: Two trimesters

• Fulfills Graduation Requirement for: Geography

Human Geography is designed to develop the student’s under-standing of the world community. Some topics of study include population, culture, political systems, agriculture, urbanization, economics, and the environment.

AP Human Geography

• Elective: 9 (AP Level)

• Length of Course: Three trimesters

• Fulfills Graduation Requirement for: Geography (replacement course for Human Geography)

• Weighted Grade

Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography is a challenging course that is meant to be the equivalent of an introductory college course. Solid reading and writing skills are necessary to handle the rigors of the course. Some topics of studies include: population and migration, agriculture, popular and folk culture, political systems & urbanization.

World History

• Required: 10

• Length of Course: Three trimesters

• Fulfills Graduation Requirement for: World History

This course is a broad survey of World History. Students will look at the movements, personalities and cultures of many different world civilizations. 

AP World History

• Elective: 10 (AP Level)

• Length of Course: Three trimesters

• Fulfills Graduation Requirement for: World History (replacement course for World History)

• Weighted Grade

Advanced Placement (AP) World History is a challenging course that is meant to be the equivalent of a freshman college course and can earn the student college credit. It is a three-trimester survey of World History. Solid reading and writing skills, along with a willingness to devote considerable time to homework and study are necessary to succeed. Emphasis is placed on critical and evaluative thinking skills, essay writing and interpretation of original documents.

US History

• Required: 11

• Length of Course: Three trimesters

• Fulfills Graduation Requirement for: US History

Students will examine and analyze US History from exploration to the present day. The US History course will explore the social, political, cultural, and economic movements within US History.

AP US History

• Elective: 11 (AP Level)

• Length of Course: Three trimesters

• Fulfills Graduation Requirement for: US History (replacement course for US History)

• Weighted Grade

Advanced Placement (AP) US History is a challenging course that is meant to be the equivalent of a freshman college course and can earn student college credit. It is a three-trimester survey of US History from the age of exploration and discovery to the present. Solid reading and writing skills, along with a willingness to devote considerable time to homework and study are necessary to succeed. Emphasis is placed on critical and evaluative thinking skills, essay writing, interpretation of original documents, and historiography.

Economics

• Required: 12

• Length of Course: One trimester

• Fulfills Graduation Requirement for: Economics

Economics provides a logical way for people to think about decisions at every level – personal, family, organizational, business and governmental. Studying economics gives one a better understanding of the world, economic policy and be an informed participant.

AP Economics with Government 

• Elective:  12 (AP Level 2 trimesters, 1 trimester non-AP )

• Length of Course: Three trimesters

• Fulfills Graduation Requirement for Economics, Government, and Social 12 Elective

• Weighted Grade 2 trimesters for Economics

AP Economics will prepare students for the AP Microeconomics exam including Scarcity, Resources, Supply and Demand, Competition, Monopoly, and Regulation.

AP Economics will also include an introduction to Macroeconomics including Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy, and International Trade. Students who want to take the optional AP Macroeconomics exam will need to do some additional independent study or teacher-guided study during Tiger Time study hall. Passing the AP exam with a 3, 4, or 5 will earn college credit at many colleges and universities.

Government will cover topics including Civics, Citizenship, Principles of Democracy, Governmental Institutions and Political Processes, Public Policy, and Tribal Nations.

Government

• Required: 12

• Length of Course: One trimester

• Fulfills Graduation Requirement for: Government

This course will provide students the knowledge and skills needed for informed, responsible participation in public life. It is the study of constitutional principles and the democratic foundation of our national, state, and local institutions. Students will also study the political processes and structures of government, grounded in the understanding of constitutional government under the rule of law. This course covers topics including the foundations of the American Political Systems, founding documents, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and other forms of government past and present.

AP Government

• Elective: 12 (AP Level)

• Length of Course: Two trimesters

• Fulfills Graduation Requirement for: Government (optional course for Government)

• Weighted Grade

AP Government is a college level course covering the basic principles and theories of government. The course will prepare students for further study of government and related fields. Topics include the American Political System, the rights and responsibilities of citizens.. Passing the American Government exam in the spring with a 3, 4 or 5 will earn students college credit at many colleges and universities.  Please note that AP US Government and Politics Course & Exam Description (CED) set by the Advanced Placement Program requires students to analyze 14 Supreme Court cases and 9 foundational documents. One of these documents is Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” This document contains an identity-based slur.  According to ISD 742’s Inclusive Curriculum Protocol, parents and guardians must opt in when curriculum materials contain identity-based slurs. In other classes, an alternative text could be offered; however, an alternative text cannot be offered in AP Government because “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is a required document for the AP test. Registering for this course means the student and guardian opt in. 

SOCIAL STUDIES ELECTIVES

Students have the opportunity to pursue a choice elective within social studies topics. While there is no limit to the number of social studies electives a student may select, any of the courses below will meet the trimester requirement for social studies choice elective.

Psychology

• Elective: 11, 12

• Length of Course: One trimester

• Fulfills Social Studies elective credit

This course is designed to cover many of the basic concepts essential for an introductory Psychology course. The major focus of the course is to gain more knowledge of and interest in human behavior. Some of the topics in Psychology include: learning, personality, intelligence, memory, mental disorders, motivation and many others. If you are interested in finding out why people do the things they do, you will enjoy this course.

AP Psychology

• Elective: 11, 12 (AP Level)

• Length of Course: Three trimesters

• Weighted Grade

• Fulfills Social Studies elective credit

Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology is a challenging course that is meant to be the equivalent of an introductory college course in Psychology. Because students will prepare to take the AP Psychology exam for college credit in the spring, exams are emphasized in this course. The purpose of the AP course in Psychology is to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within Psychology. They also learn about the methods psychologists use in their science and practice.

Practical Law

• Elective: 11, 12

• Length of Course: One trimester

• Fulfills Social Studies elective credit

Practical Law provides an understanding of law and the legal system while improving students’ understanding of the fundamental principles and values underlying our Constitution. In addition, this course will promote awareness of current issues and controversies relating to law and the legal system, and will improve understanding of the roles that law, lawyers, law enforcement officers, and the legal system play in our society. Lastly, this course will provide exposure to the many vocational opportunities that exist within the legal system.

Sociology

• Elective: 11, 12

• Length of Course: One trimester

• Fulfills Social Studies elective credit

Sociology introduces the scientific study of human society, culture, and social interactions. The tools of sociological inquiry are applied to the study of contemporary social issues, and historical events. Some topics in Sociology include: culture, socialization, wealth and poverty, race and ethnicity, and gender. Students will learn how to apply sociological concepts to the interplay among individuals, groups, and societies.

History Through Film 

• Elective: 11, 12

• Length of Course: One trimester

• Fulfills Social Studies elective credit

History Through Film examines history as depicted in Hollywood films. Films will be analyzed and evaluated in terms of legitimacy as a historical source. Students view movies on various topics and participate in discussions, explore evidence from more traditional sources such as articles, film reviews and critical commentaries.  Sensitive and controversial topics will be covered.  A number of the films selected for viewing have an R rating.  Therefore, in accordance with our Inclusive Curriculum Policy, students and parents will be asked to opt-in through a parent permission form which will be sent home with students at the beginning of the trimester and will include the list of movies that will be viewed in class.   

Ethnic Studies

• Elective: 11, 12

• Length of Course: One trimester

• Fulfills Social Studies elective credit

Students in ethnic studies explore the way in which race and ethnicity play a role in our lives. Key concepts in ethnic studies are race as a social construct, ethnic identity, power and privilege, and the global impact of settler colonialism. Ethnic studies draws on these key concepts by learning histories of people who identify in several broad groups: Black and African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, Chicanos/Latinos and European immigrants. Although this course focuses mostly on the United States, students also explore global trends in history and current events. As per the new Minnesota Ethnic Studies Standards, students in this course will analyze the ways power and language construct the social identities of race, religion, geography, ethnicity and gender. Students apply these understandings to one’s own social identities and other groups living in Minnesota, centering those whose stories and histories have been marginalized, erased or ignored. Students will also describe how individuals and communities have fought for freedom and liberation against systemic and coordinated exercises of power locally and globally. Students will identify strategies or times that have resulted in lasting change. This course will use ethnic and Indigenous studies methods and sources in order to understand the roots of contemporary systems of oppression and apply lessons from the past in order to eliminate historical and contemporary injustices, and therefore, may expose students to contemporary tensions around these topics. For example, students will watch a Frontline documentary called "A Class Divided," in which students reflect on a lesson in which their teacher divided them into blue and brown-eyed groups to teach them a powerful lesson on discrimination. A student uses a racial slur in the documentary. According to ISD 742’s Inclusive Curriculum Protocol, parents and guardians must opt in when curriculum materials contain identity-based slurs. Registering for this course means the student and guardian opt in.

Current Events and News Literacy (CMVA Only)

• Elective: 10, 11, 12

• Length of Course: One trimester

• Fulfills Social Studies elective credit

This one trimester course will provide students the opportunity to develop the skills to identify and describe multiple points of view regarding issues in the news as well as analyze context, changes, and continuities in history that frame current events. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of media bias and the value of multiple perspectives when making informed choices.