Curriculum

CORE COURSES

GRADE 9 - Modern World History:

Industrialization, Nationalism, and European Imperialism; Modern Russia; Modern Iran; Modern China

GRADE 10 - United States History 1:

American identity development; Westward expansion and imperialism; reform movements; sectionalism and Civil War; Reconstruction, the American west. 

GRADE 11 - United States History 2:

Gilded Age; urbanization and immigration; the Progressive movement; the US in the World Wars; the US in the Cold War; cultural changes in the '60s and '70s. This course may be replaced by AP United States History or AP African-American Studies. 

ELECTIVE COURSES

AP African-American Studies

The interdisciplinary course includes study in a variety of disciplines—literature, the arts, humanities, political science, geography, and science. This approach will allow students to explore the vital contributions and experiences of African Americans.  Students will study topics including the African Diaspora, enslavement and resistance, the practice of freedom, and liberatory movements. AP African American Studies is designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester introductory college or university African American Studies course. Students will be required to take the AP exam and complete the portfolio project in May. 

AP European History 

AP Modern European History focuses on European history from the Renaissance to the present.  Coursework includes analysis of historical documents, essay writing, oral projects, and examination of document-based questions.  This course is designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Modern European History Exam by making demands upon them equivalent to that of an introductory college course.  Students who are highly motivated and have a strong interest in European history should take this course. Students will be required to take the AP examination in May.    

AP Human Geography

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. The curriculum reflects the goals of the National Geography Standards (2012). Students will be required to take the AP examination in May.    

AP United States History

The A.P. U.S. History course focuses on developing students’ understanding of American history from approximately 1491 to the present.  The course has students investigate the content of U.S. History for significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in nine historical periods and develop and use the same thinking skills and methods (analyzing primary and secondary sources, making historical comparisons, chronological reasoning, and argumentation) employed by historians when they study the past.  The course also provides seven themes (American and national identity; migration and settlement; politics and power; work, exchange, and technology; America in the world; geography and the environment; and culture and society) that students explore throughout the course to make connections among historical developments in different times and places. AP U.S. History is designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester introductory college or university U.S. History course. Students will be required to take the AP examination in May.    

AP United States Government and Politics             

US Government and Politics is the study of the United States national government's policies, institutions, and foundations. Topics include: constitutional theories forming the basis of government, political beliefs and behaviors, political parties, interest groups, the mass media, the Congress, presidency, bureaucracy, and Federal court system, public policy, and civil rights and civil liberties. This course gives students an analytical perspective on American government and politics, preparing them to take the AP US Government and Politics exam.  The course is taught with college-level texts. Students will be required to take the AP examination in May.    

AP Psychology                                   

AP Psychology is a full-year course that is the equivalent of a one-semester introductory college course in psychology. This course will give students a better understanding of why people think and behave as they do. AP Psychology will introduce students to the discipline of psychology as a science, the different theoretical explanations of behavior, contemporary research methods used by psychologists, biological bases of behavior, personality, disorders and therapeutic processes, memory, thinking and learning, and much more. Students will be required to take the AP examination in May. 

American Law                    

This course examines the fascinating areas of criminal, civil, and constitutional law.  Major emphasis is placed on understanding one’s legal rights and responsibilities inside and outside school.  The specialized areas of criminal justice and the court system receive considerable attention and provide students with a general knowledge of their rights and civic duties.  Debate, discussion, and mock trials will be heavily utilized to examine current legal issues and important court cases. Topics include homicide, conflict resolution, search and seizure, race and gender discrimination, and property crimes.

American Popular Culture

What does popular mean? How does someone or something become popular? Students in this course will examine these questions in the context of American culture. We are surrounded by popular culture and it influences how we think, feel, and live. Students will use a variety of cultural products, such as music, movies, television shows, sports, fashion trends, comic books, magazines, and social networks, to explore what has defined American popular culture over time and the role that popular culture plays in their lives today. Students will complete reviews on different types of media, projects, short essays, and reflections, as well as research on elements of pop culture. 

Current Issues: America and the World

Students will study important problems facing the global community and will conduct in-depth research and analysis of these topics. Half of the course will focus on domestic issues, such as U.S. Gun Policy/Gun Control, National Politics, Criminal Justice Reform, and Income/Wealth Inequality, among others. The other half of the course will be devoted to foreign issues, with the primary focus being on U.S. regional foreign policy. Classroom activities will include class discussions, collaborative activities, individual projects, and Skype sessions with experts in key areas being studied. Assessments will take the form of writing assignments, which include formal papers and opinion pieces, as well as projects. 

Economic Ideas and Policy (Syracuse University Dual Enrollment course)   

Students will undertake an in-depth study of micro and macroeconomics.  In microeconomics, students will analyze why people make choices, the market coordination that occurs due to individual choices, market issues that arise due to individual choices, and the potential need for government involvement in the economy. With this foundation in place, the students will examine macroeconomics, in which they will consider the potential options the government may use to intervene in the market.  Finally, the students will partake in a global study in which they learn the potential positives and negatives of free trade.

**Students will have an option of electing to take the course for 3 undergraduate credits from Syracuse University for a cost**

Economics of Personal Finance (Syracuse University Dual Enrollment course) 

The world of personal finance can be overwhelming.  From credit cards to mortgages and more, Personal Finance is an in-depth explanation of the essential information you need to know to make financially smart decisions for the rest of your life.  This detailed Introduction to Personal Finance focuses on the foundations of financial planning—such as setting short-term and long-term financial goals—and then tackles essential aspects of consumer personal finance, including record keeping, budgeting, banking, saving, borrowing, investing, insurance, taxes, and retirement planning.  By the end, you will feel more confident about making informed and reasoned financial choices with regard to your professional and personal lives.  Your bank account will thank you later.  This is a college course offered on-site at Arlington High School through a partnership with Syracuse University.  All students taking the one-semester class will receive a grade at the AP weight for the course on their Arlington High transcript. 

**Students will have an option of electing to take the course for 3 undergraduate credits from Syracuse University for a cost**

Gender and Society

This course will examine why gender equality is so important and yet so hard to achieve. The central aim is to foster critical reading and thinking about gender and how it is shaped by the interlocking systems of racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, heterosexism, ageism, ableism, colonialism, and globalization; and how social movements have resisted these inequalities and worked to create new systems of change. We will scrutinize political, social, and legal constructions of gender which continue to operate as though gender is binary, and explore a more inclusive approach that reflects a gender continuum within the context of entrenched power structures. Through understanding the construction of gender and its relationship with society, we will look for solutions to eradicate gender discrimination and gender-based violence. 

Introduction to Economics                          

This course will examine the principles of micro and macroeconomics.  In particular, they will examine the powers of the Federal Reserve and federal government, scrutinizing the economic theories employed by the Democratic and the Republican parties.  The students will create a business to engage in a detailed study of issues that arise at the business level.  The class concludes with an examination of the role of the consumer; here students learn personal finance life skills such as making a budget, learning wise shopping strategies, learning how to achieve a strong credit score, how to avoid credit card debt, and how to save for retirement.        

Introduction to Personal Finance

This class is designed to give students the tools needed to successfully manage their personal finances by learning basic financial concepts and research skills.  Students will learn about the pressures to spend and how to avoid spending haphazardly by making financial statements that include budgets.  They will investigate credit, so they can know how to have a high credit score while limiting bad debt. In addition, students will learn how to navigate major purchases like college, housing, and automobiles while protecting themselves from economic peril by learning about insurance. Finally, the students will also engage in an in-depth study of saving and investing.  

Psychology and Human Behavior

This class pulls together the most important and applicable concepts from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics, and evolutionary biology. Students will walk away with practical knowledge they can use in their own lives. In the past few decades, we have learned a huge amount about the human mind. So many vital things in life — the way we behave, the way we organize ourselves, our attitudes and beliefs, and our ability to solve hard problems — are connected to it. The more we understand these concepts, the more we can become authors of our own lives.

Race, Society, and Identity            

In this course, students will critically analyze the construction of Race and the effects it has had on American society through a seminar-style approach with hands-on projects. The course starts with an understanding of the self, from which an understanding of modern racial context is then sought. Throughout this class, we will go over various case studies to shed light on the deeply rooted history of racial discrimination and violence in this country that continues to be prevalent today. Towards the end of the course, our focus will shift towards learning contemporary theory around race and empowering students to act against those issues in meaningful ways.

Social History Through Sports

Students will examine historical social issues such as race, gender, political unrest, war, and religion through the lens of sports.  The course will utilize a case study approach to give students a detailed sense of the historical period, the social issue, its relationship to a specific sport, and the legacy of the social issue/sport that continues today.  The methodology and approach of the course will include large amounts of discussions, reflective writing, and creative projects based on several multimedia resources such as documentaries and films, as well as historical readings and resources. Some topics will include  Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, gender equality in sports, the O.J. Simpson trial, and an examination of Boston sports racial history, and many more. By the end of the course, students will see sports beyond fandom, competition, and athletic skill; rather they will understand how sports have functioned as both a reflection of social issues and also a vehicle to move them forward.