Courses offered
(04302AGE) AGE LITERACY COLLABORATIVE
0.5 credit *NCAA*
The AGE Literacy Collaborative course (American History, Geography, Economics) is a semester course that will focus on building literacy skills for students as they apply to key social studies disciplines. It will focus on historical, economic, and geographic literacy each during one of the marking periods that make up this course. Historical literacy skills will be built through the examination of early American history by examining a variety of historical sources to help students gain a deeper understanding of the period and how historians interpret the past. Geographic literacy will be built by studying geographic patterns across regions, the interdependence of humans and the environment, and shared connections as defined by physical and human features. Economic literacy will focus on both microeconomy and macroeconomy to determine the fundamentals of economic thought and how economics plays a role in their own lives. This course is designed to give students a solid foundation in disciplinary literacy skills that they will then carry through, throughout the rest of their high school careers.
(04101AHS) AMERICAN HISTORY SURVEY
0.75 credit *NCAA*
The American History Survey Course is a three-marking period course that focuses on the political, social, cultural, military, and geographical history of the United States from the Constitutional and Federal era through the 20th & 21st centuries and continues to the present. This course is an introduction to the main political, economic, social, foreign policy, and cultural. Students will be participating in a variety of activities through individual, cooperative, and technology-based assignments. Assignments include but are not limited to: class work, homework, projects, journal and analytical writing, presentations, discussion and debates, and current event analysis. This course is designed to help the student understand that America today is the product of the collective past. To broaden the student’s understanding of America’s pattern of development, the course focuses on why and how things developed as they did. The use of primary documents and current events, students will learn about the various political, social, religious, and economic developments that have shaped and continue to shape the United States.
(04109A) CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY
Subheading: Local/Bellefonte History
0.5 credit *NCAA*
Students will engage in Pennsylvania and U.S. History from a local perspective. In doing so, students will learn the important geographic, social, economic, and political importance of local places, people, events, and historical sites in Bellefonte and Centre County. Such local connections can help students better understand where they live and value the subject of history altogether. This course will rely on locally sourced primary documents, local landmarks, placenames and architecture to discover Central Pennsylvania’s rich history. Students will gain historical and literacy skills in reading, writing, and thinking like a historian.
(04102US) US HISTORY 600 – UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
COLLEGE IN HIGH SCHOOL
0.5 credit *NCAA*
U.S. History 600 is a half-year course that traces and analyzes the central developments in U.S. History from Settlement through the Civil War. This period in U.S. History is characterized by important developments that helped to create the foundation of our nation. Students will examine themes such as the transformation of the New World, settlement, the process of colonization, slavery, the road to revolution, the birth of a new nation, the role of government, expansion, political and economic change, sectional conflict and war.
Students enrolled in this course will have the opportunity to earn three credits from the University of Pittsburgh for History 600. The College in High School program in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh offers school districts the opportunity to collaborate with University of Pittsburgh faculty members to design and implement a rigorous history course to students enrolled in secondary school(s). Any student can take this course along with US History 601 in place of American History Survey (10th grade History). Students will have the option of signing up for the CHS credit through the University of Pittsburgh. This is a half-year rigorous course.
(04103US) US HISTORY 601 – UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
COLLEGE IN HIGH SCHOOL
0.5 credit *NCAA*
U.S. History 601 is a half-year survey course of 20th & 21st century U.S. History. The curriculum will analyze the central developments in the U.S. History from Reconstruction to the present. This period in U.S. History is characterized by dramatic and sweeping political, economic, social, and cultural change, as well as expanding global engagement.
Students enrolled in this course will have the opportunity to earn three credits from the University of Pittsburgh for History 601. The College in High School program in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh offers school districts the opportunity to collaborate with University of Pittsburgh faculty members to design and implement a rigorous history course to students enrolled in secondary school(s). Any student can take this course along with US History 600 in place of American History Survey (10th grade History). There is the option of signing up for the CHS/U Pitt credit. Be aware that it is a half-year rigorous course.
(2210) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
0.75 credit *NCAA*
This three marking period long course includes the study of government theory, federalism in the United States, the structure of the American political system, local taxation, and voting. Students will also be given the opportunity to register to vote. An overview of Pennsylvania’s government will also be covered. This course involves extensive use of the U.S. Constitution and other primary and secondary documents.
(04106AHN) AMERICAN HISTORY NOW
0.25 credit *NCAA*
Students will be able to independently use their learning to comprehend and synthesize major events in American history and see how those historical moments still affect America now. Additionally, the course content will utilize historical social justice movements, theoretical problems having to do with social equality, personal freedom, access to social resources, marginalization and stigmatization, and the ways in which communities respond to these issues and apply them in today’s history. At the course’s conclusion, students will have the appropriate skills to be an advocate. This writing intensive course will utilize primary and secondary sources. Additionally, the course will also develop the student’s research, writing and oral skills.
It will also have a parallel purpose, like all other civics courses in the school, in which it will connect social studies learning, democratic values and help prepare students to become an active and virtuous citizen.
Social Studies Electives
(210) AP US GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
1.0 credit (1.07 weight) *NCAA*
Suggested Prerequisites: 12th grade status
Note: An application process is required for this course. Students are required to complete a summer assignment. Successful completion of this course would fulfill the civics and government social studies credit requirement.
This year long college level course utilizes extensive primary & secondary sources. Extensive reading and writing will be embedded throughout the course. Topics to be covered include: The Constitutional underpinnings of democracy in the U.S., political beliefs and behaviors of individuals in the U.S., political parties and interest groups, the Executive, Legislative & Judicial branches, the bureaucracy, the media and civil liberties and civil rights. Students are expected to take the AP Government exam. Students who achieve a designated level on this test may receive college credit.
Students that take this course can also apply simultaneously to receive University of Pittsburgh credit. More information will be forthcoming when you apply and are accepted into this course.
(4057APWMOD) AP WORLD HISTORY: MODERN
1.0 credit (1.07 weight) *NCAA*
Suggested Prerequisites: 10th, 11th or 12th grade status. An application process is required for this course. Students are required to complete a summer assignment.
Successful completion of this course would fulfill the World Culture social studies credit requirement.
The Advanced Placement World History course content is structured around the investigation of course themes and key concepts in six chronological periods. The nine historical periods from approximately 1200 C.E. to the present provide a temporal framework for the course. The instructional importance and assessment weighting for each period varies. The five course themes are Interaction between Humans and the Environment, Development and Interaction of Cultures, State-Building, Expansion, and Conflict, Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems and Development and Transformation of Social Structures. By analyzing world history in this manner students will have a better and richer understanding of the world and the cultures within it. Students are expected to take the AP Exam in May. Students who achieve a designated level on this test may receive college credit.
(220) AP US HISTORY
1.0 credit (1.07 weight) *NCAA*
Suggested Prerequisites: 10th, 11th, or 12th grade status. An application process is required for this course. Students are required to complete a summer assignment.
AP U.S. History is a year-long college level course for students who have excelled in previous U.S. History 1 and U.S. History 2 survey courses. Completion of U.S. History 1 and U.S. History 2 are strongly recommended prior to taking AP US History. This course will utilize primary and secondary source reading materials in conjunction with a college level textbook. Students will be required to present persuasive oral arguments to the class through daily discussions and oral presentations, as well as demonstrate their abilities to conduct research and writing through papers and essays. The following topics will be covered: Pre-Columbian America; Colonial North America; The American Revolution; The Early Republic; Antebellum America; Territorial Expansion and Manifest Destiny; Civil War and Reconstruction; Westward Expansion; Industrial America; Populism and Progressivism; Emergence as a World Power; Roaring 20’s; Great Depression and New Deal; WW II Home and Abroad; Early Cold War and 1950’s; The Turbulent 60’s; Crisis and Change the 70’s; 80’s and the End of the Cold War; Emergence of Modern America. Students in AP courses are expected to take the national AP exam. Students who achieve a designated level on this test may receive college credit.
Students that take this course can also apply simultaneously to receive University of Pittsburgh credit. Students are eligible to take US History 600 and US History 601 during the first and second semesters in this course. More information will be forthcoming when you apply and are accepted into this course.
(0215) AP EUROPEAN HISTORY
1.0 credit (1.07 weight) *NCAA*
Suggested Prerequisites: 10th, 11th or 12th grade status. An application process is required for this course. Students are required to complete a summer assignment.
The Advanced Placement European History course of study is designed as a college level history course. Students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of basic chronology and of major events and trends from approximately the 1450’s to the 1990’s; that is, from the High Renaissance to the end of the Cold War and modern times. The focus of its content is the intellectual-cultural, political-diplomatic, and social-economic history of the above period. Students’ independent study and research skills are developed and utilized during this course. Students are expected to take the AP Exam in May.
Students that take this course can also apply simultaneously to receive University of Pittsburgh credit. More information will be forthcoming when you apply and are accepted into this course.
(04154AP) AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
1.0 credit (1.07 weight) *NCAA*
Suggested Prerequisites: 10th, 11th and 12th grade status
Note: An application process is required for this course. Students are required to complete a summer assignment.
Comparative Government and Politics introduces students to fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and outcomes of politics in a variety of country settings. The course aims to illustrate the rich diversity of political life, to show available institutional alternatives, to explain differences in processes and policy outcomes, and to communicate to students the importance of global political and economic changes. Careful comparison of political systems produces useful knowledge about the institutions and policies countries have employed to address problems, or, indeed, what they have done to make things worse. We can compare the effectiveness of policy approaches to poverty or overpopulation by examining how different countries solve similar problems. Furthermore, by comparing the political institutions and practices of wealthy and poor countries, we can begin to understand the political consequences of economics well-being. Six countries form the core of the AP Comparative Government and Politics course: China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia. Students are expected to take the AP Exam in May. Students who achieve a designated level on this test may receive college credit.
(04004AP) AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
1.0 credit (1.07 weight) *NCAA*
Suggested Prerequisites: 10th, 11th and 12th grade status
Note: An application process is required for this course. Students may be required to complete a summer assignment.
The purpose of the AP Human Geography course is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of the Earth’s surface. Students will learn to employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human socioeconomic organization and its environmental consequences. They will also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their research and applications. On successful completion of the course, students should have developed skills that enable them to:
*Interpret maps and analyze geospatial data
*Understand and explain the implications of associations and networks among phenomena in places
*Recognize and interpret the relationships among patterns and processes at different scales of analysis
*Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process
*Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places
Students are expected to take the AP Exam in May. Students who achieve a designated level on this test may receive college credit.
(240) AP PSYCHOLOGY
1.0 credit (1.07 weight) *NCAA*
Suggested Prerequisites: 10th, 11th or 12th grade status. An application process is required for this course. Students are required to complete a summer assignment.
This year long course is designed to acquaint students with the field of psychology, promote critical thinking skills, develop scientific writing skills and prepare students for the AP Psychology Exam which is administered in May. We will cover the structure of psychology (what it is), the purpose of psychology (what it does), and the benefits and challenges of psychology in everyday life (how it is applied). Students are expected to take the AP Psychology exam. Students who achieve a designated level on this test may receive college credit.
Students that take this course can also apply simultaneously to receive University of Pittsburgh credit. More information will be forthcoming when you apply and are accepted into this course.
(04204AP) AP MACROECONOMICS
1.0 credit (1.07 weight) *NCAA*
Suggested Prerequisites: 11th or 12th grade status. Students are required to complete a summer assignment.
AP Macroeconomics is an introductory college-level course that focuses on the principles that apply to an economic system as a whole. The course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price-level determination; it also develops students’ familiarity with economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics. Students learn to use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts. Students are expected to take the AP exam in May. Students who achieve a designated level on this test may receive college credit.
(04203AP) AP MICROECONOMICS
1.0 credit (1.07 weight) *NCAA*
Suggested Prerequisites: 11th and 12th grade status. Students are required to complete a summer assignment.
The AP Microeconomics course provides students with an understanding of the principles of economics as they apply to individual decision-making units, including individual households and firms. The course examines the theory of consumer behavior, the theory of the firm, and the behavior of profit-maximizing firms under various market structures. Students evaluate the efficiency of the outcomes with respect to price, output, consumer surplus, and producer surplus. They examine the behaviors of households and businesses in factor markets, and learn how the determination of factor prices, wages, interest, and rent influence the distribution of income in a market economy. There are ample opportunities to consider instances in which private markets may fall to allocate resources efficiently and examine various public policy alternatives aimed at improving the efficiency of private markets. Students are expected to take the AP exam in May. Students who achieve a designated level on this test may receive college credit.
Required Mini-Course Offerings
(2246) THE SECOND WORLD WAR
0.25 credit *NCAA*
Marking Period 4 Only
Students enrolled in this course will be taking a closer look at World War Two. Focus will include the Soviet’s war in the Eastern Front along with the Allied assault on Europe and America’s war in the Pacific. Students will read Chapters from several different historical narratives that will go into more depth about various Military Campaigns. Students will also research a Battle, General or Politician from the time period. This course offers a more in-depth look at World War Two. Students interested in Military History are encouraged to sign up.
(2245) CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL ISSUES
0.25 credit *NCAA*
Marking Period 4 Only
Students enrolled in this course will explore current events at the World, National, State and Local levels. Students will examine the larger issues behind the breaking news around the world and examine the impact that these events have on their own lives. Students will participate in daily “roundtable” discussions and readings of these topics. This course is primarily based around class discussions and student research/presentations.
(2263) DEMONS, DICTATORS & DESPOTISM
0.25 credit *NCAA*
Marking Period 4 Only
Students will explore examples of countries around the world where dictators rule and conflict thrives. Emphasis on the factors that contribute to clashes between civilian, political and military forces will occur. Discussion of factors that lead to conflict, despotism, and the costs in human terms will be analyzed along with the various conflicts that have resulted. Conflicts from the past century in the Middle East, Africa, South America, Europe, and Asia will be explored.
(2256) THE VIETNAM WAR
0.25 credit *NCAA*
Marking Period 4 Only
The Vietnam War is one of the most studied, documented, and argued about wars in American history. The debate has taken the form of historical inquiries, poetry, novels, film, music, and other arts. The war shaped the experiences of a generation and continues to affect American life and arts. Students will examine the conflict in Southeast Asia through the eyes of journalists, fiction writers, poets, historians, filmmakers, musicians, and other artists.
(04109HSI) HSI – HISTORICAL SCENE INVESTIGATION
0.25 credit *NCAA*
Marking Period 4 Only
The Historical Scene Investigation class will give students experiences that more closely resemble the work of a real historian. By bringing primary sources into their classroom, students will use steps to “crack” various historical events. Students will analyze various events in U.S. history to raise questions and find solid evidence in support of their answers and encourage them to encourage new questions about various historical events in U.S. History. Students will go beyond the facts presented in their textbooks and examine historical record for themselves. Students will consult documents, journals, diaries, artifacts, historic sites, works of art, numerical data, images, audio, video clips, and other evidence from the past, and take into account the historical context in which these records were created and comparing the multiple points of view of those on the scene at the time. Some examples of “cases” students will analyze: Jamestown, “The Boston Massacre,” Lexington and Concord, Constitutional Controversy, Children in the Civil War, School Desegregation, Dropping the Atomic Bomb, March on Frankfort, and Richard Nixon. Students will analyze these “cases” by becoming a detective, investigating evidence, searching for clues, and cracking the case. Course assessments will be through projects, cooperative learning, and unit exams.
Grade(s): 9th-12th
PA State Standards: 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.B, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D, 8.3.12.A, 8.3.12.B, 8.3.12.C, 8.3.12.D, 1.1.11.G, 1.2.11.A, 1.4.11.B, 1.6.11.C, 1.8.11.B, 1.8.11.C.
(04058AGR) ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME
0.25 credit *NCAA*
Marking Period 4 Only
This course will examine empire building, empire-maintaining and empire-collapsing in the cultures of Classical Greece and Rome. The rise of empire will cover the Delian League, the Macedonia success of Alexander the Great and Rome’s expansion through the Punic Wars. The fall of empires will include the Peloponnesian Wars and the crises and collapse of the Western half of the Roman Empire. Readings will be drawn from the historians and humanists of antiquity.
(04109FTAH) FAMOUS TRIALS IN AMERICAN HISTORY
0.25 credit *NCAA*
Marking Period 4 Only
This class will examine various trials in American History. Students will evaluate how these trials relate to major social changes, cultural conflicts and political struggles during various times in American History. Students will gain a greater understanding of the American Justice system and become more aware of American culture, American social issues and how political and economic forces affect our justice system.
Social Studies Flow of Study
2022-23
12th - US Government-3 marking periods (.75 credit)/American History Now (.25 credits)
11th - AGE (American History/Literacy, Geographic Literacy, Economic Literacy - .5 credit) and Central Pennsylvania History (.5 credit)
10th - American History Survey-3 marking periods (.75 credit)/4th marking period mini of your choice (.25 credit)
In place of American History Survey – take AP US History (1 credit), or US 600 AND 601 (total of 1 credit)
9th - AGE (American History/Literacy, Geographic Literacy, Economic Literacy - .5 credit) and Central Pennsylvania History (.5 credit)
2023-24 (and beyond)
12th - US Government-3 marking periods (.75 credit)/American History Now (.25 credits)
11th – World Cultures-3 marking periods (.75 credit)/4th marking period mini of your choice (.25 credit)
In place of World Cultures – take AP World Modern (1 credit)
10th - American History Survey-3 marking periods (.75 credit)/4th marking period mini of your choice (.25 credit)
In place of American History Survey – take AP US History (1 credit), or US 600 AND 601 (total of 1 credit)
9th - AGE (American History/Literacy, Geographic Literacy, Economic Literacy - .5 credit) and Central Pennsylvania History (.5 credit)
Note:
All below are Social Studies elective credits that can counted towards mini course requirements and/or elective requirements:
AP Comparative Government
AP European History
AP Human Geography
AP Macroeconomics
AP Microeconomics
AP Psychology
AP World Modern
Social Studies Honors Recognition can be obtained by taking and passing any three AP Social Studies courses.