Connetquot High School Social Studies Electives
Advanced Placement Courses
AP Psychology
Teacher: Mrs. Martorelli
Grades: 11-12
Exam: AP Exam in May
Discover more about yourself and everyone and everything around you! This one year course covers the behavior and mental processes of human beings. Topics of study include everything from neuroscience and biology to personality and psychological disorders and everything in between.
AP Capstone Research
Teachers: Mrs. Martorelli and Mr. Guillem
Grades: 11-12
Exam: AP Research paper due in May
Have you ever wanted to make a contribution to the world’s knowledge? AP research lets you do so, in whatever topic you choose. You spend the year researching your topic and unlike most AP classes, there is no large exam at the end. Instead, everything pertains to your final research paper on a topic of your choice
AP European History/Western Civilization 1&2
Teacher: Mrs. LaFrance-Sweet
Grades: 10-12
Exam: AP Exam in May OR course can be taken for 6 credits through LIU Post
A survey of the political, economic, social and intellectual developments that shaped Europe's relationship to the rest of the world. Covers the ancient period through the 21st century. Explores the rise of European dominance in a global context and the growth of "the West" as a concept.
Dual Credit Electives - Earn College and High School Credit
Maritime Culture and History
Teacher: Mrs. LaFrance-Sweet
Grades: 10-12
College Credit: 3 credits through SUNY Stony Brook
Learn how to make your own compass, tie nautical knots, & built cardboard boats. Study maritime history, including local whaling, commerce, shipwrecks, and world wars.
Urban Studies and Sociology
Teacher: Mrs. LaFrance Sweet
Grades: 10-12
College Credit: 3 credits through LIU Post
With emphasis on project-based learning and activities; and hands-on trips to New York City, this course studies the ongoing social dynamics of cities and their metropolitan suburban areas.
Ethics and Philosophy
Teacher: Mr. Nizewitz
Grades: 11-12
College Credit: 3 credits through LIU Post
What is the difference between right and wrong? Individuals, thinkers, and political leaders have debated the answer for thousands of years. Students will review/develop their own moral code, and then apply that thinking to present-day social and international issues. Students will use their own philosophical world-view to justify
their position on a wide range of topics.
Psychology II
Teacher: Mrs. Martorelli or Mrs. Roeser
Grades: 11-12
College Credit: 3 credits through LIU Post
Psychology helps us to understand why we do the things we do. Have you even wondered about the meaning of your dreams? Why are anxiety and depression the most common mental issues? Why do men and women have trouble communicating? Explore the answers to these questions and many more. Learn about gender differences, consciousness, personality theories and behavior disorders.
Intro to Anthropology
Teacher: Mrs. LaFrance Sweet
Grades: 10-12
College Credit: 3 credits through SUNY Farmingdale
Anthropology is the social science that studies humankind. We will survey and try to explain some of the variety found in the human condition around the world. This course offers an introduction to its four major sub-fields: Physical or Biological anthropology (human evolution, the fossil record, and ethology); Archaeology (extinct cultures, classical civilizations, and pre-history); Linguistics (language origins, development, diffusion, structure, and change); Sociocultural Anthropology (pioneers in the field, cross-cultural research, case studies, and the future).
Positive Psychology I
Teacher: Mrs. Roeser
Grades: 11-12
College Credit: 3 credits through LIU Post
Find out what makes you really happy! Focus on time with friends and learn tools to make you more productive, happy & healthier. This course includes tips & tricks on how to destress and improve test performance. Part 2 offered for certification to become a Meditation Leader!
Half Year Electives
Civil Rights: Law and Justice
Teacher: Mr. MacLagan
Grades: 11-12
Do you know your rights? The Constitution was written to limit governmental intrusion on citizens’ liberties, while encouraging republican responsibility. This course will survey the Constitutional protections of all citizens and serve as a sounding board for their concerns. By the end of the semester, students will have a stronger and clearer understanding of government's impact on their lives.
Criminal Law
Teacher: Mr. MacLagan
Grades: 11-12
This course introduces students to the United States Criminal Justice System. Students will study early codes of law and their influence on the American legal system, the Bill of Rights, important Supreme Court decisions, Due Process, police powers, the importance of individual rights and responsibilities, and the Criminal Justice process from the initial crime scene investigation through punishment.
Long Island History
Teacher: Mrs. Piscitelli
Grades: 10-12
A study of Long Island history from its geological origins to the present day. The major events, personalities and factors shaping development of Long Island. Long Island will be analyzed both as a distinct region and as a case study in the broader history of America.
Psychology I
Teacher: Mrs. Martorelli, Mrs. Roeser, or Mrs. Piscitelli
Grades: 11-12
Interested in learning more about yourself and the people around you? This half-year course is an introduction to psychology and can be taken alone or in conjunction with interpersonal psychology for LIU credit. You will be introduced to the workings of the mind and human behavior. Topics of study include brain anatomy, research, sensations and perceptions, and states of consciousness.
Positive Psychology II
Teacher: Mrs. Roeser
Grades: 11-12
This course will focus on application of the tools and information the students receive in the first course, Positive Psychology formerly Science of Well Being, focusing on mindfulness, and will include a certification process for becoming certified mindful leaders to be used for possible employment. The course will serve as an opportunity to encourage our younger students to learn social emotional knowledge and build more productive habits to increase their personal growth through the leadership and example of our high school students.
Social Media and Society
Teacher: Mr. Drzal
Grades: 10-12
Be it maintaining an updated Instagram feed, avoiding the pitfalls of an inadvertent tweet or upholding one’s integrity in an era of instant access and ubiquitous camera lenses, teenagers are discovering themselves in a time where mistakes are constantly recorded, progress is instantly judged and little escapes scrutiny. In examining the use of these growing technologies on both a societal and personal level, Social Media and Society will better prepare students to be responsible consumers and participants in this modern landscape. Our ultimate goal-Heathy, well-rounded, technologically
savvy young adults.
Sociology
Teacher: Mr. MacLagan
Grades: 11-12
Students will scientifically investigate the major patterns of human behavior. Emphasis will be given to the genetic and environmental forces that tend to influence the actions of man. Specific personality traits will be drawn to encourage students to seek the social factors that can be related to social structures designed by man.
Military History: Studies in World Conflict
Teacher: Mrs. Doheny
Grades: 10-12
This course is an overview of significant military trends and developments in world history from ancient through modern times. Weapons and technology, strategy and tactics, decisive battles, and significant leaders may be studied. Other topics include the theoretical principles of warfare as well as the development of military ethics. Students will embark on field trips to the Culper Spy Ring Tour, Museum of American Armor, American Airpower Museum and the Michael Murphy Navy Seal Museum.