History - Sophomore

UNITED STATES HISTORY I: (105/106)

THE REVOLUTION THROUGH PROGRESSIVISM (1763-1914)

Grade 10: Level 2 and Honors

(Year) 1.50 credits

Students will examine the historical and intellectual origins of the United States during the Revolutionary and Constitutional eras. The important political and economic factors that contributed to the Revolution as well as the consequences of the Revolution, including the writing and key ideas of the U. S. Constitution will provide the foundation for this course. Other topics to be studied in U.S. History I will be America’s westward expansion, the establishment of political parties, and economic and social change in the new nation. One main focus of the course is the study of the growth of sectional conflict in the emerging nation, the resultant Civil War and the consequences of the Civil War, including Industrialism.

Students will develop a variety of skills in an effort to meet the course objectives. Specific concepts and skills include, but are not limited to: long and short- term cause and effect relationships, distinguishing fact from opinion, interpretation of historical maps, charts and graphs, primary sources, distinguishing intended from unintended consequences, gathering and assessing evidence, historical context and the language skills necessary to become an independent learner.

Instructional strategies and materials include: discussions, readings, role-playing, lectures, cooperative learning, audio-visual programs, and research and computer activities.

Honors Option

Honors is intended for those students with a serious interest in history and a willingness to apply themselves to a rigorous course of study with high expectations. In addition to those skills outlined in level 2, directed-documents essays are utilized to develop expository writing skills. A variety of discussion techniques are employed to further develop listening and speaking skills. A broad selection of texts and readings, monographs, primary sources and selected audio-visual materials augment skill development. Quizzes and tests are designed to reflect depth of understanding and particular emphasis is placed on expository writing assignments.

AP UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT & POLITICS (124/127)

Grade 10 and 12: Advanced Placement
(Year) 1.50 credits

This course provides a college-level, nonpartisan introduction to key political concepts, ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the constitutional system and political culture of the United States. Students will study US foundational documents, Supreme Court decisions and other texts and visuals to gain an understanding of the relationships and interactions among political institutions, processes, and behaviors. They will also engage in disciplinary practices that require them to read and interpret data, make comparisons and applications, and develop evidence-based arguments. In addition, they will complete a political science research, or applied civics project.

Students enrolling in this course should have a high level of interest in history, government and politics. This is a college-level course that requires a substantial amount of daily reading and preparation. There is a heavy emphasis on writing, debate, and discussion.

CRIMINOLOGY (169/170)

Grades 10-12: Level 2 and Honors

(Semester) .75 credit

This semester elective is an introduction to the study of crime using multiple social sciences such as sociology, psychology, and political science as lenses. Students will understand the purpose of laws and analyze the many ways the government deals with and defines crime. Students will first understand the legal framework and then proceed to analyze a variety of statistics and theories behind criminal behavior. Students will be asked to interact with one of the many institutions involving crime and interview someone in a profession connected to criminology.

Some of the many topics to be studied will include profiling the criminal mind, law-making and the court system, citizen rights and responsibilities, social institutions, criminal behavior, criminal law and criminal justice, policing, juvenile delinquency, and prisons. Students will be expected to discuss assigned readings and complete efficient research. Teaching methods will include experimentation, discussion, Socratic seminars, reading analysis, lectures, role-playing, research and audio-visual presentations.

Honors Option: Honors level work in an upper grade level class requires students to consistently exhibit strong class communication skills and high quality written work. Honors level students should expect to substantially contribute to all class activities, as well as being willing to personalize class concepts and take intellectual risks in applying sociological theories to real life. Honors level students will often have more homework and longer assignments. It is important that honors level students are also active listeners, able to consider and respectfully respond to other’s comments and always exhibit a reliable work ethic.

ECONOMICS (173/174)

Grades 10-12: Level 2 and Honors

(Semester) .75 credit

Contemporary Economics introduces students to key concepts and principles of the American economic system and relates these concepts and principles to students’ future economic roles. Content includes the following: a survey of economic systems as societies decide what to produce, how and for whom; a study of the role of supply and demand, prices and profits in a market economy; and understanding of the organization and role of business firms in terms of how decisions are made as they respond to market structures. Further topics studied in this course are an understanding of economic performance indicators, along with fiscal (taxation) and monetary (money and banking) responses to market failures and what these mean in terms of poverty, employment, and other quality of life indicators. World trade, exchange rates and Third World development are additional topics for study.

Instructional methods include class discussion, inquiry, lectures, and audio-visual materials. Skill development concentrates upon critical analysis and application of concepts to assignments and activities. Course materials include an assigned textbook, and reprints from contemporary economics journals as well as other readings.

EUROPEAN HISTORY (191/143)

Grades 10-12: Level 2 and Honors

(Semester) .75 credit

In many ways, the modern world is a creation of Europe. This may not be politically correct, but it is essentially true. Politically, the world is dominated by liberal democracies, totalitarian dictatorships and nationalistic regimes, all of which emerged in Europe first and are grounded in the European Enlightenment and Romantic movements of the 18th and 19th century. Economically the world economy with its stock markets and driving consumerism has its beginnings with the Atlantic economy created by Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. The critiques of this system in the forms of Socialism and Marxism emerged in Europe in response to the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. Socially, the artistic bedrock upon which the world judges art and music and allows for the importance of the individual artist, for the most part is a product of European cultural developments dating back to the Renaissance. The understanding of European history is very important, in order to understand the modern world. Beginning with Europe’s emergence from the political and economic chaos of the Middle Ages in the Renaissance and continuing up to Europe’s partial unification under the European Union following the Cold War, the class will examine the amazing six hundred years that forms the basis of so much of our world today.

PHILOSOPHY AND RHETORIC (153/154) 9

Grades 9-12: Level 2 and Honors

(Semester) .75 credit

Did you ever stop to wonder why you have to go to school? Perhaps you have always wanted to know why the things that you do are judged to be either right or wrong or good or evil? Perhaps you have noticed great conflict in our society of late and have been curious to know its source? If any of the answers to these questions are yes, then you are a potential student of Philosophy! Congratulations, this is the class for you!

Every semester the students and the teacher will use the Socratic Method to explore different philosophical debates and topics. We will examine not only eternal debates such as what the nature of reality is and our relationship to that reality, we will also connect these classical arguments to our own lives and the society that we live in today. We will also examine the various philosophers themselves over time, such as Socrates, Aquinas and Nietzsche, in order to understand not only their world view, but to make our own world view clearer as a result.

The class will read original texts, debate philosophical questions, discuss important events, and learn how to grasp more clearly philosophical concepts by learning basic concepts of Rhetoric and Logic. The class will be assessed through a series of short papers, a small number of standard tests, a creative project and a final exam. Join us as we explore your mind!

PSYCHOLOGY (125/126)

Grades 10-12: Level 2 and Honors

(Semester) .75 credit

This course introduces students to a wide variety of topics by examining individual and group behavior. Psychology will allow you to better understand yourself and the world in which you live. Contemporary problems and issues will be examined within a psychological framework. Unlike most other high school classes, your personal experiences and participation are relevant and important for successful active class discussion and analysis.

Units and concepts include learning, perception, consciousness, cognition, child development, personality, psychological disorders, therapy and social psychology. Students apply psychological knowledge to questions such as "Why am I different from everyone else?" and "Why do people think and behave in a particular way?” Dream analysis, free association and journal writing are utilized to access the subconscious. Experiments are used frequently to examine topics such as ESP, conditioning, learning styles, right/left brain theories and your relationship with technology and food.

Psychology class fosters a critical appreciation for multiple theories of human development and how the human personality is shaped by the controlling mechanisms that surround them. Teaching methods include cooperative group work, experimentation, discussions, readings, lectures, role-playing, research and audio-visual presentations.

Honors Option: Honors level work in a junior/senior heterogeneous class requires students to consistently exhibit strong communication skills and high quality written work. Honors level students should expect to often start and lead class and group discussions, as well as be willing to personalize and take intellectual risks in applying psychological theories to life. Honors level students will often have more homework and longer assignments.

Honors level students should also be active listeners able to consider and respectfully respond to other’s comments and exhibit a reliable work ethic in all class assignments. Honors level students must be motivated to do work that is of excellent quality.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY (128/132) 9

Grade 9-12 Level 2 and Honors (IP)

(Semester) .75 credit

This course is a study of the influence of people on the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of other people. This course examines how individuals affect and are affected by others. Topics include impression formation, how we learn behavior through media and the people in our lives, conformity and social influence, self-perception, relationships, attitudes, aggression, love,

prejudice, helping, attraction, group processes, and other components of social interaction.

The goal of this course is to explain how our thoughts, feelings, and behavior are influenced by

the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other people. Throughout the course, you will be

encouraged to think about how research in social psychology can shed light on events going on around the world and in your own lives and how it can help to better understand human existence and interactions. The principles of social psychology help explain everything from why we stop at stop signs when there is no one around to why we buy certain products, why in some situations we help others and in some we don’t, and what leads to more serious world problems, such as extreme prejudice and discrimination.

Students will develop a variety of skills in an effort to meet the course objectives. Specific skills

include, but are not limited to: critical reading skills, the ability to participate in class discussions, ability to apply ideas/theories learned to own story and examples from psychology, the ability to observe people in natural and experimental conditions and collect data, and experimental design.

Instructional strategies and materials include: discussions, readings, modeling of experimental

design, lectures, cooperative learning, audio-visual programs, and research and computer

activities. Assessments will include an essay, designing an experiment, a presentation, and a test applying key theories learned.

AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES (167)

Grade 10-12: Level 2

(Semester) .75 credit

This course is designed to introduce students to the major themes, issues, and debates in the African American experience. Topics covered include African kingdoms, colonial and antebellum slavery, the abolition movement, the Civil War, emancipation, Jim Crow segregation, racial violence, black culture, the modern freedom struggle, popular culture and political movements. History, literature, art, and music will inform the curriculum.

WORLD WAR II AND THE HOLOCAUST (150)

Grades 10-12: Level 2

(Semester) .75 credits

What brought Europe to experience the rise of the Nazis, the Holocaust, and countless millions dead, all in thirty years? This course will examine this and other questions by looking at the social, cultural, and political aspects surrounding the World Wars and the Holocaust. Students will study the rise of radical and reactionary governments in Europe such as Hitler’s Germany, the causes and effects of World War I and II, the evolution of the Holocaust, and what this era means for Europeans and the world.

The period of the World Wars provides us with valuable lessons on the human condition. Compassion, cruelty, anger, forgiveness, responsibility, our constraints and capabilities, will all be considered as we analyze individual and group choices then and now. In addition, the class will explore issues of government and the importance of democracy.

This class will utilize various texts, film, class discussion, debate, period propaganda, accounts from perpetrators and victims, individual and group projects, political cartoons, as well as current technology. Students will be expected to critically analyze material with a mature, empathetic attitude.

DEBATE (134)

Grades 10-12: Level 2

(Semester) .5 credits

This course introduces students to the principles and practices of debate. It is highly recommended that students have already taken Communications. Employing cooperative learning and seminar format, Debate emphasizes the development of skills in critical thinking, organization, leadership, responsibility for teamwork and creative investigation of selected topics. No prior experience in debate is required.

The short-term goal is to enable students to thoughtfully analyze a topic/issue from opposing viewpoints, develop an argument in a carefully designed framework and practice teamwork skills. The long-term goal is to enable students to transfer skills acquired from debate to practical, real-life situations. Through hands-on activities, students learn to use library indexes and the internet to research, locate and use government documents and understand how and why current laws are enacted.

Concepts include: debate format, basic elements of debate process and types of propositions. Topics are chosen mutually by the teacher and students to reflect current issues and concerns.

Attitudes fostered are an appreciation for differing viewpoints, courage to defend a position and open-mindedness as the basis for reasoned thought and opinion.

In the class, a heavy emphasis will be placed on examining the evolution of the political, economic and social philosophies that emerged in Europe as well as their influence not only on the course of events in the time period but on the modern world today. The students will be examining the evolution of the arts, both visually and musically, and their impact on modern culture today. In addition students will read and discuss primary source documents as well as examine how historians assemble history from such sources.

BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (654)

Grades 10-12 Level 2

(Semester) .5 credits

Students explore qualities of individual enterprise. They develop skills needed to advance in an ever changing work environment. Specifically, students develop competencies in decision making, long-range planning, effective communication, accountability, responsibility, and continuing education. This course is designed for students who wish to concentrate on strategies for career development through ownership/management of their own businesses. Although individual skills are emphasized, the focus of the course is on development of a business plan, including the following: determination of the type of business enterprise, legal considerations, location selection, financing, steps in getting the enterprise started, marketing strategy, and interaction with successful entrepreneurs.

INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS & MARKETING (254)

Grades 9-12

(Semester) .5 credits

Introduction to Business and Marketing is recommended as a foundation course to a Business & Information Technology sequence. Students learn the functions of American and international business organizations in the global economy. Activities emphasize the roles of the consumer, marketer, and producer. Students learn the basics of the private enterprise system and are introduced to careers in business, including the opportunities of entrepreneurship and world trade.

CONTEMPORARY WESTERN RELIGIONS (179) (198)

Grades 9-12: Level 2 and Honors

(Semester) .75 credits

Religions and religious philosophies have always been and still are an integral part of human societies and have been the basis of much of the art, culture, and politics that have come to make up human history. In addition, religions have often formed the framework of people’s lives and provided meaning through both good times and bad.

This class will examine the theologies or philosophies underlying modern Western religions in order to understand their world views as well as on their impact on Western societies and the world in general. Varied and widespread ideas and movements such as Theories of Innate or Natural Rights, Progressivism, and Conservatism as well as many more, all have their origins in of the three modern Western or Abrahamic religions. The class will read and discuss original scriptures and texts such as the Sermon on the Mount or the Surahs, observe and discuss the art movements inspired by the Western religions such as Baroque or Renaissance art, and explore the architecture which are the physical manifestations of these faiths. Churches such as the Santa Maria Maggiore or the Umayyad Mosque will be explored. The class will be assessed through a series of short papers, a small number of standard tests, a creative project, and a final exam.

The idea behind Contemporary Religions is to introduce students to the philosophies, world views, and ideologies that form a core part of the human experience, not only throughout human history, but for a vast majority of humanity today. As part of the course, the students will use philosophy, the arts, and architecture to compare and contrast different beliefs systems in order to understand what they have in common as well as to understand the amazing diversity in humanity’s response to the most fundamental questions of human existence. Join us as we explore Contemporary Religions!

POLITICAL SCIENCE (165) (166)

Grades 9-12: Level 2/Honors

(Semester) .75 credits

Welcome to Political Science! The purpose of this class is twofold: the first is to examine, over the space of 90 days, the different styles of political leadership. Using treatises on leadership such as The Prince and The Art of War, as well as examining real politicians in action, you will grasp the qualities of successful political leadership and learn to recognize poor political leadership. In a republic such as ours, these skills are necessary as we use our voting power

every two, four, and six years to elect our leaders. We need to be able to distinguish between

good leadership and bad leadership. In addition, should you wish to become a leader in our

republic, this knowledge of past leaders and their techniques are crucial to your success. The second purpose is to take the skills acquired from a study of the techniques of leadership and

apply them to your own personal life. The person most suited to make decisions about your life is you! In other words, you will use these techniques to take control over the course of your own life, thereby benefiting.

The class of Political Science will introduce students to the philosophies, world views, and ideologies that form the reality of human politics, not only on the international and national level, but also on the interpersonal level. As part of the course, the students will read and discuss the philosophies and proponents for coercive, persuasive, and exemplary political leadership as well as examine real world examples. The class may be assessed through a series of short papers, a small number of standard tests, a creative project, and a final exam.

SOCIAL ASSISTANCE CAREER EXPLORATION AND SIMULATION (161)/(162)

Grades 10-12: Level 2 and Honors (IP)

(Semester) .75 credit

This course will introduce students to the many and varied careers available in the Social Assistance and Human service Sector. The course will begin with an overview of the field of Human Services and the career options available. Students will be introduced to the fields of mental health, philanthropy, law, corrections, policy (advocacy and legislation), government agents and administrators and technology- in particular how all of these fields intersect to implement Human Services and Social Assistance. With the introduction of each field, students will meet and interact with industry professionals. These industry professionals will partner with students during the final step in the course-the simulation. Prior to this step, students will take on the role of an industry professional-they will research the roles, responsibilities and regulations related to each role(in partnership with an industry professional).

The course ends with a simulation-students will be briefed on several different Human Service scenarios(real scenarios experienced by industry professionals). Students will come to consensus on which scenario they will tackle in their simulation. During the final weeks of the course, students will problem solve and navigate all of the agencies and regulations involved in order to ensure a positive outcome for the subject of the simulation.