Social Studies
The Social Studies Department offers both elective and required classes for you to take.
You will need 3.0 credits in Social Studies to meet your graduation requirement.
Students must also pass Washington State History in 8th grade.
The Social Studies Department offers the following electives:
Sociology Psychology UW Psychology
ADVANCED COURSES THAT SUBSTITUTE FOR REQUIRED COURSES:
Sophomores: AP European History
Juniors: AP US History 1 & 2
Seniors: AP Government & Politics OR Honors Contemporary American/World Issues
Untitled: Jan 6, 2022 1:36 PM.webm AP Art History- ART 273-274
Grade: 10, 11, 12
Length: 2 semesters
Credit: .5 per semester
Prerequisite: None
Cost: AP exam fee fees apply for students seeking AP scores
The AP Art History course welcomes students into the global art world to engage with its forms and content as they research, discuss, read, and write about art, artists, art making, and responses to and interpretations of art. By investigating specific course content--250 works of art--characterized by diverse artistic traditions from prehistory to the present, the students develop in-depth, holistic understanding of the history of art from a global perspective. Students learn and apply skills of visual, contextual, and comparative analysis to engage with a variety of art forms, developing understanding of individual works and interconnections across history.
Civics - SOC 464
Grade: 12
Length: 1 semester
Credits: .5
Prerequisite: None
This required course for seniors examines the purpose, structure, and procedure of government at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. Students will analyze electoral issues (including elections), ballot measures, initiatives, and referenda; as well as the rights and responsibilities of citizens addressed in both the WA State and the United States Constitution. Current issues at each level of government will be examined, and students will study and complete the civics component of the federally administered naturalization test required of persons seeking to become naturalized US citizens. Overall, students will prepare to become contributing members of our society--able to participate in our country’s political, social, and economic decisions. This course meets the WA State Civics requirement for graduation.
Contemporary World Issues - SOC 463
Grade: 12
Length: 1 semester
Credits: .5
Prerequisite: None
This required course for seniors studies critical issues confronting our global society today. Part of the class is devoted to discussing and analyzing current events in the news with a lens of bias and perspective taking. The purpose of the course is to give students an understanding of US foreign policy with a focus on understanding how the current issues of today are rooted in history yet have threads of recurring dilemmas woven throughout the world. Students learn to stay informed in world affairs. The course will work with students to help them formulate their own opinions on issues and back those up with sound reasoning and support. Student’s will be readying themselves for an adult life of political and social decision making.
AP European History/History 112 - SOC 358/359
Grade: 10 - 12
Length: 1 year
Credit: .5 per semester/5 college credits
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing; interest in an academically challenging course
Cost: AP exam fee may apply
College Equivalency: HIST 112 at EVCC
This course surveys European History from c. 1450 to the present. It is intended to prepare students for the yearly AP examination in European History. Students who successfully complete this examination are eligible for academic credit from many colleges and universities. This class demands a great deal from students, in part because its subject matter is often somewhat unfamiliar to American students and in part because it is intended to be the equivalent of a collegiate history course. Students should expect assignments, tests, quizzes, and essays that require both careful thinking and a substantial amount of homework and out-of-class preparation. If successfully completed, this course replaces the required 10th grade Modern World History. Students in this course have the option to take the class for college credits through College in the High School.
Modern World History 1/2 - SOC 221/222
Grade: 10
Length: 1 year
Credits: .5 per semester
Prerequisites: None
This required course encompasses World History from Renaissance to present day. It covers not only world history, but world cultures and geography, including major religions, types of government, and economics. The purpose of the class is to help students understand globalization and our world today through investigation and reflection of world events and changes in modern world history, as well as prepare them for living in a complex and diverse world.
AP UW Psychology vs. Regular Psych.webmPsychology 1/2 - SOC 331/332
Grade: 11, 12
Length: 1 year
Credits: .5 per semester
Prerequisite: None
This elective course focuses on the science of human behavior and mental processes. Units of study may include psychological perspectives, personality, sensation and perception, the brain, altered states, cognition, development, psych disorders and therapy. The ability to read comprehensive materials with understanding is necessary, as well as an interest in analyzing thought processes, human struggle, and deescalation and self-regulation.
AP UW Psychology vs. Regular Psych.webmUW Psychology 1-2 /Psych 101 - SOC 333/334
Grade: 11, 12
Length: 1 year
Credits: .5 per semester/5 college credits
Prerequisite: None
College Equivalency: PSYCH 101 at UW
This course is designed to survey major areas of psychological science, we focus on topics such as human social behavior, personality, psychological disorders and treatment, learning, memory, human development, biological influences, and research methods. Related topics may include sensation, perception, states of consciousness, thinking, intelligence, language, motivation, emotion, stress and health, cross-cultural psychology and applied psychology. Students in this course have the option from UW to receive 5 college credits.
Sociology - SOC 341
Grade: 11, 12
Length: 1 semester
Credits: .5
Prerequisite: None
This elective course provides an introduction to the social world and understanding of the social environment that enables individuals to see the relationship between events in their personal lives and events in their society. It includes topics such as culture, deviance and crime, social stratification, race and ethnicity, gender differences, the aging of America and its impact on society, religion and cults, and sports in our society. This class will prepare students for interaction with a variety of groups for the remainder of their lives.
IMG_0154.MOVAP U.S. Government & Politics - SOC473/474
Grade: 12
Length: 1 year
Credits: .5 per semester
Prerequisite: Senior standing; Interest in an academically challenging course. A grade of a“B” in U.S. History, “C” in AP U.S. History, or instructor’s signed permission.
Cost: AP exam fee may apply
College Equivalency: POLS 202 at EVCC
This AP elective course includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. government and politics and the analysis of specific examples. Students will become familiar with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. government and politics. Students will be prepared to take the AP exam in May. This course is intended to be the equivalent of a collegiate political science class. It demands a great deal of careful thought, analytical discussions, and a substantial amount of homework. Successful completion of the first semester is required in order to continue into the second semester. Students in this course have the option to take the class for college credits through College in the High School. AP US Government and Politics meets the senior Social Studies course requirements.
U.S. History 1/2 - SOC 311/312
Grade: 11
Length: 1 year
Credits: .5
Prerequisite: None
This required course encompasses the period of United States History from Reconstruction to the early 21st century, while reviewing US Constitutional principles and key events from the 19th century. Students will learn how the United States emerged as a world power through industrial, military, and political developments. At the same time students will understand the social development of the United States from minority rights to cultural challenges, with the intention to tell the entire story through multiple perspectives.
APUSH reg. video.webmAP U.S. History 1/2 - SOC 383/384
Grade: 11
Length: 1 year
Credits: .5 per semester
Prerequisite: Junior standing; interest in an academically challenging course. A grade of “B” in Modern World History, “C” in AP European History, OR instructor’s signed permission.
Cost: AP exam fee may apply
College Equivalency: HIST 146, 147 and 148 = 15 credits at EVCC
This course is intended to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Examination in American History, which is given in May each year. Students who successfully complete this exam are eligible for academic credit from many colleges and universities. Because Advanced Placement United States History is intended to be the equivalent of a collegiate history class, it demands a great deal from students. Students should expect assignments that require both careful thinking and a substantial amount of homework. Successful completion of first semester is required in order to continue into the second semester. Students in this course have the option to take the class for college credits through College in the High School.