Social Studies Electives
HUMAN BEHAVIOR: PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY - 02525- 1 CREDIT
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 11-12
Credit: Elective
Description: This is an elective, full year course for students who wish to gain a greater understanding of human behavior. This course replaces the former Psychology and Sociology half-year electives, examining both individual human behavior and group interactions. While there are no specific prerequisites, students are expected to have an appropriate level of maturity as a variety of important and sensitive topics, such as abnormal psychology and various social problems, will be examined. Students will be required to give a minimum of three oral presentations throughout the year and will be expected to contribute to the class discussions regularly.
GLOBAL CONFLICTS - 02450 - 1 CREDIT
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 10-12
Credit: Elective
Description: This is a full year course broken down into two semesters. The course is designed to examine in great depth all aspects of conflicts in roughly the last 100 years.
Semester 1: 1960- Present: This course starts in the modern world and works backwards. This part of the course examines in great detail the modern Middle East and the conflicts that exist there in the last roughly 30 years, including the Iran-Iraq War, both Gulf Wars, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Conflicts in modern Africa, including Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, and Zaire will be examined next. A unit on modern terrorism, both domestic and foreign will ensue next. Lastly, the course will examine the foreign policies of the Reagan/Bush Sr. years and contrast them to the Clinton years. Involved in that unit will be studies on Latin America (Communism and the war on drugs), the US attack vs. Libya, and the conflict in Yugoslavia and violence in modern Ireland.
Semester 2: 1900-1960: This course will continue by examining the violence of the Cold War era. This will involve an in depth look at both Korea and Vietnam. It will also examine the Cuban Missile Crisis and our issues with Cuba on the whole, and the genocide of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. From there, we delve into WWII in great detail, looking at non-traditional topics that are not covered in standard classes. WWI will follow, which will also do the same as the WWII unit. The roots of tension in the modern Middle East will be covered in those units, including an examination of the genocide against the Armenians.
SOCIAL STUDIES ELECTIVES – Semester Courses
BUSINESS AND PERSONAL LAW - 02435 - 1/2 CREDIT (SEM)
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 11-12
Credit: Elective
Description: This course will emphasize law that affects our daily lives in the business world as consumers. Consumer and business magazines, current newspapers, and law websites will be used. Topics covered will include: our court system, crimes and torts, business crimes and scams, consumer contracts, financing and insuring a car, home and apartment leasing, consumer credit, employment, comparison shopping and many other areas of consumer law protection.
PERSONAL FINANCE - 02445 - 1/2 CREDIT (SEM)
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 10-12
Credit: Elective
Description: Students will learn financial literacy, which is essential to meet the economic challenges of the 21st century. The competencies which form the basis for this ½ year course will enable students to analyze their personal financial decisions, evaluate the costs of the benefits of their decisions, recognize their rights and responsibilities as consumers, and apply the knowledge learned in school to financial situations encountered later in life. Topics will include credit card management, checking and savings accounts, mortgages, taxes and others.
Personal Finance 1.mp4ENTREPRENEURSHIP – 02440 – 1/2 CREDIT (SEM)
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 10-12
Credit: Elective
Description: People who own, operate, and take the risk of a business venture are called entrepreneurs. In this class, you will explore several possibilities of owning your own business as well as how to write business plans. Topics covered will include entrepreneurial traits and opportunities, business types, consumer/product research and entrepreneurship processes. Students should have a keen interest in the financial world and be risk-takers.
COLD WAR – 02475 - 1/2 CREDIT (SEM)
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 10-12
Credit: Elective
Description: This course is designed to heighten student understanding of the complexities of the Cold War – the post-World War II ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1947-1991 – by examining more closely the people, events and multiple interpretations of this decades-long conflict. Topics covered will include, but will not be limited to: the Truman Doctrine; the Marshall Plan; the Korean War; the Berlin Wall; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the Vietnam War; the Space and Arms Races; the 1980 Olympic Games; the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Soviet Union and Communism; etc. Students will be required to analyze primary source materials, read related literary works, view period films, as well as listen to and interpret relevant musical selections in order to recognize and appreciate the multiple perspectives of the Cold War era.
cold war.MOVDEBATE TO DISCOURSE - 02480- 1/2 CREDIT (SEM)
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 10-12
Credit: Elective
Description: Debate to Discourse is a new course examining controversial issues in America and the world from both the past and present day. There are current issues of the day that regular “history” classes don’t have the time to explore. We will examine multiple perspectives on ever changing topics based on current events and those that you are passionate about. Our goal is to come to a better understanding of concerns that face your generation as we move from debate to discourse. Controversy is nothing to be avoided- we will be learning about tough topics. Full participation is expected. We will focus on the development of the student’s critical thinking skills by analyzing, evaluating, and reflecting on opposing sides of the same issue as expressed by public leaders, special interest groups and academia.
Debate to Discourse.mp4HISTORY OF THE HUDSON VALLEY - 02460 - 1/2 CREDIT (SEM)
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 10-12
Credit: Elective
Description: This course of study explores the history of our Hudson Valley region beginning with the early Native American tribes and culminating with 20th century life. The class will examine key people, places and events that shape the growth and development of the greater region.
History of Hudson.mp4HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WEST - 02470 - 1/2 CREDIT (SEM)
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 10-12
Credit: Elective
Description: This course examines the West as both a place and as an idea in American culture and in popular imagination. Topics will include, but are not limited to, early settlements beyond the Appalachian Mountains, Manifest Destiny, the disappearance of the American Frontier, and the mythology of the American West. Using films, memoirs, letters, and literary fiction we will explore the struggle for land, resources, identity, and power which have characterized the West and its role in United States history.
History Of the American West.mp4THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR: THEN & NOW - 02455 - 1/2 CREDIT (SEM)
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 10-12
Credit: Elective
Description: This course examines the causes, conduct and aftermath of the bloodiest war in our nation's history. The military conflict itself is the main focus of this course, but why and how the war happened can only be explained in terms of the entire period of the sectional crisis. A secondary portion of the course will be a study of Putnam County's role in the conflict. This will include local politics, individuals and events. We will be concerned with what remainders of Putnam's Civil War still remain and efforts to preserve these. Students will also explore the controversies surrounding the war and how the war still impacts our country over 150 years later. Students will participate in class discussion, primary source analysis, lecture, first-person studies, project-based learning, and technology-based lessons. The American Civil War will enhance the student's ability to apply historical reasoning in solving complex problems and will assist your development of historical perspective for use in other courses in the humanities and social sciences.
History of The Civil War.mp4CRIMINOLOGY - 02425 - 1/2 CREDIT (SEM)
Prerequisite: Open to students in grades 11-12
Credit: Elective
Description: This is a basic course of study of the history of crime, criminals, the criminal justice system, law enforcement and correction, criminal theory, what makes individuals commit crimes, crime patterns and trends. A comprehensive look at the system and how law enforcement has grown from the “cop on the corner” to the “Mindhunters” - the F.B.I. Serial Killer Study team and several other themes that will be examined in this class. Also, noteworthy is the study of the Corrections System from lockups to rehabilitation. This class will be of particular interest to any potential Law, Criminal Justice or Corrections majors, as well as any student interested in Behavioral Sciences.
