Social Studies

Weight: 10

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: See Honors Criteria.

This course is designed to challenge highly motivated students who enjoy world history and who would like to experience a college level class. This course will emphasize: 1. Ancient world influences on Europe. 2. Influences that cause the development of nations. 3. Influences that create the social, political and cultural institutions of Europe. Students are encouraged to take the AP European History exam. 

Weight: 10

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: See Honors Criteria.

This course is designed to challenge highly motivated students who are interested in the area of psychology and who would like to experience a college level class. The course will emphasize: 1. an understanding of ethics and various research methods used by psychologists. 2. The ability to apply the concepts learned in class to their own lives. 3. An understanding of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals through the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena found in the major subfields within psychology. Students are encouraged to take the AP Psychology exam. 

Weight: 10

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: See Honors Criteria.

This course explores the political theory and everyday practice that direct the daily operation of our government and shape our public policies. The express purpose of this course is to prepare students to take the AP Exam for U.S Government and Politics. The course is for all intents and purposes taught on a college level and it requires a substantial amount of reading and preparation for every class. The objectives of this course go beyond a basic analysis of how our government “works.” Students will develop a critical understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the American political system, as well as their rights and responsibilities as citizens. This course is open to juniors and seniors and by teacher recommendation only. 

Weight: 10

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: Honors US History I

Criteria for admissions: See Honors Criteria.

This course is designed to prepare students for the AP US History exam. Students will restart their journey through American history by linking what they had studied in Honors US I to 20th century topics such as Expansionism to the present Post-Cold War Era, and The Resurgence of Conservatism. 

Weight: 3

Course Length: Semester

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: none

Contemporary Issues provides an opportunity for students to explore current matters within the larger historical and social context. Students will examine and explore topics such as leadership, politics, media literacy, race, gender, and our responsibility as global citizens through a variety of lenses. The purpose of this course is to not only present a body of knowledge, but to also teach students that the present is based on and informed from the past. Therefore, students will learn to analyze and synthesize this information to form their opinions and support their perspectives with research. Students will learn to discuss these issues intelligently with their peers, to listen and adjust their viewpoints as they incorporate new information and ideas provided by their classmates. Students, subsequently, will not only examine the most current evidence, but moreover, will also learn how to effectively listen and discuss sensitive issues through a thoughtful approach, without resorting to bigotry or fallacy. The most important goal is for students to learn more about themselves, their own philosophies and their own moral code so they will become active citizens, learned in social problems, ready to tackle these ever-present inequities in the very community and world which surrounds them. 

Weight: 3

Course Length: Semester

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: none

Historical events are full of drama, intrigue, and suspense. They contain heroes and villains, and a story line that follows the basic tenets of great fiction. The question is, do viewers have the critical awareness that they may not be truth? Writers and producers use artistic license to alter the facts of history to embellish the drama. The major focus of this course is the deconstruction of historical film, to become a more critical reader of video text. Perspective, specifically the historical figures, as well as individuals producing the films will be analyzed. Research and comparative work will be done with primary and secondary textural sources. Students’ performance will be evaluated in line with the five strands, reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. 

Weight: 8

Course Length: Semester

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: See Honors Criteria.

Dual enrollment: 3 college credits available from Fairleigh Dickinson Middle College Program (grades 9-12)

This course is geared to introduce and explore the forces that operate within social groups. It also attempts to trace the various ways groups are organized and transformed in our society. The contents of the course deal with criminology, United States and world population problems, the history of sociology, and comparative social structures in other cultures. The following activities are found in the course: making, circulating, tabulating and evaluating questionnaires; studying great sociological experiments of the past; reading biographies and other materials related to criminology; and researching special areas of sociology that are of interest to the students. 

Weight: 8

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: World History or Honors World History 

Criteria for admissions: See Honors Criteria. 

Admission into this course is based on the Honors Criteria as outlined in the Program of Studies and by teacher recommendation. Since this course also is the prerequisite for AP US History, students will begin their journey with an intensive review of Pre-Colonial America and will pause at the end of the 19th century by studying topics such as the Urbanization of Cities and the conquest of The Great West. Learners will engage in more extensive reading and writing activities, primary source document analysis, and projects specifically designed to challenge the academically motivated student. 

Weight: 8

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: US History I or Honors US History I 

Criteria for admissions: See Honors Criteria. 

See US History II. Admission into this course is based on the Honors Criteria as outlined on page 37 of the Program of Studies and by teacher recommendation. In this level, students will engage in more extensive reading and writing 64 activities, primary source document analysis, and projects specifically designed to challenge the honor students and prepare them for the US History AP exam. 

Weight: 8

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: See Honors Criteria. 

See World History. Students are identified and invited into this level based on superior performance in 8th grade social studies and by teacher recommendation. At this level, learners are given the opportunity to work at a higher and more rigorous pace. 

Weight: 3

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: none

Dual enrollment: 4 college credits available from Ramapo College Program (grades 11-12) 

This course is intended to allow students to learn the practical applications of psychological principles as they might apply to their own lives. Theoretical aspects of classical psychology are examined in survey fashion. The contents of this course include: group research, reading supplementary materials, examining and writing case histories and giving oral reports on special interest areas. 

Weight: 3

Course Length: Semester

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: none

This course is designed to study the holocaust of World War II and other genocides that have occurred in the Modern World. Events throughout history, such as Native American Removal in North America and the Irish Potato Famine, are analyzed to determine whether or not these events should, or could be considered examples of genocide. The course addresses the historical, sociological, and psychological implications of the Holocaust as well as its impact on human behavior. Among these are: the role of Anti-Semitism, racism and its perpetrators, victims, and bystanders; patterns of resistance; the response of the United States and other countries; and the universal lessons for today. Some of the activities include: analysis of videos, art, and literature; the use of primary source material including stories from survivors; the reading of fiction and non-fiction as it relates to the subject. Students will also participate in debates and discussions. 

Weight: 3

Course Length: Semester

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: none

The Big History Project examines our past, explains our present, and imagines our future. It’s a story about us. An idea that arose from a desire to go beyond specialized and self-contained fields of study to grasp history as a whole. This growing, multi-disciplinary approach is focused on students seeking answers to the big questions about the history of our Universe. The course spans 13.8 billion years of history and incorporates the insights of more than a dozen disciplines over 10 units. The core Big History Principles are thinking across scale by learning to draw patterns and connections across different scales of time and space, reflecting on history through multiple lenses including origin stories and scientific data, collective learning, and making and testing claims. It is the social studies answer to STEAM, integrating science and technology through the examination of historical eras. Humans are the only species that can pass great quantities of information from generation to generation. This is called learning, and it has accelerated change in communities, civilizations, and the planet as a whole; Big History provides the framework to develop the 21st century skills necessary to become an informed active global citizen. 

Weight: 0

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: World History

Criteria for admissions: none

See US History I CPE. This course is designed for students who continue to demonstrate the need for academic support in reading and writing. Placement in this course is based on student performance in General or World History and teacher recommendation. 

Weight: 3

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: World History

Criteria for admissions: none

This is the second required course of the three year sequence. This main objective is to provide the pupils with a solid factual and conceptual foundation of our country’s growth from a small agricultural nation to an industrial giant while preserving the basic rights found in our Constitution. The content of the course includes: westward expansion, growth of business and labor, wars fought by the U.S., and U.S. foreign policy up to the 1890’s. 

Weight: 0

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: US History 1

Criteria for admissions: none

This is the third required course of the three year sequence. The content of the course continues from US History I. It includes the study of internal political, social, and economic events and movements which have shaped our society. These themes are interwoven in the students’ discovery process of how the United States has grown into a major world power. 

Weight: 3

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: US History 1

Criteria for admissions: none

This is the third required course of the three year sequence. The content of the course continues from US History I. It includes the study of internal political, social, and economic events and movements which have shaped our society. These themes are interwoven in the students’ discovery process of how the United States has grown into a major world power. 

Weight: 0

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: none

See World History. Placement in this level is based on performance in 8th grade social studies and teacher recommendation. This course is specifically designed to assist students who need help developing reading and writing skills so that they can succeed in the second and third year of the social studies sequence. 

Weight: 3

Course Length: Year

Pre-requisites: none

Criteria for admissions: none

This program of study is the first of three courses required for high school graduation. It is designed to provide students with knowledge of the major events, people, and countries of the past, not only of the West but also of the Afro-Asian world. Completing this course will help prepare students for the next two years of U.S. History and ultimately give them a sense of global awareness needed as citizens of our nation.