AP US HISTORY: From Colony to Superpower: How settlement, migration, politics, and power have shaped the American character over time. Essential Question: America’s Ascendance: Triumph or Tragedy?

SO41 - 1 History Credit - Full Year

Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation is required.

AP U.S. History is an introductory college-level U.S. history course. Students cultivate their understanding of U.S. history from c. 1491 CE to the present through analyzing historical sources and learning to make connections and craft historical arguments as they explore concepts like American and national identity; work, exchange, and technology; geography and the environment; migration and settlement; politics and power; America in the world; American and regional culture; and social structures. All students enrolled are required to take the AP exam in May for which there is a fee of approx $98.00, payable in September

IB HISTORY OF THE AMERICAS:  Why? Learn to read, write, think, and speak like a historian. Course Essential Question:  To what extent can we understand the past? 

IBSO30SL or IBSO30HL

Grade 11/Year 1

This is the first year of a two-year course taken for 2 college credits. It fulfills the graduation requirement of completing a U.S. History course. In IB History 1, students will explore the causes, events, and impacts of four time periods: World War II, the Cold War with a focus on Vietnam’s struggles, the American Civil Rights Movement, and Apartheid South Africa. Students will work in-depth with a wide array of primary and secondary sources to help them better understand how and why events unfolded the way they did. As such, they will learn to think historically and to develop historical skills while also gaining factual knowledge. Students will conduct two historical inquiries of their own choosing this year. This will familiarize them with the process of conducting academic research and writing an academic research paper, both vital skills to develop as they prepare for college! 

IB HISTORY OF  THE AMERICAS: Put your historical skills to the test! Course Essential Question:  How significant of a role does the historian play in history?

IBSO30SL2 or IBSO30HL2

Grade 12/Year 2

This is the second year of a two-year course taken for 2 college credits. In IB History 2, students put the skills they’ve developed to the test. They will be exploring the Cold War in the Americas, rights and protest movements after 1945, and the history of the Americas from 1980-2005 with a focus on Nicaragua and El Salvador. Students will also be conducting a formal historical inquiry which will be sent off to the IB Organization for external 

assessment. Their performance on this paper helps determine whether they receive college credit. At the end of the year, students will complete the externally-assessed IB Exam. For SL students, there are two parts to the test. For HL students, there are three parts. Student performance on these exams is another factor that goes towards determining whether students receive college credit. This may sound daunting, but by this point students will be well-prepared for it all!