The course is intended as a survey of human geography and its contributions to an understanding of the world in which we live. The emphasis will include cartographic skills, population, cultural patterns and process, political organization of space, agriculture and rural land use, industrialization and development, and cities and urban land use. This is a semester-long course.
AP Human Geography is the equivalent of a first semester college human geography course which culminates with an advanced placement examination for which students may receive college credit and/or advanced placement credit based on the College Board (CEEB) when entering college. The course is intended as a survey of human geography and its contributions to an understanding of the world in which we live. The emphasis will include sections on physical geography, mapping, geographic information systems, cartographic skills, population, cultural patterns and process, political organization of space, agriculture and rural land use, industrialization and development, and cities and urban land use. This course will use a college textbook and students will be expected to complete college level work at college level pacing. Freshmen taking this course will fulfill their 9th grade Geography requirement.
This is a year-long weighted course.
World History is designed to help students understand the interconnectedness of our world. The course emphasizes balanced World History themes from the advent of agriculture to modern times covering regional history, geography, and contemporary issues.
AP World History is the equivalent of a freshman level college World History course which culminates with an advanced placement examination for which students may receive college credit and/or advanced placement based on the College Board (CEEB) when entering college. The course emphasizes balanced World History themes from 1200 to modern times. This course will use a college textbook and students will be expected to produce college-level work and maintain a college-level workload. Sophomores taking this course will fulfill their 10th grade World History requirement.
This is a year-long weighted course.
This is a required year-long course. This course will study the political and social history of the United States from approximately the Civil War to the present.
This is a year-long weighted course.
Advanced Placement United States History is offered to high school juniors.. This course emphasizes American History from early Colonial times through the present. AP U.S. History is the equivalent of a first-year college survey course, in which students will have a great deal of reading and outside-of-class written assignments.
This is a year-long weighted course.
Grade 11 | Prerequisites: Must rank in top 30% of class or cummulative GPA in social studies of 3.25 or higher | 1 credit | Full Year
CIS US History I (HIST 1307: Authority and Rebellion: American History to 1865
The course is an introductory survey: it offers a broad overview of nearly 400 years of tumultuous change that affected millions of people over an entire continent and continues to affect us today. The class focus is on the fundamental issues of “authority” and “rebellion” over time and space, investigating how the diverse peoples on the North American continent envisioned and struggled for a new order. Our study will explore several key topics throughout the semester: native peoples' negotiation of the European incursion, competing colonial projects, assertions of and challenges to religious and political authority, the development and impact of racialized slavery, the transition to and development of a capitalistic economy; political and social revolutions, and the ongoing contests over the meanings of liberty, democracy, and American identity.
CIS US History II (HIST 1308: Global America: US History since 1865)
The course is an introductory survey: it draws on many different kinds of historical sources to examine key processes and events in American history since the end of the Civil War. Academic historians sort our sources into three main categories: primary sources (documents and other evidence originating from the time period under study), secondary sources (scholarly accounts by historians that synthesize and interpret primary sources), and tertiary sources (textbooks, encyclopedias and similar accounts that synthesize secondary sources). We will consider evidence from all three categories, discuss the value and the limitations of a range of sources, and examine how historians use them.
*HIST 1307 & HIST 1308 will run concurrently as semester long classes through the University of Minnesota with grades reported on U of M transcript. Students need to be tied to instructors for the full year.
College Credit Information:
Earned with University of Minnesota, Twin Cities |
Semester 1- HIST 1307: Authority & Rebellion: Am History 10 1865, 3 credits, Semester 2- HIST 1308: Global American: US Hist Since 1865, 3 credits
This one semester course is designed to expose students to the structure, policies, and politics of the American system of government. Study begins with the founding documents and continues through current politics and elections.
This one semester introduces students to the study of economics by examining economic behaviors, cause and effect of economic behaviors, and economic choice making. Students who take this course will gain an understanding of how different economic systems operate; the role the government plays in the United States’ economy, and connections to other countries. In addition, students will gain valuable skills in economic reasoning and personal finance.
This year-long weighted course is designed to introduce students to economic theory in the fields of microeconomics and macroeconomics. The course is a rigorous, yet rewarding introduction into the basic principles that explain the economic activities of individuals, business firms, nations and the global economy. In addition to preparing students for the AP exam in micro and macroeconomics, students will examine economic theory and investigate how it applies to our day-to-day world. The course will explore microeconomic topics in the first half of the year and macroeconomic topics in the last half of the year. Special emphasis will be placed on developing the skills necessary to be successful on the AP exams, including general test-taking skills, answering free response questions, and the creation and analysis of graphs. By taking this one course, students will be eligible to take AP tests to earn credit for two college classes.
This is a year-long weighted course.
Advanced Placement American Government is designed to give students a critical perspective on politics and government. This course involves both the study of general concepts of U.S. government and politics as well as specific case studies. Units of study include: The Constitutional underpinnings of U.S. government, political beliefs and behaviors, political parties, institutions of national government, political policy, and civil rights and liberties. Students enrolled in AP Government will be encouraged to take the Advanced Placement Examination in May in hope of receiving college credit.
This is a year-long weighted course.
Native American Studies will examine the culture, history and contemporary issues of the Native tribes and nations of what we now call the United States. The course will include lecture, discussion, reading and writing, group work, videos and one field trip. While we will focus some attention on Minnesota Indigenous history, this course will cover topics across the Americas.
A little bit of art history, a little bit humanities and a little bit anthropology. We will analyze art in its many mediums in an attempt to better understand people during different times and from different cultures, as well as, to better understand our own identities. Our main objectives are to learn and discuss:
How art contributes to our understanding of a culture and time period
How people use art to express how they feel about past, present or future events
How art makes you feel about past, present or future events
Art that connects to your own history and/or identity
This course is a one quarter elective course. The focus is on the evaluation of major issues affecting the US and the world, as well as current events from around the world. We will also learn how to determine reliable sources and work on our media literacy. We will read, have discussions, write position papers and watch documentaries.
Clinical Psychology, formerly known as Abnormal Psychology, will examine how brain chemistry may contribute to psychological behavior or disorders and the stress in our lives. We examine how social media and modern life may play a role in mental health. This course is designed for students who are interested in discovering the line between normal and abnormal human behavior, therapy and diagnosis of psychological disorders. The topics in this class include: anxiety disorders (PTSD, OCD), mood disorders (depression, bipolar, suicide), psychosis (schizophrenia), and personality disorders (narcisissm, anti-social personality disorder). Overall, this course is for students interested in understanding why people (including themselves) behave the way they do.
Gender Studies is a one quarter elective course. This curriculum will look at global and national issues of women and taking into account historical and contemporary issues including social, racial, cultural and economic factors influencing women in society. This course will examine multi and cross-cultural studies of conditions of the lives of women. By understanding the experiences of women throughout history, students will be able to analyze the global situation of women today and in the future. This course will also raise awareness of diversity and acceptance.
This course fulfills the elective requirement for graduation.
This course is the scientific study of the mental processes of human behavior. Students will also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. The primary units of study include neurobiology, states of consciousness, learning, memory, cognition, sensation and perception, emotion and motivation, development, abnormal behaviors, therapies for abnormal behavior, and social psychology. Students will conduct experiments and labs and will be creating their own psychological research study. This course will prepare students to take the AP Psychology Exam with an opportunity to earn college credit.
Recommendation: Students should take this course if they are interested in careers in education, medicine, law, marketing, or business. Any student interested in pursuing any of these majors (or a major in psychology) will need to take this course as a general class, therefore taking it in high school will free up their schedule for more elective courses.
This is a year-long weighted course.
This course will study the goals of the criminal justice system and the process from arrest to appeal. We will learn about how these three systems; police, courts and corrections, work together to make up the criminal justice system. We will do readings, watch videos, and have discussions. There will be tests and projects.
This course will study the history and trends of crime in the United States and the sociological theories and approaches to deviance. It will cover the topics of crime trends, risk factors, types of crimes, the nature of deviance and how society can control crime. We will do readings, watch videos, and have discussions. There will be tests and projects.
Sociology will examine how people behave differently in groups than they would as individuals. This course will be student-driven—topics will be selected by individuals to explore based on personal interest. Possible topics are (but not limited to) Culture, Subculture, Military, Deviance/Conformity, Poverty, Sex/Gender, Age, Race/Ethnicity, Religion, Education, Law, etc.
Developmental Psychology will examine the challenges and development in childhood-adulthood. We discuss the foundations of psychology, how group interaction can alter human behavior and famous experiments in psychology that shed light on human behavior and development. Some topics include dream analysis, consciousness, identity development and how to navigate interpersonal relationships. There is a wide variety of information provided in this course that can be applied to real life experiences.