Social Studies

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. 

This course is intended as a World History survey.  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.  This course will be open to Spanish Immersion students as well as heritage Spanish speaking students.  This course is a year long course and students will be registered for each quarter.

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.

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.

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.

This is a year-long weighted course.

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. 

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.

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 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.

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. Major themes are divided into domestic policy and foreign policy, and include: Constitutional Debates, Immigration, Crime and Drugs, Health Care, Poverty, Defense, Weapons Proliferation, International Organizations, Terrorism and major concerns in Africa, Asia, Europe & Russia, Latin America and the Middle East.

This course will be an exploratory course on the political, economic and social history of Native Americans from the Indigenous perspective. The course will cover pre-Columbian history, the conquest/setter colonialism period and modern times. A significant amount of time will be spent on the connection between history and modern topics and issues. While we will focus some attention on Minnesota Indigenous history, this course will cover topics across the Americas.

This course fulfills the elective requirement for graduation.

Course Description: 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.

Clinical Psychology, formerly known as Abnormal Psychology, will examine sensation and perception, psychological testing, psychological disorders, and group interaction.  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, and how group interaction can alter human behavior.  The topics in this class include: anxiety disorders (PTSD, OCD), mood disorders (depression, suicide), psychosis (schizophrenia), and personality disorders (anti-social personality disorder).

This course will study the history and trends of crime in the United States and the officers that investigate them.  It will cover the topics of crime trends, risk factors, types of crimes, victims’ rights, searches, interrogations, and your rights as a suspect.

This course will study the process of the courts and the punishments that the criminal justice system can hand out.  It will cover the topics of court room roles, process of the trial, sentencing, corrections and post incarceration. 

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 woman today and in the future.  This course will also raise awareness of diversity and acceptance.

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, learning styles, dream analysis, and altered states of consciousness.  This course is for students interested in understanding why people (including themselves) behave the way they do.  There is a wide variety of information provided in this course that can be applied to real life experiences.