History and Social Studies  Department

The History and Social Studies Department is the assimilated study of the social sciences to prepare students to become responsible and informed citizens within our culturally diverse, democratic society.  The program draws upon numerous disciplines as students engage in inquiry learning - history, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology.  The social studies curriculum focuses on building the capacities in students - content knowledge, literacy skills, critical thinking skills, and citizen participation.  In order to develop a well-informed citizenry, students need to:

• Have content knowledge of the history, culture, and documents that have influenced our communities, state, nation, and world;

• Possess the skills to analyze sources and perspectives to develop informed opinions and solutions to an array of issues confronting our interdependent society;

• Have the ability to collaborate effectively as participants in a group; and

• Ask compelling and supporting questions as they are processing, analyzing, and evaluating information.