Social Studies Electives

MODERN, EARLY MODERN, AND CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHY 

#H4582 

Grades: 11 – 12  Full Year  Credits: 5 

This course exposes students to some of the great thinkers of the world. Students explore the ideas of philosophers and thinkers, such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Marx, Freud, and Sarte, all of which have had a profound influence on the cultural, economic, intellectual, political, and social history of Western Civilization. Through in-depth analysis and discussion of a selection of their writings, students gain an understanding of the nature of philosophical questions and ideas, and – in the process – learn to develop, organize and articulate their own ideas. 20th century philosophers and contributions of Eastern philosophies are introduced as a comparative and relevant experience for students to critically examine

YOU AND THE LAW

#H4602 

Grades: 10 – 12  Full Year Credits: 5 

This course involves study of federal, state, and local law. An introduction to both criminal and civil law is included. Specific cases are studied to help understand the criminal justice process, torts, consumer law, family law and individual rights. Special emphasis is placed on understanding trials and cases through the re-enactments, role-plays, and simulations.

ECONOMICS AND FINANCIAL LITERACY 

#H4532 

Grades: 9 – 12  Semester  Credits: 2.5 

This course combines financial literacy skills and theoretical economic principles. Students will gain personal finance skills and knowledge pertinent to consumer, investor, and citizen decision-making in the economic world. Topics such as supply and demand, inflation, recession, and role of government in an economy, the stock market are investigated in the context of simulations, projects, and cooperative activities. This course fulfills the 2.5 credit financial literacy requirement.

SOCIOLOGY: THE AMERICAN SOCIETY 

#H4572 

Grades: 10 – 12 Semester Credits: 2.5 

This course introduces the scientific study of human society, culture, and social interactions. Topics include socialization, research methods, diversity and inequality, cooperation and conflict, social change, social institutions, and organizations. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of sociological concepts as they apply to the interplay among individuals, groups, and societies. 

PSYCHOLOGY 

#H4562

Grades: 10 – 12 Semester Credits: 2.5 

This course will provide students with an overview of psychological inquiry as it relates to the mind, human behavior, and human development. Students will be introduced to several major topics in the field of psychology and will apply psychological theories to the textual material/images/case studies examined. Course content includes the history of psychology and significant theorists, parts of the brain, sensation and perception, nature versus nurture controversy, learning and cognition, motivation/work ethic, abnormal psychology and social psychology. Students will apply psychological principles by analyzing literature, film, pop culture, and other elements of modern society. Furthermore, students will connect psychological theories and ideas to their own lives as a way of examining teens’ behaviors and actions.

AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE 

#H4512 

Grades 10-12  Semester  Credits: 2.5 

In this course, students will analyze and investigate how society impacts popular culture and the way that popular culture impacts society. Each unit will be thematic in nature, beginning with necessary readings to provide a contextual basis for the students to rely on and to build upon as the course progresses. Students will examine popular cultural developments by analyzing a variety of areas, including mass media, music, literature, comics, film, radio, television, sports, fashion, toys and advertising. This class will give an opportunity for students to investigate a variety of different pop culture influences that have become part of the American identity

RACISM, GENOCIDE, AND THE HOLOCAUST 

#H4592 Dual Enrollment 

Grades: 10 – 12 Semester Credits: 2.5 SPFHS / 3.0- Kean University  

This course, comprised of a historical and literary component, investigates the impact that racism, genocide and the Holocaust have had and continue to have on peoples of the world. The course starts by examining how race, identity, and bias are related, and encourages students to explore the role that race plays in modern American life. Themes include justice, segregation, and stereotyping. One of the objectives of this program is to use its content - past as well as present examples - to reduce prejudice by first knowing, and then understanding, how racism and genocide victimize peoples and nations. The Holocaust in Nazi Germany is a focus to build a comprehensive foundation of knowledge to better understand and compare historical and modern genocides in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe.

AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AP

#H4590 - AP 

Grades: 11-12  Full Year Credits: 5 

AP African American Studies is an interdisciplinary course that examines the diversity of African American experiences through direct encounters with authentic and varied sources. This course explores key topics that extend from early African kingdoms to the ongoing challenges and achievements of the contemporary movement. Given the interdisciplinary character of African American studies, students in the course will develop skills across multiple fields, with an emphasis on developing historical, literary, visual, and data analysis skills. This course foregrounds a study of the diversity of Black communities in the United States within the broader context of Africa and the African diaspora. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam in May, which includes a project and presentation completed in the classroom using guidelines from the College Board. This course is open to 10th graders with special permission from the department supervisor

EUROPEAN HISTORY AP 

#H4510 - AP 

Grades: 11 – 12 Year Credits: 5 

This college-level survey course traces the development of European civilization from the high Renaissance of the mid-Fifteenth Century through the present. Political, diplomatic, social, economic, intellectual and cultural trends are emphasized, and the relation of Europe to the wider world is noted. At the end of the course, students should have a working knowledge of the scope of modern European history, be acquainted with the skills of the historian's craft and be able to write an essay that demonstrates interpretive and analytical ability. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam in May.

UNITED STATES HISTORY AP 

#H4500 - AP 

Grades: 11 -- 12 Year Credits: 5 

Prerequisite: United States History I and II 

This college-level survey course retraces the complex ideologies, phenomena, conflicts, relationships, and progress characterizing the history of the United States starting in the year 1491 spanning to the present. Focusing on the development of historical thinking skills as a vehicle for understanding key themes in U.S. History, this course emphasizes the importance of the ability to analyze historical sources and evidence in order to explain events of the past, evaluate trends and themes in history and to create and support historical arguments. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam in May

HISTORY OF ART AP 

#H4520 - AP

Grades: 10 – 12  Full Year Credits: 5 

The Advanced Placement course in Art History is designed to provide an introductory college-level course in art history: an understanding and enjoyment of architecture, sculpture, painting, and other art forms within historical and cultural contexts. Students examine the major forms of artistic expression of the past as well as those of our time and of a variety of cultures. They learn to look at works of art critically, with intelligence and sensitivity, and to articulate what they see or experience. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam in May.

ECONOMICS AP 

#H4530 - AP 

Grades: 10 – 12  Full Year Credits: 5 

This course is a seminar in economics involving principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics. Designed as a college-level course, students examine economic systems, behavior of firms in private market operations, comparisons between market structures, national and global economic conditions, monetary and fiscal policy decisions/processes, and international economics. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam in May. This course fulfills the 2.5 credit financial literacy requirement.

US GOVERNMENT & POLITICS AP 

#H4550 - AP 

Grades: 11 – 12 Full Year Credits: 5 

AP U.S. Government and Politics provides a college-level, nonpartisan introduction to key political concepts, ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the constitutional system and political culture of the United States. Students study U.S. foundational documents, Supreme Court decisions, and other texts and visuals to gain an understanding of the relationships and interactions among political institutions, processes, and behavior. They also engage in disciplinary practices that require them to read and interpret data, make comparisons and applications, and develop evidence-based arguments. In addition, they complete a political science research or applied civics project. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam in May.

PSYCHOLOGY AP 

#H4560 - AP

Grades 11-12 Year Credits: 5 

Advanced Placement Psychology is a college-level course offered for students desiring an intensive, in-depth study of major topics in psychology. This course will introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. Students will explore and apply psychological theories, key concepts, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology including the biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, learning and cognition, motivation, developmental psychology, testing and individual differences, treatment of abnormal behavior, and social psychology. The AP Psychology course is designed to be the equivalent of the Introduction to Psychology course usually taken during the first year of college. The rigorous course syllabus and college level texts both suggest that students who enroll should be highly motivated and intellectually curious. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam in May.