Education and Community Justice Pathway

Required 10th Grade Course for this Pathway:

Exploring Education and Social Justice

Course Number(s): C40221

Course Length: 1 Semester (2 Credits) 

Prerequisites: None

Grade: 10-12

This introductory course is designed to attract students to the rewarding field of Education and Community Justice.  Students will critically examine current events related to Education and Social Justice that impact communities.  Students will gain an understanding of how the fields of Education and Community Justice impact their world.  Students will engage in an Youth Participatory Action Research Project, an innovative approach to positive youth and development based on social justice principles (source: YPARhub).  Students will have the opportunity to participate in the Govie Leaders program as sophomores to practice leadership skills related to these career pathways.

Note: Required 10th Grade class for the Education and Community Justice Pathway.

Other Courses for this Pathway at Johnson

CIS Exploring the Teaching Profession I & II 

Course Number(s): N490101 and N490111

Length: 2 Semesters (4 Credits) 

Prerequisite: None

Grade: 11-12

In this College in the Schools Course CI 3901, students explore and respond to the question, “Why teach?” In doing so, they examine their own interests in teaching while taking a close look at the multiple factors (social, historical, political) that shape schools today. Students will volunteer in area schools in a service-learning capacity, attend class, make presentations, write reflective papers and blog posts in response to assignments, participate in discussions, and engage in small group learning activities. Service-learning experiences are central to learning, and along with course readings, provide the basis for discussion and reflection.

Note: College in the Schools is a program in which a University of Minnesota course is taught in high school.  Upon successful completion of this course, students receive two semester credits from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Student Government/Student Council

Course Number(s): N402111

Length: 2 Semester (4 Credits)

Prerequisites: None

Grade: 11-12

Would you like to work on projects that positively impact our school community? Do you want to improve your leadership and interpersonal skills? Do you want to help organize our JHS Govie Leaders? Are you passionate about representing all voices in our Johnson community? Consider joining our Govie Captain team by taking this class and bringing your voice directly into the conversation as we try to put into practice our leadership motto “What hurts my brother or sister hurts me”.

Supplementary Courses for this Pathway:

Public Speaking  

Course Number(s): L406411 

Length: 1 Semester (2 Credits) 

Prerequisites: None 

Grade: 10-12 

This class is designed for anybody who wants to learn  to become a better speaker in front of groups. The class  will become a tight-knit group as students speak and  listen to each other on a daily basis. A variety of  speeches will be learned and performed, including  informative speeches, demonstration speeches,  persuasive speeches, and debate. This skill of knowing  what you want to say and saying it well will help you to  get what you want throughout your entire life! 

Introduction to Journalism  

Course Number(s): L405311 

Length: 1 Semester (2 Credits) 

Prerequisites: None 

Grade: 9-12 

Students learn to research and narrow topics for writing  articles and using iPads to produce media. They will  practice the skills necessary for an accurate, responsible  and thoughtful publication and news video segments  with their iPads. Students will be taught the essential  skills related to gathering news, presenting the facts,  and respecting the integrity of responsible journalism.  

The changes in journalism throughout history will be  covered as well as objective and subjective writing.  Students will analyze journalistic publications such as  the New York Times, the Pioneer Press, and the Star  Tribune. The students will learn to evaluate different  forms of media. 

Sociology

Course Number(s): H407101

Length: 1 Semester (2 Credits)

Prerequisites: None

Grade: 9-12

Sociology stresses the social contexts in which people live, who influences us, which social institutions shape us the most, how society is structured, what roles people play in society, how inequalities shape our world, and how gender issues impact society. Students will have opportunities to discuss current events with high relevance in their lives. This course will emphasize empowering individuals through increased awareness and understanding of how society works and how it can be improved upon. Social movements/social change will be the focus of the final summative project.

Psychology AP (Honors)

Course Number(s): H457301

Length: 2 Semesters  (4 Credits)

Prerequisites: None

Grade: 10-12

AP Psychology introduces students to study of behavior and mental processes. It introduces the psychological facts, principles and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields. Topics covered include research methods, sensation and perception, states of consciousness, learning and memory, motivation and emotion, developmental psychology, theories of personality, and abnormal psychology. Students will use observation and theory to study human interaction, learning, or development, methods and techniques of primary research, and legal and ethical procedures related to research. Students will refine a topic into a research problem and will create a plan for data collection and for gathering and analyzing data. They will compare the findings to theories of human interaction, develop conclusions based on the findings, and identify implications for further study.

Students learn to study efficiently but critically, read a large amount of written material, practice rigorous methods for understanding and learning facts, creating and testing hypotheses, organizing, debating, and evaluating concepts and theories and explaining and using statistical data. Students will be expected to take the AP Test in Psychology.

Law and Justice 

Course Number(s): H408211 

Length: 1 Semester (2 Credits) 

Prerequisites: None 

Grade: 10-12 

Interested in a career in law? Students in this class will  be introduced to the basic structure of law and the  United States justice system. Students will study the  main legal institutions in the United States such as the  legal profession, criminal & civil law, law enforcement,  issues, fundamental fairness, societal costs, and  freedom.  

African American Studies

Course Number(s): H496011

Length: 1 Semester (2 Credits)

Prerequisites: None 

Grade: 9-12

This course examines historical periods and events in African and African-American history from African background to Reconstruction, their role in the evolution of America’s historical development, and their impact on African-Americans in the United States. Political, social, economic, and cultural aspects will be analyzed and evaluated. Special attention will be given to the conflict between slaves and slaveholders, as well as the issues and philosophies surrounding that conflict.

Unified Physical Education 

Course Number(s): G404361 

Length: 1 Semester (2 Credits) 

Prerequisites: Physical Education 

Grade: 10-12 

This course combines students of all abilities to  participate in developmentally appropriate activities  including lifetime activities, physical fitness, and sport.  Students will work together to increase competence and  confidence in a variety of physical activities. Through  ongoing leadership opportunities, members of this  course will be empowered to help create a more  inclusive and accepting school environment for all  students. 

Biomedical Science and Forensics (PLTW) 

Course Number(s): C434911

Length: 2 Semesters (4 Credits)

Prerequisites: None

Grade: 10-12

Principles of Biomedical Science (PBS) is a full-year high school course in the PLTW Biomedical Science Program. This course serves to provide foundational knowledge and skills in fields such as biology, anatomy & physiology, genetics, microbiology, and epidemiology as well as engage students in how this content can be applied to real world situations, cases, and problems. Through both individual and collaborative team activities. projects, and problems, students will tackle real-world challenges faced by biomedical professionals in the field. They will work with the same tools and equipment used in hospitals and labs as they engage in relevant hands-on work. Students will develop skill in technical documentation to represent and communicate experimental findings and solutions to problems. In addition, students will explore how connections to other disciplines such as computer science and engineering shape the future of medicine and practice collaboration techniques that will help them connect with professionals across any field.