Teaching

United States History I (DE)

Grade Level: 10

This is a full-year, dual enrollment (St. Peter’s University) honors course. Survey of the United States, from colonization through the Civil War. Major topics include: encounters and adaptations between European, African, and Native American peoples; origins, operation, and destruction of American slavery; ideological and political origins of American democracy; nineteenth-century industrialization and market revolution; development of American culture; causes and consequences of the Civil War; efforts to create a “more perfect union” through reform movements and legislation. 

United States History II (DE)

Grade Level: 11

This is a full-year, dual enrollment (St. Peter’s University) honors course, which will examine United States history from Reconstruction through the 21st Century. At the conclusion of the course, students will be expected to: recognize the basic principles on which this country was founded and to relate the principles to events of the 20th Century and modern era; to identify the various problems that the United States has faced throughout her history and to realize how these problems were dealt with; to realize that America is a conglomerate of many ethnic groups which directly results in a diversity of culture; to relate American democratic principles to our dealings with other nations and peoples in an unbiased and truthful manner; to identify and explain the strengths and shortcomings of American policies both national and international; and finally, to view the national and international conflicts that the United States has faced through its history, and to demonstrate how the government and people have utilized these conflicts toward the development of a better society. 

Sports in United States History & Society (elective)

Grade Level: 11-12

This full-year elective course examines the many ways in which Americans have looked at their world through the lens of sports – including issues of race, gender, class, mass media, and business. This course focuses on issues of history, sociology, economics, and other disciplines (If you signed up hoping to just watch ESPN all day, you are in for disappointment). Class conflict in the creation of recreational spaces will be the first topic. Organized sports and 19th Century concepts of masculinity will be next, covering the early days of bare-knuckle prizefighting and baseball. The growth of American collegiate and professional sports in the early 20th Century will be examined within the context of the emerging “American Century.” The problems facing the country in the early- and mid-20th Century will be looked at through the prism of sports, including issues of racism, sexism, and corruption. Next will be the growing commercialism and financial focus of sports, seen through the development of mass media, large contracts, and labor relations. Remaining topics will include: the meaning of sports in times of national crisis, diversity within professional sports in America, and the significance of sports in public protest. Through all of this, students will gain a greater appreciation for the unique way that sports have both reflected and influenced American history. 

History of American Popular Culture (elective)

Grade Level: 11-12

This full-year elective course examines the many ways in which pop culture has both reflected and shaped American history and society – including issues of race, gender, class, mass media, and business. This course focuses on topics in history, sociology, economics, and other disciplines. Students will examine American history by examining theatre, movies, television, music, sports, advertising, and other elements of popular culture from the Civil War era to the 21st Century. 

Civil War History (elective)

Grade Level: 11-12

There was no more transformative event in US History than the American Civil War, altering everything from the relationship of the people with the government to the Constitution itself to the basic American definition of humanity; it propelled the women’s rights movement, launched the first Civil Rights movement (and first true attempt at multiracial democracy in the world), accelerated the development of new technologies (from transportation to medical advancements), and killed over 2% of the US population (the equivalent of 8 million people in today’s terms). Recent events also demonstrate that the Civil War is still with us in innumerable ways -- still being decided in memory and in practice. In addition to the military strategy and tactics of the conflict, this full-year elective course will allow the students to better understand the underlying issues of the war that are still very relevant to society in 2025: gender and racial equality, psychology of a people at war, debates over immigration, the power of the federal government, etc. It will also highlight values we hope to instill in students, like honor, service, sacrifice, and social justice. War is the most terrible of things on earth, but in its terror, it magnifies all aspects of human society and existence. There is no event in American history for which this is more true than the Civil War -- and there is no event with a legacy that still affects us to this day in more deep-rooted ways. 

United States History I

Grade Level: 10

This is a full-year course. Survey of the United States, from colonization through Reconstruction. Major topics include: encounters and adaptations between European, African, and Native American peoples; origins, operation, and destruction of American slavery; ideological and political origins of American democracy; nineteenth-century industrialization; development of American culture; origins and consequences of the Civil War; efforts to create a “more perfect union” through reform movements and legislation. 

American Literature

Grade Level: 10

This is a survey course that traces the literature of the Americas throughout history. The focus of this course is for students to not only generate an understanding and appreciation of diverse works of literature, but to be able to analyze, assess and articulate in writing the overarching themes, motifs, and symbolism contained both within each work and across the works as well.  An emphasis will be placed on reading, writing, research, and presentation skills.   

God's Revelation

Grade Level: 9

The purpose of this course is to give students a general knowledge and appreciation of the Sacred Scriptures. In the course, they will learn about the Bible, authored by God through Inspiration, and its value to people throughout the world. If they have not been taught this earlier, they will learn how to read the Bible and will become familiar with the major sections of the Bible and the books included in each section. The students will pay particular attention to the Old Testament and to the Gospels, where they may grow to know and love God more personally. 

Jesus Christ the Source of Salvation/Church History (Religion 10)

Grade Level: 10

The purpose of this course is to give students a general knowledge and appreciation of the Sacred Scriptures. In the course, they will learn about the Bible, authored by God through Inspiration, and its value to people throughout the world. They will learn how to read the Bible and will become familiar with the major sections and themes of the Bible. The students will pay particular attention to the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament, where they may grow to know and love God more personally. The course will also cover the development of the Holy Catholic Church from the time of St. Peter through history.