Social Studies Department Courses
Students are required to successfully
complete one Social Studies course per year.
The following courses are required
for graduation: Modern World History,
Modern United States History, and Civics
and Government. Additionally, students are required to select one
elective course. Each of the required
courses is taught at three levels. All
required courses include Shared Inquiry experiences and the development of
research projects. Students taking
Academic or Honors courses are required to read a novel and engage in seminar
discussions about the novel.
Core
Planned
Instruction includes one (or more) Shared Inquiry experience per marking
period. Each results in an essay or
journal entry. Additionally, there are
at least two research projects (one per marking period) that result in a
five-paragraph essay citing a minimum of two sources.
Academic
Planned
Instruction includes all elements of core level and reading a book (non-fiction
or historic fiction) that relates to the content. Students participate in literature circle
discussions based on assigned sections of text.
Honors
Planned
Instruction includes all elements of academic and an additional component
related to literacy. Examples of the
additional element include: comparison of film or dramatic presentation to the
assigned reading; reading and discussion of an additional selected text;
research project that explores a topic in depth; reading a selection of primary
documents; in-depth analysis of current events gathered from a variety of
sources.
Choosing a level:
Students should follow the
guidelines below when choosing among the three levels of the course:
●
To enter an academic
level course, students should have obtained a minimum of a B in a previous core
course or a C in a previous academic course.
●
To enter an
honors level course, students should have obtained a minimum of a B in a
previous academic course or a C in a previous honors course. Teacher approval
recommended.
152441 Modern World History (Weight –
1.1) (Grade 9) 1.0 credit
This
required course interprets and evaluates events in world history since
1450. Geography, economics, and civics
and government are integrated in this course in which students evaluate the
following: significance of individuals and groups to world history since 1450;
important historical documents, material artifacts, and historic sites; the
impact of continuity and change; and the impact of conflict and cooperation
among social groups and organizations in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe
since 1450.
152431 Academic Modern World History
(Weight – 1.1) (Grade 9) 1.0 credit
152421 Honors Modern World History
(Weight – 1.2) (Grade 9) 1.0 credit
152741 Modern United States History
(Weight – 1.1) (Grade 10) 1.0 credit
This required course
integrates Pennsylvania and United States history from 1850 to the present with
concepts in geography, economics, and civics and government. Students evaluate the following: political
and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to PA and U.S. history;
important historical documents, material artifacts, and historic sites in PA
and the U.S.; the impact of continuity and change; and the impact of conflict
and cooperation among social groups and organizations in PA and the U.S. from
1850 to the present.
152731 Academic Modern United States
History (Weight – 1.1) (Grade 10)
152721 Honors Modern United States
History (Weight – 1.2) (Grade 10)
151611 Advanced Placement United States
History (Weight – 1.3) (Grades 11,
12) 1.0
credit
(This
course will be scheduled to meet every other day for the full year)
The
elective advanced placement course in United States History is designed to
expose students to a survey of U.S. history from its pre-colonial beginnings to
the present day. This course offers a complete college-level study of United
States history and may be taken in place of Modern U.S. History. Students enrolling in an AP course will be
required to take the AP exam. Interested 10th grade students must
obtain teacher and principal permission.
157131 Academic Civics and Government
(Weight – 1.1) (Grades 11 and 12) 1.0 credit
157121 Honors Civics and Government
(Weight – 1.2) (Grades 11 and 12) 1.0
credit
This
required course focuses on the government of the United States. The course helps students understand how the
political system works nationally and internationally. Students also learn why
their participation as citizens in our democracy is critical in its
survival. Units of study include the
following: principles and documents, rights and responsibilities of
citizenship, how government works, and how international relationships
function.
153111 Advanced Placement Government and
Politics (Weight 1.3) (Grade 10, 11,
12) 1.0 credit
(This
course will be scheduled to meet every other day for the full year)
This
course may be taken in place of civics and government. The AP United States government course
provides an in-depth look at the government of the United States that includes
a study and evaluation of the political system that runs it. The course is
designed to help students develop an understanding and appreciation for how the
political system works and how it influences and touches the lives of every
American. Also, it is designed to help students understand how their
participation in the system is important to its survival. Knowledge of
contemporary political events is essential for the analytical focus that must
be exhibited in the writing required in the course. Throughout the course of
the semester students will be required to analyze various forms of political
and statistical data. This will include charts, graphs, political cartoons, and
other data distributed in class. Students enrolling in an AP course will be
required to take the AP exam. Students
should complete honors Modern U.S. History prior to taking this course. Interested 10th grade students
must obtain teacher and principal permission.
154131 Human Geography (Weight – 1.1) (Grades 10, 11, 12) 1.0
credit
This elective course emphasizes the
importance of geography as a field of study by examining relevant topics from a
geographic perspective and teaching students to think spatially in order to
better understand human life on earth.
Throughout the course, students will be seeking to answer the big
questions of “where” and “why.” The
following topics are examined: the
nature and perspectives of geography; mapping and map projections;
globalization; population and demographic patterns; migration and movement;
cultural processes; geopolitics and the creation of borders and nation-states;
colonialism and its influences; the Middle East in today’s global society and
international terrorism; land use and resource stewardship; agricultural
geography; industrialization; economic development; and urbanization
patterns. Course participants can expect
to expand their geographic understanding of the world's physical and political
features through mapping, relevant case studies, and current events. The course is spatial and problem-solving in
perspective and orientation as case studies are drawn from all world regions
with a greater emphasis on understanding the world in which we live today. The goal of the course is for students to
become more geoliterate, more engaged in contemporary global issues, and more
informed about multicultural perspectives.
Students planning to take the AP Human Geography Examination independently are
advised to take this course.
154111 Advanced Placement Human
Geography (Weight - 1.3) (Grades 10,
11, 12) 1.0
credit
(This
course will be scheduled to meet every other day for the full year)
This advanced elective course may be
taken in place of the elective Social Studies course Human Geography, which is
taught at the Academic level. The course
emphasizes the importance of geography as an academic field of study by
examining relevant topics from a geographic perspective and teaching students
to think spatially in order to better understand human life on earth. Throughout the course, students will be
seeking to answer the big questions of “where” and “why.” AP Human Geography introduces high school
students to college-level introductory Human Geography or Cultural Geography. The content is presented thematically rather
than regionally, although mapping knowledge is acquired regionally. The content is organized around the
discipline’s main subfields of economic geography, cultural geography,
political geography, and urban geography.
Within these subfields, the following topics are examined: the nature and perspectives of geography;
mapping and map projections; globalization; population and demographic
patterns; migration and movement; cultural processes; geopolitics and the
creation of borders and nation-states; colonialism and its influences; the
Middle East in today’s global society and international terrorism; land use and
resource stewardship; agricultural geography; industrialization; economic
development; and urbanization patterns.
Course participants can expect to expand their geographic understanding
of the world's physical and political features through mapping, relevant case
studies, and current events. The course
is spatial and problem-solving in perspective and orientation as case studies
are drawn from all world regions with a greater emphasis on understanding the
world in which we live today. The goal
of the course is for students to become more geoliterate, more engaged in
contemporary global issues, and more informed about multicultural perspectives.
Students enrolling in an AP course will be
required to take the AP exam. Interested 9th students must obtain teacher
and principal permission.
159131 Economics (Weight – 1.1) (Grades 11, 12) 1.0 credit
Economics is the study of how
people choose to use their limited resources.
This course helps prepare students to make informed decisions as buyers,
sellers, workers, and citizens. The
following units are explored: Introduction to Economics; Microeconomics (How
Markets Work; Business and Labor; Money, Banking, and Finance); Macroeconomics
(Measuring Economic Performance; Government and the Economy; The Global
Economy).
156131 Psychology (Weight - 1.1) (Grades 11, 12) 1.0 credit
Psychology
is the study of human behavior and mental processes. By studying how the mind works and
contributes to behavior, student can better understand how behavior,
personality, and intelligence develop.
This course provides students with the skills to better understand
themselves and others. It allows
students to apply experiences from their lives to the foundations of psychology
through interdisciplinary and multi-media activities.
156111 Advanced Placement Psychology
(Weight – 1.3) (Grades 11, 12) 1. 0 credit
(This
course will be scheduled to meet every other day for the full year)
Advanced
Placement Psychology is a course designed to introduce students to the
systematic and scientific study of the behavioral and mental processes of human
beings. Key concepts of the major schools of psychology and important theorists
with their contributions to psychology are taught. Students are exposed to the
psychological facts, principles, and phenomenon associated with each of the
major subfields within psychology. They also learn about the ethics and methods
psychologist use in their science and practice.
Vocabulary is an essential part of psychology; therefore, vocabulary is
emphasized. Students enrolling in an AP course will be
required to take the AP exam
155131 Sociology (Weight – 1.1) (Grades 11, 12) 1.0
credit
This
course is the study of human society and social behavior. Through debate, research, field trips, and
the use of community resources, the students will be able to view their own
lives within a larger social and historical context. Participants in this class will gain an
appreciation of the rich diversity of American society.
154231 Pennsylvania History (Weight –
1.1) (Grades 11, 12) 1.0 credit
The
purpose of this course will be to provide students with the opportunity to
explore the rich heritage of Pennsylvania and Lancaster County and at the same
time discover the connection between state and local history within the history
of the United States of America. The
course will cover a variety of essential historical events and historical figures
in Pennsylvania and Lancaster County history.
Through debate, research, and the use of community resources, the
students will be able to view their own lives within a larger social and
historical context.