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Courses

Global History and Geography

The Global History and Geography core curriculum is designed to focus on the five social studies standards, common themes that recur across time and place, and eight historical units.  In Grades  9 and 10 Social Studies, students will examine Global History and Geography.  The two year sequence is arranged chronologically beginning with the Paleolithic Era and continuing through the present.

 

Grade 9: Global History and Geography 1 and 2

Grade 9 begins with the Paleolithic Era and the development of the first civilizations, continues with an examination of classical societies, and traces the expansion of trade networks and their global impact.  The course emphasizes the key themes of interactions over time, shifts in political power, and the role of belief systems.

 

Grade 10: Global History and Geography 3 and 4

Grade 10 begins with a brief look back while focusing on the early 1700s and provides a snapshot of the world circa 1750.  The course continues chronologically up to the present.  Several concepts are woven throughout the course including industrialization, nationalism, imperialism, conflict, technology, and the interconnectedness of the world. 

 

United States History and Government

 

Grade 11: United States History and Government 1 and 2

Grade 11 begins with the colonial and constitutional foundations of the United States and explores the government structure and functions provided in the Constitution. The development of the nation and the political, social, and economic factors that led to the challenges our nation faced in the Civil War are addressed. Industrialization, urbanization, and the accompanying problems are examined, along with America’s emergence as a world power, the two world wars of the 20th century, and the Cold War. Students explore the expansion of the federal government, evolving social beliefs and behaviors, and the nation’s place in an increasingly globalized and interconnected world.

 

Grade 12: Participation in Government and Civics

This course examines the foundations of our American democracy, calling attention to the importance of voting and other methods of participation in government and civic life. In order to equip students to navigate in the digital age, the importance of information and the need to be able to access and evaluate information should be integrated throughout the course. All levels of government are encompassed within the course affording the opportunity to utilize local resources. Each unit provides an opportunity for comparison of our governmental system with that of other countries. Content specifications are not included so that the course can adapt to present local, national and global circumstances, allowing teachers to select flexibly from current events to illuminate key ideas and conceptual understandings.

 

Grade 12: The Economics of Free Enterprise in a Global Economy

 “The Economics of Free Enterprise in a Global Economy” examines the principles of the United States free market economy in a global context. Students will examine their individual responsibility for managing their personal finances in a global economy. Students will analyze the role of supply and demand in determining the prices individuals and businesses face in the product and factor markets, and the global nature of these markets. Students will study changes to the workforce in the United States and the role of entrepreneurs in our economy, as well as the impact of globalization. Students will explore the challenges facing the United States free market economy in a global environment and various policy-making opportunities available to government to address these challenges. Content specifications are not included so that the course can adapt to present local, national and global circumstances, allowing teachers to select flexibly from current events to illuminate key ideas and conceptual understandings.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSE OFFERINGS


HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Description:  The AP Human Geography course is equivalent to an introductory college-level course in human geography. The course introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine socioeconomic organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their research and applications. The curriculum reflects the goals of the National Geography Standards (2012).
Criteria:  Students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences. 
Course Requirements/Expectations:  
  • Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to • Interpret maps and analyze geospatial data; Understand and explain the implications of associations and networks among phenomena in places; Recognize and interpret the relationships among patterns and processes at different scales of analysis; Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process; and • Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places. The AP Human Geography course is organized around seven major topics: • Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives • Population and Migration • Cultural Patterns and Processes • Political Organization of Space • Agriculture, Food Production, and Rural Land Use • Industrialization and Economic Development • Cities and Urban Land Use
  • All students must take the Advanced Placement Human Geography exam to earn AP credit.
 
PSYCHOLOGY 
Description:  The AP Psychology course introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and mental processes.  While considering the psychologists and studies that have shaped the field, students explore and apply psychological theories, key concepts, and phenomena associated with such topics as 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. Throughout the course, students employ psychological research methods, including ethical considerations, as they use the scientific method, evaluate claims and evidence, and effectively communicate ideas.
Criteria:  There are no prerequisites for AP Psychology.  Students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.
Course Requirements/Expectations:  
  • The AP Psychology course includes the systematic and scientific study of behavior and mental processes represented by the following topics:  • History and Approaches  • Research Methods  • Biological Bases of Behavior  • Sensation and Perception  • States of Consciousness  • Learning  • Cognition  • Motivation and Emotion  • Developmental Psychology  • Personality  • Testing and Individual Differences  • Abnormal Behavior  • Treatment of Abnormal Behavior • Social Psychology
  • All students must take the Advanced Placement Psychology exam to earn AP credit.
 

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Description:  Students study general concepts used to interpret U.S. government and politics and analyze specific topics, including: • Constitutional Underpinnings; • Political Beliefs and Behaviors; • Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media; • Institutions of National Government; • Public Policy; and • Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. An integral part of the course includes analysis and interpretation of basic data relevant to U.S. government and politics, and the development of connections and application of relevant theories and concepts. 
Criteria:  Students must successfully complete Global History 1-4 and U.S. History 1-2 and score an 85+ on the Global History and U.S. History Regents to be eligible for consideration.    
Course Requirements/Expectations:  
  • Students successfully completing this course will: • Describe and compare important facts, concepts, and theories pertaining to U.S. government and politics. • Explain typical patterns of political processes and behavior and their consequences (including the components of political behavior, the principles used to explain or justify various government structures and procedures, and the political effects of these structures and procedures). • Interpret basic data relevant to U.S. government and politics (including data presented in charts, tables, and other formats).
  • Critically analyze relevant theories and concepts, apply them appropriately, and develop their connections across the curriculum.
  • All students must take the Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics exam to earn AP credit.
 
UNITED STATES HISTORY
Description:  The AP U.S. History course focuses on the development of historical thinking skills (chronological reasoning, comparing and contexualizing, crafting historical arguments using historical evidence, and interpreting and synthesizing historical narrative) and the development of students’ abilities to think conceptually about U.S. history from approximately 1491 to the present. Seven themes of equal importance – American and National Identity; Migration and Settlement; Politics and Power; Work, Exchange, and Technology; America in the World; Geography and the Environment; and Culture and Society – provide areas of historical inquiry for investigation throughout the course. These require students to reason historically about continuity and change over time and make comparisons among various historical developments in different times and places. The course also allows teachers flexibility across nine different periods of U.S. history to teach topics of their choice in depth. 
Criteria:  Students must successfully complete Global History 1-4 with an 85+ score on the Global Regents exam to be eligible for consideration.   
Course Requirements/Expectations:  
  • This course is structured around themes and concepts in nine different chronological periods from approximately 1491 to the present: • Period 1: 1491–1607 • Period 2: 1607–1754 • Period 3: 1754–1800 • Period 4: 1800–1848 • Period 5: 1844–1877 • Period 6: 1865–1898 • Period 7: 1890–1945 • Period 8: 1945–1980 • Period 9: 1980–Present Within each period, key concepts organize and prioritize historical developments. Themes allow students to make connections and identify patterns and trends over time.
  • Historical Thinking Skills. The historical thinking skills provide opportunities for students to learn to think like historians, most notably to analyze evidence about the past and to create persuasive historical arguments. Focusing on these practices enables teachers to create learning opportunities for students that emphasize the conceptual and interpretive nature of history.  
  • All students must take the Advanced Placement United States History exam to be earn AP credit.
 
 
WORLD HISTORY
Description:  The AP World History course focuses on developing students’ understanding of the world history from approximately 8000 BCE to the present. This college-level course has students investigate the content of world history for significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in six historical periods, and develop and use the same thinking skills and methods (analyzing primary and secondary sources, making historical comparisons, chronological reasoning, and argumentation) employed by historians when they study the past. The course also provides five themes (interaction between humans and the environment; development and interaction of cultures; state building, expansion, and conflict; creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems; development and transformation of social structures) that students explore throughout the course in order to make connections among historical developments in different times and places encompassing the five major geographical regions of the globe: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.  
Criteria:  Students must successfully complete Global History 1-2 to be eligible for consideration.    
Course Requirements/Expectations:  
  • The AP World History course is structured around themes and concepts in six different chronological periods from approximately 8000 BCE to the present: • Technological and Environmental Transformations (to c. 600 BCE) • Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies (c. 600 BCE to c 600 CE) • Regional and Transregional Interactions (c. 600 CE to c. 1450) • Global Interactions (c. 1450 to c 1750) • Industrialization and Global Integration (c. 1750 to c. 1900) • Accelerating Global Change and Realignments (c. 1900 to the Present).  Within each period, key concepts organization and prioritize historical developments.  Within each period, key concepts organize and prioritize historical developments. Themes allow students to make connections and identify patterns and trends over time.
  • Historical Thinking Skills. The historical thinking skills provide opportunities for students to learn to think like historians, most notably to analyze evidence about the past and to create persuasive historical arguments. Focusing on these practices enables teachers to create learning opportunities for students that emphasize the conceptual and interpretive nature of history. 
  • All students must take the Advanced Placement World History exam to earn AP credit.