Social Studies Courses

Credit: 1
Grade: 9
Required Course
Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation suggested to ensure course readiness.
Fee: No

The Honors World History course includes the curriculum of standard World History delivered with additional depth and rigor. There is an emphasis on reading, analysis and writing in the content area.

Credit: 1
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Elective Course
Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation suggested to ensure course readiness.
Fee: Yes

This course offers an extensive study of World History covering the period from 1200 to the present.  AP World History: Modern is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college or university survey of modern world history. Students develop and use the same skills, practices, and methods employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making historical connections; and utilizing reasoning about comparison, causation, and continuity and change over time.  The course provides six themes that students explore throughout the course to make connections among historical developments in different times and places: humans and the environment, cultural developments and interactions, governance, economic systems, social interactions and organization, and technology and innovation.

Credit: 1
Grade: 10
Required Course
Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation suggested to ensure course readiness.
Fee: No

The Honors U.S. History course includes the curriculum of standard U.S. History delivered with additional depth and rigor. There is an emphasis on reading, analysis and writing in the content area.                   

Credit: 1
Grades: 10, 11
Elective Course
Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation suggested to ensure course readiness.
Fee: Yes

This AP course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory course usually taken in the first year of college.  Students will be expected to take the AP Exam in May.  Depending on the score achieved on this test, students may be granted college credit or allowed to enroll in upper-level courses as a freshman in college.  Students will examine and assess historical perspectives utilizing primary sources and various readings.  The course entails an analysis and evaluation of historical events in the development of the U.S. as a world power.  Important eras covered will include Colonial America, Expansionism, the Great Awakening, the Civil War, Industrialism, Progressivism, the World Wars, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the Turbulent 1960’s and the political and economic influences of the late 20^th century.  This course will develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons clearly and persuasively in an essay format.

Credit: 1
Grades: 11, 12
Elective Course
Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation suggested to ensure course readiness.
Fee: Yes

The AP American Government/Politics course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory government course usually taken in the first year of college.  Students will be expected to take the AP exam in May.  Depending on the score achieved on this test, students may be granted college credit or allowed to enroll in upper-level courses as a freshman in college. The course is designed to provide an analytical perspective of government and politics including the various institutions, groups, beliefs and ideas that constitute U.S. politics. Students will examine the influence and impact of historical documents such as the Constitution and Bill of Rights on the evolving institutions and political influence on government. The impact of historical events will be examined in relationship with the changes of civil rights, civil liberties interest groups and political party organizations. Historical and contemporary issues will be explored through various readings, exercises, and perspectives.  The course demands extensive reading and strong writing skills.

Credit: 1
Grades: 11, 12
Elective Course
Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation suggested to ensure course readiness.
Fee: Yes

The AP European History course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory history course usually taken in the first year of college.  Students will be expected to take the AP European History exam in May.  Depending on the score achieved on this test, students may be granted college credit or allowed to enroll in upper-level courses as a freshman in college. The study of European history since 1450 introduces students to the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that played a fundamental role in shaping the world in which they live.  Students will examine the development of contemporary institutions, the role of continuity and change in present day society and politics, and the evolution of current forms of artistic expression and intellectual discourse.  In addition to providing a basic narrative of events and movements, the goals of the AP program in European History are to develop (a) an understanding of some of the principal themes in modern European History, (b) an ability to analyze historical evidence and historical interpretation, and (c) an ability to express historical understanding in writing. 

Credit: 1
Grades: 11, 12
Elective Course
Prerequisite:  Algebra II; Teacher recommendation suggested to ensure course readiness.
Fee: Yes
Notes:

1. Fee Required for 2 Separate AP Tests (Macro/Micro)

2. AP Microeconomics fulfills the state graduation requirement for Personal Finance (Senate Bill 17 of the 135^th General Assembly)

This AP course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory course usually taken in the first year of college.  Students will be expected to take both AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics Exams in May.  Depending on the score achieved on this test, students may be granted college credit or allowed to enroll in upper-level courses as a freshman in college.  The purpose of the Microeconomics course is to provide a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual decision makers, both consumers and producers, within the larger economic system.  It places primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets and includes the study of factor markets and the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the country.  Microeconomics will be taught during the first semester of the course.  The Macroeconomics course is designed to provide a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system. The course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price determination, and develops familiarity with economic performance measures, economic growth, and international economics.  The Macroeconomics course is taught during the second semester of the course.

Credit: 1
Grades: 10, 11, 12
Elective Course
Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation suggested to ensure course readiness.
Fee: Yes

The AP Psychology course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory Psychology course usually taken in the first year of college.  Students will be expected to take the AP Psychology exam in May.  Depending on the score achieved on this test, students may be granted college credit or allowed to enroll in upper-level courses as a freshman in college.  This course will introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals.  Students will be exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology.  Students will also explore the methodology utilized by psychologists in their science and practice.