Social Studies

The Sisters of Mercy have identified five critical concerns of social justice that must be addressed in the world today: Earth, Immigration, Nonviolence, Racism, and Women.  This class will examine each of the five concerns through readings, discussions, documentaries, essays, and current events.  The class will culminate in an action project where each student identifies a current issue within the five concerns and presents a report on solutions for building a better future.

World History is designed to deepen students' understanding of major world civilizations from the Enlightenment to modern times. Students analyze political, social and economic changes in western nations in the 1st semester and then analyze similar elements in non-western nations in Asia, Africa, India/Pakistan, Latin America, and the Middle East in the second semester. Students will begin the research and writing process that will be further developed in each subsequent social studies course.

AP World History is an elective course offered to advanced students who want to experience a college-level course. AP World History compares patterns of changes among major societies from 1200 C.E. to the present. By the end of the course, students can discuss world events from a sophisticated perspective and make thematic connections between time periods. Students learn to identify relevant historical evidence, to recognize the limitations of those sources, and to debate their arguments. Skills taught include reading a college text, organizing and writing analytical essays, interpreting historical perspectives, analyzing and discussing primary sources, and participating in historical debates. This class involves an additional workload and extended content for the accelerated student.

United States History is a junior-level course that builds on the World History study of global industrialization and its impact on America through the analysis of major historical, social, political, and economic forces that helped to shape the United States from the Revolutionary War to modern times. This course provides a sense of chronological continuity and focuses on those major themes that define America’s heritage. Students are encouraged to study in depth the contributions of diverse peoples and cultures to the development of the United States and America’s own contribution to the development of other nations.

AP United States History is a college-level course highlighting major historical, social, and economic trends from colonial to modern times. Students rigorously study those defining moments in American history that have led our country to its current state. Students analyze the governmental system's development, the expanding court's role, and major political movements that led to equal rights for minorities. This class involves an additional workload and extended content for the accelerated student.

American Government is a one-semester course that provides an analysis of the organization and influence of the American government system at the national, state, and local levels. This study will include our American political system's origins, functions, strengths, and weaknesses. Students will analyze the history of America’s political system while deepening their understanding of the integral relationship among federal, state, and local governments. Students will come to have greater respect for the unique roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government.

AP Government and Politics/Economics is a year course that provides an integrated approach to Government and Economics. Students will use projects to explore the working of the U.S. Government  while also addressing economic principles. The students will analyze the principles that formed our political system and how economic  principles influence the creation of those principles. In addition, students will analyze the primary source documents that are integral to our governmental structure. Students will conduct a mock election, a mock congress, and a mock court. Students will analyze how federalism plays a role in their daily lives through the creation of a Cost of Living project. Finally, students will analyze the impact of tax and spending policies will have on a virtual business that they will run. The student will receive AP Credit for only AP Government, the economics portion is not at an AP level. This class involves an additional workload and extended content for the accelerated student.

Economics is a one-semester course that provides a study of micro and macroeconomic theory and practice, with an in-depth study of the United States economic system. Students will come to understand common economic terms while analyzing America’s market economy in a global setting. Students will work with one another as they analyze the influence the federal government has on the American economy, the U.S. labor market, and international trade. Students will apply their knowledge in a business simulation project that will supplement the coursework.

AP Psychology is an elective course designed to introduce students to the study of human behavior and mental processes at a college-level rigor and pace. Students are exposed to the history and subfields of psychology, the brain’s structures and functions, altered states of consciousness, psychological testing, and psychological disorders. Students analyze the biopsychosocial approach to psychology in all human interactions and decisions. Emphasis will be placed on the ethics and statistical methods psychologists use in their science and practice, as well as on famous psychological experiments that shaped the field of psychology. This class involves an additional workload and extended content for the accelerated student.

This introduction to international relations course will focus on theory, history, current events in regions of the world, globalization and global challenges, and world order to provide context for research and argumentation. In short, this course will make students more globally literate to identify problems and provide solutions to the most important issues of the day. Even if we want to ignore what goes on elsewhere in the world, it will not ignore us.