1.0 Credit

1 Year

Prerequisite(s) ➾ Sophomore status or above

This course is a regions-based study of the world.

Regions specifically studied include:

• North America

• Latin America

• Western and Southern Europe

• Russia and Eastern Europe

• The Middle East

• India and the Indian Perimeter

• Africa

• East Asia

• Australia and the Pacific Islands

In each of the regions, student will study physical geography (landforms, bodies of water, and climates), human geography (population demographics, economic development, and globalization), and World History from 1500 to about 1947.

Students will develop skills in reading and resting maps, locating countries, capitals, and other political regions, interpreting statistics with charts and graphs, and historical research and writing.  They [the students] will learn to categorize relationships into formal, functional, and perceptual regions.  They [the students] will also learn to apply geographic skills to interpret history and current events, as well as categorize and organize other kinds of information.  They [the students] will refine their ability to evaluate the reliability of sources of their argumentative writing.

1.0 Credit

1 Year

Prerequisite(s) ➾ Junior status or above

This course meets the United States History requirement for graduation.  Students will gain a basic understanding of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  Focus will be given to studying specific periods in American History.

Specific time periods studied will include:

• Pre-Colonial Period (Pre-1600)

• Colonial Period (1600 – 1776)

• The Revolution Period and The Early Republic (1776 – 1860)

• Civil War and Reconstruction (1860 – 1870)

• Industrial Age and the Progressive Era (1870 – 1920)

• The Roaring 20s and the Great Depression (1920 – 1941)

• World War II and the Post-War Period (1941 – 1955)

• Cold War and Social Changes at Home (1955 – 1990)

• Globalization and the New World (1990 – 2001)

• 9/11 and Modern America (2001 – Present)

Students will develop skills in reading primary source documents and writing argumentative papers with an emphasis on American History.

1.0 Credit

1 Year

Prerequisite(s) ➾ Senior status or above

This course meets the Government requirement for graduation.  Emphasis will be given to the American System of Government.  Students will develop a strong understanding of the Founding Documents, especially the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  They [the students] will practice writing legislation, voting, and participating, in the government process.  They [the students] will also study several other government topics.

The topics covered include:

• Natural Rights and John Locke’s Social Contract

• The Three Branches of Government and hoe they operate as Federal, State, and Local events

• Federalism

• Taxation and Funding Government

• Political Parties and the Political System

• Different political systems (Monarchy, Theocracy, Autocracy) and where they are found

• Lobbying and Special Interest Groups

Students will also study economics.  They [the students] will understand the development of of money and banking, the price system, and the use of interest rates in lending and savings.  Strong emphasis will be given to the Federal Reserve and the role the government in regulating the economy.

Students will also study the economic theories of important people in the field, including Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, Milton Friedman, and Fredrich A. Hayek.  Along with these people, students will study different economic systems ranging from Communism to Free-Market Capitalism.

Students will develop skills in writing argumentative papers with an emphasis on public policy.  They [the students] will base their research on highly scholarly sources, such as peer-revied academic journals, and government sources such as the Congressional Research Services, the Congressional Budget Office, the Library of Congress, and Freedom of Information Act. Finally, students will analyze current events related to government and economics.