History
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REQUIRED: Three year-long courses (3 credits), usually World History, Modern World History, and United States History.
Level: 9th grade
Length: Year
Description: This course surveys world history, beginning with a review of world religions and the Classical civilizations and concluding with the Early Modern era. This evolution of societies and governments is combined with topics of cultural, religious, anthropological, and economic interest. Readings are drawn from textbooks as well as primary sources. Students interpret written sources, art, architecture, and maps. The combined emphasis on writing and class discussions fosters the growth of ninth graders from concrete to increasingly abstract thinkers.
Level: 10th grade
Length: Year
Prerequisite: Completion of World History or equivalent.
Description: This course begins by examining some of the forces which have shaped our modern world: revolution, industrialization, and imperialism. It traces the development and interactions of modern world societies throughout the 20th century, ending with the challenges of globalization in the 21st century. Among the 20th century topics are special readings and discussion of the Holocaust. Readings include primary sources, which introduce more abstract topics, such as political and economic theory. Through reading and discussion, students develop the skills necessary to interpret written and visual sources. While identification of key facts is a necessary skill, 10th graders are expected to synthesize more information, to connect related ideas, and to develop their writing skills.
Level: 10th grade
Length: Year
Prerequisite: Completion of World History or equivalent. Performance in previous history class, standardized test scores, and recommendation of the department.
Description: Students in the AP World History course undertake a comparative study of human societies within certain historical periods, from the Post-Classical period to the present, in order to identify the broad patterns and processes that explain change and continuity over time. Organized around specific themes of World History, the course is designed to both provide the relevant factual knowledge and foster the analytical and interpretive skills that together allow students to draw their own conclusions about complex historical issues.
United States History 11
United States History 11 offers three different approaches (described below) to the study of modern American history. During the first semester, all students in this course will undertake a common survey of US History between 1865 and 1945, beginning with the conclusion of the Civil War and extending through the Depression and World War II eras. Particular emphasis will be placed on Constitutional developments, identity and interaction, and the overall development of a modern America. In the second semester, while each course will approach common events through a unique lens, all courses will cover the same main topics and eras and will be unified by a continued emphasis on analytical writing and research-based inquiry.
Level: 11th grade
Description: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Martin Luther King, Jr. stated in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Students in this course will examine people, events, cases, and movements in U.S. History from 1945-modern day that influenced government protections against discrimination in its many variations. Students will analyze protests, litigation in the courts, and questions of American identity. The course work will include textual analysis using primary and secondary sources, case summaries, analytical writing, and a culminating project in the American Museum of Transformation.
Level: 11th grade
Description: Is United States leadership necessary for a safe, productive, and democratic world order? This is one of many questions that will drive this particular overview of modern US history, focusing specifically on how quickly the international situation changed throughout the decades following World War II, and how the United States responded. Pivotal military conflicts such as Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf will be addressed alongside more nuanced confrontations with other world powers throughout the Cold War and post-Cold War period. We also will focus on how domestic political and social forces impacted the development of US foreign policy during those decades, and how many pivotal actions and events set the stage for contemporary discussions of America’s place in the 21st century international world. The course work will include textual analysis using primary and secondary sources, case summaries, analytical writing, and a culminating project in the American Museum of Transformation.
Level: 11th grade
Description: While the Constitution was written in 1787, it continues to live on in those who interpret it and utilize its power. U.S. History students will examine the Constitution, its amendments, and the laws and cases rooted in this most important document. In addition, students will analyze the growth of the Modern Presidency from FDR to Bush (1945-2001) with particular emphasis on increasing war powers, the significance of the president in the legislative process, the legacy of judicial appointments, and the role of public opinion. The course work will include textual analysis using primary and secondary sources, case summaries, analytical writing, and a culminating project in the American Museum of Transformation.
Level: 11th and 12th grades
Length: Year
Prerequisite: Completion of Modern World History or AP World History, performance in previous history and English courses, standardized test scores, and recommendation of the department.
Description: This course is a survey of American history from the 1400s to the recent past. Students study not only traditional political history, but also social history with attention to race, class, and gender. A variety of readings in primary and secondary sources are assigned. Great emphasis is placed on interpretation and discussion of primary source documents and development of analytical writing skills.
Level: 11th and 12th grades
Length: Year
Prerequisite: Performance in previous history and English courses, standardized test scores, and recommendation of the department.
Description: This course is a survey of European history from the mid-fifteenth century through the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Six AP themes are utilized in order to help students "make connections among historical developments in different times and places: interaction of Europe and the world; poverty and prosperity; objective knowledge and subjective visions; states and other institutions of power; individual and society; and national and European identity." Students develop historical thinking skills such as comparison, contextualization, causation and continuity, and change over time in addition to interpreting primary and secondary sources.
Level: 12th grade
Length: Year
Prerequisite: 11th grade U.S. History or AP U.S. History.
Description: AP U.S. Government & Politics offers students the opportunity to see how individuals and their ideas can shape the world in which they live; it invites them to explore central questions of liberty and justice in practice. The Supreme Court opinions explored in this course are not museum pieces but deeply felt expressions. The aim is for students to read and discuss them with openness and insight. Aristotle famously described humankind as a “political animal”. For Aristotle, participation in civic life is necessary to live fully. This course seeks to create those “political animals” who understand more fully the role of government and their participation in it.
Level: 10th through 12th grades
Length: Semester
Description: Within this course, students will learn how the United Nations charter was established, will explore the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and will understand how the UN Sustainable Development Goals impact current initiatives. Using the Model United Nations debate format, students will participate in current and historical simulations, research and represent the positions of countries, engage in debate and negotiation with representatives from other countries, and write resolutions and speeches to address global issues. Through these experiences, students will come to understand the important geopolitical role the United Nations has in keeping countries connected and engaged with each other.
Level: 10th through 12th grades
Length: Semester
Description: This course will help students better understand current global issues and diplomacy. Lessons will be
hands-on, where students will have the opportunity to apply concepts studied in the class through real-life scenarios and computer-game simulations. There are numerous environmental and global issues that threaten the Earth’s future. Why do these problems exist, and can world leaders cooperate to solve them? These are some of the important topics that we will explore in a safe and collaborative environment.
Level: 11th and 12th grades
Length: Semester (Semester 1 only)
Description: In this elective course, students learn the mechanisms by which society creates and distributes wealth. This course introduces microeconomic concepts and analysis; supply and demand analysis; theories of firm and individual behavior; competition and monopoly; and welfare economics. Students are introduced to the use of microeconomic applications to address problems in current economic policy throughout the semester. The Urban Plan Project and outside speakers provide practical contacts and problem-solving skills necessary to solve real-world problems.
Level: 11th and 12th grades
Length: Semester (Semester 2 only)
Description: This course provides an overview of macroeconomic issues, including the determination of output, employment, unemployment, interest rates, and inflation. The Federal Reserve and monetary and fiscal policy are discussed. Important policy debates, such as the sub-prime crisis, social security, the public debt, and international economic issues, are critically explored. The course introduces basic models of macroeconomics and illustrates principles with the experience of the U.S. and foreign economies. The Stock Market Game provides students practical exploration into the fundamentals of personal finance and investing. Students work together to build and manage an investment portfolio in a real-world, dynamic marketplace.
Level: 11th and 12th grades
Length: Semester
Description: This course uses movies, art, literature, and poetry to examine the complex issues that arose during the Holocaust. The course begins in late 19th- century Austria and ends with the formation of the state of Israel in 1948. Due to mature themes and the graphic nature of movies, such as Schindler’s List and Europa Europa, students need parental permission to take this course.
Level: 11th and 12th grades
Length: Semester
Description: This course provides students with the tools to make the best, most morally sound decisions. Through a series of daily dilemmas, students will define and appreciate the value of ethics. They will learn what process Great Thinkers have proposed for making decisions, and then apply these theories to a variety of case studies from our lives and the world around us. Finally, the semester will culminate with a research paper in which students will examine ethical decisions about a problem of their choice.