Social Studies
Department Electives
Citizenship & Civics/
Law Education
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Learn how your government and legal systems work.
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Learn how your government and legal systems influence you every day.
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Explore careers in this field you may be interested in.
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Participate in real life situations:
Case Studies
Mock Trials
Crime Scene Investigation
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Explore and discuss real life cases.
Current Problems, Issues and
Events
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This course is also often referred to as “Mission Ignition”,
which is a program that promotes safe driving through
class projects. However, students in this class also carry
out a variety of other service projects unrelated to driving
safety. Additionally, throughout the course, current issues
and events are presented and discussed. This is a student
driven, service learning based class. Students enrolling in
this course need to be dedicated and hardworking.
Psychology
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Psychology is a very interesting and fun Social
Studies elective that focuses on the scientific
study of mental processes and behavior. Students
will learn about development, memory, cognition,
language, conformity, attitudes, perception and
much more! Throughout this course students will
gain knowledge about their own behavior, as well
as that of others and will enjoy being a part of
several projects.
Sociology
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Sociology is the study of how people behave in
groups. Groups that a person belongs to have a
strong effect over the way they think, feel, and
act. Groups in our society include social class,
family, school, racial, ethnic, gender specific,
deviants, religious, political, to name a few. As
you study sociology, you will hopefully look at
group issues with an open mind and an
intellectual curiosity that encourages you to
approach issues objectively.
Honors World History
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World History emphasizes events and developments in the past that greatly
affected large numbers of people across broad areas and that significantly
influenced peoples in subsequent eras. Key events related to people and places as
well as transcultural interaction and exchanges are examined in this course.
Students are expected to compare and contrast events and developments involving
diverse peoples and civilizations in different regions of the world. They will
examine examples of continuity and change, universality and particularity, and
unity and diversity among various peoples and cultures from the past to the
present. Students are also expected to practice skills and process of historical
thinking and research and apply content knowledge to the practice of thinking and
inquiry skills and processes. There will be continuous and pervasive interactions
of processes and content, skills and substance, in the teaching and learning of
history.
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Honors World History is a survey course that expects that students’ reading and
writing abilities are such that they can keep up with a more advanced workload.
The course covers material in greater depth and pacing and is distinguished by the
expectation of higher quality work, not higher quantity of work. As an Honors
course, World History will explore analytic and interpretive thinking supported by
primary and secondary sources. Critical thinking skills will be called upon to make
connections between people, places, and eras of history.
Ethnic Studies
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Ethnic Studies examines the experiences of various ethnic and
minority groups living in the United States today. This course provides
an opportunity for a more in-depth study of American history through
different perspectives. Students will study the origins of different
ethnic groups and, in some cases, the circumstances that brought
them to the United States. The course will examine groups’
assimilation into American society, and inequities, whether real or
perceived, that they have experienced since their arrival in this
country. Areas of study will include Native Americans, African
Americans, European immigrants, Asian Americans, and Hispanic
populations. It is important for students to have an understanding of
the diversity within our society so they can live and work together as
members of the American society.