Social Science
American Government
Grade 12 (semester): G, CSU, UC (A)
Prerequisites: Senior Standing
American Government/Civics is a course, which focuses on the organization and function of government of all three levels: national, state, and local. The role of the citizen in the process of government is stressed through a study of the American political party. Throughout the course the individual is exposed to current issues and constitutional questions facing the American people.
American Government (Advanced Placement)
Grade 12 (semester): G, CSU, UC (A)
Prerequisites: Senior Standing
Advanced Placement American Government is a college level course designed to give students a critical perspective on government and politics in the United States. The course involves the study of American political theory, group beliefs, various institutions, and the analysis of case studies. Students will be expected to apply general concepts to contemporary issues. The course will prepare students for the Advanced Placement American Government Exam.
Economics
Grade 12 (semester): G, CSU, UC (A)
Prerequisites: Senior Standing
Economics in American History is a survey course designed to introduce the student to the science of economics. The individual will receive, initially, a history of the American economy followed by a traditional sequence of studies ranging from a look at the concepts of scarcity to a view of international economic conditions. The course treats the elements of economics theoretically and, at the same time, allows for a variety in approach and structure which will meet the requirements of different students with a wide range of needs.
European History (Advanced Placement)
Grades 11, 12 (year): CSU, UC (A)
Prerequisites: Junior or Senior Standing
European History Advanced Placement is a one-year elective designed to impart adequate knowledge of the general narrative of European History from 1450 to 1990 as presented in college textbooks. The course will develop specific and intensive knowledge in one of the four periods of European History that the student has selected as his period of concentration. The unifying theme of the course is man’s conceptual and factual view of himself and the world around him. The course will also prepare students for the College Board Advanced Placement Exam in European History.
Human Geography (Advanced Placement)
Grades 10 – 12 (year): CSU, UC (A)
Prerequisites: Sophomore class standing or higher
Advanced Placement Human Geography is a college-level course designed to give students an understanding of cultural patterns, political organization of space, and relationships between humans and the environment. Students will use geographic tools to analyze and solve problems and to gain an understanding of patterns and relationships that exist in human civilizations and on the Earth’s surface. The course will prepare students for the Advanced Placement Exam in Human Geography.
Law & Society
Grades 10 - 12 (year): CSU, UC (G)
Prerequisites: None
Law and Society addresses the wide variety of laws we have in the United States and the purpose they serve. The class reviews the different sources of law – legislative, administrative, and judicial, in the local, state, and federal arenas – and the role played by each. Students learn about our fundamental criminal and civil laws and the principles according to which both the criminal and civil justice systems function. Students discuss and debate legal issues and whether changes should be made in our legal system. They apply what they learn to address actual criminal and civil scenarios. Students also discuss inequities that exist in our legal system and efforts to eliminate them. Students learn about both substantive and procedural law -- how we believe that the law must be fair in how it treats people, including our view that people must be given a fair chance to defend themselves. The class puts its learning to practice in mock trials where they test their skills as lawyers as well as experience being witnesses and jurors.
Philosophy
Grades 11, 12 (year): CSU, UC (G)
Prerequisites: None
Introduction to Philosophy is a one-year elective class that introduces the student to the study of philosophy. Students will be given the opportunity to develop the mental skills required to analyze concepts consistent with the study of knowledge for its own sake. Students will be involved in a systematic study of life and the universe as a whole in order to establish a logical system that can be used to interpret the human experience. The course will study various philosophers and their works.
Physical/Cultural Geography
Physical and Cultural Geography are two semester long, college prep electives that are paired together for one year. Physical Geography deals with the physical Earth, and covers such topics as landforms, water features, climate, rivers, mountains, natural resources, and the forces that shape and change these features. Issues like sustainability, pollution, human impact on the environment, and local and global problems and solutions.
Cultural Geography deals with human activities on the planet. Topics covered include cultural regions of the world, population growth and decline, migration, language, religion, development and growth of cities, economic development, and cultural practices and traditions from around the world.
Physical and Cultural Geography will provide students with a solid foundation of spatial knowledge that will prove to be valuable not only in university study, but in understanding the complex world that we live in. Both classes feature an emphasis on project based learning, research, and presentation. Current world events will be used to illustrate the concepts being covered in class. Students taking BOTH semesters will have the option to participate in the "World Savvy Challenge" a regional and national "Global Studies" competition.
Psychology
Grades 11, 12 (year): CSU, UC (G)
Prerequisites: None
An introductory survey course designed to introduce students to the vast and diverse field of psychology. The course is based on the High School Psychology Standards as developed by the American Psychological Association. The course will include the five content domains and standards according to the following: Cognitive, Bio-psychological, Research Methods, Life Span Development, and Social/Emotional Psychology. The course will emphasize several contemporary psychological perspectives such as biological, cognitive, humanistic, psychoanalytical, and socio-cultural perspectives with current studies and past experiments. Students will gain an overall insight into psychology as a science.
Psychology (Advanced Placement)
Grades 11, 12: CSU, UC (G)
Prerequisites: None
Advanced Placement Psychology is a one year elective course designed to give students an intense understanding of contemporary psychological perspectives. The course will emphasize the mastery of concepts dealing with content domains and content related standards such as Cognitive Psychology, Biological Basis of Behavior, Research Methodology and Procedures, Developmental Psychology, and Social/Emotional Psychology. The course is specifically designed to help students perform successfully on the Advanced Placement Examination in Psychology. It will provide students with research opportunities and practice in writing needed for the type of essays that will typically be encountered on the AP exam. Students will be prepared to take the Advanced Placement Psychology test offered by the College Board.
Sociology/Social Problems
Grades 11, 12 (1st semester): CSU, UC (G)
Prerequisites: None
Sociology/Social Problems is a two-part course. In the first semester, Sociology, students learn about and discuss how our society functions – the rules society has, how we learn them, why we follow them, and why we sometimes do not follow them. Students learn the importance of social interaction for achieving goals while getting along with others. The class talks about basic sociological theories and different views of society. In Social Problems, students talk about times when society breaks down in some way. The class focuses on educating and discussing current social problems. The class considers, for example, racism and other forms of discrimination, teen pregnancy, crime and prisons, gangs, child and partner and elder abuse, and the influence of the media on social customs and norms. Students need to be prepared to share their own views as well as listen to and consider those of others.
United States History
Grade 11 (year): G, CSU, UC (A)
Prerequisites: Junior Standing
United States History is a course, which emphasizes the forces that shaped the American character: geographic, cultural, and historical. It is a study of peoples and the part they played in making this nation what it is today. The emphasis of the course is on the period from 1890 to the present. The past will unfold through the styles of all manner of men and women that helped create it.
United States History (Advanced Placement)
Grade 11 (year): G, CSU, UC (A)
Prerequisites: Junior Standing
Advanced Placement United States History is a college level course that will challenge the student throughout the entire range of United States history. Students will be required to work with Primary Source materials, write numerous essays and develop higher order critical thinking skills. The course will also prepare the participants for the College Board Advanced Placement Examination in American History.
World History
Grade 10 (year): G, CSU, UC (A)
Prerequisites: Sophomore Standing
World History is a course with two major themes: geography and history. In the area of geography the student will study how people are influenced by geography by studying the five major themes of geography: location, place, movement, regions, and environment. The student will study major civilizations of the past and the present and will see how people cannot be separated from their past, their culture, and their habitat, and that all manner of people have had a role in the development of modern civilization. Major emphasis is given to the period from the French Revolution to the present.
World History (Advanced Placement)
Grades 10 - 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (a)
Prerequisites: At least Sophomore Standing
Advanced Placement World History is a college level class that will challenge the student throughout a study of World History from 1000 to the present. Students will be required to work with Primary Source materials, write numerous essays and develop higher-order critical thinking skills. The course will also prepare the participants for the College Board Advanced Placement Examination in World History. Students achieving a score of 3 or above on the AP examination may earn college credit.