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SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT REQUIRED COURSES
CHAIR: MRS. PAIGE SOLOMON
The pace of change in today's world requires that students acquire the skills necessary to gather and use information, analyze ideas, draw conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment, and become responsible citizens in a democratic society. These skills form the heart of the social studies program at Norfolk Collegiate School. At all grade levels, classroom experiences are enhanced by a wide variety of educational opportunities, including field trips, community speakers and interactive projects. Students are given frequent opportunities to discuss and write in order to practice the art of interpretation and analysis. Attention is given to the full range of human activities and institutions, including politics, society, culture, the economy, intellectual trends and international relations.
9th Grade Ancient & Medieval World History. This full-year course for ninth graders traces the growth of civilization from its roots in the early river valley settlements to the dawn of the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration. We will examine belief systems, ways of life, governmental structures, art, architecture, and innovations in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. We will not just study history, but also get involved in it through hands-on activities. We will hone research, interpretation, and presentation skills, and analyze history to find connections among regions, as well as between time periods.
11th Grade United States History. This course includes a brief overview of major events, eras, and personalities of Virginia and United States history from the founding of the nation to the post 9/11 world. Events are organized chronologically to study the forces that shaped and continue to shape political, economic, and social institutions. Changes in social and cultural values are included as well as the impact of growing international involvement and commitments. The growth of the arts, literature, social reform movements, and the extension of civil rights, the labor movement, and the growth of government are examined. Emphasis is given to critical thinking and the ability to make sound judgments about the worth of ideas.
12th Grade United States Government. This course is designed to promote civic awareness and responsibility, introduce the institutions through which the national government functions, to examine the principal processes through which public policy is conceived and established, and to examine the basic structure and theories of the American economic system. Major topics include the Constitutional underpinnings of democracy and federalism in the United States, the nature of governing bodies, civil rights and civil liberties, current domestic and foreign policy concerns of the United States, and the relationship between democracy and the free enterprise system. The primary objective is to equip students with the knowledge and critical insight necessary to contribute to our democracy and to maintain intellectual respect for other forms of government.
Social Studies Department Electives
Modern World History.This full-year course will provide an in-depth study of the history, politics, economics, religion, and culture of the world from the Renaissance to the present. Emphasis will be placed on writing and critical thinking skills. An important component of the course will involve the integration of technology in simulations, virtual field trips, and research. Students will continue to analyze connections between and among geographic regions and time periods.
Grades 10-12
European History - Advanced Placement. This course examines the evolution of European society and political structures, intellectual movements, and technologies over time. European involvement in world developments is another important focus. Although overarching themes and fundamental questions guide the class, the basic framework is set chronologically from 1350 to present. Themes of the course are intellectual and cultural history, political and diplomatic history, and social and economic history. AP European History involves a good deal of writing, document analysis, interpretation of artwork, and an introduction to historiography. The main text will be supplemented with additional primary and secondary readings. All students will take the AP exam in May.
Prerequisite: Student should have earned 90 or above in previous history and English classes.
Grades 10 - 12
World History - Advanced Placement. This course invites students to take a global view of historical processes and contacts between different societies and over time. The themes of interaction between humans and the environment, development and interaction of cultures, state-building and conflict, creation and interaction of economic systems, and the development and transformation of social structures link the time periods together. We will develop analytical and evaluative thinking skills and explore techniques used to interpret primary and secondary sources. Additionally, we will delve into some of the major topics of debate among historians. The basic framework of the course will be set out chronologically, though overarching themes and fundamental questions will guide us. Upon completion of the course, all students will be required to take the AP exam in May.
Prerequisite: Final average of 90 or higher in previous history and English courses.
Grades 10 – 12
Human Geography – Advanced Placement. This course is the equivalent of a college level course in human or cultural geography. The central theme is the tension between globalization and cultural diversity. In order to understand this we ask the two simple questions of “where” and “why” while studying migration, human population, religion, agriculture, ethnicity, language, industry, urbanization, and natural resources. The goal is to understand critically the interconnections between the students’ lives and those of people in different parts of the world while preparing for the Advanced Placement Exam in May. This course is reading and writing intensive.
Prerequisite: 90 or above in previous history and English classes.
United States History - Advanced Placement. American history not for the faint of heart! This fast-paced and reading-intensive course is designed to provide students with analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and events in American history from the era of discovery to the present. The class prepares students for advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those of a full-year introductory college course. Students use a college text as well as supplemental materials. Students will interpret primary sources and write document-based essays on a regular basis. Upon completion of the course, all students will be required to take the AP exam in May.
Prerequisite: Final average of 88 or higher in previous history and English courses.
Grade 11
United States Government and Politics - Advanced Placement. This course focuses on the U.S. constitutional system based on an understanding of philosophy, political parties, interest groups, mass media, political beliefs and behaviors, national institutions, and policy making processes. We examine topics in American Government using an interactive approach that will involve panel discussions, simulations of congressional hearings, the budget process, nomination of federal judges, current events, the writing of legislation, media analysis as well as lecture. All students will be required to take the AP exam in May.
Prerequisite: Final average of 88 or higher in previous history and English courses.
Grade 12
Latin American History. This course will introduce students to the cultures of Latin America from the Pre-Colombian Era to the present in a geographical and historical context. Through a chronological approach, students will track major events in an effort to comprehend their significance and consequence. This will enable students to study the modern political climate of Latin American nations, as it has emerged from the region’s turbulent past. The economic relationship between Latin America, Europe, and the United States will also be explored as students learn about the Colonial and Neo-Colonial Eras and their present-day legacies. The course will also highlight issues surrounding the questions of race, gender, and indigenous struggle, as they emerged over the course of the five centuries that followed the conquest of the region.
This course is open to students in grade 11 - 12.
Psychology. The purpose of this one-semester course is to introduce students to the study of behavior and mental processes of humans. Psychology seeks to understand why we think, feel, and behave as we do. Topics covered will include research methods, the biology of behavior, sensation and perception, learning, memory, cognition, life-span development, personality, abnormal behavior and its therapies, and social behavior.
Grades 11 - 12
Economics. This one-semester course will introduce students to the concept of supply and demand, money and banking, the Stock Market, inflation, unemployment, competition, and monopoly. The course will also relate history and politics to the study of economics.
Grades 11 - 12
American Political Process [First Semester] This one-semester course will emphasize the national political system and its impact on the Federal government. Students will analyze the foundations of the political parties, the nomination process, voter demographics, and electoral/election strategies. Assessment will include position papers, tests, quizzes, presentations, and class participation.
Grades 11 - 12
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