Social Studies

The Social Studies department offers a required three-year sequence of courses:

Global Studies- Western Studies -American Studies. Each course builds on the one before, with a

rising progression of expectations for mastery of content and skills. The department also offers elective

courses that focus on specific sub-disciplines and continue the sequence of expectations. The aim is to

develop the skills, attitude, and knowledge necessary for the student to understand and participate in the

complex modern world.

Each course emphasizes the need:

*TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY through discussions, reading, analysis, writing (especially

expository essays), research, analysis and presentation of data, and oral presentations;

*TO THINK CRITICALLY AND CREATIVELY, assessing, evaluating, and applying information from a

variety of sources; placing events in a time and space framework, interpreting cultures through a study of

institutions and arts; and explaining structures of different kinds of government;

*TO USE TECHNOLOGY by researching on the internet, evaluating websites, and presenting

information through multimedia programs;

*TO REFLECT ON LEARNING through pre-searches, project evaluations, peer editing, journaling,

discussions, surveys, and self-evaluations.

The Social Studies department offers students an honors work option requiring very advanced work that

exceeds traditional phase 4 work.