Social Studies

Department Members

Mrs. Theresa Cornett
Mr. Dale King, Dept. Head
Mrs. Marilyn Martin
Ms. Angel Noble
Mr. Bret Ramsey
Mrs. Nan Wright

9th Grade

Regional Geography

This course is designed to foster a student’s understanding of the world from a spatial perspective, that is, what is located where and why it is there. We study the world using a regional approach. The course is organized as a study of the twelve world realms. The twelve realms are the largest units into which the world may be divided.

Text: Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts, 13th edition by Harm de Blij and Peter Muller

10th Grade

U.S. History

The goal of this course is to have each student understand United States political, diplomatic, economic, and social history from the Age of Discovery to the end of the Cold War.  This course is taught at a college preparatory/high school level.  Students are required to analyze, synthesize and evaluate primary and secondary sources in addition to memorizing, comprehending, and applying facts.

Text: The American Pageant, 12th edition by Thomas Bailey, David Kennedy, and Lisabeth Cohen

AP U.S. History

The goal of this course is to have each student understand United States political, diplomatic, economic and social history as the nation moves from Discovery to the end of the Cold War.  This course is taught at a college level.  Thus, the students are required frequently to analyze, synthesize and evaluate primary and secondary sources in addition to memorizing, comprehending and applying facts. The major difference between high school and college history is the amount of outside reading and depth of focus. Students taking this class must take the AP exam.

Text: The American Pageant, 12th edition by Thomas Bailey, David Kennedy, and Lisabeth Cohen

11th Grade

U.S. Government Honors (4 MP)

This course engages the students in the study of politics, the foundations of American constitutionalism, the institutions of American government, and recent governmental developments.

Text: American Government, 10th edition by David Wilson

AP U.S. Government (4 MP)

This course engages the students in the study of politics, the foundations of American constitutionalism, the institutions of American government, and recent governmental developments. Students are required to read three outside books and research for Socratic seminars. Students taking class must take the AP exam.

Text: American Government, 10th edition by David Wilson

Economics (2 MP)

This course engages the students in the study of basic economics, with a focus on applied economics.

12th Grade

Western Philosophy

Students gain an appreciation of the main ideas and influence of Western thought through a survey of outstanding philosophers from ancient Greece to the present day. The course gives students a reliable method for approaching our pluralistic contemporary world within a perspective of traditional Western and Christian thought.

Texts: Looking at Philosophy, 3rd edition by Donald Palmer
The Trial and Death of Socrates, by Plato
Socrates meets Jesus, by Peter Kreeft
Readings in Western Philosophy and Introductory Essay (Compiled by Mr. Hoffman)

Electives

Ten Pillars of Economics

The Ten Pillars are economic principles which address the management of resources, production, and trade in a free society. These pillars provide a framework within which to study the Free Enterprise System and its foundation on the principles of private property, free markets, and a representative government limited by the rule of law. This course analyzes the economic forces involved in the choices people make and the actions they take as they seek to provide for their material welfare through the production and exchange in the marketplace. Students learn to evaluate the economic impact of current issues and government policies on individuals, special interest groups, and the economy as a whole.

Prerequisite: None

AP Comparative Government

This course includes a study of the governments of Great Britain, Russia, China, Mexico, Nigeria, and Iran. The governments of these countries are compared in terms of: government institutions, political efficacy, corruption, government and culture, and rule of law. Students taking this class must take the AP exam.

Prerequisite: U.S. Government

Text: Introduction to Comparative Politics by Mark Kesselman

AP Human Geography

Human geography is a discipline that brings together the physical and human dimensions of our world. It concerns the Earth’s surface and the processes that shape the relationships between people and places. Students taking this class must take the AP exam. The following are the goals addressed in this course:

  • Using and thinking about maps and spatial data

  • Understanding and interpreting how phenomena are related to one another in particular places

  • Recognizing and interpreting at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes

  • Defining regions and understanding the regionalization process by analyzing the interconnections among places.

Prerequisite: 3.0 GPA or higher

Text: Human Geography: People, Place and Culture, 9th edition by Erin H. Fouberg, Alexander B. Murphy and H.J. de Blij.

AP Modern European History

This course provides an overview of the people, events, and ideas that shaped Western Civilization from 1450 to the present. The course introduces students to the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that played a fundamental role in shaping modern Europe. In addition to providing a basic narrative of events and movements, the goals of the course are to develop (1) an understanding of some of the principal themes in modern European history, (2) an ability to analyze historical evidence and historical interpretation, and (3) an ability to express historical understanding in writing. Students taking this class must take the AP exam.

Prerequisite: Student must be in 11th or 12th grade

Text: A History of the Modern World, by R.R. Palmer

World History

World History is an overview of the people, events, and ideas that shaped the world from the dawn of man to the present. The course introduces students to the people and events which played a fundamental role in shaping the world. The course stresses throughout that people and their ideas, for good or for ill, make history. Particular attention is paid to the ancient civilizations, the classical world, the Middle Ages, the golden ages of Asia, Africa, and Middle East, and the modern world. The course is taught from a Christian perspective.

Prerequisite: Student must be in 12th grade

Text: World History- Traditions and New Directions: Addison-Wesley

Psychology

This course introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals.  Students are exposed to the psychological theory, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology.  They also learn about methods psychologists use in their science and practice.

Prerequisite: Student must be in 12th grade

Text: Understanding Psychology, 8th Edition by Charles Morris and Albert Maisto