• Social Science Department

     

    Full Staff Directory

     

    World History/Geography
    World History and Geography is a study of the development of the modern world from 1750 to the present. The course focuses on the rise of democratic ideas with an emphasis on the following: Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, Colonialism, Nationalism, Totalitarianism, and World War I and II. The course also includes a focus on modern world crises and the historical interactions of regions of the world through a detailed study of China, Japan, India, Middle East and Latin America. Social studie studies research, analysis and writing skills are also emphasized.
    Units: 10
    Grade Level(s): 9, 10
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: n/a
    UC/CSU Approved? - Yes

    US History
    United States History examines the history of the United States from 1865 to the present. The course focuses on key themes and turning points in American history in the 19th and 20th centuries, including ideological origins, economic, political and social change, civil rights, and domestic and foreign policy. Also, social studies research, analysis and writing skills are emphasized.
    Units: 10
    Grade Level(s): 11
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: n/a
    UC/CSU Approved? - Yes

    US Government
    U.S. Government is a study of the institutions of American government. The course focuses on the executive, judicial and legislative branches of the federal government, the election process, and political parties. There is an emphasis on the concepts of constitutionalism, representative democracy, separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism. (Taken with one semester of Economics)
    Units: 5
    Grade Level(s): 12
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: n/a
    UC/CSU Approved? - Yes

    Economics
    Economics is a study of the operations and institutions of economic systems. Areas of study include supply and demand, inflation and recession, money and credit, the banking system, labor and wages, managing the nation’s economy, and economic theory. (Taken with one semester of U.S. Government)
    Units: 5
    Grade Level(s): 12
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: n/a
    UC/CSU Approved? - Yes
     

    Law and Society
    Law and Society will involve students actively in conflict resolution through traditional legal models as well as alternative models of problem solving. Content will include the scope of traditional American law (criminal, tort, consumer, family, housing, and individual rights) as well as concepts and comparisons using international legal situations. Global law will be stressed. Problem-centered curriculum, rather than a content-centered base, will promote critical analytical thinking. Mock trials, simulations, and role-playing will be dominant modes of interaction. Socratic dialogue will engage the student actively in the classroom. Pending UC Approval.
    Units: 10
    Grade Level(s): 10, 11, 12
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: n/a
    UC/CSU Approved? - Yes

    Psychology
    This course is an introductory study of the psychological domains: research methods, biopsychological, cognitive, developmental, and social. It is research oriented in approach, introducing students to the systematic study of behavioral and mental processes.
    Units: 10
    Grade Level(s): 10, 11, 12
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: n/a
    UC/CSU Approved? - Yes

    US History AP
    AP U.S. History is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in a college-level United States history course. Students will learn to assess historical materials including their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance, as well as to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship.
    Units: 10
    Grade Level(s): 11
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: n/a
    UC/CSU Approved? - Yes

    Comparative Government AP
    This course introduces students to fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and the outcomes of politics in a variety of country settings. AP Comparative Government and Politics aims to illustrate the rich diversity of political life, to show available institutional alternatives, to explain differences in processes and policy outcomes, and to communicate to students the importance of global political and economic changes. (Taken with one semester of Economics)
    Units: 5
    Grade Level(s): 12
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: n/a
    UC/CSU Approved? - Yes

    Euro History AP
    This course which studies European history since 1450 introduces students to cultural, economic, political, and social developments that played a fundamental role in shaping the world in which they live. The goals of European History are to develop an understanding of some of the principal themes in modern European History, an ability to analyze historical evidence and historical interpretation, and an ability to express historical understanding in writing.
    Units: 10
    Grade Level(s): 10, 11, 12
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: World History
    UC/CSU Approved? - Yes
     
    AP Macroeconomics
    AP Macroeconomics provides an introductory, college‐level presentation of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole.  A particular emphasis is placed on the study of national income and price‐level determination, economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth and international economics.
    Units: 10
    Grade Level(s): 12
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: World History
    UC/CSU Approved? - Yes
     
    Ethnic Studies
    Ethnic Studies is a one-semester course designed to introduce and explore issues of race, racism, privilege, and oppression. The class begins with an exploration of students' intersectional identities as a way to ground and center the role race plays in our lives. The struggle for liberty, equality, and justice by non-white peoples is a major component of the class.
    Units: 5
    Grade Level(s): 10 (currently 10-12)
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: NA
    UC/CSU Approved: Yes
     
    Global Studies
    Global Studies introduces students to the world by investigating modern issues in different parts of the globe and investigating the broader scale of those issues. Students will analyze the geographic, cultural, political, and historical aspects of the issues and apply them on a global scale. The course includes studies on wealth and poverty, the environment, migration/immigration, global conflicts/terrorism, and media literacy as well as breaking news/breaking world events. The course will encourage students to develop critical thinking skills through identifying long-term implications of both past and present events. Students will be required to read, discuss, debate, analyze, work in groups, and think critically on a variety of topics.   
    no preferred course of study (it's a stand alone)
    A-G elective (G) approved
    Grades 10-12
     
    AP World History Modern
    In AP World History Modern, students investigate major political, economic, social, technological and environmental developments around the world from 1200 to the present. Students continue to develop the ability to analyze primary and secondary sources, construct historical arguments, make historical connections, and employ reasoning about comparison, causation, and continuity and change over time.
    Units: 10
    Grade Levels: 10-12
    Preferred Previous Course of Study: NA
    UC/CSU Approved: Yes