Social Studies

The Social Studies Department challenges students to develop the knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary for the growth of an informed, caring, and active member of the world community.

The Social Studies Department objectives are:

To provide the historical foundation essential for an understanding of the political, social, cultural, economic, and geographical forces shaping modern society;
To develop all of the following skills: study methods, critical thinking, oral and written communication, and research methodology;
To promote an appreciation of the diversity and dignity of all individuals and to encourage an active concern for their welfare;
To prepare students to act rationally and responsibly as citizens in a democratic society.

Social studies in the High School helps students understand their individual responsibilities on a personal, local, national and global level. Through critical analysis, students will come to pose and address many of the questions that have challenged society in the past and continue to cause conflict today. Our goal is to empower students with the confidence, skills, and understanding that will allow them to make a tangible, authentic difference in the world around them.

In This Section

Social Studies Courses

Modern World History 1

Modern World History I helps students gain an understanding of themselves as members of a global community by exploring the political, cultural, religious, and scientific developments of the modern world from 1200 to 1800 CE. Special emphasis will also be given to reading primary sources, conducting analytical writing, and developing research and presentation skills. By studying the past, students will gain a clearer understanding of the present, and make educated and responsible decisions for the future as global citizens.

Required course - grade 9 [1 credit]
*offered at the College Prep, Accelerated, & Honors Levels

Modern World History 2

Modern World History II helps students gain an understanding of themselves as members of a global community. The survey course continues from the freshman course and explores the political, cultural, religious, and scientific history of the modern world with a focus given to central themes, important ideas, and major individuals. Special emphasis will also be given to reading and analyzing primary sources, writing, research, and presentation skills. By studying the past, with emphasis on major themes and developments in history from 1800 to 2001, students will gain a clearer understanding of the present day, and make educated and responsible decisions for the future.

Required course - grade 10
*offered at the College Prep, Accelerated, & Honors Levels

U.S. History

This year-long Junior course surveys the key political, social, cultural, economic and military events from pre-colonial past to the present. The aims are to teach historical and critical thinking skills, as well as writing and presentation skills. There is an emphasis on primary source analysis and the course is grounded in Eric Foner’s Give Me Liberty! Assessments evaluate factual as well as conceptual knowledge. Simulations and presentations provide students opportunities to develop speaking, debate, and collaborate strategies. Students use research skills and write a major research paper as well as conduct other historical projects. They are all expected to be active learners and participants. Accelerated students are expected to read more and write more than those in College Preparatory sections. Honors students are expected to initiate and manage long term projects and develop even greater independence.

Required course - grade 11
*offered at the College Prep, Accelerated, & Honors Levels

African-American Studies

This year-long seminar course offers an overview of 20th-century African American history and arts by examining the challenges faced by memorable leaders, intellectuals, and organizations in history and through the lens of characters in works of literature. In the first semester, topics of study include, but are not limited to the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, The Black Power Movement, sports, and the OJ Simpson Trial. The second semester will allow the student to focus on the arts through the works of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and Alice Walker; jazz and blues music, the Harlem Renaissance, hip hop, and the music of Tupac Shakur. Guest lecturers, movies, field trips, art projects, and jazz or blues club performances enhance the students’ appreciation of cultural contexts.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1 credit]
*offered at the Accelerated & Honors Levels

AP Economics

Students will study the principles of both microeconomics and macroeconomics throughout the course of the year in preparation for the Advanced Placement (AP) exam. During the first semester, students will gain an understanding of principles that apply to individual consumers and firms within the larger economic system. The primary emphasis of study will be on product markets, factor markets, and the government's role in promoting greater competition, efficiency and equity in the economy. The second portion of the course will deal with the principles of Macroeconomics. Students will learn how a nation's economic performance is measured. Primary emphasis will be in the areas of national income, employment and overall price determination. Issues of international trade and future economic growth will also be studied.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1 credit]

AP European History

This course covers the social, political, religious, and economic development of modern Europe from 1450- 2001 while addressing four critical themes: Interaction of Europe and the World, Poverty and Prosperity, States and Other Institutions of Power, Individual and Society, and National and European Identity. This fast paced survey course will emphasize the development of critical thinking and study skills as it examines such topics as The Renaissance, The Reformation, Enlightenment, French Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, the World Wars, Russian Revolution, the Cold War, Independence, and global interactions of the 21^st Century. Students will be expected to stay informed of current events and continually question and examine the relationship between past and present. This course will also focus on the development of reading comprehension and writing skills, analysis of primary and secondary sources, and preparation for advanced social studies courses and history classes as well as the AP exam in May.

elective course - grade 10 [1 credit]
*may be taken in place of modern world history 2 with departmental approval

AP Psychology

This is an advanced placement elective for juniors and seniors who are curious about explanations for the range of human experiences and behaviors. Course content covers topics that are rooted in psychological science while also examining the behaviors, feelings, and actions of everyday life. The units emphasize six main subfields within psychology: research methods and scientific inquiry; the biological bases of human behavior; cognition; human development; social psychology and studies of personality; and mental and physical health. This rigorous academic class prepares students for the AP Psychology exam, offered by the College Board each May.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1 credit]

AP U.S. Government & Politics

The American political system will be examined in detail and students will be prepared to take the AP Government examination. Presidential powers, Congressional decision making and the vote of the Supreme Court will be studied. Additional topics include elections, the role of the media in the political process, and the federal bureaucracy. This course is available to Juniors with departmental and Administrative approval.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1 credit]

Pre-AP U.S. History

This U.S. History course is designed to uncover topics and issues in American history from its beginnings through to the Civil War era. It is the first half of A.P. United States History. (This course is for Juniors and the second half is for Seniors.) The course integrates political, social, economic, cultural, diplomatic, environmental, ethnic, and intellectual history in order to convey the experiences of particular groups within the broader perspective of the American past. At the same time, it connects events and issues from the past to the concerns of the present. Themes and topics include political and economic transformations, the colonial encounter and world, the American Revolution, the early West, era of reform, antebellum America, politics and citizenship, immigration and diversity, race, culture, demography, class, the environment, gender, religion, slavery and its legacies, war and diplomacy. Each unit makes use of numerous primary and secondary sources. The core texts are Alan Taylor’s American Colonies, Gordon Wood’s The American Revolution, and David Shi’s American: A Narrative History. Materials are drawn from the Library of Congress, National Archives, JSTOR, Archive.org and numerous other sources. In each semester, students write a major historical research essay. The analytical and critical thinking, research, and writing skills that are the focus of the course will help equip students for college and lifelong learning.year.

elective course - grade 11 [1 credit]
*part 1 of two-year AP U.S. History sequence
**May be taken in place of U.S. history with departmental approval

AP U.S. History

This year-long AP course will examine the key political, social and economic events of the twentieth century. The course will include key events such as the Depression, New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, Vietnam and Watergate as well as contemporary issues. Students will be assigned additional paperback assignments and a variety of outside readings. Students will prepare for the Advanced Placement Exam during the year.

elective course - grade 12 [1 credit]
*part 2 of two-year AP U.S. History sequence

Constitutional Law

This course is a one-semester elective course designed to provide
an overview of the American legal system with an emphasis on students’ practical understanding of their individual rights and duties as guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Many controversial topics are discussed and students should be prepared to hear, assess, and analyze various viewpoints to deepen their knowledge of everyday legal issues. Students will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of the law in a variety of ways including researching/writing, participating in mock trials, brief writing, role playing, small group exercises and case studies. This educational methodology allows students to be active participants in their own learning. Various guest speakers and field trips are essential components to this course.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1/2 credit]
*offered at the Accelerated & Honors Levels

Current Issues of Race & Gender

This course will examine current topics in race, gender, and social justice in the context of the United States. Guest speakers and films supplement class discussion. Students have the opportunity to choose topics covered in class and projects are tailored to the strengths of individual students. There will be no tests in this course. The grade will be determined by projects done each quarter, class participation, journal entries, and current event assignments appropriate to the level elected.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1/2 credit]
*offered at the Accelerated & Honors Levels

Economics

In this year-long course, the student will gain an understanding of basic economic principles of both micro and macro economics. Emphasis is placed on important social issues and real world problems of our time, along with a demonstration of how simple economic tools can be used to analyze them. A representative, but not all inclusive, sample of concepts and topics covered includes: supply and demand, government policies, taxation, different types of product markets, labor markets, inflation, unemployment, the banking system, monetary and fiscal policy.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1 credit]
*offered at the Accelerated Level

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and human behavior. It seeks to answer questions such as why do we dream? What causes depression and anxiety? What does a sports psychologist do? How is mental health related to success in school? Why do people behave badly? How are our brains connected to all of this? The goal of accelerated Psychology is to introduce students to the general field of psychology as well as concepts from content areas including, but not limited to neuroscience, behavioral psychology, social psychology, and clinical psychology. Accelerated Psychology offers students an opportunity to learn practical knowledge from within the field that will enable them to better understand their world, their society, their relationships and themselves.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1 credit]
*offered at the Accelerated Level

The Holocaust

This is a one-semester course that utilizes a wide spectrum of historical and contemporary sources to examine the underpinnings of the Holocaust in Nazi Germany from 1933 - 1945 and how such atrocities can be avoided by future generations. Many sources from the nationally recognized "Facing History and Ourselves" curriculum will be used. This course will focus on identity and human behavior, power and propaganda, the realities of genocide, historical legacy, as well as the roots and current state of Antisemitism. Readings, documentaries, and feature films will be used to assist the student in understanding these important topics.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1/2 credit]
*offered at the Accelerated Level

United States Government & Politics

Students will study the major institutions of American government and the American political system. Significant time will be spent on current issues that pertain to local, state, and national government. Participation in discussion will be expected. The basic features of state government here in Massachusetts will also be covered. We will use an American government text as well as reprints of articles, contemporary news and news magazines as the basis of this course.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1 credit]
*offered at the Accelerated Level

War & Peace in a Dangerous World

This is a full-year elective designed to facilitate an in depth study of war and its impact on societies. War’s effects have been so profound that to leave it out is to ignore one of the great forces, along with geography, resources, economics, ideas, and social and political changes, which have shaped human development and changed history. War raises fundamental questions about what it is to be human and about the essence of human society. What are the positive and negative effects of war on society? What is a just war? We begin our study with War: How Conflict Shaped Society by Margaret MacMillan.The phenomenon of war itself is examined through multiple lenses: from the standpoint of warriors who fight on both sides of conflict, families and friends who suffer loss of loved ones, non-combatant victims caught in the crossfire, and the political and military leaders responsible for decision making relative to war and peace. War and conflict has had a profound impact on art and culture, and students will examine how we choose to commemorate and remember through documentaries, stories, songs, films, public monuments, museums and other artistic expressions. Lastly, students will look at what happens when wars end. How can peace be achieved and maintained? Throughout the year, students will learn about the existing conflicts in the world through a variety of news sources. The historical context for this course is American foreign policy in the immediate post-World War II period, the Cold War, and the post-Cold War period including a comprehensive overview of the War on Terror and beyond.

elective course - grades 11 & 12 [1 credit]
*offered at the Accelerated Level

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