Course Offerings in Social Studies
Social studies courses are designed to develop a knowledge and understanding of world cultures and history and to introduce a variety of social science disciplines. Critical thinking, research, writing, organizational and study skills are taught and reinforced throughout the program. All courses integrate multicultural perspectives and activities into the curriculum and pedagogy. Active oral participation is expected in many courses. In order to select the most appropriate courses students should read course descriptions carefully and discuss their choices with their current social studies teacher and guidance counselor. Electives are divided into Essential Disciplines of history, government, and economics which form the foundation of our program and Specialized Electives, designed for later work, which explore narrower topics.
Students are required to earn twelve (12) credits in social studies for graduation. All ninth graders are required to enroll in World Civilizations and all sophomores are required to enroll in U.S. History, at either the honors or CP level or Topics in U.S. History. Students must pass the four (4) credit U.S. History requirement in order to graduate. New students who have completed some U.S. History at a previous school must determine with the Assistant Principal and Department Head what course enrollment will satisfy the U.S. History requirement based on an assessment of the student’s prior course work.
Courses are offered in several different configurations. Many courses are heterogeneous. Students in these courses will complete the same assignments and be assessed by uniform criteria. Other courses have an honors option. Students in these courses will be taught in heterogeneous groups, but students electing to complete the honors option will be expected to meet additional requirements explained in the course descriptions. Some courses have separate honors sections, although they may share some activities and presentations with other classes. One AP course is offered; students will not be required to take the AP Exam, but they may elect to do so. All students are encouraged to take at least one heterogeneous social studies class during the four years of high school.
If a student fails the required ninth or tenth grade courses, the course requirements must be fulfilled by the successful completion of one of the following options or by a combination of them:
Offerings of elective courses will be determined by student interest and enrollment and the provision of a balanced social studies program. Specialized Electives courses in particular are subject to cancellation if there is insufficient enrollment or if other departmental needs in required or core courses warrant it.
We welcome your feedback to the Social Studies Curriculum Guide. Please send comments to SocialStudies@arps.org.