Course Offerings in Social Studies Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12
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 college preparatory (CP) level. 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 department head what course enrollment will satisfy the U.S. History requirement based on an assessment of the student’s prior course work.
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.
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:
1. Successful completion of an approved summer school program (World Civilizations or US History). Approval to take one of these summer school courses for social studies credit and/or to meet the Massachusetts state requirement to pass US History is based on the student maintaining an average of 50% or better in the relevant social studies course.
2. Independent ALP contract or test-outs;
3. Repetition of the course, or as much of it as necessary to correct the deficiency; and/or
4. Such other alternatives as may be approved by the department head.
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.
Due to decreased staffing and enrollment, the Social Studies Department reduced the number of courses offered each year. As a result, many of the eleventh and twelfth grade elective courses are now on an annual rotation. The goal of this course rotation is to maximize efficiency in filling each class, while still preserving the richness of the electives program and access, over two years, to the full range of courses. Students will also still have access each year to courses taught at a variety of levels. The chart below details the rotation for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years.
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2013-2014 |
2014-2015 |
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History of Europe AP* Economics/Economics Honors* Consumer Economics* Psychology/Psychology Honors (seniors only) U.S. Politics and Government* MSAN Sociology Seminar |
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Latin American History/Latin American History Honors* Constitutional Law and the Bill of Rights Democracy and Your Rights Criminal Justice International Relations Honors* Anthropology/Anthropology Honors Current Global Issues European History I* |
African History/African History Honors* Asian History/Asian History Honors* American Society and Film Criminal Justice World Religions/World Religions Honors The Holocaust/The Holocaust Honors Constitutional Law and the Bill of Rights Honors* |
* indicates a course designated as an “essential discipline”
History, government, and economics form the core disciplines of the social studies program. Students should elect courses from the list below as a solid foundation for further study. Specialized electives are listed separately to clarify our expectation that you will elect these classes later in your high school program. One course, Psychology, is restricted to seniors.
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History |
Government |
Economics |
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African History Asian History European History 1, 2 History of Europe AP Latin American History |
Constitutional Law & Bill of Rights Democracy and Your Rights International Relations Honors US Politics and Government |
Consumer Economics Economics |