Social Studies

(Meets UC and Cal State University Elective Requirements (g))
Twelfth Grade
2 Semesters

(Meets UC and Cal State University Elective Requirements (g))
Twelfth Grade
2 Semesters

(Meets UC and Cal State University Elective Requirements (g))
Twelfth Grade
2 Semesters

(Meets UC and Cal State University Requirements)
Tenth Grade
2 Semesters

World History AP is a rigorous course with the demands and requirements of a college level seminar.  The timeline of the course extends from 8000 BCE to the present.  The focus of the class is on the broad trends of cultures over time as well as their continuous interactions with one another.  Students will study world history within the framework of five basic themes: Interaction between humans and the environment, development and interaction of cultures, state-building, creation, expansion and interaction of economic systems expansion, and conflict, as well as development and Transformation of Social Structures This course will enable students to develop a greater understanding of past foundations and traditions which have developed the modern global arena. 

(Meets UC and Cal State University Requirements)
Twelfth Grade
1 Semester (2nd Semester)

This one semester course provides an opportunity for students to develop a greater awareness of basic economic principles and their impact on local, national and world political, social and historical development. Through an examination of economic terms, theories, applications and trends, the student will gain an essential understanding of economic factors that will be a valuable foundation for further courses of study in the Social Studies Department. A student run business is created to give hands-on experience an application of business principles and economic philosophies.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Requirements)
Tenth Grade
2 Semesters

This Advanced Placement Economics course is a two-semester course that will concentrate on macroeconomic principles. Central to the course is an understanding of free-market capitalism, its philosophy and institutions. The theories of the classical economists will be contrasted with those of the Keynesian economists, then applied to real economic situations. Another primary goal of the course is to prepare students to take the Advanced Placement Exam in the Spring in the area of macroeconomics. All sections of the exam reflect college programs in terms of subject matter and approach. The student will be expected to work with college-level materials and readings in the subject area. Students enrolling in the course should be highly motivated, reasonably qualified, and able to conduct themselves in a mature manner.

Prerequisite: Mark of A in World History for first semester and Department Recommendation.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Requirements)
Eleventh Grade
2 Semesters

The purpose of this course is to develop in each student an awareness, understanding, and appreciation for this nation’s past. Students will study the major turning points and themes in American History. Students will consider the major social problems of our time and trace their causes in historical events. They will learn that the United States has served as a model for other nations and that the freedoms and rights that we enjoy are not accidents but the result of a set of political principles that are not basic to the peoples of other nations. Students will recognize that rights gained from the Constitution comprise a precious heritage that depends on an educated public for their preservation and protection.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Requirements)
Eleventh Grade
2 Semesters

This Advanced Placement American History course provides an opportunity for accelerated students to delve more deeply into understanding America’s past while preparing for the AP Exam administered each Spring by the College Board. The course is designed to provide students with the skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with problems and source materials in American History. The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands on them equivalent to those made by introductory college courses. Students will learn to assess historical materials and their relevance to a given historical problem, the reliability of source material, and to weigh the evidence and multiple interpretations presented in historical evaluation. Students of AP American History will develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of informed judgment and to present the reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format.

Prerequisite: Mark of A in a previous social studies class and Department Recommendation.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Requirements)
Twelfth Grade
1 Semester

This course is concerned with the origin, nature, and function of the American political system. The primary course objective is to give the student a clear understanding of American government in both theory and the practical process of policymaking so that he may participate as a responsible, well-informed citizen in the political process. The values, philosophy and Constitutional underpinnings of American democracy will be stressed. Individual rights and liberties will be examined from their federal origins in the Bill of Rights and Supreme Court rulings and their significance on the local and personal level. Teenage rights and other questions germane to young people will be explored with the help of speakers from outside agencies. Current events will be stressed and tied to problems that confront contemporary American government. Solutions within a democratic framework will be investigated with the ultimate goal of maintaining human dignity and individual freedoms.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Requirements (g))
Twelfth Grade
1 Semester

This course is designed to present the origins, nature and impact of the Vietnam War. The purpose of the class is to give the student an understanding of America’s involvement in Vietnam specifically and also in terms of the larger picture of American foreign policy after World War II. The personal experiences of those who participated in the war as well as those non-participants directly affected by the war, and the impact of the war on domestic America will also be a focus of attention. The course will be taught through student presentations, instructor handouts, videos, readings, use of internet.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Requirements)
Twelfth Grade
2 Semesters

This course is concerned with the nature of the American political system in theory and in practice. Designed to give the student a critical perspective on government and politics in America, the primary objective is to create a knowledgeable, aware citizen, prepared to constructively participate in the American political system, its traditions, values and framework, as well as the specific processes which produce public policy. Ever prominent is the role and responsibility of the individual in a democratic society. A vital specific goal of this class is to assist in preparation for the AP Exam given in May. Therefore, this course is presented on a college level, and the student must expect this to affect his work load. The course involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret American politics and the analysis of specific case studies in five major areas: constitutional underpinnings, institutions and policy processes, political parties and interest groups, political opinions and public participation in campaigns and elections, and civil rights and civil liberties.

Prerequisite: Mark B or better from previous social studies courses and Department Recommendation.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Elective Requirements (g))
Twelfth Grade
1 Semester

This course is designed to teach high school senior boys what it means to become mature, responsible men. It is a secular attempt to introduce teen boys to the spiritual journey of a male from birth to death. The course could be more broadly titled “Men’s Studies.” The primary goal of this class is to teach young men the responsibilities and joys of becoming a mature man in contrast to the failed model of men contemporary culture has forged and forced upon us. This is also an attempt to teach our boys how to become happy, successful, responsible contributors and leaders who avoid the societal pitfalls associated with the failure of men to take their proper roles in contemporary society. The course will focus, in the most general sense, on attempting to answer three questions: A) What is a mature man? B) How does one learn to become a man? and, C) What are the benefits of becoming a man? The course will be an excursion into stated topics and other questions raised using various resources. Speakers will be brought in from the school community and the general population to present insights into class themes as well as guest presentations from professionals in the fields of sociology, psychology, marriage and family counseling, and media analysis. In most dramatic terms the class is a modern initiation rite.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Elective Requirements (g))
Twelfth Grade
1 Semester

This course is designed to introduce students to the nature of philosophy as a discipline and to address selected central metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical issues surrounding the question of human nature. The course emphasizes the historical context of thinkers and the development of inquiries within the Western philosophical tradition.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Requirements (a))
Twelfth Grade
1 Semester

This course seeks to balance the development and significance of Hip Hop music in its historical and social environment with maintaining a focus on the music as the main mode of understanding. Students will have a chance to be a Hip Hop critic as they study the chronological history of the music. Student will learn how slavery, civil war and systemic oppression early in African American history played a part in current Hip Hop music. Class assignments will be organized around lectures, small group discussions, in-class activities and homework. The course begins with an overview of Slavery, Civil War, and Harlem Renaissance from the beginning, then will discuss pioneers like Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and the early success of the DJ and Block Parties. We will continue the course to the crossover success of Hip Hop music acts that marked the true birth of today's biggest musical genre. Students will also study the musical and social trends of Hip Hop, including the effects of government cutbacks, inner city poverty, high unemployment rates and drugs, which the music and culture was born. The course will explore the live shows and first recorded music of the late 1970's & early 1980's and the changes in Hip Hop music and culture during the coming decades. This course will teach students how today's Hip Hop music and culture was directly affected by the past plight of African Americans.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Requirements)
Twelfth Grade
1 Semester

This course is designed to give students a basic knowledge of law that will be of practical use in their everyday lives. The course will provide practical advice and competency-building activities to help students with the ability to analyze, evaluate, and resolve legal disputes and questions. Student involvement will be enhanced by use of problem solving, case studies, role playing, and mock trials.

(Meets UC and Cal State University Elective Requirements – (g))
Twelfth Grade
2 Semesters

This course in addition to providing a basic narrative of events and movements, the primary goals of AP European History are to develop a) an understanding of some of the principal themes in Modern European History; b) an ability to analyze historical evidence; and c) an ability to analyze and express historical understanding in writing. The Advanced Placement program in European History corresponds to the most recent developments in history curricula at the college undergraduate level. A particular emphasis is placed on preparing the student for the AP Exam given in the Spring. All sections of the Exam reflect college programs in terms of subject matter and approach. Therefore, questions on intellectual-cultural, political-diplomatic and socioeconomic history form the basis for the Exam. Students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of basic chronology from approximately 1450 to the present. Because developing the course requires considerable experimentation and innovation, highly motivated and reasonably qualified students should be selected.

Prerequisite: Mark of B or better in previous social studies courses and Department Recommendation.