Social Studies must assist each individual student to develop skills required and expected as a part of today's society.  To achieve these skills, Catholic schools must emphasize the dignity, respect and sacredness of each human being.  The survival of the human race is dependent upon the relationship of the individual with his/her local environment and world community. The ultimate goal of social studies education is the development of competent Christian young men and women who will contribute their knowledge, skills, morals, and attitudes to a challenging society and that they will seriously and confidently accept responsible citizenship in the world community.

Four credits of Social Studies are required for graduation.

Jamie Jennings, Department Chairperson - America in the World I, World History - Honors, AP United States History, Civics
Sally Beatty - World Geography, World Dictators, America in the World II-Honors and Standard, World History - Honors                                  
Greg Sacco - America in the World I, World History

COURSE OFFERINGS:

World History - Standard and Honors, 9th grade                                                                                                                 

Year Course, WV Requirement   This course covers the history of the world beginning with the dawn of civilization and ending with the transition to the 19th century. It combines historical events and geographical facts with social, political, economic, and cultural developments of western civilization. The course is designed to help students appreciate and understand the people and achievements of the various cultural regions of the world. It also provides students with an understanding of how past events directly affect the modern world.

America in the World I - Standard and Honors, 10th grade

Year Course, WV Requirement   This study of the United States is an examination of the formative years from Pre-Columbian civilizations to Post-Civil War Reconstruction, culminating with America’s transformation as a dominant political and economic influence in the world. It examines the evolution of the Constitution as a living document and the role of participatory democracy in the development of a rapidly changing technological society. Emphasis is placed on how the challenges of settling expansive and diverse physical environments were met in a culturally diverse population.

Contemporary Studies/America in the World II - Standard and Honors, 11th grade

Year Course, WV Requirement   This course covers the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War to the present. Emphasis is placed on America's development in the world. This course provides students with an understanding of the technological, social, and political changes in the United States and in the world during the 20th and 21st centuries and how these changes affect the modern world.

Civics for the Next Generation - 12th grade

Year Course, WV Requirement   Responsible participatory citizenship, an understanding of the workings of our government, and global awareness are essential to the preservation and improvement of American Constitutional Democracy. Students expand upon their critical thinking and problem-solving skills allowing them to develop civic efficacy. Students become informed decision makers as they work collaboratively and develop a correct awareness of their place in local, national, and global societies.

Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. History - 11th or 12th grade                                                                                          

Elective or Replacement for Contemporary Studies/America in the World II    This full year course provides students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in U.S. history.  The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses.  Students learn to assess historical materials - their relevance to an interpretive problem, reliability, and importance - and weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship.  Students develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgement and present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format.  Students are required to take the comprehensive AP U.S. History Exam, published and administered by The College Board, at the end of the school year.  (This course is weighted +1.0.)

World Geography

Semester or Year Course, Elective   This course covers the fields of cultural and physical geography and cartography. Students study physical features of an area as well as the relationship between the people of a region and their environment. Emphasis is placed on cultural and economic influence between countries around the world. Students also make and study maps of the continents, countries, and regions of the world.

World Dictators

Semester Course, Elective   This course is an in-depth study of past and present dictators and tyrants of the world, their rise to power, and the consequences of their leadership. Students study how today's governments must learn to work together to safeguard the population of the world community. Students are required to write extensive essays on the dictator of their choice and then present assignment to the class.