History Department

World History is a survey course that gives students the opportunity to explore recurring themes common to civilizations around the globe from ancient to contemporary times. In addition to historical facts, students will analyze numerous primary source documents, as well as be introduced to influential people from different historical periods. As students examine the historical development of important events, ideas and trends, they will be able to better appreciate the many factors that have contributed to the modern world.

This is a year-long survey course and provides students with the opportunity to examine U.S. History thematically. Students study major turning points in American History, with a focus on the late 1800s and the entire 20th century. After a review of early U.S. History, the course will focus on the country’s industrial transformation, the Progressive Era, Imperialism and WWI, the 1920s and the subsequent Great Depression, the New Deal and its impact, WWII, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the decades of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and the first decade of this millennium. Students will learn to analyze data and use documents based on evidence to gain a deeper understanding of historical events.

Civics/U.S. Government is designed to provide an understanding of the nature, structure and function of state and national government, the U.S. Constitution, civil and criminal law, and current events. The focus of the class will be on: the federal government, the relationship between the state and federal government under the system of federalism, the Constitution and its history, government institutions (Congress, the President, the U.S. Supreme Court and the bureaucracy), political processes, and informal institutions (media, elections, polls, political parties and interest groups). Students will also begin to explore their own views and ideas about government and how they feel about political issues by examining their own political socialization.

The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of individual and national economic decisions and their consequences. Students will study opportunity costs, benefit/cost analysis, supply and demand, market structures, government policies to support the economy (fiscal policy), aggregate supply and aggregate demand, monetary policy and the Federal Reserve, and international trade.

One of the most important aspects in this course is to help students understand the fundamental problem in economics- scarcity. By the end of the course, students will also understand that economics is more concerned with analyzing the benefits and costs associated with different choices individuals and firms have to make rather than focusing on money.

AP U.S. History is a college equivalent course involving a survey of the social, political, diplomatic, economic, and cultural history of the United States. It covers the period from exploration/colonization until present time. It is a college level class in which the goal is to prepare students to take the AP exam so they may achieve college credit. Not all students will take, or pass the AP Exam. However, as a result of this class, students should develop a strong background in U.S. History while learning, practicing, and demonstrating higher level thinking skills. In addition, students should develop study skills and time management skills comparable to or greater than a college student taking an introductory U.S. History course. This rigorous course will help prepare students for what to expect when entering college.

This college-level course provides an introduction to the foundations and principles of the United States Government. The focus of the class will be on: the federal government, the relationship between the state and federal government under the system of federalism, the Constitution and its history, government institutions (Congress, the President, the U.S. Supreme Court and the bureaucracy), political processes, and informal institutions (media, elections, polls, political parties and interest groups). The central question that will guide the majority of the course is, “How are actions that guide public policy determined and/or influenced by formal (government) and informal institutions?”

The main goal of an Advanced Placement course in Macroeconomics is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole. One of the most important aspects of this course is to help students understand the fundamental problem in economics- scarcity and to introduce them to economic reasoning. The first part of the class provides an introduction to basic economic concepts and includes an exploration of supply and demand, scarcity, benefit/cost analysis, and opportunity cost. However, the primary emphasis of a course in macroeconomics is the study of national income and price-level determination. The course should also serve to develop students’ familiarity with economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies of the government and the Federal Reserve (fiscal policy and monetary policy), economic growth, and international economics.