The AP Comparative Government course focuses on the political institutions and processes of six different countries—China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United Kingdom—and compares the ways they address problems.  Students will look at political parties and electoral systems, regimes and governments, economic and political change over time, and political culture and behaviors.  Students will connect political concepts to real-world situations and analyze data to find patterns and trends across political systems.  Students will be tasked with projects, case studies, and written assessments in conjunction with preparation for the final AP exam in May.

View the College Board AP Comparative Government Course Description.

AP Macroeconomics is a year-long, basic college level course that provides a general understanding of basic macro-economic concepts. In a time when there is so much discussion about priorities in the economy, business cycles, climate change, international trade, inflation and unemployment, this course will help students understand both how the economy functions and the alternative choices that we have. Students will gain a solid understanding of government fiscal, monetary policies, and international trade and how they impact employment, GDP, and growth. There are daily references to what is currently in the news such as the impacts of COVID, and students are constantly applying the theories to contemporary economic, political, and social issues. We will use a range of resources including graphs, charts, data analysis and videos to describe and explain economic concepts. We will also make use of resources in the community for case studies. Students will also research and present to the class on aspects of the economy.

View the College Board AP Macroeconomics Course Description.

This course will help students understand not only how enterprise and marketing can be used to build a firm for profit, but the principles and strategies can be used to solve many social and political problems. Students will be able to apply their learning in this course to DECA online challenges and competitive events. The course involves mostly active, project-based learning.

This course undertakes an interdisciplinary and contemporary view of the Middle East and Africa to understand in greater depth the history, economies, politics, social change, and arts of these important regions. Coursework will include a variety of source material and experiential learning.

By understanding the historical development of the Cold War from multiple geopolitical perspectives, students will examine the legacy of the Cold War period as it relates to current international relations.  The course digs into the origins of the Cold War, providing an overview of the different economic and political systems that characterized the tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. Examination as to how the Cold War affected Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America from multiple perspectives will provide context for topics like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Soviet-Afghan War, and the Space Race. Discussions, simulations, primary-source readings, and student-designed projects will enable students to understand the legacy of the Cold War as it relates to twenty-first century geopolitical relationships and the continued diplomatic struggles that continue to affect our world today.

Most social studies courses explore the past.  This course explores the future.  What will the coming decades be like?  How will current and newly developing technologies alter not only our daily lives but perhaps what it means to be human? How will an internet a billion times more powerful than today’s empower humanity? What changes might augmented reality and AI bring? What happens when machine intelligence surpasses human intelligence?  Given that the coming decades will likely bring the greatest changes in human history so far, what do you need to know to better understand our rapidly changing world? What challenges, dangers, and opportunities lie before us and what skills might you need to successfully navigate the future?  Although we will explore multiple areas of coming change, most of the course will focus on technological changes based on current expert predictions for the next 20 years and less certain theories about the decades beyond.

The Ethnic Studies course will engage students in the study of the historical and current socio-cultural experiences of racial and ethnic groups in the United States. This course will explore a number of issues affecting ethnic groups and will look at how their experience has been shaped by our social, legal and economic systems over time.  We will tackle the history of racial discrimination, the resilience of the different groups studied and the promises of the future that come with a multi-cultural and diverse population.  Students will have the opportunity to learn about a diverse group of ethnic groups, and also will be able to study a specific group or issues affecting a group during the semester.  

The study of psychology is the study of the how we think, feel and behave. This course is designed to give students an introduction to this subject by examining the major psychological perspectives including Behavioral, Cognitive and Social-cultural. This class will cover topics such as development, perception, learning, motivation and personality. Through reading, demonstration and experimentation, students will gain a better understanding of who they are and how they function. They will also learn how broad the field is and how it applies and can be applied to their own lives.

This course will explore US history since 1915 through the lens of music, film, and television. The course will examine how our culture both reflect and challenge ideas about race, class, gender, sexual morality, and US politics. Students will explore the role of culture in shaping social movements and public opinion, how technology has shaped how Americans consume culture, and the effects of mass culture and subculture on American society and politics. Units include: rise of mass culture through film and radio in the 1920s, cultural responses to the Great Depression, the rise of television and post-World War II mass culture, the Cold War in American culture, the rise of subcultures in the 1960s and 1970s, and how the development of new technology is shaping how Americans consume culture today. Assessments include source analyses, critical reading of cultural sources as primary sources, and an essay on a topic of each student’s choosing that synthesizes multiple cultural sources to foster a deeper understanding of the impact of popular culture in the United States.

This course will address topics related to the history of environmental justice from a variety of disciplines and perspectives.  Coursework will include readings, field trips, studies of current events, discussion, and writing.