Social Studies

Welcome! The Parkville Social Studies department is committed to developing the reading, writing, thinking, and discussion skills needed for citizenship in a democracy and also college and career readiness. Through rigorous and meaningful coursework, students will not only explore content in depth, they will encounter opportunities to enrich themselves such as the National Social Studies Honor Society, the National History Day competition, voting registration, etc.

Course Offerings:

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Required course

· American Government

· American Government Honors

· American Government GT

· World History

· World History Honors

· AP World History

· United States History

· United States History Honors

· AP United States History

· EPI

· EPI Honors

· AP Economics (Macro and Micro)

Electives

· AP Human Geography

· AP Psychology

· AP US Government and Politics

· AP Human Geography

· AP Psychology

· AP US Government and Politics

Course Information:

Grade 9

American Government (1 credit):

This course helps students to develop skills and acquire insights essential to an understanding of American political, economic, and social life at the national, state, and local levels. Attention will be on political, economic, and social issues and preparation for responsible citizenship. American Government is designed to prepare students, who are young people making transitions towards adult responsibilities, for success as learners and citizens. In addition to helping students achieve personal growth, American Government affords students opportunities to master content and develop skills of acquisition, processing and expression of knowledge.

Students will take the Maryland High School Assessment (HSA) in May and must pass in order to meet graduation requirements. Students who do not pass the HSA are required to complete bridge projects to meet the standards.

Grade 10: (must take one)

World History or World History Honors (1 credit)

This course explores global developments in the world since approximately 1200 CE. Significant episodes from western and non-western history are investigated including the emergence of ancient and classical centers of regional civilization; the development of the hemispheric civilization of Islam; the growth of historical ties of interdependence; the expansion of Europe and its domination of the world in the modern era; the development of Africa and Asia in the modern era; and the development of global networks of political, economic, and social interdependence in the contemporary world.

AP World History (1 credit)

AP World History: Modern is an introductory college-level modern world history course. Students cultivate their understanding of world history from c. 1200 CE to the present through analyzing historical sources and learning to make connections and craft historical arguments as they explore concepts like humans and the environment, cultural developments and interactions, governance, economic systems, social interactions and organization, and technology and innovation.

There is an AP World History examination. Success on the exam could earn a student 3 college credits.

Grade 11: (must take one)

US History or US History Honors (1 credit): Students cultivate their understanding of U.S. history from c. 1865 to the present through analyzing historical sources and learning to make connections and craft historical arguments as they explore concepts like American and national identity; work, exchange, and technology; geography and the environment; migration and settlement; politics and power; America in the world; American and regional culture; and social structures.

AP US History (2 credits) AP U.S. History is an introductory college-level U.S. history course. Students cultivate their understanding of U.S. history from c. 1491 CE to the present through analyzing historical sources and learning to make connections and craft historical arguments as they explore concepts like American and national identity; work, exchange, and technology; geography and the environment; migration and settlement; politics and power; America in the world; American and regional culture; and social structures.

There is an AP US History examination. Success on the exam could earn a student up to 6 college credits.

Grade 12: (must take one)

EPI or EPI Honors: Students learn about financial literacy, personal finance, how market places work, and public issues related to economics.

AP Economics (1 credit) AP Macroeconomics is an introductory college-level macroeconomics course. Students cultivate their understanding of the principles that apply to an economic system as a whole by using principles and models to describe economic situations and predict and explain outcomes with graphs, charts, and data as they explore concepts like economic measurements, markets, macroeconomic models, and macroeconomic policies.

AP Microeconomics is an introductory college-level microeconomics course. Students cultivate their understanding of the principles that apply to the functions of individual economic decision-makers by using principles and models to describe economic situations and predict and explain outcomes with graphs, charts, and data as they explore concepts like scarcity and markets; costs, benefits, and marginal analysis; production choices and behavior; and market inefficiency and public policy.

There is an AP Macroeconomics AP Exam AND an AP Microeconomics exam. Success on the exam could earn a student 3 college credits for each exam.

Electives (Non-required Courses)

AP Human Geography (1 credit) is an introductory college-level course. Students will explore how humans have understood, used, and changed the surface of Earth. You’ll use the tools and thinking processes of geographers to examine patterns of human population, migration, and land use.

There is an AP Human Geography examination. Success on the exam could earn a student 3 college credits.

AP Psychology (1 credit) is an introductory college-level course. Explore the ideas, theories, and methods of the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. You’ll examine the concepts of psychology through reading and discussion and you’ll analyze data from psychological research studies.

There is an AP Psychology examination. Success on the exam could earn a student 3 college credits.

AP U.S. Government and Politics (1 credit) is an introductory college-level course in U.S. government and politics. Students cultivate their understanding of U.S. government and politics through analysis of data and text- based sources as they explore topics like constitutionalism, liberty and order, civic participation in a representative democracy, competing policy-making interests, and methods of political analysis. There is an AP US Government examination. Success on the exam could earn a student 3 college credits.

Civil Rights and Liberties (.5 credits) is a one semester course which examines broad trends in the acquisition of civil rights for various groups such as African Americans, women, Latinos, LGBTQ, disabled persons, the elderly, etc. It also explores the essential civil liberties of all individuals and constitutional protections.

Principles of Government: (.5 credits) is a one semester course whereby students work to complete their American Government bridge projects. The number of projects students must complete is dependent on their scores on the HSA examination.

TEACHER

Email

Teaches

MS. BECK

Bbeck2@bcps.org

American Government

United States History

MR. BENJES

kbenjes@bcps.org

American Government

AP Psychology

MR. BRUNS