American History Honors will provide students with the opportunity to acquire an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the chronological development of the American people by examining the political, economic, social, religious, military, scientific, and cultural events that have affected the nation. Implicit in this is an understanding of the historical method, the inquiry process, historical reasoning and interpretation, and the issues of external and internal validity.

Prerequisite: Recommended for 11th Grade

Students will acquire understanding in currency, banking, and monetary policy, the fundamental concepts relevant to the major economic systems, the global market and economy, major economic theories and economists, the role and COURSE CATALOG – 2019-2020 25 influence of the government and fiscal policies, economic measurements, tools, and methodology, financial and investment markets, and the business cycle. Students will develop the critical skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation in a more rigorous and reflective academic setting. Students are empowered to perform at higher levels as they engage in the following: analyzing historical documents and supplementary readings, working in the context of thematically categorized information, becoming proficient in note-taking, participating in Socratic seminars/discussions, emphasizing free-response and document-based writing, contrasting opposing viewpoints, solving problems, etc. Students will develop and demonstrate their skills through participation in a capstone and/or extended research-based paper/project (e.g., history fair, participatory citizenship project, mock congressional hearing, projects for competitive evaluation, investment portfolio contests, or other teacher-directed projects).

Prerequisite: Recommended for 12th Grade

World History Honors will provide students the opportunity to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the past in terms of what has been interpreted about change or process as it related to the development of humanity. This is done by analyzing the political, economic, social, religious, military, dynastic, scientific, and cultural events that have shaped and molded humanity. Implicit in this is an understanding of the historical method, the inquiry process, historical reasoning and interpretation.

Prerequisite: Recommended for 10th Grade

The AP World History course offers motivated students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the processes that, over time, have resulted in the knitting of the world into a tightly integrated whole. The course will cover 4 chronological periods from approximately 1000 AD to the present with careful preparation in terms of previous developments known as the Foundations segment. Topics include, but are not limited to impact of interaction among major societies, the relationship of change and continuity impact of technology and demography on people and environment, systems of social structure and gender structure, cultural and intellectual developments, changes in functions and structures of states and in attitudes toward states and political identities.

Prerequisite: Teacher Recommendation

Advanced Placement American History will provide students with the opportunity to develop the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems, content, and materials of American historic development. Integral components of this course will include, but not be limited to, the formation of generalizations from primary sources in history, the synthesis and evaluation of information, the development of a set of criteria for judging proposed courses of action in terms of actual and projected consequences, the comparison of eras with similar trends, and analysis of the impact of major historical figures and groups on American and world events, the detection of bias in making conclusions, and the emergence of patterns in historical development.

Prerequisite: Teacher Recommendation

This course will give students a critical perspective on politics and government in the United States. It requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that make up the American political reality. Specific content to be covered will include, but not be limited to, an understanding of federalism and the separation of powers, the development of the constitution, the process of politics, the nature of public opinion, the role of political parties and interest groups, the major formal and informal institutional arrangement of powers, and the development of civil liberties and civil rights.
Prerequisite: Teacher Recommendation

Advanced Placement Macroeconomics gives students an opportunity to analyze the worldwide effects of economic activities and their impact on taxation, monetary policy, balance of trade issues, government policy, exchange rates, and similar “big picture” concepts. Students will understand economic concepts, vocabulary, and statistical interpretation of economic data.

Prerequisite: Teacher Recommendation

AP* Psychology provides an overview of current psychological research methods and theories. Students will explore the therapies used by professional counselors and clinical psychologists and examine the reasons for normal human reactions: how people learn and think, the process of human development and human aggression, altruism, intimacy, and self-reflection. They will study core psychological concepts, such as the brain and sense functions, and learn to gauge human reactions, gather information, and form meaningful syntheses. Along the way, students will also investigate relevant concepts like study skills and information retention. The equivalent of an introductory college-level survey course, AP Psychology prepares students for the AP exam and for further studies in psychology or life sciences.