Course Descriptions:

World History:

Through a survey approach to the study of world cultures, students will examine the social, political, cultural, and economic developments that helped to create the cultures of the world today. As students compare and contrast global cultures, they will analyze the impact of geography and technology on these cultures and the historical events studied. Charts and time lines will be used to help students organize and understand the material. Students will utilize a variety of sources to assist in their study, which include but is not limited to the textbook, maps, primary sources, periodicals, and available technology. While all academies present the same core knowledge, each provides a different learning environment that focuses upon the theme of the school. Results of their study will be demonstrated traditionally and through the use of alternative assessment. This study of world cultures will allow students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the world today and its people.

United States History I:

United States History I is a sophomore level survey course. The course of study will span approximately from 1600 – 1900 as we trace the history of the United States from the arrival of the first Americans through the end of the 19th century. It introduces the themes of balance between unity and diversity, the shaping of American democracy, the search for opportunity, and the influence of geographical factors. Students will learn fundamental concepts in civics, economics, and geography. Students will obtain a basic knowledge of American culture through a chronological survey of major issues, movements, people, and events in United States history.

Throughout this course students will be challenged to think like historians and use an array of historiographical skills to further our understanding of American History. Using the textbook, primary documents, and current events, students will learn about the various political, social, religious, and economic developments that have shaped and continue to shape the United States. Students will develop and apply analytical and critical thinking skills to produce a well-rounded comprehension of our nation’s history. Essay writing and critical thinking are emphasized as integral ways of understanding how the past relates to the present and future. This course will serve as pre-requisite foundation for United States History II.

United States History II:

US History II is a junior level survey course, spanning the time period 1890-present. The course focuses on America’s time of transition from a new country to a world power. It continues to explore the themes introduced in US I, such as diversity, civics, and economics, while exploring new ones such as America’s evolving role in the world. The goal is to enable students to better understand contemporary American domestic and foreign policy through study of the past.

As in US I, students will be challenged to think as historians do. Significant emphasis on the use of primary sources is intended to facilitate analytical and critical thinking skills. Essay writing and critical thinking activities are emphasized as integral ways of understanding how the past relates to the present and the future. Particular attention is given to the incorporation of Sandy Hook’s unique environment and long strategic history, as well as New Jersey’s important role in many periods covered.

The American History sequence is a full-year course comprised of two, three-credit courses: HST 101 American History to 1865 is offered in the fall semester; HST 102 American History Since 1865 is offered in the spring semester.

• American History 101 In the aftermath of “9/11,” and as we begin a new millennium, there is great anticipation of a “new era,” a new beginning disconnected from the past. However, the future is inescapably tied to the past, and questions our society is facing and will face in the future are rooted there.
  Our attitudes on such issues as political democracy, social justice, economic opportunity, equality, and the environment have been shaped by our society’s previous experiences. In this course, we will study how these attitudes and beliefs evolved in the first 250 years of our history. Ultimately, history in large part is a study and an attempt to understand those links among what we were, what we are, and what we hope to be.

While this course is an introductory course in American history covering the period from 1607 to 1865, it is not a survey course. We will not attempt to discuss every fact or cover every event in 250 years of American history. Rather, we will approach this period of history through a discussion of three themes.

• The first theme, essentially covering the period from the founding to the middle of the 18th century, will deal with the question of how Europeans from a medieval culture became Americans.

• The second theme will explore the political, social, and economic impact the Revolution had upon American society.

• Finally, we will focus on the modernization of American society in the 19th century and examine the relationship between modernization and the sectional crisis.

In all three themes we will focus, in part at least, on issues of political democracy, social justice, and equality.
This course has two major objectives. First, we will study history as a process through which our society and our country came to be as it is today. Our current society is the product of a diverse and complex past, and a fuller understanding of that past will give us greater insight and perspective into the historical roots of the problems that challenge us. One historian has written, “A nation’s attitudes towards its own history is like a window into its own soul and the men and women of such a nation cannot be expected to meet the obligations of the present if they refuse to exhibit honesty, charity, open-mindedness, and a free and growing intelligence towards the past that makes them what they are.”

The second objective of this course is to challenge students to develop critical reading and writing skills. We will introduce sets of complex historical problems and ask for them to be ordered, assessed, analyzed, and conceptualized in order to gain greater understanding of the particular problem with all of its ramifications. It is our belief that this course, along with a full undergraduate education, is part of a lifelong quest for education and learning. HST 102: American History Since 1865 will be offered in the spring semester.

• American History 102 is intended to be an introduction to US history from the end of the Civil War until the present. While such a course cannot be fully comprehensive, it will focus on many of the important developments and major trends that have shaped modern American life. These include:

  • The impact of the end of slavery upon African Americans, the South, and the nation as a whole.

  • The effects of immigration, ethnicity, and religious diversity.

  • The rise of modern culture, technology, consumerism, and communications.

  • US expansionism and growing involvement in world affairs.

  • Struggles for equal rights and justice.

  • Protest movements and resistance to change.

  • The upheavals of the 1960s and the impact of Vietnam and Watergate.

  • The “Reagan Revolution.”

  • The end of the Cold War.

  • The presidency of Bill Clinton.

  • The beginnings of the third “American century” and the consequences of globalism.

Although much of this inevitably will center on public events and persons in national leadership, we also shall explore the lives, experiences, contributions, and insights of ordinary people.

In the various readings—from textbook, primary sources, and “coming of age” accounts, as well as multimedia resources—students will see how others have experienced, written about, and interpreted history. More importantly, through discussions and various types of assignments, students will have a chance to do history, and not just to read about it. In the process, they will begin to learn something of how historians think about and investigate the past, and they will start to develop their own critical, historical perspectives.

It is hoped that by the end of the semester students will not only know more about the American experience, they will have learned how to construct persuasive arguments, to use evidence effectively, and to hone a variety of analytical skills that will be of value to them during their undergraduate experience and in their future.

Personal Finance Literacy:

Exploring Issues in Economics/ Personal Financial Literacy is a two and one-half credit social studies elective for twelfth grade students that requires them to study concepts related to each discipline and examine specific economic/personal finance issues and problems. There are no prerequisites for this course. The economics aspect introduces microeconomic and some macroeconomic concepts, but mostly emphasizes financial literacy. This will be a content, research, and problem based course. Mastering the course content will be only the initial expectation for students. Through research, examining issues, and problems related to each of the concept areas students will apply their knowledge, set direction for learning, and take ownership of the learning process.

Sociology:

Exploring Issues in Sociology is a two and one half credit social studies elective for twelfth grade students, which requires them to study concepts related to sociology and examine specific social issues and problems. Students must have taken and demonstrated proficiency in Exploring Issues in Economics and Personal Financial Literacy as a prerequisite for this course. Through the study of concepts such as culture, social structure, socialization, adolescence, social inequality, social institutions, and the changing social world, it investigates relationships in our society.

Sociology is a content, research, and problem based course. Mastering the course content will be only the initial expectation for students. Through research and examining issues, related to each of the concept areas students will apply their knowledge, set direction for learning, and take ownership of the learning process.

Through applying sociological concepts in a problem based approach, and discussing related ethical considerations this course is meant to stir students to think critically about their world and become responsible decision makers.