Social Studies

The mission of the Servite Department of Social Studies is to form young men into faith-filled leaders by providing the analytical thinking skills and factual knowledge necessary to confront critical, contemporary issues facing the local, state, national, and international community so as to serve these communities as competent and constructive participants. The Department accomplishes this goal through its core curriculum in the fields of World History, United States History, and Civics Program (combined curricula of United States Government and Macroeconomics). Microeconomics and European History curriculums are available to substitute when desired and at the appropriate grade level.

Courses

Academic

5509 CP World History
Year Course – Sophomore course required for graduation
World History is an in-depth study of our global community's past, emphasizing the people and events that changed past societies, and how these changes affect our modern society. The course will cover topics in the following areas: The Enlightenment, the Age of Political Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the New Imperialism. The course closes with World War I, the rise of totalitarianism, World War II and its aftermath, the world since 1945 including the Cold War, and Current World Issues. The students will explore how events of the past have influenced and shaped society today. Students will learn history from different perspectives and engage in discussions about historical events.

5301 CP U. S. History
Year Course – Junior course required for graduation
This is a comprehensive course that traces the growth and development of the United States from the colonial period to the present. Emphasis is placed on key personalities, social structures, economic patterns, and political institutions. As this class is honors level, it is conducted at a more accelerated pace and with greater intellectual intensity and additional writing assignments. As a result of this course, students will be able to identify major events in US History, analyze a primary source, and write a detailed historical response using historical thinking skills (cause and effect, compare, continuity, and change over time).

5405 CP U. S. Government
Semester Course – Senior course required for graduation
US Government places the Constitution of the United States as its central theme; emphasis is placed on the overall organization of the government today and how we as citizens can apply our knowledge of the Constitution to become more effective members of society. The course also covers federalism, the presidency, Congress, the courts, the bureaucracy, interest groups, the media, political parties, political beliefs and behavior, and civil rights and civil liberties.

5406 CP Economics
Semester Course – Senior course required for graduation
This course is designed to increase the student’s understanding of different classifications of economic organization, including the market system and its functions of production, distribution, and consumption; the general business cycle; and the roles of government, labor business, banking, and credit in the economy.

Honors

5559 HP World History
Year Course
Prerequisite: 3.3 weighted academic GPA & A or B in HP English 1 or A in CP English 1
World History is an in-depth study of our global community's past, emphasizing the people and events that changed past societies, and how these changes affect our modern society. The course will cover topics in the following areas: The Enlightenment, the Age of Political Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the New Imperialism. The course closes with World War I, the rise of totalitarianism, World War II and its aftermath, the world since 1945 including the Cold War, and Current World Issues. The students will explore how events of the past have influenced and shaped society today. Students will learn history from different perspectives and engage in discussions about historical events.

5351 HP U.S. History
Year Course
HP Prerequisites: 3.5 weighted academic GPA, A or B in HP/AP World History or AP European History, A- or better in CP World History
This is a comprehensive course that traces the growth and development of the United States from the colonial period to the present. Emphasis is placed on key personalities, social structures, economic patterns, and political institutions. As this class is honors level, it is conducted at a more accelerated pace and with greater intellectual intensity and additional writing assignments. As a result of this course, students will be able to identify major events in US History, analyze a primary source, and write a detailed historical response using historical thinking skills (cause and effect, compare, continuity, and change over time).

AP

5589 AP World History
Year Course - Sophomore/Senior Elective
Prerequisite: 3.8 weighted academic GPA & A or B in HP English 1 or A in CP English 1
This is a comprehensive course that traces the growth and development of the Modern World from 1200 to the present. Emphasis is placed on key personalities, social structures, economic patterns, and political institutions. As a result of this class, students will be able to identify and think critically about major events in World History, analyze a primary source, and write a detailed historical response using historical thinking skills (cause and effect, compare, continuity, and change over time), answer a variety of College Board prepared questions.

5288 AP European History
Year Course - Sophomore/Senior Elective
Prerequisite: 3.8 weighted academic GPA & A or B in HP English 1 or A in CP English 1
This is a comprehensive course that traces the growth and development of the European World from 1450 to the present. Students will explore the interaction of Europe and the world; economic and commercial developments; cultural and intellectual developments; states and other institutions of power; social organization and development; national and European identity; and technological and scientific innovation. As a result of this class, students will be able to identify and think critically about major events in European History, analyze a primary source, and write a detailed historical response using historical thinking skills (cause and effect, compare, continuity, and change over time), answer a variety of College Board prepared questions.

5381 AP US History
Year Course - Junior course required for graduation
Prerequisite: 3.8 weighted academic GPA, A or B in HP/AP World History or AP European History, A- or better in CP World History
This is a comprehensive course that traces the growth and development of the United States from the colonial period to the present. Emphasis is placed on key personalities, social structures, economic patterns, and political institutions. As a result of this class, students will be able to identify and think critically about major events in US History, analyze a primary source, write a detailed historical response using historical thinking skills (cause and effect, compare and contrast, continuity and change over time), answer a variety of College Board prepared questions, such as an LEQ (Long Essay Question), DBQ (Document-Based Essay Question), SAQ (Short Answer Question - both content and document-based), and MCQ (Multiple Choice Question - both content and document-based)

5488 AP Macroeconomics
Semester Course - Senior Elective (replaces CP Econ)
Prerequisites: 3.8 weighted academic GPA/concurrent Pre-Calculus
AP Macroeconomics is a semester-long course emphasizing economics principles as applied to the economy. AP Macroeconomics is a course to qualify secondary school students who wish to complete coursework equivalent to a one-semester college introductory class. Each student is expected to take the AP Macroeconomics Exam that will be administered in May. The course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price-level determination; it also develops students’ familiarity with economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics. Students will learn how the measures of economic performance, such as gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, and unemployment are constructed and how to apply them to evaluate the macroeconomic conditions of an economy. The course recognizes the global nature of economics and provides ample opportunities for students to examine the impact of international trade and finance on national economies. Various economic schools of thought are introduced as students consider solutions to economic problems. Students learn to use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts.

5485 AP U.S. Government & Politics
Semester Course (replaces CP US Government)
Prerequisites: 3.5 weighted academic GPA (HP or AP US History strongly encouraged)
The AP U.S. Government and Politics Course defines what representative colleges & universities typically expect students to know and be able to do to earn college credit or placement. Students practice the skills used by political scientists by studying data, political writings, from the founding era to the present, the structure of government as established by the Constitution, and constitutional interpretations handed down by the Supreme Court. Students will show mastery of these skills on the exam through a variety of means, including concept application, data analysis, Supreme Court case comparisons, and writing political science arguments.

5583 AP Psychology
Year Course – Sophomore/Junior/Senior Elective
Prerequisites: 3.3 weighted academic GPA/A of B in CP/HP English / Teacher Approval
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. The class will connect psychological concepts and theories to real-life scenarios.

Electives

9501 CP Business
Year Course – Sophomore/Junior/Senior Elective
Introduction to Business is a course designated for the student to acquire a comprehensive foundational knowledge of how businesses in the United States operate and thrive in the 21st century. The student will learn and acquire workplace and personal finance skills that could positively impact their future, allowing them to navigate and succeed in a business environment. Students will gain historical perspectives on the United States economy, take part in a stock market simulation, and learn about management, marketing, and other factors that contribute to modern business administration. Students will select a publicly traded company at the beginning of the semester and subsequently produce various academic artifacts through the lens of the chosen organization as a lengthy project to understand how it operates.
This course is an A-G-approved College Preparatory elective.