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American Heritage is a year-long course in which upon successful completion can garner a student four credits (two in Social Studies and two in English). This course fulfills the requirements for American History, American Literature, and Intermediate Composition. The premise behind this course is to make the connection between what was happening historically in America to its literature. American Literature, both past, and present, will be studied. Students will be expected to complete outside reading and assignments on a daily basis. Students will be expected to participate in reading, evaluating, analyzing, and discussing all forms of literature covered. Emphasis will be placed on discussing and relating American Literature to the development of American culture. Various types of writing such as personal, descriptive, persuasive, and comparison/contrast are studied. Students are required to complete numerous writing activities inside and outside of class including extensive research papers. Students will also be responsible for grammar and vocabulary. Historically, American Heritage will explore the following historical time periods: The Industrialization of America, Progressivism, World War I, Roarings Twenties, Great Depression, World War II, and finally the Cold War to the present. – Maximum Class Size: 25
American history is a full-year course required of all juniors. The history of the U.S. will be studied by dealing with the following major areas: Post Civil War issues, Western Expansion, American Industrialization, Urbanization, Gilded Age, American Imperialism & Global Expansion, Progressive Age, World War I, Roaring Twenties and Great Depression, World War II, Cold War, Fifties, Civil Rights Movement, Kennedy, LBJ, Vietnam, Nixon & Watergate, Ford and Carter, 1980s and Reagan, Persian Gulf War, Clinton, September 11, 2001. – Maximum Class Size: 28
Contemporary U.S. Issues (semester)
Contemporary U.S. Issues is a lower-level elective course to introduce students to a wide range of topics that will cover political, social, and economical topics that affect U.S. citizens today. The semester-long course will consist of a wide range of current events topics including the structure of government, the budget, Health Care, Immigration, citizen rights, crime and drugs, education, etc. A primary goal of the class is to provide a base understanding of pertinent issues in the Social Sciences that will prepare them for American History and Government classes. Maximum Class Size: 28
Particular Topics in U.S. History (semester)
Particular Issues in U.S. History is a semester-long course for students who desire to “dig deeper” into special topics of U.S. History. Being a project-based class, students will be required on a consistent basis to research, present, and collaborate effectively with classmates and the instructor. A few topics that will be explored include terrorism, technology in America, history of political parties and the Constitution, history of minority groups, Iowa History, Labor Laws and changes, and major events in sports. – Maximum Class Size: 28
The class will study American society by examining these areas: (1) socialization – how people become a part of society. (2) institutions – the “building blocks” of society. (3) social stratification – how people are grouped in society. (4) social change – how society grows and develops. Topics to be covered will include: crime and deviance, poverty, race and ethnic relations, gender and age issues, social media, family, and death and dying. – Maximum Class Size: 28
The class will focus on what economics is and apply the concepts of economics to everyday life. Topics include opportunity cost, marginal analysis, production possibilities frontier, supply and demand, market institutions, the national economy, public policy, and the international economy.
American Government (semester)
American Government is a one-semester course required for seniors. It deals with the major types of governments, government ideologies, and how the American system works. Topics include the foundations of government, the Constitution, the legislative branch, the executive branch, the judicial branch, political parties, political behavior, and state and local government.
The class will focus on what psychology is and the impact psychology plays in society today. Topics include types of psychologists, approaches to psychology, methods of research, workings of the mind and body, basic neurology, perception and consciousness, sleep and dream theory, learning, development, personality, mental illness, and abnormal psychology.
World Cultures (semester; year-long)
The mission of World Cultures is to develop an understanding of the unique and diverse cultures of the world. The class encourages students to think ‘outside-the-box’ and fosters the 21st Century learning construct of technology literacy by incorporating many facets of technology usage in the classroom. It is an opportunity for students to understand the influence that historical events, art, and music have on their lives and the lives of those who lived before them. The class follows a World History timeline. The first semester covers ancient civilizations through the middle ages. The second semester covers the Renaissance through the modern-day. The course is team-taught by two instructors – history / fine arts. The class is two semesters with one academic credit per semester. The academic credit may either be used as a credit towards fulfilling the Social Science graduation requirement or as a Fine Arts Credit. – Maximum Class Size: 30
The complicated problems facing the world today cannot be understood without a working knowledge of what has gone on before. This is a semester-long elective course that covers landforms, locations, and resources of countries and regions across the globe. The class focuses on how the geography of countries and regions affects culture, economy, history, and government. Topics include physical and human geography, the United States and Canada, Latin America, Western and Central Europe, Central and Southwest Asia, Africa, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific World.
