Social Studies Department

As members of an ever-changing world, nation and community, our students have witnessed the hopes and challenges of the modern age. As such, students at Huntington High School cultivate deep understandings of our nation’s role in this world and appreciate their responsibilities in our community and nation.

The primary objective of social studies instruction is to sensitize students to the multiple viewpoints and historical antecedents which explain the events of our day. It is also understood that ‘history is the school of democracy.’ Therefore, learning the past will help inform our students of their responsibility to preserve what is great about our nation and world. It is essential for our students to learn, practice and strengthen critical thinking skills as their teachers guide them to strive toward the ideals of equity and justice upon which our nation was founded. Our students’ coursework is tied to specific historical and geographic thinking, enduring issues, and exploration of sources. Financial literacy is a major focus as well, specifically in senior year economics.

In our core courses and electives, students are constantly exposed to essential questions and issues that permeate time and place. These enduring issues, centering on the human experience, are grounded in a thorough study of the facts by means of analysis and interpretation. Research and news literacy are also central components to the four years of social studies courses that all students are required to satisfactorily complete for graduation.

The Regents sections on all four grade levels focus on a high level of understanding of the subject matter and a demanding work load. Such expectations fully prepare the students for the New York State Frameworks Regents Exams in Social Studies, required in Global History (grade 10) and US History (grade 11.)

SEAL OF CIVIC READINESS The Seal of Civic Readiness can be achieved by students accumulating points in the area of social studies. A total of 6 points is required from a list of opportunities, which include:

1. Demonstrating proficiency in civic knowledge.

2. Demonstrating civic participation: through a high school civic project; service learning; elective course work; extra-curricular or work-based learning experience; middle school capstone project; high school capstone project.

The Seal of Civic Readiness distinction on the final transcript and diploma.

1. Shows the student’s understanding of and commitment to participatory government, civic responsibility, and civic values.

2. Provides universities and colleges with a method to recognize and provide credit for attainment of higher level of understanding and skills in Social Studies.

3. Demonstrates to universities, colleges, and future employers that students have earned recognition for their civic knowledge, skills, mindsets, and experiences.

GLOBAL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY 9 REGENTS - Course #212 (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Prerequisite: Successful completion of Social Studies 8 The ninth grade syllabus focuses on Global History eras from ancient times to 1750 A.D. Some of the themes and concepts which are discussed include belief systems, change, culture and intellectual life, economic systems, environment, geography, movement of people and goods, and interdependence. Document analysis is central to the course. Essential skills centered on the study of enduring issues and stimulus-based prompts are further developed as students refine their historical thinking. Students take a cumulative mid-term in January and departmental final exam in June. NCAA approved

GLOBAL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY 9 HONORS - Course #213 (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Prerequisite: Successful completion of Social Studies 8 with a minimum grade of 90 and recommendation of the eighth grade social studies teacher are required. This is the first course in social studies which prepares students for an Advancement Placement level of study in history. The course stresses critical thinking skills, presentation skills, and detailed writing skills. It is intended for students with exceptional ability and interest in history. Grades on Social Studies 8 essays should be 90 or higher on a consistent basis. Students should be willing to give a significant amount of outside study time to meet the demands of this course. Participation in National History Day (NHD) is required. A summer reading assignment is strongly encouraged and research projects are also an essential part of the course. A cumulative midterm is administered. Student in Global History 9 Honors begin the AP World curriculum in the second semester. NCAA approved

GLOBAL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY 9R/10R ENL - Course #260, #270 (2 Years - 2 Credits) 5 periods weekly These courses provide academic support and intervention for non-native English speaking students. The first year focuses on ancient civilizations, medieval history and early modern times. The second year focuses on modern times, and involves extensive review for the Regents in Global History and Geography, which the students will take at the end of the second year. The content of this state exam does not include Global 9 material. NCAA approved

GLOBAL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY 10 REGENTS - Course #221 (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Prerequisite: Successful completion of Global History 9R This course covers Global History from 1750 until the present. The 10th grade course focuses on modern historical eras, and primary source documents. Students are required to take the Global History Frameworks Regents exam. The content of this state exam includes Global 10 material. A cumulative midterm is administered in January. The Regents exam required at the end of the course will be used as the final exam for the course. NCAA approved

GLOBAL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY 9R/10R ENL - Course #260, #270 (2 Years - 2 Credits) 5 periods weekly These courses provide academic support and intervention for non-native English speaking students. The first year focuses on ancient civilizations, medieval history and early modern times. The second year focuses on modern times, and involves extensive review for the Regents in Global History and Geography, which the students will take at the end of the second year. The content of this state exam does not include Global 9 material. NCAA approved

UNITED STATES HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT REGENTS - Course #232 (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Prerequisite: Successful completion of Global History 10R This is a survey course of the history of the United States. The emphasis will be on the government of the U.S. and the Constitutional foundations. Further emphasis will be on the United States as a developing industrial and post-industrial nation. Constitutional and legal issues will be explored in depth, as will be the problems of our industrial society in an increasingly complex and technology-oriented world. Student will refine their skills in writing the Civic Literacy Essay. The essential question: “What is the American Dream and have we fulfilled it as a nation?” is central to the course and allows for interdisciplinary connections with the curriculum in English 11. A cumulative midterm is administered in January. The United States History and Government Framework Regents will be the final exam in the course. NCAA approved

UNITED STATES HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT REGENTS ENL – Course # 280 (1 Year – 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly This course provides academic support and intervention for non-native English speaking students who are approaching command of English. This is a survey course of the History of the United States. Emphasis will be on studying the government of the USA and its constitutional foundation. The US History and Government Regents exam is considered the final exam for the course. NCAA approved

ECONOMICS - Course #241 (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grade: 12 This course examines the fundamental question of economics: how individuals and societies address the problem of scarcity. Micro and Macroeconomic topics include economic systems, markets and government and the economy. In addition, attention will be paid to personal finance issues. This course satisfies the ½ credit senior mandated requirement in Economics. NCAA approved

ECONOMICS ENL - Course #241ENL (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grade: 12 This course provides academic support and intervention for non-native English speaking students who are approaching command of English. This course examines the fundamental question of economics: how individuals and societies address the problem of scarcity. Micro and Macroeconomic topics include economic systems, markets and government and the economy. In addition, attention will be paid to personal finance issues. This course satisfies the ½ credit senior mandated requirement in Economics. NCAA approved

PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT - Course #240 (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grade: 12 This course focuses on the formation of effective public policy. Students are taught skills of decision making, deliberation and problem solving in the context of evaluating real issues confronting the communities in which the students live. Central to this course is the manner in which decisions are arrived at through involvement of individuals as participating citizens. Another area studied is how citizen influence can be used in policy making at various levels of government. Emphasis will be on real-world issues that are in line with content standards and course assessments. Students are required to participate in government on the local level by attending and summarizing local government meetings. Students will refine their skills in news literacy, discerning truth in news. The course culminates in a major final project wherein students name and frame an issue about which they have a great interest. This course satisfies the ½ credit senior mandated requirement in Participation in Government. NCAA approved

PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT ENL- Course #240ENL (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grade: 12 This course focuses on the formation of effective public policy. Students are taught skills of decision making, deliberation and problem solving in the context of evaluating real issues confronting the communities in which the students live. Central to this course is the manner in which decisions are arrived at through involvement of individuals as participating citizens. Another area studied is how citizen influence can be used in policy making at various levels of government. Emphasis will be on real-world issues that are in line with content standards and course assessments. Students are required to participate in government on the local level by attending and summarizing local government meetings. Students will refine their skills in news literacy, discerning truth in news. The course culminates in a major final project wherein students name and frame an issue about which they have a great interest. This course satisfies the ½ credit senior mandated requirement in Participation in Government. NCAA approved

SELECTIVE FOR PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

THE NEW YORK EXPERIENCE: ECONOMY AND GOVERNANCE - Course #242 (1 Year – 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grade: 12 The New York Experience is a senior full year course, which incorporates a study of economic principles, including financial literacy – addressed through an issue-based case study approach and Project-Based Learning (PBL) modality. The course is a selective for our high school seniors who wish to have a local focus in their study of economics and government, on New York City and Long Island core contemporary issues. Such chronic and contemporary issues will engage students in applying the deliberative democracy protocol. The approach seeks common ground and resulting policy and other realistic solutions to these significant local, social, political and economic issues. (Satisfies N.Y.S. requirement for senior year Eco/PIG.) NCAA approved

SELECTIVES FOR PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT

AFRICAN AMERICAN AND LATINO POLITICS - Course #282 (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grade: 12 (Also open to other grades as an elective with Chairperson’s permission) African American and Latino Politics is an alternative Participation in Government class, fulfilling the Government credit required for all seniors. This course examines American politics and government through the lens of the Black and Latino experience in the United States. Major attention is given to contemporary public policy issues affecting Black and Latino communities, as well as both historical and contemporary social movements and political activism. The course also explores the Black and Latino political experience through art, literature, and music. NCAA approved

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) WORLD HISTORY: MODERN (1200 - Present day) - Course #220 (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Recommended for students of exceptional ability in the Social Studies who are motivated to be involved in a rigorous and demanding investigation of World History. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Global History and Geography 9H with a grade of 85 and higher and teacher recommendation. The Advanced Placement course in World History is designed to give interested and able students the opportunity to study history in depth. A college textbook is used to provide the background necessary for the student. In addition, the student is required to examine primary and secondary source documents, and explore trends over time and place, as well as conflicting interpretations of history. A full length, AP-style midterm is administered in January. The course will prepare the student to take the Advanced Placement Examination, which affords the student the opportunity to receive college credit with a qualifying mark. Students will also be required to take the Frameworks Global History and Geography Regents as their final exam in the course. Participation in National History Day (NHD) is required. A summer reading assignment is strongly encouraged. NCAA approved

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) UNITED STATES HISTORY - Course #233 (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Recommended for students of exceptional ability in the Social Studies who are motivated to be involved in a rigorous and demanding investigation of US History. Prerequisite: Successful completion of AP World History, or successful completion of Global History and Geography 10R with a grade of 90 and higher in the course, a teacher recommendation and a consistent writing level of 90 and higher. The Advanced Placement course in American History is designed to give interested and able students the opportunity to study American history in depth. A college textbook along with scholarly essays, articles, and book excerpts are used to provide the background necessary for the student. In addition, the student is required to examine primary and secondary documents, as well as conflicting interpretations of history. A full length, APstyle midterm is administered in January. Participation in National History Day (NHD) is required. The course will prepare the student to take the Advanced Placement Examination which affords the student the opportunity to receive college credit with a qualifying mark. Students will also be required to take the United States History and Government Regents as their final exam in the course. A summer reading assignment is strongly encouraged. NCAA approved

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) ECONOMICS, INCLUDING MACROECONOMICS/MICROECONOMICS – (Option A) Course #248A, Course #250 (1 Year - ½ Credit each and taken together as a full year course) Offered to grade: 12 Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation and a grade of 85 and higher in AP U.S. History or a grade of 90 in the U.S. History Regents course. The microeconomics portion of this full year course includes an introduction to price theory, and units on business structures, the role of government, and international trade. The macroeconomics portion of the course, in the second semester, includes an introduction to measures of economic performance, national income, financial sectors, economic growth, and stabilization policies. Students who enroll in this course must take both Advanced Placement exams in Macroeconomics and Microeconomics in May. This course satisfies both ½ credit senior mandated requirements in Economics and Government. NCAA approved

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) U.S. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS/ECONOMICS Course #247, Course #241A - (Option B) (1 Year - 1 Credit) Offered to grade: 12 Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation and a grade of 85 and higher in AP U.S. History or a 90 and higher in the U.S. History Regents course. AP U.S. Government and Politics examines the following six major areas of study: Constitutional influences on the U.S. Government, political beliefs and behavior; the functioning of political parties, the rules of the three branches of the U.S. Government, public policy, and civil liberties and civil rights. This course offers students an opportunity to achieve college credit and study politics on a more challenging level. The AP Exam on U.S. Government and Politics is to be taken in May. This course includes an additional half credit in economics since it satisfies course requirements through units that address core economics concepts. This course also satisfies the senior mandated requirement in Participation in Government. NCAA Approved

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) WORLD HISTORY: MODERN (1200 - Present day) - Course #220 (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Recommended for students of exceptional ability in the Social Studies who are motivated to be involved in a rigorous and demanding investigation of World History. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Global History and Geography 9H with a grade of 85 and higher and teacher recommendation. The Advanced Placement course in World History is designed to give interested and able students the opportunity to study history in depth. A college textbook is used to provide the background necessary for the student. In addition, the student is required to examine primary and secondary source documents, and explore trends over time and place, as well as conflicting interpretations of history. A full length, AP-style midterm is administered in January. The course will prepare the student to take the Advanced Placement Examination, which affords the student the opportunity to receive college credit with a qualifying mark. Students will also be required to take the Frameworks Global History and Geography Regents as their final exam in the course. Participation in National History Day (NHD) is required. A summer reading assignment is strongly encouraged. NCAA approved

AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY – Course #249 (1 Year – 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 10, 11, 12 Prerequisite: Global 9 Regents with 85 or better or Global 9 Honors AP Human Geography studies the patterns of phenomena on the earth’s surface, the processes that create those patterns, and the interaction between humans and their environment. The course is designed to introduce students to the systematic study of processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students learn to employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human socioeconomic organization and its environmental consequences. NCAA Approved

AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS – Course #234 (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grade: 11, 12 The AP course in Comparative Government and Politics introduces student to fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and outcomes of politics in a variety of country settings. The course covers specific countries and their governments. Six countries form the core of the AP Comparative Government and Politics course: China, Iran, Mexico Great Britain, Nigeria, and Russia. The course moves the discussion of concepts from abstract definition to concrete example. Students will have a foundational understanding of the complex nature of alternative systems of governance in significant areas and regions of the world. NCAA Approved

AP PSYCHOLOGY - Course #253 (1 Year – 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 11, 12 Recommended for students of exceptional ability in Social Studies. Prerequisites: Completion of 11th Grade AP US History or 10th grade AP World, or completion of 11th grade US History Regents with grade of 92 or better and recommendation of Social Studies teacher. This full year Advanced Placement Psychology course is offered to qualified students who wish to complete studies equivalent to an introductory semester college course in psychology. AP Psychology introduces students to the systemic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts and principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. They also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their scientific practice. Students who take this course must commit to the more rigorous course work required for success. NCAA approved

CRIMINAL JUSTICE - Course #245 (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grade: 11, 12 The aim of the Criminal Justice course is to give students a thorough understanding of the Criminal Justice system as it operates on the local level. Key units include: felonies and misdemeanors, the principals of criminal law, the role of the police and District Attorney, the role of the judge, the role of the defense attorney and the nature of the criminal court procedure and corrections. Activities in the course include field trips, expert speakers and mock trials, all designed to enhance the students’ appreciation for the adversarial nature of criminal litigation. NCAA approved

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY - Course #274 (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 10, 11, 12 This course is an introduction to western Philosophy. In the course you will explore the ideas of many thinkers and philosophers as we ponder the mysteries of our existence and try to figure out what it is all about? What is the purpose of existence? Is there a soul? What is truly right and truly wrong? What is truth? This course will explore a chronology of western philosophers and their thoughts on such matters. We will use the Jostein Gaarder novel “Sophies World” as our text. This course will help to prepare you for a life of self-reflection and critical appraisal of your own environment and existence. This course gives students a unique opportunity to discover a subject that many high schools don’t offer to their students. NCAA approved

PSYCHOLOGY - Course #252 (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 11, 12 This course introduces the science of mental processes and behavior by addressing a range of questions. Students will explore different perspectives in the following areas: developmental influences on thought and behavior; memory, learning, emotions and motivation; sensation and perception; psychological disorders; as well as social influences and group memberships that give rise to conformity with norms and prejudice. Class discussions are student-driven and include a variety of activities, experiments/case studies, as well as analysis of the depiction of psychological concepts in films. NCAA approved

ASIAN STUDIES – Course #254-C (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 9, 10, 11, 12 This course explores the culture and history of Asia, specifically China and India in the modern world. Foreign and economic relations with the United States will be explored. Cultural differences and similarities between the East and West will be addressed by reading translations of Chinese thinkers including: Confucius, Mencius, and Lao Zi. Excerpts from “Siddhartha” will guide a deep exploration of the Buddha. A college credit option is offered through St. John’s University for a fee and after criteria is met. Additional collegiate level assignments would have to be completed along with all appropriate procedures at St. John’s. Students in this optional program will receive three units of college credit. Application and academic criteria required. (Course #254-C) NCAA approved

WOMEN’S STUDIES - Course #272-C (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to: Grades 11, 12 This course will focus on the social history of American women from the time of the first women’s movement to the present with particular emphasis on the last sixty years. The goal of the course is to introduce students to the main historical arguments about American women’s lives, and to also undertake research in primary sources, both documentary and in person, regarding women. This course will include guest speakers and a variety of projects and activities. A college credit option is offered through St. John’s University for a fee and after criteria is met. Additional collegiate level assignments would have to be completed along with all appropriate procedures at St. John’s. Students in this optional program will receive three units of college credit. Application and academic criteria required. (Course #272-C) NCAA approved

Course Descriptions Coming Soon!