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History
Global Studies 9 (1 Credit)
The freshman year course investigates the ancient through medieval histories of the Near East, Africa, Greece, Rome, Europe, India and the Far East . History is surveyed from the dawn of civilization to the European Renaissance . By studying the geography, society, government, economy and philosophy of different regions, students gain an understanding of the diversity of human culture and learn the underpinnings of Eastern and Western civilization .
Global Studies 9 Honors (1 Credit)
All freshman students admitted to the Ignatian Scholars honors program will enroll in Global Studies 1 Honors . The structure of this course is similar to Global Studies 1 . Students in this course can expect more writing assignments and will be held to a higher standard on these . This is an accelerated and pre-AP course, so the students can expect a heavier workload compared to Global Studies 1 .
Global Studies 10 (1 Credit)
This is a two-part world history . In freshman year, the course investigates the ancient through medieval histories of the Near East, Africa, Greece, Rome, Europe, India and the Far East . History is surveyed from the dawn of civilization to the European Renaissance . In sophomore, the focus shifts to modern world history initially with the Renaissance era and continuing through the World War II era . By studying the geography, society, government, economy and philosophy of different regions in each course, students gain an understanding of the diversity of human cultures and learn the underpinnings of both Eastern and Western civilizations .
AP World History (1 Credit)
This is a college level course in world history . Its focus is the period from 10,000 B .C . to the present . Students in the course will examine the impact of interaction among major societies, the impact of technology on people and the environment, changes in the structures and functions of nations and states, systems of social structure and gender structure and cultural and intellectual developments throughout the world . Students will master various methods that modern historians use to evaluate and interpret historical documents . Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Examination in World History at the conclusion of the course and may earn college credits through this exam . American Civil Rights & the World’s Human Rights (1 Credit)
This is a two-part course with the first semester exploring the history of the search for civil rights in America and the second semester course exploring the role the United States has played in cases of major human rights violations during the 20th and 21st centuries . After an exploration of civil rights—their substance, meaning and origin, the course will examine the African American fight for civil rights in the United States beginning with the struggle to end slavery and continuing through the modern civil rights movement in the United States . Original source documents, commentary, film and the arts will form the basis for our exploration . Readings will range from the founding documents of the nation—the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution-- to Martin Luther King’s Long Walk to Freedom . Among others we will explore the work of John Courtney Murray, S .J . ’20, as well as the more recent writing of Cornel West, Derrick Bell, James Cone and Brian Purnell ‘96 . While the focus will be on the African-American search for civil rights, some attention will be paid to other movements including women’s suffrage and the ERA, as well as the gay rights movement to more deeply explore the concept of rights and the complexities of different movements . The purpose of the human rights course is to provide students with the intellectual framework for understanding the numerous and complex geopolitical issues related to genocide and the debates surrounding its study as well as present day violations of human rights and potential genocides . An examination of several major cases of genocide post-1948 (Cambodia, Iraq, Rwanda, Balkan Peninsula, Darfur & Syria) will provide the foundation for comparative analysis and the exploration of universal questions relating to human rights and their gross violation . Students will also read accounts of the personal experience of genocide and why the international community, including the United States, found it so difficult to adequately respond . Ultimately students will formulate answers to the questions: How can or should the United States government respond to humanitarian crises and who has the power to affect change when governments fail to protect their people?
United States History (1 Credit)
This course surveys the history of the United States from its colonial origins through the World War II era . Students will develop their historical skills and perspective by concentrating on certain topics and themes within that narrative . Particular attention is paid in the first semester to the political and constitutional development of the country from the period of the American Revolution through the age of Jackson to the Civil War . In the second half of the year, students will explore the impact of industrialization and immigration on society, the economy, politics and the relationship between the government and citizens . Attention is also paid to the formation of American foreign policy and its evolution through the World Wars .
AP United States History (1 Credit)
This is a college level course in American History . Students will gain a strong grounding in the facts surrounding important events in United States History . They will also learn to read historical material analytically and critically, to weigh historical evidence and interpretations and to arrive at conclusions on the basis of informed judgments . The student will be expected to acquire and utilize primary sources including how to interpret maps, statistical tables and graphic materials . Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Examination in United States History at the conclusion of the course and may earn college credits through this exam .
AP Comparative Government and Politics (1 Credit)
This is a college level course which introduces students to the fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and outcomes of politics in a variety of country settings . This course aims to communicate to students the importance of global political and economic changes . It covers the major concepts that are used to organize and interpret what we know about political phenomena and relationships through an emphasis on specific countries and their governments including China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria and Russia . The political system of the United States will also be covered as a point of comparison . In addition, students will sharpen their oral, analytical and writing skills . Students are required to take the Advanced Placement Examination in Comparative Government and Politics at the conclusion of the course and may earn college credits through this exam .
This is a college level course which will give students an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States . This course includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U .S . government and politics and the analysis of specific examples . It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs and ideas that constitute U .S . government and politics . Students successfully completing this course will know important facts, concepts and theories pertaining to U .S . government and politics, understand typical patterns of political processes and behavior and their consequences, be able to analyze and interpret basic data relevant to U .S . government and politics, be able to critically analyze relevant theories and concepts, apply them appropriately and develop their connections across the curriculum . In addition, students will sharpen their oral, analytical and writing skills . Students are required to take the Advanced Placement Examination in United States Government and Politics at the conclusion of the course and may earn college credits through this exam . AP European History (1 Credit)
This is a college level course in European History . This course will uncover the history of Europe from the Renaissance to the present . In this course, students will examine how Europe was transformed from the “medieval” to the “modern” over the course of one thousand years . Students will investigate the social, economic, political and military movements that have come to define Europe . Attention will be given to artistic and literary movements . Students are required to take the Advanced Placement Examination in European History at the conclusion of the course and may earn college credits through this exam .
Modern U.S. and World History (1 Credit)
This course will survey the history of the world and the United States since World War II . The course will begin with a study of economics and how it has impacted history . The course will enable students to understand contemporary events in the context of recent history . Students will use primary and secondary sources to analyze long term issues and events such as World War II, The Cold War, The Vietnam War, Middle Eastern conflicts, the end of colonialism, the rise of new nation states, modern technological developments, the rise of pandemics such as AIDS, civil rights struggles in the United States, the rise of fundamentalism and international terrorism and recent new developments in American politics, society and culture . This will be a writing intensive course and will include a term research paper .
Undocumented Modern History MAKERS (1 Credit)
Have you ever studied a particular topic in history and felt that you did not learn the whole story? This is a modern history and technology course that seeks to provide a voice for the important people who are often omitted from the historical record . In the first semester, students will scour history textbooks, books and scholarly articles in order to identify and learn the mostly untold stories of people that influenced the famous events of the postWWII era . Using technologies like web-design, infographics, game design, video making and 3D printing, students will then create “artifacts” that tell the stories of their research subjects and present them in a student-designed museum exhibition . In the second semester, students will make a documentary film that tells the real story of a subject of their choice . These films will feature a subject or subjects whose stories are affected by events from modern U .S . history . (post-WWII) . The class requires no previous experience with technology . By the end of the course, students will have MADE real contributions to the historical record . This
