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The emphasis of this class will be creating a knowledge base in multiple areas of the study of history. The ultimate goal is to have the students be better historians when they finish their coursework. Content work will begin with work on world geography where students will develop a better knowledge of regions, countries and influential topographic features.

The course then moves into work in two major themes. First is an examination of historically influential government and economic systems where ancient world history will be the starting point and the class will examine the development of these systems. The second theme will be world religions where the origins of some of the major world religions will be examined again using their origination point in ancient history as the backdrop for expanded understanding of the complex situations that have arisen around religion in general. Ancient civilizations that will be studied are: Greece, Rome, China, Japan, and the Middle East.

Skill emphasis in this course will be heavily based in communication, critical thinking, and content knowledge acquisition. Students will work to expand their skill sets in each of these areas in order to have a strong foundation as they enter tenth grade.

Students can earn an Honors designation by completing three projects that require significant self-direction under the guidance of the teacher.

Explorations in World History examines the history of significant global communities and the intersection of communities, ideas and intellectual movements. Connecting traditional learning of significant historical developments in key regions of the world with an examination of current global issues, the course is designed to engage students by actively investigating the changing world and the rise and fall of empires and countries and the role that ideas play in the development of societies and cultures. Students in this course will focus on how communities, ideas and nations evolve, develop and spread, as well as the increased globalization of the world through migration and exploration and exchange of cultures and ideas. The curriculum is designed to provide students with training and practice in the acquisition of skills, with a clear focus on communication and critical thinking and decision making along with the acquisition of knowledge necessary for the study of history to prepare students for US History the following year. The class is project and communication based, with a focus on the analyzing of primary source material and the application of skills and ideas.

Designed predominantly for juniors, United States History is a course that provides a thematic investigation of the idea of the American Experiment. The main areas of investigation focus on how the United States changes and experiments with its political system, how it addresses and adapts to the changing social and demographic trends and finally how its interactions with the global world impact the economic realities of its citizens and the world. In this course, students are challenged to develop critical thinking and communication skills. Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to formulate and defend an argument that is supported by historical evidence and logical discussion. Students are also expected to understand connections that others have made between the past and the present, but also be able to make those connections themselves and apply these understandings to their own lives. The core lesson is that the study of history makes a difference in the experiences of today.

Honors credit may be earned by any student enrolled in US History. To earn honors credit students must complete two extension assessments per trimester. These assessments range from projects to essays.  All of these assessments require students to display a level of understanding and critical thinking beyond what is required within the scope of the US History curriculum.

A faster-paced and more challenging version of the standard United States History course (above), this course provides a rigorous intellectual challenge for students who are seriously interested in the study of history and who have already demonstrated advanced levels of skills in communication, critical thinking and a strong conceptual understandings world history. The AP program in United States History is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and enduring understandings necessary to deal critically with the problems and issues that are exposed in the course of their study of history.

The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by a full-year introductory college course. Students learn to assess historical materials—their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance—and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. The course develops the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in an essay format.

In this course, students investigate the study of human mind and behavior, following the model of a college-level introductory course. There is an emphasis on scientific reasoning and analysis of complex human phenomena, as well as on the application of psychological concepts to real-world issues. Major themes of the course are the relationships between brain and behavior, body and mind, nature and nurture. Core topics include the study of the life span development of an individual, and the subfields of cognitive psychology, social psychology, abnormal psychology and the study of personality. Students spend additional time reviewing and preparing for the AP Psychology exam, offered in May.

This course is designed for qualified students who wish to complete studies in secondary school equivalent to a one-semester college introductory course in government and politics. The course replaces an earlier elective course in Politics offered by the department, while maintaining many of the same learning objectives.

This course examines the nature of government and social structures and is organized around a basic assumption that politics is the science which examines how groups make collective decisions. The philosophy and theory of government and social structures is examined before moving on to an in-depth analysis of the mechanics of American government. Engaging students in inquiry of the issues revolving around the American political system is essential in preparing them to be lifelong learners and responsible, active citizens. While the major focus of the course is the governmental and political systems of the United States, a lens of comparative study of systems of governance throughout the world is employed when possible to deepen understanding of US government while providing a broad global context for appreciating the strengths and limitations of American democracy. In doing so, this course supports the objective of the Senior/PG program in preparing students for active and informed citizenship in the interconnected global political domain of the 21st century. As in all senior level Social Science courses, students complete a Capstone Inquiry research project.

In Introduction to Psychology, students embark on an investigation of the study of human mind and behavior. There is an emphasis on scientific reasoning and analysis of complex human phenomena, as well as on the application of psychological concepts to real-world issues. Major themes of the course are the relationships between brain and behavior, body and mind, nature and nurture. The course focuses on the major subfields or paradigms, such as biological, behavioral, cognitive, positive and socio-cultural.  This project-driven course challenges students to see the human experience from a variety of perspectives, and examines the variance of human experiences.

This course introduces students to the theory of entrepreneurship and its practical implementation as well as social entrepreneurship and business principles. It focuses on different stages related to the entrepreneurial process, including business model innovation, monetization, and small business management.  Additionally, students explore the traits of entrepreneurs through personal interviews, site visits, and presentations. Students will also develop skills in written business communication and oral presentations that allow them to integrate entrepreneurship concepts and interact with business experts. Students will prepare pitches, business plans, and marketing plans as well as propose and implement a pop-up business.