History

Prerequisites: None. Required of 9th grade students. A limited number of 10th grade students have taken this course by student request with permission of the Department Chair.

In this course students learn about the history of the world from the beginning of civilization to the Renaissance through different global spheres: Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, East Asia and the Americas. Content is taught through themes, including: What does it mean to be civilized? How do themes such as law, military, freedom, wealth and piety influence cultures? Why do cultures in different areas differ? Why are they similar?

The course further develops the academic skills and critical and independent thinking necessary for success in a college-preparatory environment. In addition to a common text, students read primary and secondary sources, conduct their own research on smaller and larger research projects and write persuasive essays. Course activities are designed to facilitate discussion among classmates and an understanding of the issues across the world in the past and present.

Prerequisites: None. Requirements: Students must be in the 10th grade to take the course.

This course will continue to study topics introduced in the 9th grade Global Cultures course, and offers a survey of the Modern World. After a study of the Enlightenment, students will study the Age of Napoleon and the implementation (and failed implementation) of many of these ideas. Afterward, students will study changes brought about by industrialization, the changes of relationships between European and non-European nations, and how resulting nationalist pride begins a cause and effect that results in World War, economic and political instability, another World War and a resulting Cold War. Yet the truly modern aspect of the course examines how changes from war and suffering result in greater rights for individuals, the desire and need for stability in life, and how some populations succeed in a post-war capitalist society. At the center of this course will be a guiding question: What makes a modern nation, and how does this impact the relationship between people and the government? A key aspect of this course includes connections across English and History departments. This course will continue to build common skills across both departments.

Prerequisites: 
10th graders must have:
1. Average grade of 88 or better in their previous English and history classes
2. Support of the department and recommendation of their current history teacher

12th graders must have:
1. Average grade of 88 or better in their previous English and history classes
2. PSAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 530 or better (or an equivalent score on the SAT, Pre-ACT or ACT)
3. Support of the department and the recommendation of their current history teacher
4. Score of > 3 on any previous AP exams

Meet all criteria—Approved
Meet 3 of 4 criteria—Approval Likely
Meet 2 of 4 criteria—Approval Unlikely
Meet < 2 of 4 criteria—Not Approved

Course Description:
This course will generally follow the prescribed AP World History: Modern College Board curriculum guideline, spanning from c. 1200 CE to the present day through an investigation of significant events, individuals, developments and processes through analyzing historical sources and evidence, making historical connections, inducing chronological reasoning, and creating and supporting a historical argument. As this is an Advanced Placement course, there will be considerable depth and breath in covered content, and thus the pace of the course will move quickly. Students will be prepared to take the AP exam in World History at year’s end, although the course will not be specifically taught to this exam.

Underclassmen are required to take the AP exam.

Required of all 11th grade students not taking AP US History

United States History is a thorough course, ranging from the late prehistoric period through the beginning of the 21st century. The course covers traditional political and diplomatic history, as well as social, economic and cultural history. Major themes covered include, but are not limited to, exploration and colonialism, the early Republic, the causes and history of the Civil War, Reconstruction, industrialization and immigration, Populism and Progressivism, Imperialism, World War I, the Great Depression and the New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, civil rights and Vietnam, Liberalism and the “New Conservatism,” and the Clinton-Bush period. United States History is required for graduation.

Prerequisites:
1. Average grade of 88 in previous English and history classes
2. PSAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 530 or better (or an equivalent score on the SAT, Pre-ACT or ACT)
3. Support of the department and the recommendation of their current history teacher
4. AP score of > 3 on any previous AP exams

Meet all criteria—Approved
Meet 3 of 4 criteria—Approval Likely
Meet 2 of 4 criteria—Approval Unlikely
Meet < 2 of 4 criteria—Not Approved

Course Description:
AP US History is a college-paced survey of American History from 1607 to the present. While preparing for the AP exam is one of the goals, we hope to create an experience that brings relevance of American history to the lives of students. Students will learn solid communication skills through appropriate and effective analytical writing, public speaking and discussion opportunities, blogging and the basics of media literacy. Students also will gain a firm understanding of America’s past, place in the world and how this relates to their lives regardless of where they were born.

Underclassmen are required to take the AP exam.

Prerequisites: US History or AP US History

Students are given an introduction to the functions, powers and properties of the American governmental system. Particular emphasis is placed on how the government has functioned from its founding to the present. Topics covered throughout the year include the inner workings of federalism, checks and balances, civil rights and national security. Through assigned readings, campaign ads and Supreme Court cases, students explore and analyze foundational elements of the American government, giving them the knowledge and skills necessary to become engaged citizens of America and the world in the 21st century.

Prerequisites: 
10th graders must have:
1. Average grade of 88 or better in their previous English and history classes
2. Support of the department and recommendation of their current history teacher 

12th graders must have:
1. Average grade of 88 or better in their previous English and history classes
2. PSAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 530 or better (or an equivalent score on the SAT, Pre-ACT or ACT)
3. Support of the department and the recommendation of their current history teacher
4. Score of > 3 on any previous AP exams

Meet all criteria—Approved
Meet 3 of 4 criteria—Approval Likely
Meet 2 of 4 criteria—Approval Unlikely
Meet < 2 of 4 criteria—Not Approved
 
Course Description: 
AP US Government & Politics abides by the rubrics set forth by the College Board. This course begins with a focus on the theories of government and the creation of the United States Constitution, separation of powers, and the system of federalism. Additional areas of focus include linkage institutions such as political parties, campaigns and elections, interest groups, and the media, the three branches of American federal government and its bureaucracy, an understanding of civil liberties and civil rights, and how these structures and institutions affect public policy.

Prerequisites: 
10th graders must have:
1. Average grade of 88 or better in their previous English and history classes
2. Support of the department and recommendation of their current history teacher 

12th graders must have:
1. Average grade of 88 or better in their previous English and history classes
2. PSAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 530 or better (or an equivalent score on the SAT, Pre-ACT or ACT)
3. Support of the department and the recommendation of their current history teacher
4. Score of > 3 on any previous AP exams

Meet all criteria—Approved
Meet 3 of 4 criteria—Approval Likely
Meet 2 of 4 criteria—Approval Unlikely
Meet < 2 of 4 criteria—Not Approved
 
Course Description: 
This College Board-approved interdisciplinary (Political Science and History) course examines the political institutions and processes of six different countries—China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United Kingdom—and compares the ways they address problems. Students learn essential social and data science analysis skills alongside traditional historical thinking and communication practices to draw conclusions about political systems. The course is divided into 5 units where students learn how to think, research, and communicate using political science and history best practices.

Underclassmen are required to take the AP exam. Seniors are required to take the exam but may apply for an exemption in consultation with the teacher and the College Counseling Office.

Open to 12th grade students and selected 11th graders who need a fifth full-year course or have a desire to pursue an international relations degree in college

This course will introduce students to the academic discussion about contemporary world politics. This field aims to provide meaningful discourse and to critically examine contrasting international relations theories in order to explain both the historical and modern context of foreign policies. Students will be introduced to traditional realist, constructivist, and liberal theories, as well as key concepts pertaining to state behavior. Why do states behave the way they do? What drives states to join international organizations such as NATO or the UN? How do issues of nuclear proliferation, climate change, human rights/security, globalization, migration, national security, and sports, affect international diplomacy? These central questions offer students a survey into the world in the global context of the 20th century and help them to identify the distinguishing characteristics of the unfolding global order of the 21st century.

Prerequisite: Open to 12th grade students and selected 11th graders who need a fifth full-year course or have a desire to pursue an economics degree in college

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to microeconomics, macroeconomics and business-related fields associated with an economics degree. The class emphasizes skill development such as note taking, reading a college-level text, the application of charts and graphs, and writing essays. In addition, the class incorporates numerous project-based learning assignments that require students to use technology in and outside of the classroom as a means for providing materials necessary for completing the project. The underlying purpose of the course is to give the students an emphasis on the application of theory and principle to contemporary business and consumer practices.

Prerequisite: Open to 11th and 12th grade students

Legal Studies introduces students to a few of the many facets of law in the United States, such as Criminal, Civil, Family, and Contracts law. As critical reading, writing and argument development are important in the legal profession, Legal Studies students focus on developing these skills through case reading, brief writing and fact patterns. This class also emphasizes experiential learning as students step into mock trials, prepare for and argue cases, negotiate contracts, and view local legal proceedings when available. Students learn what the law is like and gain a glimpse into the legal profession to identify a possible future career path.

Prerequisite: Open to 12th grade students and selected 11th graders who need a fifth full-year course or have a desire to pursue a psychology degree in college

This course examines the human mind and human behavior. Students will explore the different models upon which modern psychology has been built, along with such things as the history and origins of psychology, research methods, human development, and psychological disorders. The course will engage students with thought-provoking questions, meaningful conversations, and projects that cover a broad spectrum of learning capabilities designed to prepare students for their future away from VES by understanding the basics of psychology and how to apply it to the real world.

Prerequisites: Completion of or current enrollment in Modern World History or an equivalent course

This course is unconventional in its aim to center the experiences of those who have traditionally been pushed to the margins. Understanding historical systems of privilege and oppression will be key to learning about how racism, sexism, heterosexism and class privilege can become pervasive in society. Students will immerse themselves in scholarship written by authors of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds to gain deeper understanding of how different communities interact with law enforcement, educational institutions and justice systems. Furthermore, understanding theories on gender, sexuality and intersectionality will enhance students’ perspectives on how identity plays an important role in the creation of social hierarchies. Topics may include but are not limited to mass incarceration, immigration policy, school-to-prison pipeline, wealth distribution and social movements. In taking this class, students will identify one particular topic of interest and use it to design a semester-long or year-long research project that may be shared with the entire community.

The course will provide the basis for the development of effective leadership and managerial competence. With a focus on interactive learning, case studies, and prevalent leadership theory, this course examines fundamental tenets of leadership and management in the context of the theories and principles of individual and group leadership with emphasis on how they apply in today’s world. Topics include self-leadership, self-management, and team leadership while students refine and further develop their understanding of personal strengths, values, and growth opportunities in the context of team, group, and organizational leadership.  Students will develop knowledge, abilities, and skills that will assist them as future leaders to successfully operate in the complex socio-economic environments around the globe.