SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

The students will study the people of ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome showing how they laid the groundwork for our society.  Next they survey the development of European society through the Renaissance, Reformation, and discovery of the New World.  Finally they analyze the political and social turmoil that created the modern world we live in.

American history is studied from the founding of our country to the present day.  American documents and Supreme Court cases are chronologically integrated into the course.  Class discussion, current events, and all basic social studies skills, including vocabulary and writing are an integral part of this course.

The AP American History class is a college level survey course of American social, economic, and political history from the time of the earliest inhabitants to the present.  There is a heavy emphasis on writing skills, the use of computers and group responsibility.

Students have the opportunity to take the AP exam in May.

Topics studied include Foundations of U.S. Government, Congress and the lawmaking process, the Presidency, the federal courts and the judicial process, and the citizenship rights and responsibilites. The Illinois Constitution is studied as a separate unit. A community service requirement is a part of the course grade.