Social Studies - IB Programme

This college-level course includes topics such as: sovereignty, authority, and power; political institutions; citizens, society, and the State; political and economic change; and public policy. Case studies in the governments of Great Britain, China, Iran, Mexico, Russia, and Nigeria provide context for exploring the topics of the course. Analytical writing is required. In May, students take the AP Examination to qualify for Advanced standing and/or credit in college. Students pursuing the IB Diploma take this course as sophomores. IB History certificate candidates take this course during their sophomore or junior year.

Advanced Middle Years Programme World History and Geography from 1500 is a survey of world history from 1500 to present with a concentration on modern developments in western civilization and includes: the Reformation, the Age of Discovery, Absolutism, the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions, the Enlightenment, the development of nation states, nationalism, and the Age of Imperialism, 20th Century conflicts and independence movements, world religions and the contemporary world. Students are trained in historical analysis by discussion, research, and oral and written presentation. Students analyze documents for their origin, purpose, value and limitations. These skills are the foundation for the four-year IB sequence and are a critical component of IB assessments. This course has an associated Standards of Learning (SOL) test. Students will participate in these tests only when they have not yet earned sufficient credit for graduation and/or satisfied federal testing requirements.

This pre-collegiate course emphasizes basic historical research skills using primary and secondary sources to understand multiple causes and perspectives for significant historical events. The course prepares students for future AP history examinations. Course topics include those found in the standard World History and Geography to 1500 course, but emphasis is placed on interregional studies, themes, and global historical patterns and processes. Students are trained in historical analysis by discussion, research, and oral and written presentation. Students analyze documents for their origin, purpose, value and limitations. These skills are the foundation for the four-year IB sequence and are a critical component of IB assessments. This course has an associated Standards of Learning (SOL) test. Students will participate in these tests only when they have not yet earned sufficient credit for graduation and/or satisfied federal testing requirements.

This academically rigorous course focuses on the choices that must constantly be made by individuals, firms, and governments, which affect both their own economic well being and that of society as a whole. The questions of "What?" "How?" and "For whom?" are central to the field of economics. Topics will be approached from an international perspective. The course emphasizes the study of economic development as a part of the solution to contemporary real world problems. The course culminates in an external assessment that provides the possibility of college credit.

In this college-level course, students will develop a global perspective and a sense of world interdependence by understanding the relationship between people, place, and environment. Additional topics include: environmental quality; planning and management of resources for present and future generations; the relevance of geography in analyzing contemporary world issues; issues of social justice, equality and respect for others and an appreciation of diversity. Students will explore a wide range of geographical methodologies and apply appropriate techniques of inquiry including Geographic Information Systems technologies to develop solutions to geographic related issues and problems. The course culminates in an external assessment that provides the possibility of college credit. This course has an associated Standards of Learning (SOL) test. Students will participate in these tests only when they have not yet earned sufficient credit for graduation and/or satisfied federal testing requirements.

This course explores fundamental political concepts such as power, rights, liberty and equality, in a range of contexts and at a variety of levels. It allows students to develop an understanding of the local, national, international, and global dimensions of political activity, as well as allowing them the opportunity to explore political issues affecting their own lives. The course helps students to understand abstract political concepts by grounding them in real world examples and case studies. This course will be an excellent addition and supplement to the courses the students are already taking in the IB History program, building on the foundations established in AP Comparative Government and supporting their studies in 20th Century History. This course provides further study of Comparative Government and prepares students for the IB History course sequence.

This is a survey course of U.S., Canadian, and Latin American history from early European contacts with American Indians and the people of the First Nation through the 20th century including analysis of the U.S. Civil War, industrialization, expansion, and the Latin American dictatorships. The course focuses on the American region's historical experience, and political, economic, and social systems. Students will demonstrate historical analysis by discussion, presentation, and written work including the IB History Internal Assessment. This is the first course in a required two-year sequence of IB diploma level history culminating with a series of external examinations including a full examination on this regional study and may provide college-level credit at many colleges and universities This course has an associated Standards of Learning (SOL) test. Students will participate in these tests only when they have not yet earned sufficient credit for graduation and/or satisfied federal testing requirements.

This survey course of 20th century world history includes topics such as: causes, practices, and effects of war; the rise and rule of single-party states; East-West relations after 1945; nationalists and independence movements; decolonization; and the emergence and problems of new nations. This course will continue to stress political, economic, and social systems as well as require students to further develop their skills of interpretation and analysis through historiography. The course culminates in a series of external assessments that include document-based questions, short essay response and research papers which provide the possibility of college credit. This is the second in a two-course sequence for the IB history certificate and is required for the IB diploma.

IB Social and Cultural Anthropology is a college-level comparative study of human societies and culture. It explores both the universal principles of social and cultural life and characteristics of specific societies and cultures. Topics include small groups, as well as kinship relations, symbolism, exchange, political organizations, social control and gender. The course examines society from the small scale to the complex industrial scale, as well as modern nation states. The course culminates in an external assessment that provides the possibility of college credit.