Social Studies

The Social Studies curriculum provides insight into the relevance of the past to the modern world. Students develop an appreciation of our multicultural interdependence, our democratic society, and the world as a whole. Students are encouraged to take an active role in the community and the world at large by being well-informed and capable of making objective decisions based on the use of critical thinking skills.
 
WORLD GEOGRAPHY - Eighth Graders - 1 credit 
World Geography is a survey of the geography of the Americas, Australia, Europe, Asia, and Africa. This course will emphasize the physical processes that shape the Earth’s surface, the physical and human characteristics of places, the characteristics, distribution and migration of human population on Earth’s surface and the processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement.

WORLD HISTORY / WORLD HISTORY H - Freshmen - 1 credit 
World History is a survey of the history of the world from Prehistory through the Age of Imperialism. It is a study of the political, social, and economic aspects of each time period, including the philosophy, the literature, and the arts.

EUROPEAN HISTORY / EUROPEAN HISTORY AP - Sophomores - 1 credit
European History covers the history of Europe from the Renaissance to the early 21st century. All areas of history are covered, including social, political, economic, intellectual, cultural, gender, and art history. 

Advanced Placement European History is a challenging course designed to be the equivalent of a freshman college Western Civilization survey course.  This course covers the history of Europe from the Renaissance to the early 21st century.  Students are expected to do a considerable amount of reading in both the major text and supplementary sources.  All areas of history are covered, including social, political, economic, intellectual, cultural, gender, and art history.  Students are expected to do a considerable amount of reading in both the major text and supplementary sources. 
 
AMERICAN HISTORY / AMERICAN HISTORY AP - Juniors - 1 credit
This course examines the history of the United States from colonization to the present time. There is emphasis on the key people and events of U.S. history and their influence on our society, and how these people and events have affected change in our country and globally.
AP American History is a challenging course that is meant to be the equivalent of a freshman college course. It is a survey of American history from the age of exploration to the present. The distinguishing characteristic of this course is the emphasis on analytical and interpretive writing. This course is divided into periods of time and emphasizes themes throughout American history. These themes include the American identity, economic evolution, and American foreign policy.

CIVICS / UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT & POLITICS AP - Seniors - 1 credit  
The Civics course explores political theory, governmental study, and economics. The students are provided with a survey of varying forms of government, the U.S. Constitution, our civil rights, the three branches of government at the national and state levels, and the economic aspects of government and society.
AP U.S. Government and Politics gives students an analytical perspective on the inner workings of government and politics in the United States. Topics include: the constitutional underpinnings of U.S. government, political beliefs and behaviors, political parties, interest groups, mass media, institutions of national government, public policy, civil rights and civil liberties. Admission to this course is predicated on student academic performance, standardized test scores, and teacher recommendations.


ELECTIVE COURSEWORK:

LAW STUDIES I - Sophomores / Juniors / Seniors - 1 credit
Law Studies is a survey course of the American Legal System. Topics include an overview of both Civil and Criminal laws and their foundations as well as an interactive study of legal procedure.  Students apply what is learned to current events and well known cases.

LAW STUDIES II - Juniors/ Seniors - 1 credit
Prerequisite:  Law Studies.  The focus of this class is trial skills and preparation.  Students will learn about hearsay, how to introduce evidence, and how to prepare an effective opening argument, cross examination and closing argument.  Additionally, students will learn how to prepare and effectively argue briefs to a panel of judges.  Persuasive rhetoric and logical analysis are a focus of this course.

PHILOSOPHY (CP or HONORS) - Sophomores / Juniors / Seniors - 1 credit
Philosophy introduces students to topics found in classical philosophical writings, such as the nature of truth and knowledge, mind and body, freedom and determinism, right and wrong and the existence of God.

PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS - Juniors / Seniors - 1 credit
Principles of Economics introduces students  to the basic tools of micro- and macroeconomic analysis. Microeconomics deals with consumers, firms, markets and income distribution. Macroeconomics deals with national income, employment, inflation and money.

PSYCHOLOGY AP - Juniors / Seniors - 1 credit 
The course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and address the question, "How do psychologists think?”. Students learn about some of the explorations and discoveries made by psychologists over the past century and assess some of the differing approaches adopted by psychologists, including the biological, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural perspectives. Admission to this course is based upon past student performance, standardized test scores and teacher recommendation.

PSYCHOLOGY DE - Juniors / Seniors - 1 credit 
The purpose of this class is to provide a general introduction to psychology.  The course will introduce students to the major theoretical perspectives in psychology, research methods, and concepts from different content areas, such as developmental, clinical, personality and social psychology. Students will learn to explain why psychology is a science with the primary objectives of describing, understanding, predicting, and controlling behavior and mental processes.  They will learn to recognize and recall psychological concepts and theories from key subfields (e.g., development, learning, personality, social, and abnormal) and the contributions of key figures in psychology, and they will be asked to compare and contrast the major theoretical perspectives in psychology.  Finally, students will describe research methods used by psychologists including their respective advantages and disadvantages; moreover, they will need to apply examples of relevant and practical applications of psychological principles to everyday life.

SOCIOLOGY HONORS - Juniors / Seniors - 1 credit 
Sociology explores the relationship between the individual and society while evaluating why societies are held together. The course considers political philosophies, government structures, economic changes, as well as the wide diversity of human customs and traditions, while analyzing how people think about themselves and their world.

SOCIOLOGY DE - Juniors / Seniors - 1 credit 
To prepare students for full participation in the modern world, both by providing the sociological perspective for understanding how social, cultural, and physical environments affect how humans live, and by providing the sociological skills needed to contribute in an ever-changing global society.
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St. Scholastica Academy is a Catholic, all-girls, college-preparatory high school located in Covington, Louisiana. Founded in 1903, SSA perpetuates the Benedictine tradition of balancing prayer, work, study, and community in developing adolescent girls into Christian women grounded in the Gospel values of the Catholic faith. St. Scholastica Academy is a Catholic girls high school of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. As such it admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities available to students at its schools. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.