Modern World History is the first year of a sequential Social Sciences Department curriculum and is designed to provide all entering Sacred Heart students with a common background in academic and social science skills, cultural concepts, historical appreciation, and essentials of geographic knowledge. Skills introduced and reinforced include summarizing and paraphrasing, categorization, understanding of historical perspective and bias, note taking and organization, presentation skills, introduction of research skills, and some persuasive writing. Students will write a research paper in the spring semester as well as work on collaborative and individual projects. Areas of study include Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The geography component of the course teaches the importance of geography as a historical determinant and encourages environmental stewardship. Students will also participate actively and regularly in the SHP gardens.

Ethnic Studies & Civics
This sequence of courses is required for sophomore students in the Social Science Department. 

Fall Semester. In Ethnic Studies, students will examine the cultures, histories, and experiences of diverse peoples in the United States. The course will emphasize the often-neglected experiences of historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups, especially Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and Middle Eastern/North African communities. Students will explore the way that racial and ethnic identities and structures of power influence people's experiences. They will analyze the mechanics of past and present forms of discrimination and oppression, and they will examine and evaluate strategies for acting toward a more just world. S

Honors Coursework. Both Ethnic Studies and Civics offer students the opportunity to embrace a higher level of academic challenge through more rigorous reading, additional writing, and a more robust research project. All students who successfully complete the work to standard will earn the Honors designation for the course at the end of the semester. Honors credit will be awarded separately in each semester, so students may choose to work toward an Honors designation in one semester but not the other.

Ethnic Studies & Civics
This sequence of courses is required for sophomore students in the Social Science Department. 

Spring Semester. In Civics, students will build knowledge and skills to empower their active participation in local, state, and federal governments. Students will examine the origins of the American democratic tradition and its evolution, evaluating the successes and challenges of democratic government in the past and present. They will practice real-world research skills by investigating concerns in their own communities and national political debates. As students discuss problems and evaluate paths to make change, they will also deepen their habits of engaging in civic discourse skills and navigating a complex media landscape.

Honors Coursework. Both Ethnic Studies and Civics offer students the opportunity to embrace a higher level of academic challenge through more rigorous reading, additional writing, and a more robust research project. All students who successfully complete the work to standard will earn the Honors designation for the course at the end of the semester. Honors credit will be awarded separately in each semester, so students may choose to work toward an Honors designation in one semester but not the other.

Prerequisite:

• This course is limited to seniors only.
• All seniors may choose to enroll in Honors or AP-level courses. 
• Teachers will provide recommendations for each student, indicating whether the  student is well-prepared for advanced coursework. Students should consult with their teachers and counselors in selecting an appropriate level of challenge. 

• Constitutional Foundations and Principles;
• Civil Rights and Civil Liberties;
• American Political Culture and Beliefs;
• Political Participation; and,
• Interaction between the Branches of Government.

Food and Agriculture in World History 

This course will examine the broad sweep of human history through the lens of food and agriculture, from our hunter-gatherer past to our industrial, digitized present. We will explore the ways that the need to feed ourselves has shaped where and how we live and interact with physical landscapes. There will be an emphasis on transhistorical themes and phenomena, including human migration and settlement, health and disease, famine and abundance, energy and resource use, environmental sustainability and degradation, and the cultural and economic ramifications of food production and consumption. You will also be asked to think deeply about how the inputs to food production, such as soil, seed, and water, have shaped and been shaped by the societies that have utilized them in different times and places. 

The course will make use of SHP’s farm, gardens, and kitchens to do immersive hands-on work with sustainable plant and animal agriculture and food preparation tied to the topics and themes of the course. Students will be asked to read, view, and listen to a wide variety of sources, including primary sources, academic and popular history, podcasts, documentaries, news articles, maps, and statistical databases.

The experiential component of this class includes moderately strenuous farm and garden work, including animal slaughters; students should be ready and willing to participate in these activities.

Food and Agriculture in World History, Honors 

This course will examine the broad sweep of human history through the lens of food and agriculture, from our hunter-gatherer past to our industrial, digitized present. We will explore the ways that the need to feed ourselves has shaped where and how we live and interact with physical landscapes. There will be an emphasis on transhistorical themes and phenomena, including human migration and settlement, health and disease, famine and abundance, energy and resource use, environmental sustainability and degradation, and the cultural and economic ramifications of food production and consumption. You will also be asked to think deeply about how the inputs to food production, such as soil, seed, and water, have shaped and been shaped by the societies that have utilized them in different times and places. 

The course will make use of SHP’s farm, gardens, and kitchens to do immersive hands-on work with sustainable plant and animal agriculture and food preparation tied to the topics and themes of the course. Students will be asked to read, view, and listen to a wide variety of sources, including primary sources, academic and popular history, podcasts, documentaries, news articles, maps, and statistical databases.

The experiential component of this class includes moderately strenuous farm and garden work, including animal slaughters; students should be ready and willing to participate in these activities.

The honors component of this course will ask students to engage with more difficult materials and complete extra work. The focus will be on critical engagement with primary sources and more complex works of academic history. Honors students will respond to these sources through extra homework assignments and/or additional questions on assessments. 

Prerequisite:

• All juniors and seniors may choose to enroll in Honors or AP-level courses. 
• Teachers will provide recommendations for each student, indicating whether the student is well-prepared for advanced coursework. Students should consult with their teachers and counselors in selecting an appropriate level of challenge. 

Psychology 
Psychology is a semester-long survey course designed to introduce students to some of the most prominent disciplines within the field through examining their most significant studies.  Students will be challenged to analyze and critique the methods used in each discipline and to reflect upon how discoveries in each discipline inform their own experiences.  The course is broken up into four units, cognitive psychology (how do we think and learn?), developmental psychology (how does the mind evolve as we grow?), social psychology (how do humans tend to behave as members of a group?), clinical psychology (how do we as a community define and treat psychological disorders?).  Students will complete a research paper on a psychological discovery of their choice.

Social & Environmental Economics 
This is a semester-long course.

The major social, political, and environmental issues of the 21^st century have economics as a common, foundational element.  Therefore, understanding, confronting, and solving these issues requires a working knowledge of that discipline. This semester-long course takes a macroeconomic perspective in analyzing the U.S. and world’s economies.  In order to put the issues of climate change, environmental sustainability, inequality, and financial crises in perspective we will begin with by examining the key economic issues of growth of Gross Domestic Product, inflation, unemployment levels, monetary policy and the roles of central banks.  We will then explore how our attention to those intersect with the “real-world” economics of social and environmental issues of interest.

History Seminar - Constitutional Law 
This semester-long course focuses on the origin, nature and importance of the U.S. Bill of Rights and includes an in-depth look at specific amendments and the civil liberties they guarantee.  The course begins with an analysis of the specific philosophical and documentary roots of the U.S. Bill of Rights and examines the process by which these specific rights were added to the original U.S. Constitution.  Students then consider the historical and contemporary role of the Supreme Court in interpreting these rights.  Throughout the course, students will learn to identify historical and current examples of their fundamental liberties and the interdependence among those freedoms. Students will also learn to identify government violations of their rights and the constitutional limits on government policy making.  In addition, students will complete a six to either page research paper on a current civil liberties issue of their choice.  The overall purpose of the course is to provide students with the knowledge to identify, explain, and guard their own constitutional rights in an era of expanding government authority.

History Seminar Honors - Constitutional Law 
This semester-long course focuses on the origin, nature and importance of the U.S. Bill of Rights and includes an in-depth look at specific amendments and the civil liberties they guarantee.  The course begins with an analysis of the specific philosophical and documentary roots of the U.S. Bill of Rights and examines the process by which these specific rights were added to the original U.S. Constitution.  Students then consider the historical and contemporary role of the Supreme Court in interpreting these rights.  Throughout the course, students will learn to identify historical and current examples of their fundamental liberties and the interdependence among those freedoms. Students will also learn to identify government violations of their rights and the constitutional limits on government policy making.  In addition, students will complete a six to either page research paper on a current civil liberties issue of their choice.  The overall purpose of the course is to provide students with the knowledge to identify, explain, and guard their own constitutional rights in an era of expanding government authority.

Honors - Students taking the course for honors credit will complete additional weekly reading assignments, take part in a weekly roundtable seminar discussion, and complete an eight to ten page research paper. 

Prerequisite:

• All juniors and seniors may choose to enroll in Honors or AP-level courses. 
• Teachers will provide recommendations for each student, indicating whether the  student is well-prepared for advanced coursework. Students should consult with their teachers and counselors in selecting an appropriate level of challenge. 

Social & Environmental Economics, Honors
This is a semester-long course.

The major social, political, and environmental issues of the 21^st century have economics as a common, foundational element.  Therefore, understanding, confronting, and solving these issues requires a working knowledge of that discipline. This semester-long course takes a macroeconomic perspective in analyzing the U.S. and world’s economies.  In order to put the issues of climate change, environmental sustainability, inequality, and financial crises in perspective we will begin with by examining the key economic issues of growth of Gross Domestic Product, inflation, unemployment levels, monetary policy and the roles of central banks.  We will then explore how our attention to those intersect with the “real-world” economics of social and environmental issues of interest.