Social Science

What class do first year students take in the Social Sciences Department?
All incoming freshmen take one semester of Ethnic Studies. This can be in Fall or Spring, and they will take their Health class during the other semester.  

Do I need to worry about placement in the Ethnic Studies class?
No, all students take the same Ethnic Studies course and are assigned randomly to the class they are in and the semester they take the course. There are no Advanced Level or Honors versions of this class; it is a heterogeneous class.

What is the four-year sequence of courses in Social Studies?
Beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, all sophomores take a year-long World History course.
All juniors take a year long United States History course.
All seniors take one semester of Government and one semester of Economics.

Are there Advanced Standing/Honors/AP classes for the required curriculum?
Yes, sophomores have the opportunity to take an Advance Standing World History course.
Juniors can take Advanced Placement United States History.
Seniors can take Advanced Placement Government and Honors Economics.

All these choices are made by the students and their families as we have an open-enrollment policy. Our teachers can give feedback to students about what the expectations are for the courses and how they might be different from the College-Prep courses.

What are the typical differences between College-Prep classes and Advanced Classes?
The most common difference is the speed of the courses. Advanced Classes tend to have higher expectations about how much a student will read on their own, how quickly they can comprehend the material and analyze it, and their command of Social Science vocabulary. Our advice would be to make sure a student really enjoys Social Science courses before committing to Advanced level coursework.

Are there any electives in the Social Sciences department?
Currently, our two electives are Advanced Placement Psychology as well as Agency and Social Justice. In previous years, we have had electives such as Law and Society, General Psychology, etc. Electives tend to be driven by student interest, teacher knowledge, and schoolwide priorities.

If I love the Social Sciences, what extracurricular activities are connected to these courses?
A number of clubs on campus relate to Social Science courses including numerous service clubs, philanthropic groups, and social clubs. The three most connected clubs to our department are Harvard Model Congress, Model United Nations, and the Mock Trial Team. Our department has a history of supporting these three clubs that compete against other schools’ clubs in yearly competitions.