Sociology

Sociology provides an opportunity for systematic study of individuals, groups, and social institutions.  Content includes concepts such as social stratification and mobility; cultural conflict, change, and contact; the structure and function of social institutions; and the role of mores, traditions, and folkways in a society. 

Psychology

This course gives students the opportunity to study individual and group psychology.  Students learn how the knowledge, methods, and theories of psychologists are applied to analyzing human behavior.  Course content is organized to help students develop critical attitudes toward superficial generalizations about human behavior, to recognize the tentativeness of propositions about human behavior, and to achieve a better understanding of behavior in general.

Economics 

The course provides opportunities for students to study basic principles concerning production, consumption, and distribution of goods and services.  Content builds an understanding of the essential components and benefits of the free enterprise system.  Students study such concepts as scarcity, economic interdependence, the market system, prices, economic stability, and growth.  They examine the role of government in the American economic system and explore selected aspects of international economic systems.
 
The course gives students insights into the techniques and tools used by economists in analyzing data.  Students are also provided opportunities to acquire competencies and knowledge of practical economic functions.  This course is the culmination of the economic content, concepts, and methodology students studied in the elementary grades and in required secondary courses.

Advanced Placement Macroeconomics

The purpose of this course is to give students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole.  This course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price determination, and also develops students? familiarity with economic performance measures, economic growth, and international economics.

World Geography Studies; Pre-AP World Geography

World Geography studies provide students the opportunity to study the interaction of people and their physical environments in the major areas of the world.  Content introduces the student to the world geographers, their unique vocabulary, tools, and methodologies.  Student acquire an understanding of the physical setting of the Earth, locate and study different land forms and regions of the world, learn how people and geography impact each other, and are introduced to urban analysis.  Content offers students the opportunity to put into practice the geographical concepts and skills they have accumulated throughout the social studies program beginning in the elementary grades and in the Texas and United States history courses.

World History and Advanced Placement World History

This course includes further study of the history and development of world cultures that students encountered throughout the elementary grades and earlier secondary social studies courses.  Content includes the development of early civilizations, western civilization, and other world regions from their early days to the present.
 
This course provides students the opportunity to compare and analyze various ways of life and cultural patterns that reflect the diversity and commonality of human experiences and the understanding of how these patterns occur.  Geographic influence on world history is a part of the study.

United States History and Advanced Placement United States History

Content for the second year of study of United States history includes significant individuals, issues, and events after the period of Reconstruction to the present.  The course continues the focus from Grade 8 on the history, geography, and political and economic growth of the nation.  It also continues the theme of cultural pluralism as a characteristic of American society, past and present.
 
Students study the emergence of the United States as a world power.  They learn how geography influences historical developments, analyze economic development and growth, understand the nation?s social and cultural developments, and study the political development of the United States from Reconstruction to the present.
 
This course is also designed to continue and expand social studies skills and processes started in the elementary social studies program.
 
Whenever appropriate, content should include primary and secondary sources such as diaries, letters, newspapers, public laws, decrees, and documents to provide a comprehensive study of the historical, economic, social, and political development of the United States.

United States Government and Advanced Placement United States Government

This course provides an opportunity to study in depth the foundation of the United States political system; to analyze the political institutions, processes, and values of the system; to trace the development of the United States governmental system; and to analyze the structure and functions of government on local, state, and federal levels.
 
Students put into practice the concepts they learned about responsibilities on the personal, social and civic levels.  They also analyze the institutions and processes of local, state, national, and other political systems.  The content builds upon knowledge gained in elementary grades and in earlier secondary social studies courses and focuses on an analysis of historic documents associated with the political development of the United States and on students? participation and decision making in civic affairs.