History and Social Science

Category: History and Social Science / Length: Full Year / Description: Our goal is to help students develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society and an interdependent world. Cicero, a famous Roman statesman, wrote, ‘to be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child.’ In today’s world of complex economic and socio-political problems and rapid change, the need for well-informed citizens has never been greater. A well-rounded social science education helps students understand the complexity of the modern world by providing a conceptual framework through which to understand their personal, social, and historical circumstances. Students come to realize that the past has created the present, and that historical processes have shaped ‘ and continue to shape ‘ the world. This understanding helps them plan their futures and affect positive change for themselves, their families, and their communities. Our focus is on integrating the study of history with geography, civics, economics, law, government, religion, and other cultural studies. Courses are designed to help students practice historical analysis by applying advanced critical-thinking, reading, and writing skills. Students are also given the chance to experience the political process first-hand through participation in extracurricular programs like the Harvard Model Congress, Mock Trial, and the Chelsea High School Senate.The History and Social Science Department curriculum is aligned with the current Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks.

Category: History and Social Science / Credits: 1 / Recommended Grades: 10,11,12 / Level: College Prep / Length: Semester / Description: African American History is a history of oppression, struggle, courage, activism and resilience.  We will spend this year discovering how various racial groups in America in general and African Americans in particular have continuously overcome obstacles to demand their equality.  Their struggle has helped America live up to its democratic values and realize its own creed that “all men are created equal”.  

Category: History and Social Science / Credits: 2 / Recommended Grades: 11,12 / Level: Advanced Placement / Length: Full Year / Description: The AP Art History course welcomes students into the global art world to engage with its forms and content as they research, discuss, read, and write about art, artists, art making, and responses to and interpretations of art. By investigating specific course content of 250 works of art characterized by diverse artistic traditions from prehistory to the present, the students develop in-depth, holistic understanding of the history of art from a global perspective. Students learn and apply skills of visual, contextual, and comparative analysis to engage with a variety of art forms, developing understanding of individual works and interconnections across history.

Course Number: C350 /Category: History and Social Science /Credits: 2 /Recommended Grades: 11,12 /Level: AP /Length: Full Year /Description: This course is designed for motivated students who enjoy studying history in more depth and breadth and who have demonstrated the ability to pursue historical study at a college level. Course content and structure focuses on developing the skills of a historian: assessing historical materials, weighing evidence and interpretations, and expressing conclusions with clarity and precision. Students engage in an in-depth study of the content and questions of American history through careful analysis of primary documents and critical reading of secondary materials. They are required to write frequently, and at an advanced level, about course topics and complete a series of summer readings selected by the instructor. Students are required to take the National AP U.S. History Examination in May. Prerequisites: A high level of success in U.S. History 1 and a teacher recommendation.

Course Number: C355 /Category: History and Social Science /Credits: 2 /Recommended Grades: 9,10,11 /Level: AP /Length: Full Year /Description: AP World History students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in six historical periods from approximately 8000 B.C.E. to the present. Students develop and use the same skills, practices, and methods employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making historical comparisons; and utilizing reasoning about contextualization, causation, and continuity and change over time. The course provides five themes that students explore throughout the course in order to make connections among historical developments in different times and places: interaction between humans and the environment; development and interaction of cultures; state building, expansion, and conflict; creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems; and development and transformation of social structures.

Course Number: C368 /Category: History /Credits: 1 /Recommended Grades: 11,12 /Level: College Prep /Length: Semester /Description: This course in civics and data will teach students an essential skill needed in the world. Students will learn the foundations of data which uses statistics, computer science, neuroscience and psychology to visually present data. The techniques and skills learned in this course will help students’ articulate and present clear evidence of findings in a meaningful and civil way. This course is geared towards data ethics, but is also open to students in other disciplines looking for a better understanding of data. Students will learn how to choose the correct data and differentiate between both good and bad data usage.

Course Number: C356 / Category: History and Social Science, Elective / Credits: 1 / Recommended Grades: 10,11,12 / Level: College Prep / Length: Semester / Description: This course explores the historical and literary material of the Nazi era to help students understand the social and political effects of stereotyping, prejudice, and racism. Topics include, but are not limited to, the rise of Adolph Hitler, the Nuremberg laws, Jewish ghettos, propaganda and racist indoctrination, Holocaust victims, concentration camps, resistance efforts, liberation, and Holocaust survivors. Students also examine other historical and contemporary examples of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Students express their knowledge through written assignments, various types of projects and presentations, and traditional testing.

Course Number: CXH-I /Category: History and Social Science, Elective /Credits: 1 /Recommended Grades: 10,11/Level: College Prep /Length: Semester /Description: This quarter-length course provides students an opportunity to explore the field of Health & Life Sciences. It can also help prepare students for application to the Chelsea High School’s Health & Life Sciences pathway. Its purpose is to guide students in choosing whether the HLS pathway is right for them and, if so, helps them to begin to develop college and career plan to reach their goals.

Course Number: C359 / Category: History and Social Science, Elective / Credits: 1 / Recommended Grades: 11,12 / Level: College Prep / Length: Semester / Description: This course provides an introduction to the criminal laws of the United States. Students examine the American legal system and the progression of criminal cases from arrest through a jury verdict. Coursework includes a mandatory in-class mock trial simulation. Students learn to critically evaluate and understand the practical reality of American law and legal practice. This course is recommended for students interested in the law, particularly those who are considering a career in law or law enforcement.

Course Number: C334 / Category: History and Social Science, Electives / Credits: 1 / Recommended Grades: 10,11,12 / Level: College Prep / Length: Semester / Description: Latin American Studies is a survey of Latin American civilization from early civilizations to the present, emphasizing the events, ideas, and institutions that have shaped, influenced, and defined Latin America?s place in the world. This course will enable students to understand current events, crises, conflicts and their causes, and implications for the future. Most of the material used will be interdisciplinary and range from novels, historical works, scholarly articles, and excerpts from documentary and semi-documentary films. The Latin American History curriculum is aligned to the Common Core Standards.

Course Number: CXL-370 /Category: History and Social Science, Pathways /Credits: 1 /Recommended Grades: 11,12 /Level: College Prep /Length: Semester /Description: This course that helps students understand how and why governments and laws are formed, enacted, interpreted, and changed. Students explore diverse areas of law, including criminal law, civil law, constitutional and civil rights, and international law. Throughout the year, students learn about the range of careers in the legal system. This is an interdisciplinary class that must be taken with the other Law & Public Policy core classes: Forensic Science and English for the Law & Public Policy Pathway. (For more information on the Pathways, see Page 37) Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Law & Public Policy Pathway.

Course Number: C331 /Category: History and Social Science /Credits: 1 /Recommended Grades: 9,10 /Level: College Prep /Length: Semester /Description: Students examine the history of the United States from the Colonial era through the Progressive era. Coursework focuses the Revolutionary and Constitutional eras, the framework of American democracy, the basic concepts of American government, Westward expansion, the establishment and rise of political parties, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Industrial Revolution, Immigration, the labor movement, and the Progressive movement. Students approach these topics by reading a variety of source material, including a number of primary documents, and work on developing their reading, writing, and analytical skills.

Course Number: C330 /Category: History and Social Science /Credits: 1 /Recommended Grades: 9,10 /Level: Honors /Length: Semester /Description: Students examine the history of the United States from the Colonial era through the Progressive era. Coursework focuses on the Revolutionary and Constitutional eras, the framework of American democracy, the basic concepts of American government, Westward expansion, the establishment and rise of political parties, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Industrial Revolution, Immigration, the labor movement, and the Progressive movement. Students read a variety of sources, including a number of primary documents, and work on developing their reading, writing, and analytical skills. Course requirements include more (and more advanced) reading, writing, and independent research than in the regular U.S. History 1 course. Students are required to complete assigned readings selected by the instructor during the summer before the course. Prerequisites: A high level of work in World History and a teacher recommendation.

Course Number: C341 /Category: History and Social Science /Credits: 1 /Recommended Grades: 11 /Level: College Prep /Length: Semester /Description: This course provides an in-depth look at the United States in the 20th century. Students begin with the Imperialist era, study World War I and the Roaring Twenties, and then examine the Great Depression and the goals and accomplishments of the New Deal. Coursework continues through World War II and the impact of the war on American life and American global power. Students then study the Cold War era, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War. The course concludes with an examination of more recent events and trends that have shaped contemporary America. Like U.S. History 1, U.S. History 2 requires students to read a variety of sources, including a number of primary documents, and focus on continuous development of reading, writing, and analytical skills. Prerequisite: Successful completion of U.S. History 1.

Course Number: C340 /Category: History and Social Science /Credits: 1 /Recommended Grades: 10,11 /Level: Honors /Length: Semester /Description: This course covers the same material as U.S. History 2 but in more depth. Coursework includes more – and more advanced – reading, writing, and independent research than is required in U.S. History 2. Students are also required to complete a series of assigned readings selected by the instructor during the summer before the course. Prerequisites: A high level of success in U.S. History 1 and a teacher recommendation.

Course Number: C311 /Category: History and Social Science /Credits: 1 /Recommended Grades: 11,12 /Level: College Prep /Length: Semester /Description: Students examine the social, political, technological, and religious changes in the world from the mid-19th century through the present day using a variety of written and visual sources. Along with the study of historical events and concepts, connections are made to physical and cultural geography, government, economics, culture, and the arts.

Course Number: C310 /Category: History and Social Science /Credits: 1 /Recommended Grades: 11,12 /Level: Honors /Length: Semester /Description: Students examine the social, political, technological, and religious changes in the world from the mid-19th century through present day using a variety of written and visual sources. Along with the study of historical events and concepts, connections are made to physical and cultural geography, government, economics, culture, and the arts. Coursework includes more (and more advanced) reading, writing, and independent research than that required in the regular World History course. Students are required to complete assigned readings selected by the instructor during the summer before the course. Prerequisites: A high level of success in 8th grade Social Studies and English Language Arts and a teacher recommendation.