AllentownSchool District

Social Studies Core and Electives Courses

Social Studies Core Courses
(3.5 Credits are required for graduation)

United States History I – Advanced* - No. 200AD
Grade 9        Year 1       5 Periods          1.0 Credit

United States History I Advanced will combine both primary resources and literary documents in exploring and uncovering the nation’s earliest history. Students will engage in class discussions, debates, and simulations to illustrate events from our past. Through document-based questions and in-depth analysis, students will prepare themselves for both advanced placement courses and Advanced level classes in a variety of subjects. Students will develop their individual as well as cooperative learning skills through a variety of techniques.

United States History I - No. 201
Grade 9        Year 1       5 Periods          1.0 Credit

United States History I spans the age of exploration through Reconstruction. Students will be introduced to the diverse groups of people who formed a common bond while blending their individual cultures to shape the United States. The incorporation of works of literature into this course promotes the development of reading and writing strategies and will help students to better understand United States history.

Functional Social Studiesm - No. 208
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12     Year .5       5 Periods       0.5 Credit

This course is designed for eligible students whose primary identified need is to learn functional skills. This course allows the students the opportunity to become familiar with the places within our community and how to access the services they offer. This course also helps students to develop appropriate social interaction skills.

World History – AP*- No. 210A
Grade 10       Year 1       5 Periods          1.0 Credit
World History Advanced Placement highlights the nature of changes in international frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. Focused primarily on the past thousand years of the global experience, the course builds on an understanding of geography and cultural, institutional, and technological precedents. Students prepare to take the College Board’s World History Advanced Placement Examination.

World Cultures - No. 211
Grade 10       Year 1       5 Periods          1.0 Credit

World History traces the development of civilization from ancient to modern times. Consideration will be given to cultures in the global setting with emphasis on Western, Eastern, African, Middle Eastern and Latin cultures in current and historical perspective. A variety of historic materials will be used to enable students to approach the present world with an understanding of its institutions and ideas. The incorporation of works of literature into this course promote the development of reading and writing strategies and help students to better understand world history.

United States History Since Reconstruction* No. 220DE
Prerequisite:  COMPASS Reading (79) and Writing (66) or PSAT, SAT (Critical Reading 490
Grade 11, 12           1 Semester       .0 ASD Credit          3.0 College Credits

The economic, political, and social development of the United States since the Reconstruction Era to the present is the core of this course. Topics considered include developments in agriculture, industry, culture, organized labor, and urbanization. Analysis is made of the changing role of government, reform efforts, America's rise to a world power, and its role in the world since 1945.

United States History II - No. 221
Grade 11       Year 1       5 Periods          1.0 Credit

United States History II is designed to give students an understanding of the 20th century evolution of our nation.  The period since 1865 has been a time of great political, economic, social, and cultural change – a transition from an agrarian America to that of the unique, urban society of today. The incorporation of works of literature into this course promotes the development of reading and writing strategies.

United States Government & Politics – AP*    No. 230A
Grade 12       Year .5       5 Periods          0.5 Credit

This course is designed for students preparing to take the College Board’s Advanced Placement Examination. The course involves the study of general concepts and the analysis of specific case studies. Topics to be explored are the Constitution, political beliefs and behavior, political parties and interest groups, institution and policy processes, civil rights and civil liberties.  Students may have the opportunity to participate in the We the People competition.

United States Government  - No. 231
Grade 12       Year .5       5 Periods          0.5 Credit

United States Government focuses on the study of the United States Constitution. Major emphasis will be placed on the powers and duties of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the government at the federal, state and local levels. Students will have the opportunity to participate in Student Government Day. In order to understand and appreciate the American form of government, students will have the opportunity to explore and to evaluate the governments of other countries. 

Macroeconomics – AP*  - No. 240A
Grade 12       Year .5       5 Periods          0.5 Credit

Students will analyze current economic issues including: budget deficits; inflation; unemployment and trade imbalance as well as the role of monetary and fiscal policies in pursuing the goal of growth and stability. Emphasis will be placed on the recognition of the value of cooperation among interdependent nations regardless of ideology on the level of economic development.  Students prepare to take the College Board’s Macroeconomics Advanced Placement Examination. 

United States History – AP* -  No. 250A
Grade 11       Year 1       5 Periods          1.0 Credit

This course is designed to prepare students for the College Board’s American History Advanced Placement Examination. The enhancement of college skills, including the ability to use critical analysis in thinking and writing, is emphasized. Students will utilize a variety of materials, including primary sources, to analyze and interpret the interrelationship among social, cultural, political, and economic developments in American History.

Social Studies Electives Courses

For electives that have limited enrollment, priority will be given to upper classmen who need the course to meet graduation, academy or pathway requirements.

State and Local Government – DE* -  No. 235DE
Grade 11, 12       1 Semester       1.0 ASD Credit          3.0 College Credits

A study of the organization and functions of state and local governments (as exemplified in Pennsylvania) and their place in our federal system. Topics studied include state, county, township, borough and city government; metropolitan cooperative/consolidation efforts; special purpose districts; and the contributions that active citizens can make in their state and communities.

Economics  - No. 241
Grade 12       Year .5       5 Periods          0.5 Credit

Economics traces the development of the American economic system and its functions. Government efforts to resolve the recurring problems of inflation and unemployment will be examined. Opportunities will also be provided to investigate other relevant issues, including the legal and economic implication of private property, money and banking, consumer protection and financial security. Students will be introduced to the competing economic systems of Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism.

Psychology  - No. 282
Grade 10, 11, 12       Year .5       5 Periods          0.5 Credit

Psychology provides an introduction to the behavioral sciences. Psychology deals with elementary principles of the discipline and with personality development. Consideration will be given to abnormal and social psychology. Studies will be presented to illustrate specific instances of wholesome and unwholesome behavior.

Psychology – AP* -  No. 282A
Grade 10,11, 12       Year 1       5 Periods          1.0 Credit

The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals.  Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology.  They also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice.  Students prepare to take the College Board’s Psychology Advanced Placement Examination.

Introduction to Psychology – DE* -  No. 282DE
Grade 11, 12          1 Semester       1.0 ASD Credit         3.0 College Credits

This introductory course will provide students with an overview of the current body of knowledge and methods of the science of psychology. With an emphasis on empirical examination, this course focuses on the historical and contemporary foundations of psychology, cognition, emotions, learning, memory, consciousness, human development, biological bases of behavior, personality, psychological disorders, therapy and social behavior. Emphasis will be placed on the application of psychology to diverse human endeavors and on the students' ability to recognize and cope with uncertainty and ambiguity in human behavior.

Introduction to Sociology – DE* - No. 283DE         
Prerequisite:  COLLEGE SUCCESS Test, minimum score 79
Grade 11, 12     1 Semester       1.0 ASD Credit         3.0 College Credits

Sociology studies how we define our social world, create and learn rules for interacting with one another, establish and maintain institutions such as the family, school, and church, divide and distribute work and wealth among ourselves, struggle for power and prestige, and adjust to new ideas and technologies. This course introduces students to the conceptual tools needed to explore these issues and to develop a critical understanding of the social world.

Sociology - No. 283
Grade 10, 11, 12       Year .5       5 Periods          0.5 Credit

Sociology provides students with background information about modern societies and social institutions. This course emphasizes analysis of problems that individuals and institutions encounter as they attempt to adjust to the ever-changing conditions that exist in the world today.  Topics for examination include social organization, cultural and social change, and social problems.

Human Growth and Development – DE*- No. 284DE
Prerequisite:  282 DE Introduction to Psychology
Grade 12      1 Semester       1.0 ASD Credit        3.0 College Credits

This course offers an overview of development throughout the entire life cycle. Developmental themes that emerge in and across different stages of life, including physical cognitive, social and emotional factors are surveyed. The role of heredity, culture, personal experience and the environment are discussed.

Modern Social Problems – DE*  - No. 286DE
Grade 12       1 Semester      1.0 ASD Credit        3.0 College Credits

This course offers a sociological approach to the study of social problems. Students will examine how a problem comes to public attention, how it is defined, how data are used or misused in the presentation of a problem, and how political ideology affects what solutions are offered for a problem. Course materials will give special attention to the role of the media in highlighting certain problems and in shaping an audience’s perspective on those problems. Students will investigate the social-structural conditions that produce particular problems and explore the ways in which a variety of problems are connected to one another. They will look at the political and economic interests that are tied to those social structures and consider how those interests affect policy. Throughout the course, students will evaluate "solutions" put forward by various advocates and agencies and identify ways in which individuals can become involved in shaping policy debates and/or taking political action. The particular problems addressed will vary, but may include: poverty, heterosexism, violence, substance use/abuse, access to health care, educational disparities, environmental pollution, war and genocide, and/or the exploitation of labor.