prep's high school social studies course descriptions

World History (AP)
Major events from the age of Enlightenment to the Modern age are emphasized in this class. Students analyze
locations, regions and spatial connections recognizing the natural world and cultural process that impacts the way in
which societies live and interact with each other and their environment. This course prepares students for the
Advanced Placement exam.
Grade: 9
Length: 2 Semesters
Prerequisite: None

United States History (AP)
Major events from the industrial revolution through current issues are the emphasis of this class. Students analyze
the development of the American West, with emphasis on Arizona. Students study several historical documents. An
analysis of the geography of the United Stated is integrated into the course curriculum. This course prepares
students for the AP exam.
Grade: 10
Length: 2 Semesters
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment-English II

US/AZ Government & Politics (AP)
This course provides students with an understanding of the ideals, rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the
content, sources and history of the founding documents of the United States with particular emphasis on the
Constitution and how the government functions at the local, state, national and international levels. The structure,
powers and roles of the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches will also be analyzed.
Grade: 11
Length: 2 Semesters
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment-English III

Free Enterprise
This course examines the American economic system including micro-economic and macro-economic issues.
Students participate in a semester long project investing in a virtual stock market.
Grade: 12
Length: 1 Semester
Prerequisite: American/Arizona Government, Algebra I

Academic Decathlon
The Academic Decathlon is a team competition wherein students match their intellects with students from other
schools. The abbreviated class ACADECA is a humanities course in which the Academic Decathlon curriculum and
standards are studied in part for the regional competition in February of 2009. However, there will be students in the
class who will not necessarily be on the team and yet participating in the course in an equal manner to the team
members. There are ten categories of study each of which will be focused upon at varying points during the year.
These subjects are as follows: Art, Economics, Essay, Interview, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Music,
Science, Social Science, and Speech. The theme for 2008-2009 is the study of Mexico and Latin American Culture.
Grade: 9-12
Length: year
Prerequisite: Instructor Approval Required

Classic Hollywood Films
This class is an introduction to early film history and classic Hollywood films. Students will be viewing films from the
very first moving images on a screen to the peak of the studio system in the 1950’s. The students will then analyze
the major themes, cultural impacts, and technical aspects of the films they view. Throughout the semester students
will put together a “Top Ten” list of their favorite films and use the skills they learn to write a critical analysis of each
film.
Grade: 9-12
Length: 1 semester
Prerequisite: none

Sociology
Sociology is a course designed to deal with life issues as they pertain to high school students. This class will deal with
issues such as, but not limited to, culture, peer-pressure, underage drinking, drug use, religion, personal
relationships, sports, gender equity, and deviant behavior. This class has been designed to help teenagers with
everyday issues that come up in their day-to-day lives.
Grade: 9-12
Length: 1 semester
Prerequisite: none

Spanish I
Qualifying students will be enrolled in high school Spanish. They will be introduced to the elementary principles of
expression and culture. Upon completion the student will be able to identify and navigate basic linguistic distinctions,
identify significant cultural differences, expound on cultural contributions of the Spanish peoples and produce basic,
authentic products in Spanish.
Grade: 9-11
Length: 2 Semesters
Prerequisite: None

Spanish II
This course continues to immerse the student in the Spanish language. Students focus on listening comprehension,
speaking, and writing. Students will also investigate various cultural aspects of one or more Spanish speaking
countries including art, food, architecture, and local customs/mores.
Grade: 10-12
Length: 2 Semesters
Prerequisite: Spanish I

Spanish III (H)
Spanish III is an advanced course of study with heavy emphasis on grammatical structures in writing and speaking.
Common indicative and subjective verb forms are addressed. Students read and study literature and non fiction
pieces as part of the immersion process.
Grade: 11-12
Length: 2 Semesters
Prerequisite: Spanish II

Spanish IV (AP)
Spanish IV is a literary study. Students read, analyze, discuss, and write on selected pieces of literature. There is an
emphasis on higher order skills of synthesis, analysis, and evaluation. There is an intense study of advanced
grammatical structure and vocabulary in preparation for AP and/or CLEP testing.
Grade: 11-12
Length: 2 Semesters
Prerequisite: Spanish III