Social Studies

This course is a dual enrollment, two-semester course providing the successful student with three college semester credits and one-half Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) elective credit each semester and taught through Tidewater Community College. This course examines human and animal behavior, relating experimental studies to practical problems. It includes topics such as research methods, history, sensation, perception, learning, memory, emotion, cognition and sleep in Part I. It includes topics such as human development, personality, psychopathology, therapy and social psychology in Part II

Civics and Economics This course emphasizes the roles and responsibilities of informed citizens in a democracy. Examination of the U.S. and Virginia constitutions provides the basis for the study of governments at the national, state, and local levels. Students explore economic systems and the role government plays in the operation of the economy of the United States. Students enrolled in this course will take the SOL test for Civics and Economics.

This course examines the environmental and cultural patterns of the major world regions. Students examine demographic and economic data and investigate the causes, effects, and possible solutions to current international conflicts, problems, and environmental concerns. Map skills are extended as students use an atlas and varied types of maps in regional studies, build spatial perceptions and develop a mental map of the world.

This course examines the development of Western and non-Western civilizations from 1500 A.D. to the present. Emphasis is placed on identifying the significant individuals, events, and ideas that shaped the development of cultures, and evolution of nations, historical concepts, political and economic systems, cultural and religious differences are identified and examined.

This course examines the development of human societies from prehistory to 1500 A.D. Students will explore the historic, economic, and cultural contributions of ancient and classical civilizations, including world religions, both Western and non-Western. Basic historical concepts such as conflict, change, and diversity will be investigated. Emphasis is also placed on evaluating sources of information, recognizing cause and effect relationships, and developing a sense of time and place.

Honors World History and Geography, Part I uses the Pre-AP framework as it examines the development of human societies from pre-history to 1500 A.D. Students will explore the historic, economic, and cultural contributions of ancient and classical civilizations including world religions, both Western and non-Western. Emphasis is placed developing the skills and stamina necessary for participation in Advanced Placement (AP) courses and is built on three enduring ideas: 

1. History is an interrelated story of the world.
2. History and geography are inherently dynamic.
3. Historians and geographers are investigators.

U.S. History 1865 to the Present This course begins with an examination of the political, social, and economic challenges facing the nation reunited after civil war. Students learn fundamental concepts in civics, economics, and geography in the context of a chronological study of United States history. Students also explore the influence of individuals and groups and how their perspectives and actions affect historical events in the 20th and 21st centuries.

This course examines the political, economic, geographic, and social development of both state and the nation from the Age of Exploration to the present. Emphasis is placed on economic and technological change, increasing interdependence of the United States and its world relationships, the role of conflicting viewpoints and reform, the relationship between cultural arts and attitudes and values, and the development of American democracy and culture. Emphasis is also placed on developing a sense of historical time and place, expository writing skills, and research techniques.

Students examine the purposes structure of governments and the decision-making processes at the local, state, national, and international levels. Powers of each branch of government and the concept of federalism are examined through the study of the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of Virginia, local governing charters, and current issues and events. America's role in a changing world is discussed, and our govern-mental and economic systems are compared with those of other nations. Thinking and communication skills are applied as students explore current national and state issues and conflicts.