“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”
Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963
In order to understand how one is made by history, one must explore worlds that existed centuries ago by unraveling customs, ideas, and beliefs that have affected the existence of the world of today. Global connections and links are two components to learning social studies; concepts of cultural diffusion, migrations, multi-regional empires, belief systems, trade, and conflicts are explored.
According to the Department of Education of New York, the five learning strands for social studies are: History of the United States and New York, World History, Geography, Economics, and Civics, Citizenship, and Government.
History of the United States and New York: students will be able to use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
World History: students will be able to use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.
Geography: students will demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.
Economics: students will demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the U.S. and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and non-market mechanisms.
Civics, Citizenship, and Government: students will demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.
Social studies empowers the youth of today to embrace the fusion of cultures within our community and take an active role in our multicultural nation, and our ever changing world.
Course Descriptions:
Freshmen:
Global History and Geography
This course introduces students to the study of history and geography. It is the first half of a two year course designed around the curriculum based on the New York State Regents Examination in Global History and Geography. We start at the Prehistoric Age and go through the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. In this class student preparation and familiarity with the New York State Regents Examination in Global History and Geography commences with exposure to primary source documents and Regents style multiple choice questions and thematic essays.
Presentation Scholars Academy: World Civilization I
This advanced course introduces students to the study of history and geography. It is the first half of a two year course designed around the curriculum based on the New York State Regents Examination in Global History and Geography. We start at the Prehistoric Age and go through the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. In this class student preparation and familiarity with the New York State Regents Examination in Global History and Geography commences with exposure to primary source documents and Regents style multiple choice questions and thematic essays. The material covered is accelerated and more emphasis is placed on studying and interpreting primary source documents.
Sophomores:
Global History & Geography
This is the second half of the course designed around the curriculum based on the New York State Regents Examination in Global History and Geography. We continue the course from the Age of Absolutism and go through the modern world. At the conclusion of the course students are required to take the Regents Examination in Global History and Geography. Preparation for the Regents continues throughout the course as students are again exposed to primary source documents and Regents style multiple choice questions and thematic essays.
Presentation Scholars Academy: World Civilization II
This advanced course is the second half of the course designed around the curriculum based on the New York State Regents Examination in Global History and Geography. We continue the course from the Age of Absolutism and go through the modern world. At the conclusion of the course students are required to take the Regents Examination in Global History and Geography. Preparation for the Regents continues throughout the course as students are again exposed to primary source documents and Regents style multiple choice questions and thematic essays. The material covered is more accelerated and more emphasis is placed on Primary Source documents.
United States History
This one year course exposes students to material covering the “birth” of the United States through current times. At the conclusion of the course, students are required to take the Regents Examination in United States History and Government. Preparation for the Regents continues throughout the course as students are again exposed to primary source documents and Regents style multiple choice questions and thematic essays.
Presentation Scholars Academy: U.S. History
Students will survey the development of U.S. History as a country from the American Revolution through the present time, covering all necessary content in order to be fully prepared for the NYS US History Regent as well as the Advanced Placement Exam in US History. Highlights of the course are the struggles for independence and equality, immigration, rise of industry and labor unions, Progressivism, the Great Depression, U.S. foreign wars and foreign policy, and the America’s present global and domestic advancements and challenges.
Seniors:
Economics and Government
Students are required to take a semester of Economics and a semester of Government. The class is focused on the study of Economics ranging from topics such as personal finance management through the study of economic systems such as Laissez-Faire Capitalism. The Government based part of the course focuses on the daily operation of the State and Federal governments of the United States.
Presentation Scholars Academy: A.P. U.S. Government and Politics
United States Government and Politics is an intensive study of the formal and informal structures of government and the processes of the American political system, with an emphasis on policy-making and implementation. This course includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. government and politics and the analysis of specific examples. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. government and politics. Students will become acquainted with the variety of theoretical perspectives and explanations for various behaviors and outcomes in government and politics. The concepts and specific topics examined in this course are those that may appear on the AP exam.
