Social Studies

About

Vision

Secondary social studies in Carroll County will prepare all students to be active, responsible citizens of a diverse, democratic society in a larger global community.

Mission

Secondary social studies will build capacity for high quality social studies instruction and learning by providing leadership, professional learning, and support to educators.

Shared Values

We believe that all students can:

Engage in studying civics, peoples of the nations and world, geography, economics, and history.
Apply historical thinking skills to develop questions, plan inquiries, and demonstrate understanding of content tools and concepts.
Evaluate primary and secondary sources, and use evidence in order to communicate and support ideas effectively to address a particular audience and purpose, or take informed action.

Development of Carroll County’s high school curriculum is guided by the state standards and frameworks set forth by the Maryland State Department of Education. These guiding standards promote access to consistent, high quality curriculum and instruction for all students.

In high school, students in Carroll County will continue to develop their understandings of the civics, peoples of the nations and world, geography, economics, and history as well as refine the historical thinking skills established in elementary and middle school. Students must successfully complete a course in Government, United States History, and World History to meet the Social Studies requirements for graduation. In addition, students must meet the Government MCAP End of Course Assessment requirement.

High School Required Social Studies Courses
American Government or AP United States Government & Politics
United States History or AP United States History
World History or AP World History

High school students can pursue a number of elective courses to further their Social Studies education. The elective program allows students to select courses that support their interests and post-secondary goals.

Courses

Government

This course provides students with the opportunity to learn the Constitutional framework and democratic process that structure Maryland and the national political system. Students will develop an understanding of how different types of governments make political and economic decisions, foundation and principles of American Government, political parties and participation, structure and function of the three branches of government, role of the government in domestic and foreign policy, how the United States government balances protecting rights with maintaining order, landmark Supreme Court cases, and civil rights. The topics and outcomes of this course reflect the parameters defined by MSDE’s Government High School Standards and Framework and support student success on the Government Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), a graduation requirement.

For more information on the End of Course requirement for Government, please reference the Government End of Course Parent and/or Guardian letter or the Maryland State Department of Education End of Course Exams Frequently Asked Questions document.

Prerequisite and other notes: Recommended for grade 9; required for graduation. Students will have the opportunity to earn five (5) service-learning hours.

U.S. History

This course is designed to provide students the opportunity to study United States History from 1900 to the present. Students will examine the social, economic, and political issues through the analysis of sources and synthesis of evidence to craft explanations and arguments about the major concepts and themes in US History. Students will consider events from multiple perspectives to understand the impact of different cultures on the development of an American identity. The topics and outcomes of this course reflect the parameters defined by MSDE’s United States History High School Standards and Framework.

Prerequisites and other notes: Recommended for grade 10 and 11; required for graduation. Ten (10) service-learning hours may be earned.

World History

This course provides students the opportunity to form an understanding of world history from approximately 1300 to the present. Students will examine social, economic and political issues through the analysis of sources in order to understand major developments across the globe. Students will examine the following units: World before 1300, Origins of the Modern World, Age of Revolutions, 19th Century, Modern Global Conflict, and Contemporary World by situating them in global, interregional, and regional contexts in order to develop an understanding of global patterns of change and continuity. The topics and outcomes of this course reflect the parameters defined by MSDE’s Modern World History High School Standards and Framework.

Prerequisites and other notes: Recommended for grades 10-11. Required for graduation.

Electives

Through the Social Studies electives, students are offered a variety of courses to further their understandings of the social sciences, to develop knowledge and skills related to their specific post-secondary goals, and to enrich their learning experience. CCPS' Social Studies elective course offerings include:

American Revolution/Civil War

This course provides students with an opportunity to investigate the causes, events, and results of both conflicts. “American Revolution” will help students understand the revolt of the American colonists against the British. “Civil War” will help them examine the major battles, leaders, and weapons related to this era.

Ancient & Medieval History

This course provides an overview of civilizations from the earliest of the Sumerians and Egyptians to those of the Middle Ages. Students will explore the development of political systems, economics, and cultures of peoples in various parts of the world. They will examine ideas, events, and trends associated with the rise and fall of civilizations.

Prerequisites and other notes: Recommended for grades 10-12.

Economics

This course covers the fundamentals of economics. It is a study of how individual citizens, businesses and societies make decisions using economic reasoning in order to best use limited resources to satisfy unlimited wants. Focusing on the mixed market economy in the United States, students will use microeconomic and macroeconomic approaches to topics such as scarcity, demand, supply, inflation, and the Federal Reserve System. Current economic problems, the global economy, and alternative economics systems are also included. Students will have the opportunity to participate in various authentic learning experiences.

Prerequisites and other notes: Recommended for grades 11-12. The Economics course is recommended for students who want to prepare for AP Macroeconomics.

Issues in American Society

This course is designed to make students aware, concerned, and active in the pursuit of solutions to issues and problems which confront Americans today. Students will learn how to evaluate online information for news and media literacy, apply civil discourse practices to discuss societal issues, and apply a systematic approach, the social investigation model, to research societal issues. These issues are crime, socioeconomics, censorship, immigration, healthcare, politics, and the environment. Students will be required to examine issues from multiple perspectives through a wide variety of resources, group and class discussions. Students will conduct a comprehensive investigation throughout the course to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by their community through a Community Action Project.

Prerequisites and other notes: Recommended for grades 11-12. Students will have the opportunity to earn ten (10) service-learning hours.

International Studies

International Studies is designed to make students aware of current international problems, tensions, and conflicts and how the United States responds to these issues. Topics studied include U.S. foreign policy interests and issues and current world hot spots. The course reflects contemporary global issues relevant to the topics. Emphasis is placed on the historical background leading to the current crisis.

Prerequisites and other notes: Recommended for grades 10-12. Ten (10) service-learning hours may be earned.

Law, Citizenship, and Society

This course provides students the opportunity to extend their knowledge of civil and criminal law in the United States. They will deepen their understanding of the Constitution’s provisions for the judicial system and examine how the legal system balances rights while protecting society. The students will explore current and pertinent issues related to the justice and legal system while also having the opportunity to participate in authentic learning experiences such as a mock trial.

Prerequisites and other notes: Recommended for grades 11-12.

Political Science

Political Science investigates the broad range of human activities referred to as politics, political science and/or government. The content addresses a wide variety of historical and contemporary topics related to the interactions of national, state, and local politics. Course work includes analysis of election data, political parties, debates, cartoon analysis, mock trials, political polling, media analysis, and other student-centered activities.

Prerequisites and other notes: Recommended for grades 11-12.

Psychology

This course provides students with an opportunity to explore the connection between mind and behavior. Students explore how psychologists study human thought and behavior, structure of the brain, the major ideas and theories of psychology, intelligence and cognition, human development, personality and psychological disorders. Students will apply the scientific method to explain human behavior and participate in open discussions on the various theories of psychology.

Prerequisites and other notes: Recommended for grades 10-12. Honors Psychology is recommended for students who want to prepare for AP Psychology.

Sociology

This course covers the fundamentals of sociology. It includes the study of how groups relate to each other, how groups change, the role of the individual in groups, and how groups affect individual members. Students investigate the components of culture, the structure of society, social behaviors of individuals in society, and current social problems. A variety of learning techniques are utilized to meet the needs of students of all ability levels including collaborative opportunities for experiential content learning.

Prerequisites and other notes: Recommended for grades 10-12

World Geography

This general elective course is designed to enable students to acquire geographic knowledge and skills and to use them to investigate developed and developing nations, local, national and global environmental issues, human geographic issues and linkages between physical and human characteristics of regions. Emphasis will be placed on using geographic skills related to selecting, designing and interpreting appropriate maps, drawing conclusions from different types of data, planning and organizing a geographic research project, and using appropriate forms of graphs, tables, diagrams, and charts. Students will work to develop a spatial perspective and an increased sense of global responsibility.

Prerequisites and other notes: The World Geography course is recommended for students who want to prepare for AP Human Geography.

AP Courses

AP United States Government and Politics

This course is designed to provide students with a nonpartisan introduction to key political concepts, ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the constitutional system and political culture of the United States. Students will study U.S. foundational documents, Supreme Court decisions, and other texts and visuals to gain an understanding of the relationships and interactions among political institutions, processes, and behavior. They will also engage in disciplinary practices that require them to read and interpret data, make comparisons and applications, and develop evidence-based arguments. In addition, they will complete a political science research or applied civics project. Students taking this course must meet the graduation requirement for the Government High School Assessment by passing the Government High School Assessment or earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics exam.