1. Behavioral Sciences A Better understanding of the 3 main areas

2. Psychology  Leads in popularity and will continue to increase as an elective and an AP course.  Psychology’s growth in high schools reflects both the interest in media and fascination of the American Public with psychological topics such as self-help and personal advice.  Psychology Standards, unlike other social studies standards, are limited to high school level  30 to 40% of test items focus on the 4 following themes: Research methods, biological bases of behavior, developmental psychology, and social psychology  Popular undergraduate major: possible career opportunities offered by this field.  Psychology can be taught in many different ways like designing questionnaires, controversial issues, debates between theories, etc.

3. Sociology  Second in popularity as a high school course.  Emphasizes how sociologist collect, assess, and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data.  Sociology has a established a small role in the Social Studies high school curriculum.  Main course focuses on: cliques, and networks form and behave; how gender roles change; how race is socially constructed; and how social inequalities influence life outcomes; gives attention to family, religion, education, polity, the economy, and the media. (pg259)

4. Anthropology  Lacks a position as an elective in high school.  Anthropology usually comes into the social studies curriculum only indirectly  More so in elementary social studies programs where they begin to study different cultures.  Global education has continued to stress the understanding of different cultural groups.  Culture has been a major holistic concept in anthropology.  Some anthropologist's believe that cultures have lost much of their usefulness to describe the wide diversity within society.  Usefulness of culture as a concept have not yet influenced the K-12 curriculum.  More states are beginning to require an anthropology course as part of a credential course so it can be integrated into the social studies curriculum.