1. Course selection day is coming up….

2. CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN HISTORY
This course examines:
the Cold War and anti-Communism
Struggles for equality and diversity
The Vietnam War
New issues confronting America and the world in the 21st century.
ALERT: Consumer Ed Credit is offered in this class
ALERT: Passing this course satisfies the U.S. and Illinois Constitution test requirement for graduation.

3. SOCIOLOGY
Why do people act so strangely? This course is concerned with the relationship between individuals and society
Sociologists try to find out why people in groups behave the way they do.
The discipline of sociology assumes that external social forces influence and shape individual behavior.
Topics Include:
Race & Ethnicity
Crime & Deviance
Gender & Sexuality
Poverty & Economic Inequality
Gangs and Group Identity
Teen Drug Use
ALERT: Consumer Ed Credit is offered in this class

4. WORLD GEOGRAPHY
Where are we? The world geography course answers this question as a full-year intensive investigation into the physical , cultural and political layout of the earth’s surface and its people.
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the major concepts of World Geography. The focus will be on looking at people and their ways of life as well as studying the physical features of the earth’s many regions.

5. Latin American Studies:
What do Yale University, University of Michigan, University of Chicago and Von Steuben have in common?
They all offer Latin American Studies/History
For the first time in Von Steuben History you will be able to study topics including:
Race and ethnic identity in Latin America
Migration and immigration
Indigenous peoples’ movements
Evolving gender roles in Latin America
Course Description: This course will utilize case studies to help students explore and challenge traditional narratives about Latin America. Topics as diverse as Pre-Columbian cultures, race and identity, colonization, migration and globalization will be examined through an interdisciplinary lens. Students will be encouraged to learn more about their own cultural backgrounds, experiences and beliefs as they respond to a wide variety of texts that will generate further questioning about the role of Latin America in the historical and modern world.
Mural: The Arrival of Cortés, Palacio Nacional de Mexico
Includes a Consumer Ed credit

6. ECONOMICS REG & HONORS
This course is designed to provide students with a better understanding of our economic system.
The goal is to help students acquire skills necessary to function effectively and efficiently as consumers, entrepreneurs or workers in today’s society.
Students will also learn basic principles of financial management and investing.
ALERT: Consumer Ed Credit is offered in this class

7. HUMANITIES HONORS
Humanities are those areas of thought and creation whose subject is the human experience. They include history, philosophy, religion, and the arts.
This course intends to develop culturally aware students who will be well prepared for college-level material in the Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The course will consist of a theoretical/philosophical foundation in the Greco-Roman tradition of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
By carefully examining several distinct periods, the course aims to show the evolution and metamorphosis in the defining of both the Humanities and the individual
Students will be expected to participate and incorporate the valuable resources available to them that include the Humanities Festival.

8. A.P. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS-US
This college level course focuses on giving students a broad knowledge of the theoretical basis behind American government and a thorough understanding of how the system really works.
Major topics include civil rights and civil liberties, institutions of government such as the Congress, the presidency, the courts, the media, interest groups, political parties and election campaigns, and the philosophic basis for our government.
Students will be expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam in May.

9. A.P. U.S. HISTORY
This college level course is a study of American History. The course content includes the periods beginning with the colonial era to the present.
The material will focus on the following themes: political, diplomatic, intellectual, cultural, social, and economic history.
Students will take the Advanced Placement Exam.

10. A.P. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
AP Human Geography course will cover the following five college-level goals that build on the National Geography Standards developed in 1994.
Upon successful completion of the course, students should have developed skills that enable them to:
Use and think about maps and spatial data.
Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places.
Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes.
Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process
Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.
Students will take the Advanced Placement Exam.

11. A.P. WORLD HISTORY
AP World History is a class that compares all parts of the world from the beginning of people to today. This class uses an approach called “Big History” or “Big Picture” history – we will focus on the interactions of the various parts of the world through a variety of mechanisms— political, religious, economic, social, or conflict.
We will approach this subject from foundations of civilizations to the present day, across all continents and a wide range of people, cultures and ideas. Memorizing specific facts is not as important as understanding relationships between people and ideas.
This class will improve your writing, your ability to analyze complex ideas, your ability to argue persuasively.
Students will take the Advanced Placement Exam.