1. LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT
ELECTIVES

2. Full Year Electives Holocaust and Genocide
Modern European History (AP/Honors/CP)
AP Comparative Government and Politics
AP Human Geography
AP Psychology
AP US Government and Politics
AP World History

3. HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE
FULL YEAR
HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE
This course is designed to give students the opportunity to consider the origins, conduct, and legacy of genocide from the early 20th century to the present. Students will analyze the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the Cambodian “Killing Fields,” the Bosnian Crisis, the Rwandan Massacre, and the controversial genocide in the Sudan. This course complies with the New Jersey State Mandate for Holocaust and Genocide Education. Students who successfully complete this course will be eligible to receive three (3) college credits and an official college transcript from Kean University.
FULL YEAR – OPEN TO SENIORS
College credit available through Kean University

4. Modern European History
Touch Upon Greatness
Learn with the scholars
This course will be offered at Advanced Placement, Honors and College Prep levels.
Students who wish to register for Advanced Placement must complete an online application to be considered for this course. Please see the Social Studies Department website for additional information.
This course is designed to provide students an insight into the historical forces that continue to define the countries and the people of Europe. Students will examine the complex political, social, cultural and economic foundations of Europe from the 14th century to the present.
The Advanced Placement level will follow the national College Board curricula. This will involve multiple interpretations of the past and the development of new interpretations that address current trends in historiography.
The AP and Honors courses require a summer assignment.
Take Modern European History
FULL YEAR – OPEN TO SENIORS
Online Application Required for AP and Honors

5. AP Comparative Government and Politics
Students must complete an online application to be considered for this course. Please see the Social Studies Department website for additional information
AP Comparative Government and Politics introduces students to the rich diversity of political life outside the United States. The course uses a comparative approach to examine the political structures; policies; and the political, economic, and social challenges among six selected countries: Great Britain, Mexico, Russia, Iran, China, and Nigeria. This course is designed to introduce students to fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the governments and politics. It is expected that all students take AP Comparative Politics exam in May.
A summer assignment is required for this course.
FULL-YEAR COURSE –
OPEN TO SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS & SENIORS
Online Application Required

6. AP Human Geography FULL-YEAR COURSE –
Students must complete an online application, used to determine a recommendation, to be considered for this course.
Following the national College Board Advanced Placement curricula, this course is designed to give students a strong analytical experience which examines the six themes of Geography. Through these themes students will investigate the intricate and complicated interactions between human beings and their environment. At the conclusion of this course, students will be prepared to take the AP test for Human Geography.
A summer assignment is required for this course.
FULL-YEAR COURSE –
OPEN TO SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS & SENIORS
Online Application Required

7. AP Psychology FULL YEAR – OPEN TO SENIORS Online Application Required
Students must complete an online application, used to determine a recommendation, to be considered for this course.
This course is designed to provide a rigorous university-level survey of psychology. Students will examine the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings. Students will be exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major sub-fields within psychology. Students will also learn and apply the methodology Psychologists employ in their practice. At the conclusion of this course, students will be prepared to take the AP test for Psychology.
FULL YEAR – OPEN TO SENIORS
Online Application Required

8. AP US GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Students must complete an online application to be considered for this course. Please see the Social Studies Department website for additional information
AP United States Government and Politics introduces students to key political ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the political culture of the United States. The course examines politically significant concepts and themes, through which students learn to apply disciplinary reasoning assess causes and consequences of political events, and interpret data to develop evidence-based arguments
It is expected that all students take both the AP US Government and Politics exam in May.
A summer assignment is required for this course.
FULL-YEAR COURSE –
OPEN TO JUNIORS & SENIORS
Online Application Required

9. AP World History FULL-YEAR COURSE –
Students must complete an online application to be considered for this course. Please see the Social Studies Department website for additional information.
Following the national College Board Advanced Placement curricula, this course is designed to develop students’ abilities to think conceptually about world history from approximately 8000 BCE to the present. Students will apply historical thinking skills as they explore five themes of human development. AP World History encompasses the history of the five major geographical regions of the globe: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, with special focus on historical developments and processes that cross multiple regions
A summer assignment is required for this course.
FULL-YEAR COURSE –
OPEN TO SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS & SENIORS
Online Application Required

10. Semester Courses Contemporary American History
African-American Studies
Classical Foundations of Western Civilizations
Community Leadership
Middle Eastern Studies
Psychology
Sociology
Women’s Studies

11. SEMESTER COURSE – OPEN TO SENIORS
Contemporary
American History
This semester course is open to Seniors.
This course is designed to more deeply investigate historical events of the recent past. Starting with the election of Ronald Reagan and the re-emergence of a conservative political movement, students will utilize a thematic approach to understand historical trends through the 21st century. These themes will include economic developments, domestic and foreign policy influences, social pressures and political divisions. By the end of this course, students will have a stronger contextual understanding of the history of their own lifetimes.
SEMESTER COURSE – OPEN TO SENIORS

12. AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES
This semester course is open to Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors.
This course combines history and literature to survey African-American history and culture from the emergence of slavery in the American colonies to the present-day. Students will study the historical movements that have helped to define the African-American experience; from the forced migration of the slave trade to the cultural contributions of the Harlem Renaissance to the struggle for Civil Rights.
SEMESTER COURSE –
OPEN TO SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS & SENIORS

13. Classical Foundations
This semester course is open to Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors.
This semester course will give students an intensive examination of Ancient Greece and Rome. Students will connect these ancient models with its continuing influence on Western culture, traditions and institutions. Students will begin by investigating Greece during its Bronze Age in the second millennium B.C.E. and conclude with the fall of Rome in the fifth century C.E.
Classical Foundations
SEMESTER COURSE –
OPEN TO SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS & SENIORS

14. SEMESTER COURSE – OPEN TO SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS & SENIORS
Community
Leadership
This semester elective is designed to empower students to take a more active role in their community through hands-on experiences in service-learning. This course will begin with an exploration of the historic origins of active citizenship and community involvement in America. Students will learn how to identify, create, and implement a service learning project using a six step framework of effective community engagement. Various case studies depicting effective community leadership will be studied and used as guides for student projects.
SEMESTER COURSE – OPEN TO SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS & SENIORS

15. MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES
This course is designed to encourage a sophisticated understanding of the conflicts and challenges that have defined the Middle East for the last fifty years. Students will utilize an interdisciplinary perspective, including the region’s history, geography, politics, economy, religions, and many cultures to understand of the dynamics in this volatile region.
By the end of this course, students will be able to identify and critically evaluate the challenges facing the nations of the Middle East, and assess the local and international strategies employed to address these challenges.
SEMESTER COURSE – OPEN TO GRADES 10-12

16. SEMESTER COURSE – OPEN TO JUNIORS & SENIORS
PSYCHOLOGY
This semester course is open to Juniors and Seniors.
Psychology is a fascinating field of study of behavior and mental processes.
This course will offer a close-up look into what defines the individual through the study of development, personality, states of consciousness, and psychological disorders. Students will enjoy a hands-on experience in psychology including opportunities for role-playing, simulations, case-study diagnoses and other performance assessments.
This course helps students become better critical thinkers, especially in terms of psychology's most important theme: "Nature (biology) versus Nurture (experience)".
SEMESTER COURSE – OPEN TO JUNIORS & SENIORS

17. SEMESTER COURSE – OPEN TO JUNIORS & SENIORS
This semester course is open to Juniors and Seniors
The primary goal of this course is to develop a greater understanding of social relations, group interactions, the impact of the social environment on each of us, and the social issues facing us today.
This will be accomplished through sociological research, oral presentations, group discussions, and other projects related to topics including culture, socialization, gender roles, stratification, and deviant behavior.
SOCIOLOGY
SEMESTER COURSE – OPEN TO JUNIORS & SENIORS

18. OPEN TO SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS & SENIORS
WOMEN’S STUDIES
This semester course is open to Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors.
Women’s Studies is a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the experiences, historical conditions, and concerns of women both in the present and in the past. Students will identify and think critically about issues of gender, and develop an awareness of women’s status, rights and opportunities in societies around the world.
SEMESTER COURSE –
OPEN TO SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS & SENIORS