AP Government and Politics: United
States
1 credit
Grade 12
Prerequisite: Placement by instructor
AP 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 explores
the political theory and everyday
practice that direct the daily operation
of our government and shape our public
policies. Students will develop a critical
understanding of the strengths and
weaknesses of the American political
system, as well as their rights and
responsibilities as citizens. Daily reading,
research, and writing are required for
proper preparation and participation
in each class activity. Students will
be expected to refine text reading
and analysis skills as well as critical
inquiry of relevant scholarly articles
in preparation for college. Students
are responsible for keeping up with
the daily events in the nation and the
world. Class members will need to skim
the front page of the New York Times,
Wall Street Journal, Christian Science
Monitor, listen to NPR or another radio
news program, read Time Magazine,
The Economist, watch a TV news station
such as CNN, or access a reliable online
source. All students are required to take
the AP Exam.
AP Human Geography
1 credit
Grades 10, 11, and 12
Prerequisite: Placement by instructor
The AP Human Geography course will
help students develop critical thinking
skills through the understanding,
application and analysis of the
fundamental concepts of geography.
Students will employ spatial concepts
and landscape analysis to examine
human social organization and its
environmental consequences, and
learn about the methods and tools
geographers use in their science and
practice. Successful students will:
• 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
The mantra of AP Human Geography
is “Geography is in everything and
everything is in Geography,” and this
is arguably the most relevant course
students have the opportunity to take.
Students will truly get a clear sense
of how humans use this space we call
earth and why the events they see and
hear on the news and observe around
them every day turn out the way they
do. The curriculum and the format of
the required AP exam allow students
to interconnect the many different
content area subjects such as culture,
demographics, land use and economics.
The design of the course will take
students on an exciting and engaging
look at spatial diffusion and man’s
imprint on the environment. Likewise,
there are opportunities this course offers
with regard to utilizing state-of-the-art
technology and the Internet along with
discussion, debate and field studies.
Psychology
0.5 credit
Grades 11 and 12
In this overview course students
will be introduced to major themes
in psychology, such as research
methodologies, biological basis of
behavior, sensation and perception,
altered states of awareness, sleep and
dreams, learning and memory, feelings
and emotions, personality, and abnormal
behavior. Students will consult a variety
of materials and sources to explore the
many dimensions of human behavior.
Students will work independently
and collaboratively, in an effort to
understand key concepts and vocabulary
of psychology. By learning the different
perspectives used in the study of
psychology, students will learn to analyze
and evaluate new ideas.
AP Psychology
1 credit
Grade 12
AP Psychology is designed to introduce
students to the scientific study of the
behavior and mental processes of
human beings. To accomplish this, the
course provides instruction in each of
the following content areas: History
and Approaches, Research Methods,
Biological Bases of Behavior, Sensation
and Perception, States of Consciousness,
Learning, Cognition, Motivation and
Emotion, Developmental Psychology,
Personality, Testing and Individual
Differences, Abnormal Psychology,
Treatment of Psychological Disorders,
and Social Psychology. Students are
required to take the AP Psychology
Exam.
Sociology
0.5 credit
Grades 11 and 12
Why do people behave the way they do?
Who makes the rules? Why do some
people break rules and others follow
them? Why study sociology? These
questions and others will be answered
in this one semester course. Sociology
helps us gain a better understanding of
our social world and ourselves. In this
course we will examine how human
behavior is largely shaped by the groups
to which we belong and th H