History and Social Science

The History curriculum focuses on the importance of the core standards in providing students with the
necessary skills to understand our cultural and historical roots. Courses build student understanding and
appreciation of the wide divergence of social, cultural, religious, and intellectual experiences that make up the
global, interconnected world of the 21st century.

Required Course

U.S. History and Government
We will explore the following eight key themes in United States history: the immigrant experience, political participation, gender relations, race relations, religion and secularism, foreign policy, the economy, and the American Dream. Each unit begins by briefly examining a contemporary topic that exemplifies the theme under consideration. As we consider these current manifestations of the theme, we will formulate essential questions to guide our historical inquiry. Next, we turn to the history of the theme to chronologically investigate related events and periods. Analysis of a wide variety of primary and secondary sources is central to this work. We end each unit in the present, using our newly gained historical knowledge to revisit and better understand examples of the theme in our world today. We demonstrate our understanding by completing challenging projects that require authentic skills. Consistent with the Bay School’s mission, the following curricular emphases are interwoven throughout the course: diversity and community, ethics and spirituality, and science and technology.

List of Electives for 2007-2008

Global Issues
Global Issues introduces students to the patterns and problems facing citizens and leaders in an
increasingly interdependent world. The course is designed to provoke students to think critically and creatively
about the larger social, economic, and ecological problems that will impact their futures. Upon completion of
the course, students should emerge with a more sophisticated understanding of core concepts (e.g., sovereignty,
national identity, resource allocation, income distribution, development, sustainability), and a greater awareness
of global challenges (e.g., population growth, poverty, environmental degradation, corporate consolidation), and
with a confidence in their own ability to articulate informed positions on important issues.

The class explores the state of the world at the beginning of the 21st century from an interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on three major areas, all aspects of globalization: (a) economic development and poverty; (b) labor
and migration: rural-urban divides, migration and immigration; and (c) globalism and particularism: global vs.
tribal culture.

Introduction to Political Economy
The first part of this course will ground students in the fundamental principles of micro and macroeconomics. Thereafter, the course explores the relationship between politics and economics and how that relationship has changed over time. The course includes a historical focus, tracing the evolution of economic systems (mercantilism, capitalism, Marxism, socialism), followed by an examination of the modern world economy in the 19th and 20th centuries. Students will examine the emergence of the Neoliberal economic model in the second half of the 20th century. They will also explore the creation and the role of the international economic framework following World War II. Students will investigate variations of the Neoliberal model in developing and developed nations. Finally, students will gain a critical understanding of globalization, economic interdependence, and problems of resource allocation.

U.S. Foreign Policy
This course is intended as an introduction to the basic concepts, themes, and issues in U.S. foreign policy. This course will familiarize students with trends in U.S. foreign policy from the Cold War to present and introduce them to the patterns of post-WWII international relations and U.S. overseas interventions. We will specifically focus on the power structures and relationships that grew out of the Cold War and analyze to what extent those dynamics inform contemporary geopolitics. Employing a case study approach, we will look at the short- and long-term effects of U.S. policy on different regions, debate America’s role in world affairs, and assess the costs and consequences of this role at home and abroad. Specifically, this course examines several key aspects of United States foreign policy towards East Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Utopia/Dystopia
This upper level social studies elective will examine the origin and development of the concept of “utopia” through the study of literature, historical texts, philosophy, and film. Our focus will be on the interaction between real-world systems (political, social, religious, economic) and fictitious or philosophical utopian visions throughout Western history, from ancient Greece to today. Particular emphasis will be paid to how distorted depictions of the ideal society function as powerful vehicles of social change. Throughout the course of the trimester students will individually research contemporary manifestations of the utopian impulse and will prepare and present lessons based on their findings.

Western Civilization
Western Civilization is a two-trimester, interdisciplinary survey course that critically examines the ideas, values, and trends of Western culture from the Greco-Roman period to the mid 20th century. Adopting a chronological framework, the course explores some of the most influential writings, works of art, and ideas that have shaped the intellectual and cultural heritage of the Western world. Students will acquire a broad knowledge of the Western historical and cultural heritage through analyzing and evaluating primary and secondary sources. Students also will develop an ability to accurately and critically read, weigh evidence, make judgments, draw conclusions, and interpret historical writings in their political, social, religious, and cultural contexts. Through projects and writing assignments students will clearly, cogently, and concisely express these findings and insights. This course may be taken as a year-long (two-trimester) course, or either half may be taken as a one-semester elective.

Senior Social Studies Seminar
The senior seminars in Social Studies are discussion and research-based courses which prepare students for advanced, college-level work in history and the social sciences. Students explore the philosophy of the discipline and read advanced level texts written by historians and political scientists. Students enrolling in Modern Latin American History should be ready to explore how history is written, to delve into debates among historians, and to engage with historiographical concepts and trends. Students enrolling in Comparative Government and Politics should be prepared to learn about the main concepts and relationships in comparative politics, to explore political culture, and to grapple with complex theoretical concepts. Students in both seminars will apply their new understanding of the discipline to generate their own scholarly work. Student initiative and independent inquiry skills are essential to success in the senior seminars. The prerequisites for these courses are reflective of the level of rigor expected. Below is a more detailed description of Comparative Government and Politics, our seminar offering for 2007-2008:

Comparative Government and Politics
The primary goals of this course are to familiarize students with various types of political systems and cultures; to help them think, read, and write critically; and to prepare them for successful university study and responsible citizenship. The course will begin with a foundational unit in American democracy and democratic traditions, followed by comparative country studies (Mexico, France, China, and Iran). The students will be asked to conduct their own country studies independently and to present their findings during the last two weeks of the course.

 

 

 

 

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