SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT OFFERINGS
PSYCHOLOGY (SS9149) 0.5 credit
This course involves a survey of selected themes in psychology. It is an academic course with a variety of assessments as well as homework. The class will familiarize students with general psychological terms and ideas in preparation for college or work force expectations. The following topics will be covered: introduction to psychology, altered states of consciousness, infancy and adulthood, adolescence, adulthood, old age, stress and health, abnormal behavior, and therapy and change.
SOCIOLOGY (SS9139) 0.5 credit
This course will familiarize students with general sociological terms and ideas in preparation for college or work force expectations. The primary objective of this course is to study the process of human interaction and the social dynamics present in this behavior. The following topics will be covered: introduction to sociology, the socialization process, sex and gender, crime, the American family, gerontology, and sociology-present and future. This course involves an in-depth investigation of a variety of subfields of sociology. This investigation will be undertaken in one or more of several types of project-based activities chosen jointly by the instructor and student. The course will also include in-depth seminar discussions of sociology topics.
PHILOSOPHY: A STUDY OF SKEPTICISM and LOGIC (SS9259) 1.0 credit
Philosophy: A Study of Skepticism and Logic is a course designed to develop students’ critical thinking and analytical skills by tackling life’s greatest questions. In this course, students will confront widely held conventional, non-conventional, and even supernatural beliefs. Students will read scientific Journals by Karl Sagen, Stephen Jay Gould, and Michael Shermer, alongside treatises by Plato, Nietzsche, and Aquinas. This course will help students critique their own beliefs and the world around them using the scientific and Socratic methods; they will apply cognitive analysis and logical reasoning on interesting topics such as morality and conspiracy theories. In doing so, students will be better equipped to lead an engaged and fulfilling public life.
INTRODUCTION TO LAW (SS9169)0.5 credit
Introduction to Law explores multiple legal disciplines including attorneys, clerks, paralegals, bailiffs, probation officers, etc. Students will learn about the skills and tasks most required of multiple legal professions (debates, group tasks, research, and role-play exercises), in order to assess whether they themselves would be suited to such careers in the future. The Introduction to Law course will incorporate the school’s Mock Trial team.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: CRIME AND POLICE SCIENCE (SS9189) 0.5 credit
This course is designed to be a second course in the Law Pathway in the BASD. This class will explore what constitutes crime and criminal behavior in our society and the measures taken, by law enforcement, to prevent these behaviors. Students will study Criminology: Types of crimes, Theories of criminal behavior, Victimization (Lifestyle Theory), Principles of Criminal law, Basic elements of a crime, Responsibilities of criminal acts (defenses) and Procedural Criminal law (Due Process rights). Students will also study American Law Enforcement with a brief history of policing, emphasizing the 4 eras of American Policing and Federalism.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: AMERICAN LEGAL SYSTEM (SS9199) 0.5 credit
American Legal System will open with an overview of the American Judicial System. It will emphasize the Sources of law, Concept of Federalism, the Constitution, the Organization of the American Court system and the Supreme Court and the many landmark decisions that impact our society.
SOCIAL JUSTICE (SS9229) 1.0 credit
This course is designed to be the third course in the Law Pathway in the BASD. This class will explore the interaction of law and law enforcement with social policy, media, identity, and social mobilization. Students will explore criminal justice institutions and practices in social context with a specific anti-racism lens. Students will answer, “How should culture influence law and law enforcement and vice versa?” Topics covered in this course include: Youth, Justice, and Culture; Punishment, Culture, and Society; Human Rights and Technology; Anti-Racism, Psychology of Diversity, & the Law.
CAPSTONE: COMMUNITY ACTIVISM (SS9219) 1.0 credit
This course is designed to be the capstone course of the Law Pathway. This course seeks to help students become more involved citizens in their local, state, and national communities through both classroom experiences and direct community involvement. The course will focus on the investigation of current events/issues with a heavy emphasis on community experiences. Students will be encouraged to plan, develop, and lead a project to affect real change in their communities.
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT OFFERINGS
PUBLIC SPEAKING (EN9049) 0.5 credit
This course emphasizes the importance of effective public speaking in academic and real-world settings. Students are guided toward the creative development of speaking forms: process, persuasive, and informational. Additional skills emphasized include planning, preparing, and presenting a speech, the incorporation of technology, and critical evaluation. Students will also explore possible careers within the various fields of communications. Communication Arts 1: Public Speaking also serves as the foundational course in the Communications Pathway.
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT OFFERINGS
BUSINESS LAW (BU9119) 1.0 credit
Students will explore the history, career component and real-life application of business law. Areas of legal focus are civil, criminal, contract, landlord-tenant, employment, and consumer law. Through classroom discussion and the study of legal cases, students will strive to develop their own critical thinking process and make informed decisions as consumers and productive citizens. This course may utilize field trips and guest speakers as a means of exploring legal careers as it pertains to business. Students will exit the course having a better understanding of how business law pertains to everyday life, running their own business and make informed consumer decisions.