Social Studies

Individuals and Societies 6 Middle School

Individuals and Societies 6
Grade: 6

This MYP Year 1 class encourages students to develop an understanding and respect for the world, exploring how various factors shape individuals, societies, and environments. The course aims to cultivate a lifelong fascination with the evolving human story in a connected world by combining disciplines from the humanities and social sciences. Year 1 units focus on research skills, geography, history, and religion, and economics.

Unit 1 Intro to I&S
Unit 2 Geographical Perspectives
Unit 3 The Neolithic Revolution
Unit 4 Ancient Civilizations
Unit 5 World Religions
Unit 6 Goods of the World

Individuals and Societies 7 Middle School

Individuals and Societies 7
Grade: 7

In individuals and societies, students will be studying diverse social science disciplines including history, geography, philosophy, government, international relations and anthropology. Across these studies, students will be developing a wide range of research, presentation, argumentative, evaluation and problem solving skills through a variety of authentic assessments. These assessments will mirror tasks students are likely to encounter in the real world including giving presentations, creating actionable plans, communicating effectively through email and more.

Unit 1 Classical Civilizations
Unit 2 The Dark Ages
Unit 3 Age of Exploration pt 1 Societies before exploration processes (Asia-Africa-America)
Unit 4 Migration
Unit 5 Age of Exploration pt 2 Biggest contact was between Africa and America.

Individuals and Societies 8 Middle School

Individuals and Societies 8
Grade: 8

In individuals and societies, students will be studying diverse social science disciplines including history, geography, philosophy, government, international relations and anthropology. Across these studies, students will be developing a wide range of research, presentation, argumentative, evaluation and problem solving skills through a variety of authentic assessments. These assessments will mirror tasks students are likely to encounter in the real world including giving presentations, creating actionable plans, communicating effectively through email and more.

Unit 1 Forms of government
Unit 2 Revolutions
Unit 3 Globalization
Unit 4 Identity

Modern World History High School

Grade: 9
Prerequisite: None

This course will expose students to a sampling of the social studies disciplines, including History, Sociology, Psychology, and Economics. IB-style assessments will be introduced. Key movements and events of the 19th century in both Western and Eastern Hemisphere societies will be surveyed.

US History High School

Grade: 10
Prerequisite: None

Students study US history beginning in the late 19th century and continuing to the present. The important movements of the last 100+ years that shape the present day US are covered: US social history, industrialization, foreign expansion, world war one, the turmoil of the 60’s, immigration in the US, and US imperialism. Students practice versions of the assessments that they will take in IB History, including essay examinations, individual historical investigations, and document evaluation skills.

IB History SL/HL High School

Grades: 11 and 12 (this is a two-year course)
Prerequisite: None

Topics Studied Include:

• Interwar period: 1920-1940 (Japan, Germany, Italy)
• The rise and rule of single party states (dictatorships) in the 20th century, including Mao Zedong’s China and Juan Peron in Argentina, Stalin in Russia, Fidel in Cuba; the Republic of China 1912-49 and the rise of Communism
• China: the regional superpower from mid 20th century to 2000
• Social and economic developments, 1945-2000 (a case study of Taiwan)

IB Economics SL/HL High School

Grades: 11 and 12 (this is a two-year course)
Prerequisite: None

IB Economics Standard Level/Higher Level is a two-year, social science course that covers four broad topics. These include, introduction to economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and global economy. All content at the SL level is a subset of the HL content. Examples of SL content include the study of markets and government intervention, market failure, fiscal and monetary policies, international trade, economic integration, exchange rates, measuring development, and foreign aid. HL students will cover extensions to the SL content that include Theory of the Firm and market structures.

The aim of the course is to develop not only an awareness of economic issues at the student’s local and national level, but internationally as well. As a social science, the scientific method is applied in both qualitative and quantitative ways while students are asked to reflect on human goals and values and their responsibilities as global citizens.

IB Business Management SL/HL High School

Grades: 11 and 12 (this is a two-year course)
Prerequisite: None

The business management course is designed to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of business management theories, as well as their ability to apply a range of tools and techniques. Students learn to analyze, discuss and evaluate business activities at local, national, and international levels. The course covers a range of organizations from all sectors, as well as the sociocultural and economic contexts in which those organizations operate. The course covers the key characteristics of business organization and environment, and the business functions of human resource management, finance and accounts, marketing, and operations management. Links between the topics are central to the course.

Through the exploration of four key concepts (creativity, ethics, sustainability, and change), the course allows students to develop a holistic understanding of today’s complex and dynamic business environment. The conceptual learning is firmly anchored in business management theories, tools and techniques and placed in the context of real world examples and case studies. The course encourages the appreciation of ethical concerns at both a local and global level. It aims to develop relevant and transferable skills, including the ability to: think critically; make ethically sound and well-informed decisions; appreciate the pace, nature and significance of change; think strategically; and undertake long-term planning, analysis and evaluation. The course also develops subject-specific skills, such as financial analysis.

IB DP Core High School

Grade: 11 and 12; this is a two year course
Note: This course is required for all IB Diploma candidates

How do we learn in the real world? What kinds of questions are worth asking and exploring? How do we really know what we know? These are some of the questions that we will cover in the IB Core Class, which is a combination of the three required components of the full IB DP Program. Creativity/Activity/Service (CAS) allows students to become more reflective and think about how their existing (or new!) interests – from skateboarding to painting to singing to volunteer work, plus anything else – can actually allow for learning through experience. Support with necessary skills for the Extended Essay (EE), an extensive, independent research paper is also provided. And lastly, the TOK components of the course ask students to examine how knowledge “works” in real life situations: When should we trust our instincts? How reliable are predictions? How do we effectively judge the merits of conflicting evidence? The skills learned in this class are broadly applicable to all other coursework and act as a unifying force in a student’s IB experience.

Global Studies High School

Grades: 10 – 12
Prerequisite: None
Note: this course counts as an elective credit and cannot replace a core Social Studies class.

This course will introduce students to current social, political, economic, and environmental global issues as well as the intergovernmental organizations that exist to address these pressing issues. Students will be asked to examine each topic from multiple perspectives in order to promote open-mindedness and understanding. Students will also be asked to employ their critical thinking and creative skills to propose effective solutions to the issues at hand.

Throughout this course students will develop research skills that will help prepare them for future independent research projects such as gathering information, assessing sources, analyzing texts, and citing sources. Students will be challenged to develop both informal and formal communication skills in order to present their ideas in relevant, organized ways. Documents from the United Nations as well as a variety of primary and secondary sources will be used throughout this course.

Business Studies High School

Grades: 10 – 12
Prerequisite: None
Note: this course counts as an elective credit and cannot replace a core Social Studies class.

This course introduces students to the world of business. Students will develop an understanding of the functions of business, including accounting, marketing, information and communication technology, human resources, production, and of the importance of ethics and social responsibility. This course builds a foundation for further studies in business and helps students develop the business knowledge and skills they will need in their everyday lives.