The required course in Grade 9 seeks to continue the excitement of discovery of Middle ­School history while introducing students in a more formal way to the skills and the content goals of the department. As students learn to define basic traits of human societies, they apply those concepts to the earliest known human civilizations. The first semester emphasizes structure; the second semester focuses on structure and change. Geography, religion, social organization, economics, and politics not only provide the basis for analysis of early civilizations but also lead into an examination of the worlds of classical Egypt, Greece, and Rome in the first semester. In the second half of the year, the process of historical development receives more attention as students look at the transition from late classical into medieval society and the maturation of civi­lizations in Europe, China, and India. Throughout the course, art and architecture illustrate how a culture symbolizes its values. 

Students in African American Studies will examine the history, politics, culture, and economics of North American people of African descent.  The course will explore events and personalities from ancient African empires, to the slave economy, to the Civil Rights movement, and from the blues to hip-hop.  Students will understand and explain the significant impact African Americans have had in shaping American society and culture.  As this is a pilot course, it is still a work in progress, and the details of the final project and exam will be shared prior to the start of the 2022-2023 academic year. All students are required to take the AP examination, contingent on a pre-examination test in the spring.

*Department permission required.

This course focuses on four thematic units that move across the instructional year chronologically, providing students opportunities to delve into key topics that extend from the medieval kingdoms of West Africa to the ongoing challenges and achievements of the contemporary moment. Given the interdisciplinary character of African American Studies, students in the course will develop skills across multiple disciplines, with an emphasis on developing historical, literary, visual, and data analysis skills. The new course will also foreground a study of the diversity of Black communities in the United States within the broader context of Africa and the African Diaspora.

All students are required to take the AP examination, contingent on a pre-examination test in the spring. 
*Department permission required.

This course explores art history from prehistoric times to the modern era with the goal of leading students to a greater appreciation for humanity's capacity for beauty and creativity. During the year, students will engage in projects, presentations, group discussions, written critiques, quizzes, and essay writing. In addition, students will maintain a notebook where they will record daily observations. The course will include extensive use of educational technology and visits to the Yale art galleries. All students are required to take the AP examination, contingent on a pre-examination test in the spring.

*Department permission required.

The purpose of the course in Macroeconomics is to give students a thorough understanding of the functioning of economic systems as a whole. Particular emphasis is placed on economic perform­ance measures, economic growth including the role of the government, and interna­tional economics.  In May, students take a two­ hour Advanced Placement examination in Macroeconomics.  All students are required to take the AP examination, contingent on a pre-examination test in the spring.

 *Department permission required.

As the College Board states: "AP Microeconomics is an introductory college-level course that focuses on the principles that apply to an economic system as a whole. The course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price-level determination; it also develops students' familiarity with economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics. Students learn to use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts."  All students are required to take the AP examination, contingent on a pre-examination test in the spring.
*Department permission required.

Advanced Placement Government and Politics is a fall semester course for capable and independent students interested in studying United States government and politics at the university level.  In this seminar-type, discussion-oriented course, students will be prepared for the AP examination through essays and graded commentary. As directed by the AP Board, the "course includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U. S. government and politics and the analysis of specific examples."  Students with a background in either AP U. S. History or Honors U. S. History will be given first priority, but U. S. History is a requirement.
All students are required to take the AP examination, contingent on a pre-examination test in the spring.
* Department permission required.

This rigorous survey resembles a college freshman course in its coverage and approach. It can be rewarding as well as demanding, for students take the Advanced Placement examination in May to earn place­ment and/or credit at college. Text materials are provided, but most class discussions center on primary sources and historical interpretations. Each student in this class has a real chance to use historical imagination to create his/her own ideas of the past rather than relying solely on the predigested views of others. Recommended for those with intellectual and/or historical curiosity. This course fulfills the U.S. History requirement (see course H353).  All students are required to take the AP examination, contingent on a pre-examination test in the spring.
 *Department permission required.

The AP World History course is designed to provide students with the opportunity for deep conceptual understandings while being introduced to a vast amount of historical content.  Students find this course challenging and rewarding as they prepare for the very rigorous AP exam in May.  Class periods are spent exploring key historical concepts and connections using factual evidence from weekly textbook readings and additional nightly assignments.  The syllabus focuses on three to four key concepts per unit that define what is most essential to know about each period based on the most current historical research in world history.  Students must spend equal parts of their time developing their factual recall as well as developing advanced historical thinking skills to create understandings of essential concepts.   All students are required to take the AP examination, contingent on a pre-examination test in the spring.

*Departmental permission required.

This required course for sophomores is designed to increase students’ awareness and knowledge of issues such as human rights, social justice, and economic justice, both nationally and internationally, and their interrelationship with individual and community health and wellness. The course will pay close attention to issues of public health and environmental issues (such as the Flint water crisis, public housing policy, and the current COVID vaccination initiative) and their unequal impact due to dimensions of diversity that include (but are not restricted to) class, age, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, historical impact/forces, and gender.  Students will explore how social justice and injustice exist in institutions, organizations, and the global society at large. Topics covered will include the connections between these issues and mental health, biology, chemistry, and the social sciences.

This world history course is taken by most students in grade 10. Continuing students’ experiences in Ancient and Medieval History, students study historical concepts and connections between the 15th and 21st centuries. One major goal of the course is to build on the skills students developed in 9th grade. To this end, each unit is based on historical concepts linked to an authentic problem or task. These projects are designed to teach students to craft historical arguments from their research on historical evidence. This thematic course helps students develop their chronological reasoning and comparison and contextualization of historical concepts, evidence, and connections.  A core value of this course is for students to develop ownership of their own understandings of history and its connections to themselves.

This semester-long elective course introduces essential economics and personal finance concepts necessary to become a more financially capable student.  Topics covered include banking, credit, budgeting, investing, and more.

Sixty years after John Kennedy challenged Americans at his inauguration, the Vietnam Era continues to echo in American politics, culture, music, art, and attitudes. A primarily project-based semester course,  the Vietnam Era examines the dynamism and turbulence of one of the most unique decades of American history. This one-semester survey course attempts to put those years in context through readings, film, art, and music. The course is open to any student who has completed United States History.

U.S. History may be taken either in the junior or senior year. Interested students are urged to take the AP course. Either course (H353 or H593) satisfies the graduation requirement.

This class will move at a more rapid pace than regular US history. This course is designed to add more depth to the regular survey of U.S. History. Students will have a variety of assessments that include essays that use primary and secondary sources, portfolios, and analytical writing. In addition, students will study the political, social, and economic development of the United States through extended reading assignments that connect with specific portions of the curriculum and/or projects. Students will be taught how to select questions to design research and writing assignments that demonstrate their articulation of historical thinking and use of appropriate technology for this course.  

*Department permission required.

This course is an introduction to the study of women from historical and political perspectives, with special attention to gender as a system of social construction.  Issues to be addressed include classification in work, communities, and politics; we will explore women’s identities and roles within classes and races. The approach is interdisciplinary, using multi-media with special attention to the cross-cultural examination of race, gender, class, and sexuality as they contribute to shaping the identities of the diverse female population, particularly in the United States.