Social Studies
The mission of the Social Studies Department is to prepare students to be citizens of the world and to engage as active participants in a diverse, multicultural, globally interconnected, and democratic society.
Our course offerings allow students to explore various facets of the human experience in order to better understand the roots of our current cultural, social, economic and political realities. Our courses aim to develop students’ critical reading, thinking, and communication skills, equipping them to approach complex challenges and opportunities through reasoned and informed decision-making.
Staff Directory
Courses
World History 163
GRADE: 9 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This introductory survey course provides students with the opportunity to gain knowledge of how the past is relevant to our everyday lives through the study of the historical development of world civilizations, and the significant personalities, events, achievements and failures that make up the dramatic story of human history. Through the exploration of world political systems, economics, geography and social systems, students will develop the ability to become better critical thinkers and to make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse, interdependent world. Special emphasis is placed on building students’ foundational skills in reading, writing, research, and analysis that will enable them to be successful in Social Studies.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
World History Honors 173
GRADE: 9 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
The course examines the development and evolution of civilizations from the beginnings of humankind into the modern era. Utilizing an integrated approach to civilizational development, the course compares and contrasts various cultures and historical periods. Coursework provides an accelerated academic challenge, focusing on the development of students’ analytical and critical thinking skills through reading, writing, and oral communication.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
World History Studies 163
GRADE: 9 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This introductory survey course provides students with the opportunity to gain knowledge of how the past is relevant to our everyday lives through the study of the historical development of world civilizations and the famous people and events that have influenced the course of human history. Special emphasis is placed on developing student’s foundational skills in reading, listening, writing, and analysis that will enable them to be successful in Social Studies.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
World History/English TEAM 163
GRADE: 9 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 2.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
The TEAM course is a program of study designed for students who learn best with a hands-on, project-oriented approach. The integrated curriculum of this combined English and history course emphasizes reading and writing skills, which include developing the ability to critically examine historical events, the development of analytical and inferential reading, writing for a purpose, and the building of vocabulary and proper grammar usage. Emphasis is also placed on the development of students’ academic habits, executive functioning skills, and social-emotional development. Students receive two credits, one for history and one for English. Students enrolled in this course will simultaneously be enrolled in English/World History Team 163.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
World History LA 163
GRADE: 9, 10 ,11 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course is designed as an introductory survey to world history and global connections for those students in the Language Assisted program. Intensive instruction in reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking are key elements of this course. This academic course will prepare ELL students for future coursework in Social Studies.
PREREQUISITE: Recommendation by ELL Coordinator
Global Geography LA 163
GRADE: 9, 10, 11 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
English learners will receive intensive instruction in the development of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills through the study of global geography, basic social studies concepts, and essential vocabulary. This introductory academic course will prepare ELL students for future coursework in Social Studies courses.
PREREQUISITE: Recommendation by ELL Coordinator
AP European History 183
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This advanced, college-level course begins with the Renaissance and proceeds through a series of in-depth studies of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution,19th Century intellectual thought and 20th Century problems. Lecture, discussion, and independent study skills and research are emphasized. This course focuses on skills and content required to perform successfully on the Advanced Placement exam in May. Students may receive college credit, advanced college placement, or both depending on the exam score. Students are strongly advised to have successfully completed one year of world history prior to taking this course.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
Religions of the World- East 161/171
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
Students who take this course will be objectively exposed to various Eastern religious answers to such questions as: What is the human condition? What is our destiny? What is Ultimate Reality, and how is it revealed? Is there life after death? How can we find happiness? This course will focus on the origins, historical development, beliefs and practices, and contemporary cultural impact of the following Eastern religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Sikhism and Jainism. In order to receive honors credit, students must meet additional course expectations.
PREREQUISITE: Students are strongly advised to have successfully completed one year of world history prior to taking this course.
Religions of the World- West 162/172
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
Students who take this course will be exposed to major Western religious answers to such questions as: What is the ultimate purpose of life? Is there life after death? Can we know what is good or bad, right or wrong? How can we find happiness? Who or what am I? This course will focus on the origins, historical development, beliefs and practices, and contemporary cultural impact of the following religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In addition to these world religions, students will also objectively explore various diverse religious cultures which have developed within the United States.In order to receive honors credit, students must meet additional course expectations.
PREREQUISITE: Students are strongly advised to have successfully completed one year of world history prior to taking this course.
Pacific Rim 161/171
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course is a survey of the peoples of China, Korea, Japan, the Philippines and other east Asian nations. Students will explore current political systems and developments, physical geography, cultural beliefs and values, economic structures and the growing Asian influence on recent events in the United States. Class experiences also include field trips and guest speakers. In order to receive honors credit, students must meet additional course expectations.
PREREQUISITE: Students are strongly advised to have successfully completed one year of world history prior to taking this course.
Latin American History 161/171
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course is a survey of the history and cultures of Latin America. Students will explore modern political and economic developments, historical foundations of the region, impact of geography, cultural beliefs and values, and the growing influence of Latin America on recent events in the United States. Class experiences also include field trips and guest speakers. In order to receive honors credit, students must meet additional course expectations.
PREREQUISITE: Students are strongly advised to have successfully completed one year of world history prior to taking this course.
Chicago History 161
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This elective course will provide students with the opportunity to study and explore the city of Chicago and its history. Students will engage historical topics with modern day significance such as the social, political and intellectual history of Chicago as it developed from a small, swampy outpost into one of the great American cities. Students will have the opportunity to enjoy a field trip to Chicago, which will add a hands-on dimension to their studies. Students will demonstrate their abilities through a variety of assessment types that are designed to produce success in learners of all ability levels.
PREREQUISITE: None
Chicago: Problems & Solutions 162
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
In this study of the city of Chicago, students will be able to explore and propose solutions for some of the most pressing urban problems. Using Chicago as a laboratory, students will endeavor to identify and study many of the issues facing the citizens of the city of Chicago today. The topics, which reflect current events, include poverty, crime, housing, education, and the environment. Students will have the opportunity to do fieldwork within Chicago through several field trips. Assessments will consist of both projects and tests.
PREREQUISITE: None
Civics 161/162
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course will provide students with the knowledge and skills to actively engage in democratic society. Students will study government institutions at the national, state, and local levels, discuss current and controversial issues, participate in simulations of the democratic process, and translate their learning into civic action in a culminating activity. Students will also study the U.S. and Illinois State Constitutions and pass required exams. This course satisfies the Illinois state graduation requirement for civic education.
PREREQUISITE: None
Civics LA 162
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course will provide students with the knowledge and skills to actively engage in democratic society. Students will study government institutions at the national, state, and local levels, discuss current and controversial issues, participate in simulations of the democratic process, and translate their learning into civic action in a culminating activity. This course is specifically designed to assist students in developing English proficiency, with emphasis on reading, writing, and speaking in order to be college ready. Students will also study the U.S. and Illinois State Constitutions and pass required exams. This course satisfies the Illinois state graduation requirement for civic education.
PREREQUISITE: Recommendation by ELL Coordinator
US History 163
GRADE: 11 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course focuses upon the major questions, events, personalities, trends and developments in American history. Course content is presented in chronological sequence and particular emphasis is devoted to the 20th Century. Further development of reading, writing, analysis, discussion and research skills will be the significant focus in this required course of study.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
AP US History 183
GRADE: 11 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This advanced college-level course focuses upon the major events, personalities, trends and developments in American history. Course content is presented in chronological sequence and particular emphasis is devoted to the 20th Century. This course emphasizes skills and content required to perform successfully on the AP exam for this course given in May. The student may receive college credit, advanced college placement, or both depending on the exam score.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
US History Studies 163
GRADE: 11 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course focuses upon the major questions, events, personalities, trends and developments in American history. Course content is presented in chronological sequence and particular emphasis is devoted to the 20th Century. The course is designed to improve student’s reading, writing, and note taking skills with teacher guidance.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
US History LA 163
GRADE: 11 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course focuses on the major events, personalities, trends, and developments in American history, with particular emphasis devoted to the 20th Century. Students will connect and analyze historical events to the present. This course is specifically designed to assist students in developing English proficiency, with emphasis on reading, writing, and speaking in order to be college ready. Students will learn literacy strategies to understand complex texts, primary source documents, and argumentation.
PREREQUISITE: Recommendation by ELL Coordinator
American Experience 163
GRADE: 11 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 2.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
The American Experience is an interdisciplinary course, taught by a history teacher and an English teacher, that explores our country’s literature and history as an interwoven tapestry rather than as discrete subjects. The course will explore American themes across time while meeting Junior year objectives in U.S. History, reading, writing, and research. Students receive two credits, one for history and one for English.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
AP World History: Modern 183
GRADE: 11,12 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This advanced college level course invites students to take a global view of historical processes and contacts between people in different societies, with an emphasis on the past thousand years of human history. The basic approach to the study of world history will be chronological, with special emphasis placed upon the following themes: change and continuity over time, the impact of technology and demography on people and the environment, systems of social and gender structure, cultural and intellectual developments, and the way in which institutionalized values are affected as a result of cultural contacts between peoples. This course emphasizes skills and content required to perform successfully on the AP exam for this course given in May. The student may receive college credit,advanced college placement, or both depending on the exam score.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
AP Psychology 183
GRADE: 11,12 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course is designed for students who would like to experience a more in-depth approach to the study of psychology. Some of the topics to be covered, as specified in the College Board course outline, include the following: sensation and perception, states of consciousness, learning, personality and abnormal psychology and its treatment. This course emphasizes skills and content required to perform successfully on the AP exam for this course given in May. The student may receive college credit, advanced college placement, or both depending on the exam score.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
AP Economics 183
GRADE: 11,12 LENGTH: Full Year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This year-long course examines the primary concepts of both microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics explores economic decision making by individual consumers and businesses. Primary areas of study include basic economic problems and concepts, the market system of allocating scarce resources, the theory of consumer choice, the various types of product markets and the role of government in cases of a market failure. Macroeconomics focuses on the functioning of the economy as a whole. Major topics are Gross Domestic Product, unemployment, inflation, fiscal and monetary policy options, and the impact of global trade. Wherever possible, connections between textbook theory and current affairs guide our discussions. This course emphasizes skills and content required to perform successfully on the AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics exams given in May. The student may receive college credit, advanced college placement, or both depending on the exam score.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
AP Government and Politics: US 181/182
GRADE: 11,12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This college level course will provide students with an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. Students will study the constitutional foundations of American government, civil liberties, civil rights, elections and campaigns, political parties, interest groups, and the three branches of government. This course emphasizes skills and content required to perform successfully on the AP exam for this course given in May. The student may receive college credit, advanced college placement, or both depending on the exam score. This course satisfies the Illinois state graduation requirement for civic education.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Recommendation
International Relations 161/171
GRADE: 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course will examine questions that confront the contemporary world, providing an overview of a number of significant global problems likely to persist into the future. The course will explore various topics such as globalization, human rights and humanitarianism, international conflict and cooperation, and the environment. By the end of the course, every student will be expected to have a better sense of the range of global challenges, a more detailed understanding of each challenge, and a set of global problem solving tools for analyzing the major issues confronting the contemporary world. In order to receive honors credit, students must meet additional course expectations.
PREREQUISITE: None
Issues and Answers in Philosophy 161/162
GRADE: 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This one semester course offers students the opportunity to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate many of the most profound philosophical questions humankind has dared to ponder. The course will introduce the philosophical topics of Existentialism, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics, and rights-based Political Philosophy. The course offers opportunities for a variety of learning modalities, but primarily focuses on abstract reflection, discussion, journaling, and the writing of formal essays.
PREREQUISITE: None
Psychology 161/162
GRADE: 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Students will study how the brain works, including how we learn, remember, and organize the world around us. This course will explore questions such as: What makes the brain work? Why is sleep important? How do psychologists measure and define abnormal behavior? We will answer these questions through studying current research, brain functions, cognition and human development, personality and psychological disorders. Through this course students will gain a deeper understanding of how psychology is all around us.
PREREQUISITE: None
Sociology 161/162
GRADE: 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This is an introductory course that examines human behavior in groups, including those norms, folkways, and taboos unique to American society. The units of study include an examination of culture and socialization, gender, race, class, and deviance. The course places a strong emphasis on project-based learning.
PREREQUISITE: None
Argumentation and Debate 163
GRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: Full year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
The course stresses critical thinking skills through the principles of argument construction and development as well as delivering those arguments effectively in both speaking and writing. Students will be introduced to various debate events including Policy Debate, Congressional Debate and current events. This is a co-curricular class, in which students enrolled in the class are also members of our nationally-competitive debate team.
PREREQUISITE: None
Honors Debate Seminar- Congress / Honors Debate Seminar-Policy 173
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: Full year CREDIT: 1.0 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course is for serious students of academic debate, especially those who plan on continued participation in interscholastic competition. It emphasizes advanced debate theory, extensive research skills and practice debating on the current national debate topic. Membership and quarterly participation on the Debate Team is required. Separate sections exist for Policy Debaters and Congressional Debaters. Course may be repeated for additional credit.
PREREQUISITE: Argumentation and Debate 163
Independent Study 161/162
GRADE: 10, 11, 12 LENGTH: 1 Sem CREDIT: 0.5 GPA: All Subject and Academic
This course will provide an opportunity for students who wish to pursue a topic that time and curricular demands do not allow for in our regular courses. Students need to arrange their plan of study with a cooperating teacher in the Social Studies Department.
PREREQUISITE: GBS Department Approval
Program of Studies
Student Support
- GBS Library
- Open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- The GBS Library has 3 certified teacher librarians who can provide research support, citation help and readers’ advisory services. Students can also receive Chromebook support at the Chrome Depot, located at the back of the library. All GBS Library resources and contact information can be found on the GBS LibGuides.
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- Open 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ( 4 p.m. on Fridays)
- The Titan Learning Center (TLC) offers support in all subjects. For academic help, there are peer tutors and qualified adults available to assist students. Peer tutors are trained, vetted, and assigned according to the classes they are most qualified to tutor. Walk-ins are welcome.