Social Science Courses

Social Science for High School Completion

Social science is the scientific study of human society and social relationships. It covers all aspects of human behavior, from anthropology to psychology and everything in between.

The social science classes below are offered through High School Transfer Credit. Some are only offered in one semester, so check the table to see when the class you want is offered and what format you can take it in. Below the chart, you’ll find course descriptions for each.

Classes (Semesters offered) Online Correspondence
Economics (S-1) X X
Geography & World Cultures (S-1) X
Multicultural Studies (S-1) X
Psychology (S-1) X X
Psychology (S-2) X
Sociology (S-1)  X X
Sociology (S-2) X
U.S. Government (S-1) X X
U.S. Government (S-2) X
U.S. History (S-1 & 2) X X
World History (S-1 & 2) X X

Course Descriptions

Online

Based on the National Council for History Education (1997), the National Center for History in the Schools (1996), and the National Council for Social Studies (1994) standards, students will engage in this fourth-year social studies course to learn about properties of economics. Students study current and historical perspectives of economics, theories of early economic philosophers, theories of value, the concept of money, the role of banks, the Federal Reserve, productivity, and various markets around the world. Students use basic math and analytic writing in this course. For more information, visit Apex Learning.

Correspondence

Using the textbook "AGS Economics," by Marcel Lewinski, ©2005 American Guidance Services, Inc., students independently explore the key elements of the free enterprise system. These elements include supply, demand, price, competition, business, labor, money and banking, government, and the global economy. This course gives students the tools to think and choose responsibly as citizens, consumers, workers, savers, and investors.

Online (S-1 only)

Based on the National Council for History Education (1997), the National Center for History in the Schools (1996), and the National Council for Social Studies (1994) standards, students will explore geographic regions and cultures of the world. This course is the first course in the social studies sequence. Students are given instruction on how to read and create maps, graphs, and charts. For more information, visit Apex Learning.

Online

Based on the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, as well as the National Standards for History published by the National Center for History in Schools (NCHS), this course is an interdisciplinary course in the areas of history and sociology. Students examine how their own race, culture, ethnicity, and identity contribute to the United States as a multicultural nation. This course discusses minority groups and people from all backgrounds. For more information, visit Apex Learning.

Online (S-1 only)

Based on the American Psychological Association’s National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula, this course gives students an overview of methods, biopsychology, cognitive and developmental psychology, and variations in individual and group behavior. For more information, visit Apex Learning.

Correspondence

Using the textbook "Psychology: Its Principles and Applications," by T.L. Engle and Louis Snellgrove, ©1989 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., students study the history of psychology, psychological methods, human development, heredity and environment, personality, intellectual ability, thinking processes, perception, motivation and emotions, motives, conflicts and adjustments, and social influence and interaction.

Online (S-1 only)

Based on the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, students examine why people think and behave as they do in relationships, groups, institutions and societies. Topics of this course include individual and group identity, social structures and institutions, social stratification, social dynamics in recent and current events, the effects of social change on individuals, and the research methods used by social scientists. For more information, visit Apex Learning.

Correspondence

Using the textbook "Sociology, The Study of Human Relationships," by W. LaVerne Thomas, ©1990 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., students study how individuals and groups relate to one another and influence others’ behavior. The first semester focuses on cultural diversity, cultural conformity and adaptation, social structure, socializing the individual, adolescence (relationships and problems), adults in society, deviance and social control, social stratification, racial and ethnic relations, and gender and age. The second semester focuses on the family, economy and politics, education and religion, science and sport, collective behavior and social movement, population and urbanization, and social change and modernization.

Online (S-1 only)

Based on the National Council for History Education (1997), the National Center for History in the Schools (1996), and the National Council for Social Studies (1994) standards, this course is designed for students in their fourth year of social studies. Students learn about basic theories of government, the Declaration of Independence, the relationship between individual United States citizens, and the government and political culture of the country. For more information, visit Apex Learning.

Correspondence

The first semester of this course uses the textbook "United States Government," by Jane Wilcox Smith and Carol Sullivan, ©2005 AGS Publishing. Students begin their journey by looking at the forefathers of the United States and end their journey by seeing how government affects them locally. The second semester of this course uses "Government in America," by Richard J. Hardy, ©1996 McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin.  In this semester students learn about the people, processes, and institutions that make up the government of the United States.

Online

Based on the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) standards, this course is meant for students in their third year of social studies instruction.  Students will learn about the United States from the time of the Native Americans up through the United States today.  Topics include the development of the Declaration of Independence, the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, and the Great Depression.  For more information, visit Apex Learning.

Correspondence

In United States History, Semester 1 and 2, students will use the book United States History by Wayne E. King & John L. Napp, ©2005 AGS Publishing.  The first semester consists of five units and begins with Mesoamerican times and ends post-Civil War.  Students will be required to do five projects, which are aligned to the College & Career Readiness Standards in English-Language Arts.  The second semester includes five units and expands from the post-Civil War Era to the present day.  It also requires students to complete five projects, aligned to the College & Career Readiness Standards in English-Language Arts.

Online

Based on the National Council for History Education (1997), the National Center for History in the Schools (1996), and the National Council for Social Studies (1994) standards, this course covers the major events in world history. Students learn about the development of agriculture, the spread of democracy, the rise of nation-states, the industrial era, the spread of imperialism, and the issues and conflicts of the 20th century. For more information, visit Apex Learning.

Correspondence

Using the textbook "AGS World History," by Wayne King and Marcel Lewinski, ©2001 American Guidance Services Inc., students learn about prehistoric humans through present age cultures. The first semester surveys man’s developments in government, art, literature, science, religion, and social structures from prehistoric man to the present. The second semester allows students to study great world explorations, revolutions, social reforms, world conflicts, and new challenges.