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Section VIII: Course descriptions
Social studies
History, government, economics and social science courses.
On this page 22 topics
Social Studies Courses
These are courses offered by Harmony campuses across Texas. Campus course offerings may vary.
| Course | Grade Level | Prerequisite | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Geography | 9-10 | None | 1 |
| AP Human Geography | 9-12 | None | 1 |
| World History | 10 | World Geography or AP Human Geography | 1 |
| AP World History: Modern | 10-12 | World Geography or AP Human Geography | 1 |
| US History | 11 | World History or AP World History: Modern | 1 |
| AP United States History | 11-12 | World History or AP World History: Modern | 1 |
| U.S. Government & Politics | 11-12 | U.S. History or AP U.S. History | 0.5 |
| Economics | 11-12 | U.S. History or AP U.S. History | 0.5 |
| AP U.S. Government & Politics | 11-12 | U.S. History or AP U.S. History | 0.5 |
| AP Macroeconomics | 11-12 | U.S. History or AP U.S. History | 0.5 |
| Social Studies Electives | |||
| Sociology | 11-12 | None | 0.5 |
| Psychology | 11-12 | None | 0.5 |
| Personal Financial Literacy | 10-12 | None | 0.5 |
| Ethnic Studies: Mexican American | 11-12 | None | 1 |
| Ethnic Studies: African American | 11-12 | None | 1 |
| Special Topics in Social Studies | 11-12 | World History or AP World History | 0.5 |
| AP European History | 10-12 | World Geography or AP Human Geography | 1 |
| AP Comparative Government & Politics | 12 | U.S. History or AP U.S. History | 0.5 |
| AP Psychology | 10-12 | None | 0.5 |
| AP Art History | 11-12 | World History or AP World History | 1 |
| AP Microeconomics | 11-12 | U.S. History or AP U.S. History | 0.5 |
World Geography
According to TEA’s 19 TAC Chapter 113 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies, Subchapter C, Section §113.43, in World Geography, students examine people, places, and environments at local, regional, national, and international scales from the spatial and ecological perspectives of geography. Students describe the influence of geography on events of the past and present, as well as compare how components of culture shape the characteristics of regions. They analyze the impact of technology and human modifications on the physical environment, and use problem-solving and decision-making skills to ask and answer geographic questions.
AP Human Geography
According to the College Board, the Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography course introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine socioeconomic organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their research and applications. The curriculum reflects the goals of the National Geography Standards (2012).
World History
Prerequisites: World Geography or AP Human Geography
According to TEA’s 19 TAC Chapter 113 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies, Subchapter C, Section §113.42, World History offers students an overview of the entire history of humankind. The major emphasis is on the study of significant people, events, and issues from the earliest times to the present. Students evaluate the causes and effects of both political and economic imperialism, and of major political revolutions since the 17th century. Students analyze the connections between major developments in science and technology and the growth of industrial economies while using the process of historical inquiry to research, interpret, and synthesize multiple sources of evidence.
AP World History: Modern
Prerequisites: World Geography or AP Human Geography
According to the College Board, the AP World History: Modern course encourages students to investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes from 1200 to the present. Students develop and use the same skills, practices, and methods employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making historical connections; and utilizing reasoning about comparison, causation, and continuity and change over time.
U.S. History
Prerequisites: World History or AP World History: Modern
According to TEA’s 19 TAC Chapter 113 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies, Subchapter C, Section §113.41, “students examine the history of the United States from 1877 to the present. The course content is based on the founding documents of the U.S. government, which provide a framework for its heritage. Historical content focuses on the political, economic, and social events related to industrialization and urbanization, major wars, domestic and foreign policies, and reform movements, including civil rights. Throughout the course, students examine and analyze the following: the impact of geographic factors on major events and eras while analyzing their causes and effects, the impact of constitutional issues on American society, the dynamic relationship of the three branches of the federal government, the efforts to expand the democratic process, the relationship between the arts and popular culture and the times during which they were created, and the impact of technological innovations on American life. Students also utilize critical-thinking skills and a variety of primary and secondary source material to explain and apply different methods that historians use to understand and interpret the past, including multiple points of view and historical context.”
AP U.S. History
Prerequisites: World History or AP World History: Modern
This course is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in U.S. history. According to the College Board, the course “focuses on developing students’ abilities to think conceptually about U.S. history from approximately 1491 to the present and apply historical thinking skills as they learn about the past. Seven themes of equal importance — identity; peopling; politics and power; work, exchange, and technology; America in the world; environment and geography; and ideas, beliefs, and culture — provide areas of historical inquiry for investigation throughout the course. These require students to reason historically about continuity and change over time and make comparisons among various historical developments in different times and places”.
U.S. Government & Politics
Prerequisites: U.S. History or AP U.S. History
According to TEA’s 19 TAC Chapter 113 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies, Subchapter C, Section §113.44, this course “focuses on the principles and beliefs upon which the United States was founded and on the structure, functions, and powers of government at the national, state, and local levels; it is the culmination of the civic and governmental content and concepts studied from Kindergarten through required secondary courses. Students learn major political ideas and forms of government in history. They examine the relationship between governmental policies and the culture of the United States, and identify examples of policies that encourage scientific research.”
Economics
Prerequisites: U.S. History or AP U.S. History
According to TEA’s 19 TAC Chapter 118 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits, Subchapter A, Section §118.4, this course is “designed to survey and apply basic macroeconomic concepts relating to personal, institutional, and social decision-making, and primarily focuses on how decisions to buy, sell, lend, and regulate effect output, employment, income distribution, and the balance of trade. Students examine the factors that determine national income, employment, and prices. They analyze patterns of consumption and saving, private investment, government policy, business fluctuations, and the interaction between money and national income. The last part of the course looks at international economics including exchange rates, markets, and monetary systems.”
AP U.S. Government & Politics
According to the College Board, “AP United States Government and Politics introduces students to key political ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the political culture of the United States. The course examines politically significant concepts and themes, through which students learn to apply disciplinary reasoning, assess causes and consequences of political events, and interpret data to develop evidence-based arguments.”
AP Macroeconomics
Prerequisites: U.S. History or AP U.S. History
According to the College Board, “AP macroeconomics provides students with a thorough understanding of the principles of economics at the societal level and has a primary emphasis on state economic planning, governmental decision making, and the financial sector as a whole. Students learn about economic performance measures, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics. In addition, it addresses the key economic schools of thought. The course prepares students to master the AP Macroeconomics examination, as well as provide students with a thorough introduction to the social scientific method of inquiry.”
Sociology
According to TEA’s 19 TAC Chapter 113 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies, Subchapter C, Section §113.46, sociology is an introductory study in social behavior and organization of human society. This course will describe the development of the field as a social science by identifying methods and strategies of research leading to an understanding of how the individual relates to society and the ever changing world. Students will also learn the importance and role of culture, social structure, socialization, and social change in today’s society.
Psychology
According to TEA’s 19 TAC Chapter 113 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies, Subchapter C, Section §113.45, “psychology, is an elective course in which students study the science of behavior and mental processes. Students examine the full scope of the science of psychology such as the historical framework, methodologies, human development, motivation, emotion, sensation, perception, personality development, cognition, learning, intelligence, biological foundations, mental health, and social psychology.”
Personal Financial Literacy
According to the TEA’s TAC Chapter 113.49, Personal Financial Literacy will develop citizens who have the knowledge and skills to make sound, informed financial decisions that will allow them to lead financially secure lifestyles and understand personal financial responsibility. The knowledge gained in this course has far-reaching effects for students personally as well as the economy as a whole. When citizens make wise financial decisions, they gain opportunities to invest in themselves, build businesses, consume goods and services in a responsible way, and secure a future without depending on outside assistance. The economy benefits from the optimal use of resources, increased consumption, and strong local businesses. State and local governments benefit with steady revenue streams and reduced future obligations as our society ages.”
Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies
According to the TEA’s 19 TAC Chapter 113 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies, Subchapter B, Section §113.50., “in Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies, an elective course, students learn about the history and cultural contributions of Mexican Americans. Students explore history and culture from an interdisciplinary perspective. The course emphasizes events in the 20th and 21st centuries, but students will also engage with events prior to the 20th century.”
Ethnic Studies: African American Studies
According to the TEA’s 19 TAC Chapter 113 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies, Subchapter B, Section §113.51., “in Ethnic Studies: African American Studies, an elective course, students learn about the history and cultural contributions of African Americans. This course is designed to assist students in understanding issues and events from multiple perspectives. This course develops an understanding of the historical roots of African American culture, especially as it pertains to social, economic, and political interactions within the broader context of United States history. It requires an analysis of important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions. Knowledge of past achievements provides citizens of the 21st century with a broader context within which to address the many issues facing the United States.”
Special Topics in Social Studies
According to the TEA’s 19 TAC Chapter 113 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies, Subchapter B, Section §113.47., “in Special Topics in Social Studies, an elective course, students are provided the opportunity to develop a greater understanding of the historic, political, economic, geographic, multicultural, and social forces that have shaped their lives and the world in which they live. Students will use social science knowledge and skills to engage in rational and logical analysis of complex problems using a variety of approaches, while recognizing and appreciating diverse human perspectives.
AP European History
According to the College Board, the course “focuses on developing students’ abilities to think conceptually about European history from approximately 1450 to the present and apply historical thinking skills as they learn about the past. Five themes of equal importance-Interaction of Europe and the World, Poverty and Prosperity, Objective Knowledge and Subjective Visions, States and Other Institutions of Power, and Individual and Society-provide areas of Historical inquiry for investigation throughout the course. These require students to reason historically about continuity and change over time and make comparisons among various historical developments in times and places.”
AP Comparative Government & Politics
According to the College Board, this course “introduces students to the rich diversity of political life outside the United States. The course uses a comparative approach to examine the political structures; policies; and the political, economic, and social challenges among six selected countries: Great Britain, Mexico, Russia, Iran, China, and Nigeria. Additionally, students examine how different governments solve similar problems by comparing the effectiveness of approaches to many global issues”.
AP Psychology
According to the College Board, the AP Psychology course “is designed to introduce students to the scientific study of human behavior, mental processes and experiences. Students will be exposed to psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology as well as exploring scientific methods and ethics. AP Psychology is a course that covers material similar to what is taught in a college-level introductory psychology course. This course may be used to meet only elective course requirements for state graduation.”
AP Art History
This course engages students at the same level as an introductory college art history survey. According to the College Board, “the AP Art History course is equivalent to a two-semester introductory college course that explores topics such as the nature of art, art making, and responses to art. By investigating a specific image set of 250 works of art characterized by diverse artistic traditions from prehistory to the present, the course fosters in-depth, holistic understanding of the history of art from a global perspective. Students become active participants in the global art world, engaging with its forms and content, as they experience, research, discuss, read, and write about art, artists, art making, and responses to and interpretations of art.”
AP Microeconomics
Prerequisites: U.S. History or AP U.S. History
According to the College Board, AP Microeconomics is a college-level course that introduces students to the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual economic decision-makers. The course also develops students’ familiarity with the operation of product and factor markets, distributions of income, market failure, and the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the economy.