Social Studies

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL
Core sequence
 
Social Studies I – Geography  - The course examines the role geography plays in human society throughout the year. Among the questions that ground our inquiry are: How can we preserve freshwater resources? How do American consumption patterns affect people and the planet? What is the connection between education and social justice?How does where we live affect how we live? What are alternatives to the US addiction to oil? How can globalization be used to empower the world's poor? Students explore the answers to these questions through guided reading, and writing assignments ranging from short answers to five paragraph essays. The fall and spring semesters end with a research paper and the spring semester begins with a research project that culminates in a power point presentation. Three novels students read are "The Call of the Wild," "Shabanu," and "Three Cups of Tea."
 
Social Studies II and III - 7th grade Social Studies will comprise the first half of a 2 year US History course. At the conclusion of this course in the spring of 8th grade, students will take the New York State High School Regents Examination, and some students will take the AP US History Exam. Given that that we have two Middle School years to cover the material for these one-year HS level exams, we will have the time to use developmentally appropriate teaching methods with this rigorous content. Class activities will involve ample discussion and debate. Skill objectives will center on essay writing fluency and interpreting primary documents.
 
Electives and J-term course
 
  History in the City – J-term

This course will revolve around the questions: Is capitalism good for the poor? Can capitalism and social justice fuel each other? To what extent have tycoons and laborers each been "engines" of economic progress? Cultural progress? Throughout the course students will explore the questions listed above in essays, mini documentaries of their making, power point presentations, class discussions and other writing assignments. To answer these questions students will go on daily field trips throughout the city, including a sailing trip out of South Street Seaport aboard the historic ship, The Pioneer; walking tours of Chinatown, Harlem, The East Village, and the Brooklyn Bridge; an underground tour of the first subway tunnel built in the United States; a trip to the Newport mansions in Rhode Island to visit vestiges of the Gilded Age's excess and wealth. In the second half of the course we will focus on the cultural, political and economic role that residents of Harlem and Spanish Harlem played in New York's history. We will read the novel, When The Spirits Danced Mambo: Growing Up Nuyorikan in El Barrio  by Martha Morena Vega.
 
  Hudson River and the City – J-term DESCRIPTION
 
  War - Prof. Hubbard
 
This fall marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Henry Hudson to our area. To those arriving, this event signaled the beginning of a new era of discovery, conquest and wealth. To those already here, it marked the beginning of a period of decline culminating in ultimate defeat and near extinction. This course will explore both sides of this story. Students will seek answers to such questions as "How could settlers, who professed certain values, justify behavior which violated those values when it came to relations with native Americans?" "How did the different worldviews of settlers and native Americans lead to misunderstanding and conflict?" "Could native Americans have done anything to alter the course of history and prevent their decline and destruction?" "Was there a right side and a wrong side to this conflict?" Students will receive a condensed view of the history leading up to the age of discovery to provide context and understanding of the worldview of explorers and settlers. They will receive an overview of the Native American way of thinking as well.

 

  What shall we do with the Negro? - Prof. Jones

African-American History in the United States  What Shall We Do with the Negro? is an elective course that seeks to engage students in an examination of the history of Africans in the Diaspora, specifically in the United States of America, from colonialism through the present. Through an historical, political, and cultural examination of the names that have been imposed on or emerged from Africans in the Diaspora, students will grapple with the significance and consequence of race. Simply put, students will understand that the treatment of Africans in the Diaspora and their descendants is reflected and refracted through the name that they are known as. These terms include Africans in the Diaspora, Nigger/Nigga, Negro, Black, African-American, Afro-American, Person of Color, and Minority. Through an examination of these labels, students will be able question the utility of these labels, the primacy of race, and the degree to which Africans in the Diaspora and their descendants have gained access to the human rights that are embedded in the Constitution of the United States.

  The People Called it Ragtime - Prof. Hill

Exploring the Early American 20th Century through the Broadway Musical This course takes students on an adventure through New York City history with Broadway musical Ragtime as its guide. Students will investigate what it takes to put on a Broadway musical - directing, musical directing, composition, costume design, set design, dramaturgy, and of course, acting - while getting a view of American history at the turn of the century. A history characterized by great waves of U.S. immigration, racial and religious struggles and activism, classism, the industrial revolution, and the search for the American Dream will come alive through both the musical Ragtime and the 1975 novel upon which it is based. The course will parallel the opening of the Broadway revival of Ragtime this fall.

 What fights are worth fighting? The rights and responsibilities of Citizens and Government Leaders - Prof Swan

Alternative title: Government and Citizenship Students will begin this course by analyzing excerpts from Spike Lee's "The Levees" about Hurricane Katrina to elucidate different kinds of citizenship, and determine the kind of citizenship we embody at CSS. The class will then evaluate the voting records of our politicians and local, state and national level, paying particular attention to their stances on the environment, immigration, gay marriage and gun control. Students in this elective will share their findings with peers in an assembly, solicit community feedback and contact these representatives to share the CSS community's support and criticisms. This class will also examine Supreme Court Cases establishing students rights (or lack thereof) in schools, including students' right to protest, their freedom of expression and freedom from warantless searches. Finally, this semester will close with an examination of citizenship in the age of globalization. How are our families, CSS, and our city connected to global sweatshop industries? The class will examine our role, responsibilities and options in a global economy. Students will debate current events issues, write and deliver speeches during the course, and help run Student Government Assemblies. While this course is required for anyone interested in running for student government in the fall of 2009 or subsequent years, this course is useful for all Columbians in its exploration of the values, controversies and rights we have in our school, city, state and nation.

  Speak UP! Speak Out! Forensics

 
The word “forensic” comes from the Latin adjective “forensis” meaning of or before the forum.  Come before the forum and improve your communication skills by improving your speech proficiency, poise and self-confidence in public speaking situations. Select speeches from a variety of categories to practice your public-speaking body language, eye contact, projection, pace, intonation, pronunciation, or interpretation.  The categories include: Oratory - Non-fiction speech given by a notable figure ; Humorous - Humorous monologue from a play, essay or stand-up comedian; Dramatic - Dramatic monologue form a play, essay, or film ; Original - Write and perform your own creative piece                                                               

 

  Student Government - Prof. Stillman

The Student Government exists to ensure that the principles of Fairness and Justice are recognizable and enduring features of the school community. The Student Government is committed to addressing and mediating student grievances, concerns, and disputes in an impartial and objective way; organizing social events such as dances and pool parties; and ensuring that the concerns and interests of each hall is presented and heard in a democratic, Socratic manner. Through the Student Government, students at CSS are "treated by adults with tenderness and respect, as equals."  ALL students intending to run for office must enroll in this course.
 

Upper School

 
Core sequence

 

AP World History:

The AP World History Exam tests knowledge of topics included in a full-year introductory college course in world history, emphasizing events from c. 8000 B.C.E to the present. The exam highlights six overarching themes: impact of societal interactions, change and continuity across world history periods, impact of technology and demography, social and gender structures, cultural and intellectual developments, and functions and structures of states. The exam addresses historical habits of mind or skills (constructing and evaluating arguments, using primary documents and data, assessing change and continuity over time, and handling diversity of interpretations) as well as world historical topics (global patterns, comparison within and among societies, and understanding of ideas and values).

AP Government and Politics: 

The AP Government & Politics: United States course provides an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. This course involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. politics and the analysis of specific case studies. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. political reality. While there is no single approach that an AP Government & Politics: United States course must follow, certain topics are generally covered in college courses.

AP Macroeconomics:

An AP course in Macroeconomics is designed to give you a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole. Such a course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price determination, and also develops your familiarity with economic performance measures, economic growth, and international economics.

AP Microeconomics:

The purpose of an AP course in Microeconomics is to provide a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual decision makers, both consumers and producers, within the larger economic system. It places primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets, and includes the study of factor markets and of the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the economy.

AP European History:

The study of European history since 1450 introduces students to cultural, economic, political, and social developments that played a fundamental role in shaping the world in which they live. Without this knowledge, we would lack the context for understanding the development of contemporary institutions, the role of continuity and change in present-day society and politics, and the evolution of current forms of artistic expression and intellectual discourse. In addition to providing a basic narrative of events and movements, the goals of the AP program in European History are to develop (a) an understanding of some of the principal themes in modern European History, (b) an ability to analyze historical evidence and historical interpretation, and (c) an ability to express historical understanding in writing.

Latin American History:

This course will begin by exploring the creation of modern Latin American states in the context of pre-Colombian history, colonial history and the origins of nationalist movements throughout Latin America as well as their connection to nationalist movements elsewhere in the world.  It will then focus on Latin America's struggle to gain control of its resources, industrialize and become a major player in world affairs in the face of political uheaval, poverty, and U.S. neo-imperialism that has often underpinned or compounded these problems. 

History of the Caribbean:

This course will explore the influences of pre-colombian societies, colonization, slavery and more recent world events in shaping the diverse cultural, political, economic and social systems found throughout the Caribbean nations.  It will seek to understand the extent to which the people of the Caribbean have been agents of their own destinies and the extent to which their destiny has been shaped by others.


History of the European Union:

This  course will begin by exploring the impact of protectionist economic policies and extreme forms of nationalism on international relations and those specifically of the European nations from the 19th century to the creation of the common market in 1993. It will put the development of the European Union in the context of changing thought and advancements in economic theory and the triumph of free trade principles in the 20th century. The course will also examine the political aspects of the European Union, including the development of membership criteria at the European Council meeting in Copenhagen 1993 and the inherent tension between national sovereignty and supranationalism/intergovernmentalism.

  History of Ancient Mexican Civilizations – the Mayans and the Aztecs (J-term trip) - this explore is a comparative examination of the two great precolumbian mexican civilizations, their intricate relationship with the geographic and ecological environment in which they developed, and the history of their demise.  The month-long course will utilize the significant precolumbian collections of the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Musuem of Art as introductions, then capped by a two week long trip to Mexico beginning in the center of Aztec civilizations, a bus trip transversing the Mexican lanscapoe and ending in the tropical regions of the Yucatan peninsula where the Mayan civilization flourished. Students will camp in sites along the way.

 

Modern History of the European Union – (J-term trip) - this fieldcourse will explore the history of French and German relationship that is hte center of the European Union to explore the historical incongruency that two nations which battled each other for centuries could be the major supporters of a unified Europe. The European Union, as an alternative model of federalism, will be constrasted with the American union, focusing in areas such as: environmental and energy policy, public transportation, human rights, work policy, political organization, and language and cultural diversity policies. The course will be capped by a two-week trip to Paris and Berlin.