History & Social Science
The History and Social Science program offers courses at the Grade, Honors, Advanced Placement, and Dual Enrollment levels. The History and Social Science programming develops skills in analysis, writing, critical reading, research, and collaboration. These skills support students in their academics as they become citizens for a democratic society.
View Middle School History & Social Science Course Offerings
Charlottesville High School Course Offerings
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04_2215_0 World History I
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04052-I
Grade: 9
Prerequisite: None
Assessment(s): State-made Performance Assessments, EOC SOL Test
Description: The World History I course traces the history of human civilization and interaction from the dawn of man through 1500 A.D., and is designed for the student seeking an engaging program of study that emphasizes both Western and non-Western civilizations. Students will work on refining skills of oral and written communication and the analysis of historical events through many sources
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04_2215H_0 World History I - Honors
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04052-I
Grade: 9
Prerequisite: None
Assessment(s): State-made Performance Assessments, EOC SOL Test
Description: The World History I Honors course traces the history of human civilization and interaction from the dawn of man through 1500 A.D., and is designed for the student seeking an engaging program of study that emphasizes both Western and non-Western civilizations. Students will read primary and secondary source readings in each unit. Students will develop skills for college readiness in essay writing, reading, research, and collaboration.
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04_2210H_0 World Geography - Honors
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04001
Grade: 9
Prerequisite: None
Assessment(s): State-made Performance Assessments, EOC SOL Test
Description: The focus of this course is the study of the world’s people, places, and environments, with an emphasis on world regions. The knowledge, skills, and perspectives of the course are centered on the world’s peoples and their cultural characteristics, landforms and climates, economic development, and migration and settlement patterns.
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04_2212_1 AP Human Geography
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04004
Grade: 9
Prerequisite: none
Assessments: State-made Performance Assessments, AP Exam, EOC SOL Test
Description: Advanced Placement Human Geography is a dynamic course that studies "the Why of Where". Students will explore topics such as population and migration, culture, politics, agriculture and industry, urbanization, and the environment, all on an introductory college level.
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04_2216_0 World History II
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04052-II
Grade: 10
Prerequisite: None
Assessment(s): State-made Performance Assessments, EOC SOL Test, Final Exam
Description: This course emphasizes both Western and non-Western civilizations from 1500 A.D. to the present, with emphasis on the development of the modern world. Students will work on refining skills of oral and written communication and the analysis of data including primary and secondary sources. Students will develop skills for college readiness in essay writing, reading, research, and collaboration.
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04_2216H_0 World History II - Honors
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04052-II
Grade: 10
Prerequisite: Suggested concurrent enrollment in English 10-Honors
Assessment(s): State-made Performance Assessments, EOC SOL Test; Final Exam
Description: This course emphasizes both Western and non-Western civilizations from 1500 A.D., the Renaissance to the present, with emphasis on the development of the modern world. Students will work on refining skills of oral and written communication and the analysis of data including primary and secondary sources. Students will develop skills for college readiness in essay writing, reading, research, and collaboration.
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04_2382_1 AP World History: Modern
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04067
Grade: 10
Prerequisite: World Geography Honors
Assessments: AP Exam; EOC SOL Test
Note: Students are expected to take the AP examination, which is offered in May. College credit may be earned depending upon the score achieved and individual policies of colleges and universities.
Description: This is a college level course that examines the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that have shaped the world from c. 1200 CE to the present. Students will analyze texts, visual sources, and other historical evidence and write essays expressing historical arguments.
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04_2360_0 Virginia and United States History
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04101
Grade: 11
Prerequisite: None
Assessment(s): State-made Performance Assessments, EOC SOL Test, Final Exam
Description: The standards for Virginia and United States History expand upon the foundational knowledge and skills previously introduced to include the historical development of American ideas and institutions from the Age of Exploration and Colonization to the present. While continuing to focus on political, geographic, and economic history, the standards provide students with a basic knowledge of American culture through a chronological survey of major issues, movements, people, and events in Virginia and United States history.
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04_2360H_0 Virginia and United States History - Honors
04_2360_8 Virginia and United States History ELD
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04101
Grade: 11
Prerequisite: None
Assessment(s): State-made Performance Assessments, EOC SOL Test, Final Exam
Description: The standards for Virginia and United States History expand upon the foundational knowledge and skills previously introduced to include the historical development of American ideas and institutions from the Age of Exploration and Colonization to the present. While continuing to focus on political, geographic, and economic history, the standards provide students with a basic knowledge of American culture through a chronological survey of major issues, movements, people, and events in Virginia and United States history.
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04_2319_1 AP United States History
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04104
Grade: 11
Prerequisite: Suggested concurrent enrollment in AP English Language and Composition
Assessments: State-made Performance Assessments, AP Exam, EOC SOL Test
Note: Students are expected to take the AP examination, which is offered in May. College credit may be earned depending upon the score achieved and individual policies of colleges and universities.
Description: This course examines the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that have shaped the United States from c. 1491 to the present. Students will analyze texts, visual sources, and other historical evidence and write essays expressing historical arguments.
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04_2440H_0 Virginia and United States Government - Honors
04_2440_8 Virginia and United States Government ELD
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04151
Grade: 12
Prerequisite: None
Assessment(s): Locally-made Performance Assessments, Final Exam
Description: Standards for Virginia and United States Government define the knowledge that enables citizens to participate effectively in civic and economic life. Students will apply social science skills as a foundation to examine fundamental constitutional principles, the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, the political culture, the policy-making process at each level of government, and the characteristics of the United States economy.
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04_2440_4 Dual Enrollment (DE) United States Government
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04151 and 3 community college credits
Grade: 12
Prerequisite: Passing score on PVCC Virginia Placement Test (VPT) or PSAT/SAT/ACT scores.
Assessment(s): Final Exam
Description: Dual Enrollment US Government is the equivalent in rigor of content to those introductory level government courses taught by postsecondary faculty at community colleges across the country. Dual Enrollment US Government teaches structure, operation, and process of national, state, and local governments. It includes in-depth study of the three branches of government and public policy.
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04_2445_1 AP Government & Politics: United States
Credit: 1 Social Studies Credit; SCED 04157
Grade: 12
Prerequisite: Suggested concurrent enrollment in AP English Literature and Composition or Dual Enrollment English 12
Assessments: AP Exam
Note: Students are expected to take the AP examination, which is offered in May. College credit may be earned depending upon the score achieved and individual policies of colleges and universities.
Description: This course is designed to challenge students who want to experience college-level work while still in high school. It is a survey of the complex structure of American government and policies during the past 200 years. Students study the contexts of the political process, the major institutions of the national government, and the nature of US democracy.
Electives
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04_2399_1 AP European History
Credit: 1 Elective Credit; SCED 04056
Grade: 11, 12
Prerequisite: World Geography Honors
Assessments: AP Exam, EOC SOL Test
Note: Students are expected to take the AP examination, which is offered in May. College credit may be earned depending upon the score achieved and individual policies of colleges and universities.
Description: This college level course examines the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that have shaped Europe from c. 1450 to the present. Students will analyze texts, visual sources, and other historical evidence and write essays expressing historical arguments.
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04_2902_0 Fundamentals of Psychology
Credit: 1 Elective Credit; SCED 04154-I
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: None
Description: This course provides a basic overview of some of the main approaches and fields within psychology. As a college preparatory course, students are expected to demonstrate and apply the basic methods and content of the field through exams, reflection assignments, and both individual and group projects. This course covers topics including but not limited to the foundations of psychology, body and behavior, human development, psychological disorders, consciousness, therapies, and social psychology.
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04_2902_1 AP Psychology
Credit: 1 Elective Credit; SCED 04256
Grade: 10 - 12
Prerequisite: None
Assessments: AP Exam
Note: Students are expected to take the AP examination, which is offered in May. College credit may be earned depending upon the score achieved and individual policies of colleges and universities.
Description: This college level course explores the ideas, theories, and methods of the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Students will examine the concepts of psychology through reading and discussion, and students will analyze data from psychological research studies.
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04_2802_1 AP Microeconomics (Semester 1)
04_2803_1 AP Macroeconomics (Semester 2)
Credit: 1 Elective Credit; SCED 04203, 04204
Grade: 11, 12
Prerequisite: None
Assessments: AP Exam
Note: This is a two-part course; however, students must take both parts in sequential semesters in the same school year. Students wishing to complete the graduation requirement in Economics and Personal Finance can also enroll concurrently in the virtual, one-semester Finance course. Students are expected to take the AP examination, which is offered in May. College credit may be earned depending upon the score achieved and individual policies of colleges and universities.
Description: These rigorous courses are designed to help students develop an understanding of the American economic system as well as gain practical knowledge. Money, banking, financial markets, and investing as well as small business, entrepreneurship, trade, and the microeconomic concepts of supply and demand will be covered.
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04_2372H_0 African American History - Honors
Credit: 1 Elective Credit; SCED 04908-L
Grade: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: None
Note (course components): This course is to be presented in a blended format. The full course contains five online modules and units of study that are to be presented and facilitated by a history or history and social science endorsed teacher. This course is one elective credit. It does not replace the verified history and social science graduation requirement.
Description: This course will survey African American history from precolonial Africa through the present. Students will be introduced to key concepts in African American history from early beginnings in indigenous Africa through the transatlantic slave trade, the Civil War, Emancipation, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights era and into the present. The course, offered in a variety of learning models, will give students an opportunity to explore social events and processes, individuals and agency, documents and institutions; and analyze past and present positions for future implications for African Americans. This course does require students to complete a Capstone project. Students will pursue independent research relative to the content on a question or problem of their choice and produce a learning object that reflects a deeper understanding of African American history.
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04_2372_1 AP African American Studies
Credit: 1 Elective Credit; SCED 04112
Grade: 11, 12
Prerequisite: None
Note: Students are expected to take the AP examination, which is offered in May. College credit may be earned depending upon the score achieved and individual policies of colleges and universities
Description: AP African American Studies is an interdisciplinary course that examines the diversity of African American experiences through direct encounters with varied sources. Students explore key topics that extend from early African kingdoms 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 fields, with an emphasis on developing historical, literary, visual, and data analysis skills. This course foregrounds a study of the diversity of Black communities in the United States within the broader context of Africa and the African diaspora.
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04_2500_4 Dual Enrollment (DE) Principles of Sociology
Credit: 1 Elective Credit; SCED 04258 and 3 community college credits
Grade: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Passing score on PVCC Virginia Placement Test (VPT) in English or PSAT/SAT/ACT scores
Assessment(s): Final Exam
Description: In the first semester, DE Sociology introduces students to the fundamentals of social life. Students will explore significant research and theory in areas such as culture, social structure, socialization, deviance, social stratification, and social institutions. In the second semester, students will apply sociological concepts and methods to analysis of current social problems. Includes delinquency and crime, mental illness, drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual behavior, population crisis, race relations, family and community disorganization, poverty, automation, wars, and disarmament.
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04_2421_4 Dual Enrollment (DE) Introduction to Criminal Law
Credit: 1 Elective Credit; SCED 04162 and 3 community college credits
Grade: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Passing score on PVCC Virginia Placement Test (VPT) in English or PSAT/SAT/ACT scores
Assessment(s): Final Exam
Description: Dual Enrollment Intro to Criminal Law is a challenging course equivalent in content and rigor to those introductory criminal law courses taught by postsecondary faculty at community colleges across the country. Dual Enrollment Criminal Law surveys the general principles of American Criminal Law, the elements of major crimes and the basic steps of prosecution procedure.
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04_2995H_0 History of Sports in America - Honors
Credit: 1 Elective Credit; SCED 22106-I
Grade: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: None
Assessments: Final Exam
Description: Examines the historical development of sports in the United States from a societal and cultural viewpoint, as well as the relationship between sports and race, politics, gender, economics, and societal change. Covered will be a wide range of topics from colonial sports to boxing, basketball, baseball, and more. Students will be required to actively participate in class, complete all assignments, and complete one project each nine-weeks outside of class.