Social Studies
Group Information and Activities
Department Chair: Eric M. Brown
The Social Studies Department is multi-disciplinary in structure, offering courses in History, Geography, Political Systems, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Controversial Issues, and Contemporary Issues.
Many of the required courses for graduation are offered in levels of college prep and honors levels. Advanced Placement (AP) courses for college credit are also offered. (For more information on Advanced Placement courses see section below).
The Social Studies Department’s aim is not to train future politicians and historians, but to train students to think logically and historically. Students will have to master a certain amount of factual information, but facts are not the ultimate goal. Facts are a means to an end. Students will learn how to evaluate facts and evidence and then synthesize them into relationships. Through these relationships, students will recognize that our current times are related to the events from the past.
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Social Studies Core Courses
Social Studies Core Class Descriptions
The suggested schedule is:
- 9th Grade -- World Geography / Study Skills*
- 10th Grade -- World History**
- 11th Grade -- United States History**
- 12th Grade -- Economics/Political Systems**
*Can be used to satisfy requirements for the advanced CP+ (College Endorsement Seal of Distinction) diploma and also fulfills one of the required state electives needed to attend one of the states Research Universities. A Research University is one of the following: University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, and the Medical College of Georgia.
**Minimum Required by the state for graduation.
Each of the above core classes are offered on a variety of levels. Students are encouraged to take classes at the highest level at which they can be successful. We encourage parents and students to talk to their teachers about their placement in Social Studies classes.
AP Courses
Students that would like to take the courses listed above at the Advanced Placement (AP) level are encouraged to do so; however, it is important that both the student and parent understand that AP classes are college-level classes. Parkview High School offers every Advanced Placement Social Studies that the College Board has. As such, students have a wide variety of AP classes to choose from in Social Studies.
- PHS AP Social Studies requirements
- Social Studies Core Advanced Placement Class Descriptions
- Social Studies Elective Advanced Placement Class Descriptions
Electives Available
The Social Studies department offers Contemporary Issues, Psychology, and Sociology as one-semester electives for students. Each of these courses fulfills the requirement for a state elective. The grades in these classes do count toward the students' HOPE Scholarship GPA.