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Social Studies

HUMANITIES 8
 
This is a year-long course that covers the content and competencies of both English Language Arts and Social Studies. Within this course, students will develop skills in reading, writing and communication through creative and critical thinking. Students will also develop a sense of personal and social responsibility.
 
The big ideas for ENGLISH include:
 
  • the exploration of text and story deepens our understanding of diverse, complex ideas about identity, others, and the world.
  • people understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
  • texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.
  • language shapes ideas and influences others.
  • questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
  • recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples' perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
 
SOCIAL STUDIES 8 explores content spanning the 7th century to 1750, such as:
 
  • contacts and conflicts between peoples stimulated significant cultural, social, and political change.
  • human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards.
  • exploration, expansion, and colonization had varying consequences for different groups.
  • changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions.
 
Students will be able to engage in the inquiry process; assess significance of place, people, and events; look at continuity and change throughout history.  Also, they will learn to explain different perspectives and make ethical judgements on past and present events, actions, and decisions.
 
 
SOCIAL STUDIES 9          (required)
 
Social Studies 9 provides students with a wealth of opportunities to explore concepts which still affect how we perceive our world today. Within this course, students should expect to explore:
 
  • the dramatic effects of revolution.
  • the continuing challenges created by imperialism and colonization throughout the world.
  • the shifts and changes of global populations over time.
  • the development of modern nation-states, such as Canada.
  • conflicts on local, regional, and global scales.
  • discriminatory policies, attitudes, and historical wrong-doings.
  • the physiographic features of Canada and geological processes.
  • a special focus on events which have taken place from between 1750 to 1919; such as the Industrial Revolution, British North America, the Gold Rush, and World War I.
  • many other events which have lasting impacts on our world today.
 
 
SOCIAL STUDIES FOR GRADES 10, 11 AND 12
 
Big Ideas for Social Studies include:
  • contacts and conflicts between stimulated significant cultural, social, and political change.
  • human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards.
  • exploration, expansion, and colonization had varying consequences for different groups.
  • changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions.
 
Required courses for Dogwood Diploma:
 
  • Social Studies 10
  • Social Studies 11 OR 12  (one of the following):
    • Explorations in Social Studies 11
    • Comparative Cultures 12
    • World History 12
    • Genocide 12
    • BC First Peoples 12
    • Human Geography 12
    • Law Studies 12
    		  
 
 
SOCIAL STUDIES 10          (required)  4 credits
 
Topics Include:
  • exploring the history of Canada and the world from 1914 to the present.
  • the structure of Canadian government; Canadian issues on an international stage.
  • historical and contemporary issues experienced by members in our society.
  • conflicts that have shaped our identity as Canadians.
  • differing perspectives and ideas about what it means to be a part of Canadian society.
  • human and physical geography which focus on Canadian environment.
  • the current state of the world through media studies.
 
Such skills as:
  • analysis, critical thinking, research, and writing.
 
 
EXPLORATIONS IN SOCIAL STUDIES  11         (meets requirement for Social Studies 11 or 12) 4 credits
Pre-requisite: Social Studies 10
 
In this elective survey course students will explore, focus on, and understand the perspectives of the Indigenous peoples of Canada.  Students will learn from a variety of selected topics included in Grade 12 Social Studies courses.
 
Topics Include:
  • the development of cultures, societies, ideas and political systems.
  • events in the 20th and 21st centuries.
  • human & physical geography; history, law, social justice and philosophy.
 
 
COMPARATIVE CULTURES 12          (meets requirements for Socials Studies 11 or 12) 4 credits
Pre-requisite:  Social Studies 10
 
Comparative Cultures 12 focuses on:
  • the inter-relationships among art, history,  culture, and civilization with an emphasis on inquiry-based learning and "hands-on" activities.
  • providing students with a  range of experiences and skills that facilitate their understanding of, and sensitivity to, a variety of cultures .
  • fostering students' awareness of various civilizations (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, Rome, China, India, etc.) throughout the world and their contributions to the sum of the human experience.
  • developing an appreciation for diversity within and among cultures, including their own.
 
 
WORLD HISTORY 12          (meets requirement for Social Studies 11 or 12)
Pre-requisite:  Social Studies 10
 
  • This course is highly interactive, putting a premium on classroom participation, debate, and critical responses to various texts and media.
  • The course moves chronologically from World War One, World War Two, and the Cold War through to the collapse of the USSR (but extends to modern issues of the 21st century as well).
  • Finally, students will research a topic of their own choosing to produce an original thesis for their research essay in APA style.
 
 
GENOCIDE 12          (meets requirement for Social Studies 11 or 12)  4 credits
Pre-requisite:  Social Studies 10
 
  • Genocide 12 examines the political, legal, social and cultural ramifications of the intentional destruction of peoples while recognizing that this process is not inevitable, and attempts can be disrupted and resisted. 
  • Various case studies from around the globe and through modern history will help extend and clarify this challenging topic.
 
 
BC FIRST PEOPLES 12           (meets requirement for Social Studies 11 or 12)  4 credits
 
BC First Peoples 12 looks at how the identities, worldviews, and languages of BC First Peoples are renewed, sustained, and transformed through their connection to the land.
 
Students will:
  • investigate how the impact of contact and colonialism continues to affect the political, social, and economical lives of BC First Peoples.
  • study how cultural expressions convey the richness, diversity, and resiliency of BC First Peoples.
  • gain an understanding of how, through self governance, leadership, and self-determination, BC First Peoples challenge and resist Canada's ongoing colonialism.
 
 
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY 12          (meets requirement for Social Studies 11 or 12 credit)  4 credits
 
Human Geography is the "branch" of geography that looks at the connections between people, place, and environment.  We look closely at how the environment influences people and how people change, alter, and influence the environment.  People use their physical spaces differently and there are complex relationships between development, humans, and nature.
 
Some key areas of focus are:
  • rural and urban places, population distribution, patterns of growth, decline and movement.
  • human activities change landscapes in a variety of ways.
  • the world has different ecosystems, physical features and resources that result in us using our spaces differently.
  • understanding how connected our world really is.
  • connections between cultural traits, use of physical space and impacts on the environment.
  • agricultural practices, trade, resources and economic development.
 
 
LAW STUDIES 12          (meets requirement for Socials Studies 11 or 12 credit)  4 credits
 
Students will spend time learning about Canadian law (federal and provincial), looking at the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, criminal law, civil law, and family law. The course also gives students the opportunity to explore a topic of their choice through inquiry of one of the following: international law, human rights law, youth and the law, labour law, or environmental law.
 
Some key areas of focus are:
  • understanding legal rights and responsibilities; laws help us understand how things are now.
  • laws can be a force of change (fighting for rights and freedoms).
  • understanding how laws and legal framework affect our daily lives.
  • laws evolve and can change over time to match society's values and world views.
  • differences of law in other parts of the world and looking at other countries or places.