Social Studies Department
“We must be the
change we wish to see in the world”~ Gandhi
Angie Bazan
Angie began teaching social studies in 1998 when she came to
Deerfield after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education from the
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Angie grew up in nearby McFarland,
Wisconsin where she currently
resides with her two year old daughter, Avery. Angie enjoys teaching history and
challenging her students to learn about the world around them and inspiring
them to become more involved. While
at Deerfield High School she has created a Diversity
class that has been very well received by students, and offered them the chance
to earn college credit taking Advanced Placement American Government. Angie is a member of the Wisconsin
Council for the Social Studies, the Organization of American Historians and the
Dialogues with Democracy Teaching Fellowship.
Tara Weisbrod
Tara has been teaching in Deerfield
since 2000. She grew up in Burnsville, MN and
graduated from Gustavus
Adolphus College. Tara
lives in Sun Prairie with her three year old son, Max. She is currently taking grad classes
through Viterbo College to receive her Master's Degree
and also a license in administration.
Tara is one of the Student Council Advisor's, one of the Prom Advisor's,
and the Assistant Athletic Director in Deerfield. Tara enjoys teaching in Deerfield and is committed to the education process.
Why is Social Studies Important?
We study the past to better know the present. History provides the context we need to
analyze and understand the rapid changes of today. Historians look at life today and ask, Why are we the way we are? To find these answers one must consider
how individuals, ideas, events, religion, geography, technology, economics,
etc. have interacted to shape our world today. When studying history it is important to
realize that each generation of people may interpret history very differently
therefore history is far more than a record of what happened in the past. The facts do not change, but our way of
looking at them may change. History
is each generation’s attempt to define events in terms of its own
experiences. With this in mind
history is important and meaningful.
Source: History of the
United States
World History:
Perspectives on the Past
Deerfield High School
Graduation Requirements for Social Studies:
1.0 Credit
World History Course (9th grade)
1.0 Credit
US
History Course (10th grade)
.50 Credit American Government (11th-12th
grade)
.50 Credit Social Studies elective course (11th-12th
grade)
_____
3.0 Total Credits
Social Studies Department Offerings:
Required Courses:
World History
Block Class for 1 Semester, 1.0 credit
Freshman
Year
This course is intended to focus on Ancient World History
and Cultures. Some areas of study
are: The Fertile Crescent,
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, India,
China,
The Middle Ages, and Renaissance. Students will engage in a variety of
active learning strategies within the course.
United States History
Block
class for 1 Semester, 1.0 credit Sophomore Year
This course is intended to focus on United States History
from the twentieth century to present time. Students begin with a review of major
events in US History prior to that time period. The course begins with the Industrial
Revolution and works through all major events and movements to the present time
such as the Roaring Twenties, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War,
the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam Conflict, major political events and
elections, the fall of communism, Desert Storm, September 11th and
the current war in Iraq. Students
will engage in a variety of active learning strategies within the course.
American
Government
Block class for 1 Quarter, .50 credit Junior/Senior
Year
This course
focuses on the political workings of the American government, including the
Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches, as well as looking at how the
government affects our lives at all levels: local, state and national. In addition, students will learn their
responsibilities as citizens of our country and how our laws and legal system
function to benefit society as a whole.
Students will participate in a mock- Presidential election and learn the
process of campaigning as well as the influence of special interests and public
opinion.
Elective Courses:
Anthropology
Skinny Course for 1 Semester, .50 credit Junior/Senior
Year
This class is designed to look at both the social and
physical areas of anthropology.
Topics included will be the nature of culture, the organization of
social relations, archaeology, human evolution, and the relation between values
and behavior. Attention will be
paid to the human use of culture in adapting to environments and to language,
technology, kinship, and religion as cultural systems. Case studies of Western and non-Western
peoples, historic and prehistoric cultures.
Prerequisite: US &
World History.
Archaeology
Skinny Course for 1 Semester, .50 credit Junior/Senior
Year
Archaeology introduces archaeological history, theory and
methods. Students examine
excavation techniques including dating methods and review the analysis of
sites. An important focus of the
course will be on the reconstruction of the culture and ecology of prehistoric
societies in both the Old and New World.
Prerequisite: US & World History
Diversity
Block Course for 1 Quarter, .50 credit Sophomore/Junior/Senior
Years
This class is aimed at helping students to become better
aware and more tolerant of the cultures and people who differ from them. Students will be able to understand the
meaning of culture. They will be
able to define what makes up their own culture and how it differs from
others. They will examine the
history of African-American culture through slavery and the Civil Rights
movement and the key players in both.
They will also learn about the Native American culture and the
challenges they have faced over time.
Students will also learn about the Women’s Rights movement and explore
differences in gender equity. In
addition, students will discuss homosexuality and the right of every individual
to be treated with respect. Lastly,
students will learn about examples of religious intolerance such as the
Holocaust and modern-day genocides and ethnic cleansing. Students will experience this class
through readings, plays, videos, projects, field trips, speakers, music and
food.
Sociology
Block Course for 1 Quarter, .50 credit Junior/Senior
Year
This course will focus on the makings and workings of
different societies. They will also
learn about major contributors to the study of Sociology and the theories they
created. They will focus on the study of human relationships such as social
class and status, how/why people behave in different situations, what a society
needs in order to function, social deviance, culture, the effects of religion
and culture on a society, the roles and responsibilities of members of society
at different age levels, as well as the impact of education. Students are required to read the novel,
The Giver, by Lois Lowry and
analyze its social implications.
Advanced Placement Courses:
Advanced Placement American Government
Block
Course for 1 Semester, 1.0 credit Junior/Senior
Year
This course is designed to give you an
analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. This course includes both the study of
general concepts used to interpret U.S. politics and the analysis of
specific examples. It also requires
familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that
constitute U.S.
politics. This course is
designed as an AP course, which means the curriculum material we cover will be
aligned with that of a comparative college-level course. You will be expected to complete the
same level of work and effort that would be required in a college-level
course. You will be offered the
chance to take the AP Exam in May, and if you receive an appropriate score, you
will receive the advanced placement credit for American Government at most
institutions of higher learning!
You will be required to do extensive reading, higher-level thinking and
discussion to successfully complete this AP course. The AP test consists of 60
multiple choice questions and 4 free-response essays. You must earn a combined score of 3 or
better to earn advanced college standing.
Course will be offered alternating years with
AP American Government next offered 2007/2008
Advanced Placement
US History
Block Course for 3-4 quarters, 1.5-2 credits Junior/Senior
Year
This course in United States History is designed to provide
students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal
critically with the problems and materials in United States history. This program prepares students for
intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them
equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. (AP Course Description Catalog) Students will be offered the chance to
take the AP Exam in May, and depending on the student's score, they may be
eligible for college credit.
Students will be required to do an extensive amount of reading and
writing as a part of the AP curriculum.
Course will be offered alternating years with AP US History next
offered 2008/2009
AP Info/Exam Info
The Advanced Placement Program® is a cooperative
educational endeavor between secondary schools and colleges and universities.
Since its inception in 1955, the Program has provided motivated high school
students with the opportunity to take college-level courses in a high school
setting. Students who participate in the Program not only gain college-level
skills, but in many cases they also earn college credit while they are still in
high school. AP courses are taught by dedicated and enthusiastic high school
teachers who follow course guidelines developed and published by the College
Board.
*Deerfield High School offers AP US History and AP
American Government on an alternating
year schedule.
*For More Information on AP
Courses: http://
apcentral.collegeboard.com
Social Studies Career Opportunities:
A degree in Social Sciences offers many opportunities in the
career field. It teaches skills that
may apply to positions in governmental agencies and different types of
business. These skills may lead to
jobs in the fields of:
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Linguistics
and Language Studies
- Economics
- International
Studies
- Teaching
- Psychology/Counseling
- Ministry
- Social
Work
Social Studies Links:
Are you looking for more information about history or the
social sciences? Look below!
National Council for
the Social Studies:
http://socialstudies.org
Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies:
http://www.wcss-wi.org/
United States National Archives:
http://www.archives.gov/
The US Constitution
Online:
http://www.usconstitution.net/
The Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction/Social Studies:
http://dpi.wi.gov/cal/socstudies.html
Sociology Links:
http://www.abacon.com/sociology/soclinks/index.html