Southside High School Social Studies Program

Overview

The Social Studies Department offers Southside High School students a traditional, multifaceted, and inclusive college preparatory curriculum that is centered on the study of World History and United States History. In addition, the department offers a variety of electives including Economics, Government, and AP United States History. The curriculum seeks to develop a deep understanding and engagement with the events, ideas, and forces that have shaped and enriched the lives of Southside High School students and the larger world.

In accordance with the standards of the Georgia Department of Education and the Atlanta Public Schools, and beyond the specific factual knowledge associated with each course, the social studies program is designed to develop the analytical and writing skills that will prepare students for college and professional life. The curriculum requires that students acquire the ability to engage critically with both historical and contemporary problems. Students will learn to assess primary source documents - their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance - and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical and current scholarship. Students are also asked to look at disparate interpretations of historical events and arrive at reasoned and sound assessments of those views. The goal of the Social Studies Department is to help students develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment, present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in written form and to become knowledgeable thinking citizens.

Major Course Offerings

World Geography
The World Geography course provides students with the introduction to both physical and cultural geography. After an introduction to geography, students study each major region of the world. For each region, students learn about the importance of the physical geography and its impact on the regions of development. Students study cultural aspects of each region and examine the influence of geography on the cultural development of each region.

Citizenship
The government course provides students with a background in the philosophy, functions, and structure of the United States government. Students examine the philosophical foundations of the United States government and how that philosophy developed. Students also examine the structure and function of the United States government and its relationship to states and citizens.

World History
The world History Course provides students with a comprehensive, intensive study of major events and themes in world history.  Students begin with a study of the earliest civilizations worldwide and continue as students examine major developments and themes in all areas of the world.  The course culminates in a study of change and continuity, and the globalization at the beginning of the 21st century.

United States History
The United States History Course provides students with a comprehensive intensive study of major events and themes in United States history.  Beginning with early European colonization the course examines major events and themes throughout United States history.  The course concludes with significant developments in the early 21st century.

Economics
The economics course provides students with a basic foundation in the field of economics.  The course has five sections: fundamental concepts, microeconomics, macroeconomics, international economics, and personal finance.  In each area students are introduced to major concepts and themes concerning that aspect of economics.

Subject Related Links
Practice for the GGT: The Mental Edge
Dept. of Education GGT Page
Africana
APEX Museum
Atlanta History Center
Georgia Council for the Social Studies
Georgia Historical Society
P-16 Academic Standards
Peace Corps For Kids
Social Studies QCC Standards
Social Studies Research Links
Navigator @ New York Times