Social Studies Department
2024-2025
Kelley Zipp, Department Head
Students are required to earn four Social Studies course credits to fulfill the graduation requirements. A Georgia Milestones End of Course (EOC) exam is required for U.S. History.
American Government (College Prep, Honors and AP Government)
Course Numbers:
45.0570000 (CP)
45.0570040 (Honors)
45.0520000 (AP)
Open to freshmen
Prerequisites: None
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. Learners in an honors setting will engage in diverse and authentic learning experiences designed to promote advanced communication, research, creative thinking, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
AP U.S. Government and Politics provides a college-level, nonpartisan introduction to key political concepts, ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the constitutional system and political culture of the United States. Students study U.S. foundational documents, Supreme Court decisions, and other texts and visuals to gain an understanding of the relationships and interactions among political institutions, processes, and behavior. They also engage in disciplinary practices that require them to read and interpret data, make comparisons and applications, and develop evidence-based arguments. In addition, they complete a political science research or applied civics project.
World History (College Prep, Honors and Advanced Placement)
Course Number:
45.0830037 (CP)
45.0830040 (Honors)
45.0820040 (AP)
Open to sophomores
Prerequisites: None
The high school 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 to examine major developments and themes in all regions of the world. The course culminates in a study of change and continuity and globalization at the beginning of the 21st century.
The AP World course focuses on the development of practices and skills, not just the collection and memorization of information and events. While teaching students how to analyze a point of view and to interpret historical evidence you can use to build and support and argument. While also, learning to weigh evidence and interpretations as you build your knowledge of world historical processes and themes. Develop your ability to draw conclusions and use informed reasoning to present your arguments clearly and persuasively in essay format.
United States History (College Prep and Advanced Placement)
Course Numbers:
45.0810037 (CP)
45.0820040 (AP)
Open to juniors
Prerequisites: None
End of Course Exam required
The high school United States history course provides students with a survey of major events and themes in United States history. The course begins with English settlement and concludes with significant developments in the early 21st Century.
Dual Enrollment United States History
College Credit: 6 hours
Open to juniors/seniors
No End of Course test required
Dual Enrollment US History/HIST 2111 and 2112
HIST 2111 and 2112 are college level courses taught and graded based on Georgia Northwestern Technical College state required course competencies. These courses are taught at HHS by HHS faculty who are also on the faculty of GNTC. Because these courses are taught in one semester, the pace of study and learning will move quickly. There will be a heavy reliance on reading and writing assignments outside of class. The expectation is that students complete all assignments in and out of class in order to pass the course.
Course descriptions:
US History 2111: 1492 - 1877
Emphasizes the study of U. S. History to 1877 to include the post-Civil War period. The course focuses on the period from the Age of Discovery through the Civil War to include geographical, intellectual, political, economic and cultural development of the American people. It includes the history of Georgia and its constitutional development. Topics include colonization and expansion; the Revolutionary Era; the New Nation; nationalism, sectionalism, and reform; the Era of Expansion; and crisis, Civil War, and reconstruction.
US History 2112: 1865 - 2012
Emphasizes the study of the social, cultural, and political history of the United States from 1865 to the beginning of the twenty-first century and will equip the student to better understand the problems and challenges of the contemporary world in relation to events and trends in modern American history. The course also provides an overview of the history of Georgia and the development of its constitution. Topics include the Reconstruction Period; the great West, the new South, and the rise of the debtor; the Gilded Age; the progressive movement; the emergence of the U. S. in world affairs; the Roaring Twenties; the Great Depression; World War I; World War II; the Cold War and the 1950's; the Civil Rights Movement; the 1960's and 1970's; and America since 1980.
Students receive high school and college credit. Fulfills the Junior requirement for US History and meets the HOPE rigor requirement.
Personal Finance & Economics (College Prep)
Course Numbers:
45.0610037 (CP)
Open to seniors
Prerequisites: None
In addition to the fundamentals of economic decision-making, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international economics, students will learn personal finance skills they can apply to their own futures – including managing and balancing budgets; understanding and building credit; protecting against identity theft and consumer protections; and understanding tax forms, student loan applications, and pay stubs. Economics is the study of how individuals, businesses, and governments make decisions about the allocation of scarce resources. This course provides students with a foundation in the field of economics, with a specific focus on how students can apply that knowledge to their own personal finances.
Advanced Placement Microeconomics
Course Number: 45.0630000
Open to seniors
Prerequisites: None
The purpose of an AP course in Microeconomics is to provide a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual decision makers, both consumers and producers, within the larger economic system. It places primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets, and includes the study of factor markets and of the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the economy. The course covers the following topics: Basic economic concepts, the nature and functions of product markets, factor markets and market failure and the role of government.
Advanced Placement Macroeconomics
Course Number: 45.0620040
Open to Seniors
Prerequisites: None
Macroeconomics is an introductory college-level macroeconomics course. Students cultivate their understanding of the principles that apply to an economic system as a whole by using principles and models to describe economic situations and predict and explain outcomes with graphs, charts, and data as they explore concepts like economic measurements, markets, macroeconomic models, and macroeconomic policies. This course will better prepare students for adult life challenges such as: interest on loans and investments; taxation and other fiscal policies; unemployment and the challenges of recessions; and the impacts of currency exchange in foreign markets.
Psychology and Advanced Placement Psychology
Course Numbers:
45.0150037
45.0160040 (AP)
Open to all
Prerequisites: None
Psychology is a social science which focuses on the study of human behavior. As an introduction to the field of psychology, this course includes consideration of psychological principles, terminology, major theories, careers, methods of experimentation, and practical applications. The course is organized into nine units, including: History & Approaches in Psychology, Research Methods, Biological Foundations of Psychology, Behavior, Learning, & Cognition, Human Development, Personality Theory, Abnormal Behavior and Treatment, and Social Psychology. Through the study of psychology, students gain a better understanding how individuals develop, behave, think, learn, interact, and develop. The content of the course is highly applicable, allowing students to better understand their own behavior and the behaviors of others.
The purpose of the AP course in Psychology is to introduce the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Included is a consideration of the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. Students also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice.