Livingston Public Schools

Modern European History (CP/Honors)
Completion of a summer assignment is required for the Honors level of this course. This full-year course is designed to give students insight into the historical forces that continue to define Europe. Students will analyze the complex political, social, cultural, and economic foundations of Europe from the 14th century to the present, with particular emphasis on events in the 20th century. This course is designed for students with above-average critical thinking, reading, writing, and oral communication skills.

Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CP)
This course is designed to give students the opportunity to consider the origins, conduct, and legacy of genocide from the early 20th century to the present. Students will analyze the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the Cambodian “Killing Fields,” the Bosnian Crisis, the Rwandan Massacre, and the controversial genocide in the Sudan. This course complies with the New Jersey State Mandate for Holocaust and Genocide Education. Students who successfully complete this course will be eligible to receive three (3) college credits and an official college transcript from Kean University.

African-American Studies
This course combines history and literature to survey African-American history and culture from the emergence of slavery in the American colonies to the present. It intends to focus on forced and voluntary migrations such as: the slave trade and the Great Migration, cultural movements such as the Harlem Renaissance, and political movements such as the struggle for Civil Rights. This course will also place the experiences of ordinary African-Americans in the context of these movements, as well as in the larger templates of national and international histories.

Classical Foundations of Western Civilization
This semester course will give students an intensive examination of Ancient Greece and Rome. Students will connect these ancient models with its continuing influence on Western culture, traditions and institutions. Students will begin by investigating Greece during its Bronze Age in the second millennium B.C.E. and conclude with the fall of Rome in the fifth century C.E.

Community Leadership
This semester elective is designed to empower students to take a more active role in their community through hands-on experiences in service-learning. This course will begin with an exploration of the historic origins of active citizenship and community involvement in America. Students will learn how to identify, create, and implement a service learning project using a six step framework of effective community engagement. Various case studies depicting effective community leadership will be studied and used as guides for student projects.

Middle Eastern Studies
This course is designed to encourage a sophisticated understanding of the conflicts and challenges that have defined the Middle East for the last fifty years. Students will analyze the region’s history, geography, politics, economy, religions, and many cultures. Ultimately, the purpose of this course is to provide an introductory approach to better understand the dynamics in this volatile region and to cultivate a more sophisticated understanding of the integral relationship between a region’s geography, society, and economy. By the end of this course, students will be able to identify and critically evaluate the challenges facing the nations of the Middle East and assess the local and international strategies employed to address these challenges.

Psychology
This course is designed to promote a better understanding of the study of behavior and mental functioning. Students will consider theories of cognition, human development, personality, consciousness, and mental illness. This course includes simulations, role playing, a variety of projects, oral and written assignments and performance assessments.

Sociology
The primary goal of this course is to develop a greater understanding of social relations, group interactions, the impact of social environment on each of us, and the social issues facing us today. This will be accomplished through sociological research, oral presentations, group discussions, and other projects related to topics including culture, socialization, gender roles, stratification, and deviant behavior.

Contemporary American History
This course is designed to more deeply investigate historical events of the recent past. Starting with the election of Ronald Reagan and the re-emergence of a conservative political movement, students will utilize a thematic approach to understand historical trends through the 21st century. These themes will include economic developments, domestic and foreign policy influences, social pressures and political divisions. By the end of this course, students will have a stronger contextual understanding of the history of their own lifetimes.

Women's Studies
This course is designed to give students insight into the experiences, historical conditions, and concerns of women both in the present and the past.  Students will identify and think critically about issues of gender, and develop an awareness of women’s status, rights, and opportunities in societies around the world.