Description: This year-long course involves a rigorous study of the breadth and depth of California history and geography, demanding advanced critical thinking, composition, and reading skills. Students are also required to enroll in English I where they will study and write about California literature as it relates to California history and geography.
[Top]

UC, CSU
Description: This year-long course deals with human culture and society.
Students will investigate the various peoples of the world in terms of culture, family structure, economics, social organization, and political institutions. Emphasis will be placed on the elimination of ethnocentrism.
[Top]

UC, CSU
Description: This year-long course reviews American history from pre-colonial times to the Civil War, but the major focus is 20th-century America. Integrated into the curriculum will be units dealing with the multi-ethnic contributions of the American people.
[Top]

UC, CSU
Description: This year-long course involves a rigorous study of the breadth and depth of American history, demanding advanced critical thinking, composition, and reading skills. Because of these demands, students in the course receive “quality points” for college and university admissions: A=5, B=4, and C=3. Students are also required to enroll in English III Honors where they will study and write about American literature as it relates to American History. Students are required to take the Advanced Placement Examination in American History.
[Top]

UC, CSU
Description: This course will entail a study of the structures and functions of the federal, state, and local governments with an emphasis upon preparing students for voting at age 18. In addition, students will study the role of interest groups and political parties in the political process.
[Top]

UC, CSU
Description: This course will focus on the definition, structure and function of the United States economic system including such concepts as the law of supply and demand, inflation, money and monetary policy, and wealth and poverty.
[Top]

UC, CSU
Description: The bulk of this course will focus on American government and politics. The major themes to be examined are democracy, federalism, the Presidency, the Congress, the Judiciary, bureaucracy, politics, policy-making, political parties, campaigns, interest groups, the media, and civil liberties. The final portion of the course will be devoted to study of economics. The basic theories that make up the foundations of economics, concepts of microeconomics (pricing, competition, government regulation, and anti-trust policy) concepts of macroeconomics (federal budget, deficits, taxes, the federal reserve system, economic growth, and monetary policies), income distribution and economic justice and the changing global economy will be examined. It requires advanced reading and writing skills and is certified for “quality points” for college: A=5, B=4, and C=3. This course must be taken in conjunction with AP English and Comparative Government.
[Top]

UC, CSU
Description: This course focuses on the political and economic philosophies of the world’s great thinkers ranging from Plato to Mao. On a less abstract level, politics and economics will be examined by looking at modern case studies, especially developments in Marxist-Leninist societies, comparison/contrasts being made with the political and economic structures of the United States and Europe. This course requires advanced reading and writing skills and must be taken in conjunction with AP Government and AP English.
[Top]

Multicultural Education P (Grade 9)

UC, CSU
Description: Multicultural Education is a 9th grade, one-semester course focusing on California's culturally rich and diverse history from the 1940s to the present. It is also a district requirement for graduation. Students read a variety of primary sources, work with culturally diverse population demographics and other geographical features, engage in project-based assignments, and practice the 5 historical thinking skills essential to building historically accurate and thoughtful historical understandings of this period.
[Top]

Geography (FLAP, Grade 9)

Description: This college-prep course is offered as part of the Future Leaders Academic Program English I/Geography block-scheduled program for 9th grade students who want to prepare to enter PAIDEIA, the Engineering Academy or any other OTHS or OUSD academy or academic program in their sophomore year. FLAP Geography is a rigorous 9th grade one-year course which incorporates the content of the District required Multicultural Education course so that in addition to learning about California’s culturally rich and diverse history from the 1940’s to the present, they also learn about climate and vegetation, population demographics and culture, resources and land use through the vehicle of the "Geographic Pyramid" which systematically leads students through the physical environment, natural resources, technology, institutions (social, political, educational and financial), values, beliefs, customs, traditions and attitudes of people of selected countries, regions, states, counties and/or designated cities so that students may thematically (1) examine the causes and effects of geographic phenomena, (2) identify the geographic and cultural factors linked to unique geographic problems, (3) compare and contrast how different geographical regions address similar problems, and, (4) learn to use the five themes of geography (location, place, human environmental interaction, movement, and, regions) to organize their study of the earth and its people.
[Top]