This course explores the stories, cultures, ideas, and achievements of ancient civilizations and considers how the ancient world continues to shape the present. As the first course in the department's sequence, it introduces students to the idea that history is more than the study of the past; it helps us understand ourselves and the world we live in now. Three anchor questions guide students' thinking throughout the year: How does geography influence culture and identity? What factors led humans to develop and organize into complex societies? How do early civilizations compare to one another? Through these questions, students begin to practice the reasoning skills of causation and comparison that they will build on through high school. Students use evidence to respond thoughtfully to each unit's essential questions, and by the end of the year they construct a well-supported response to the course's overarching essential question. Students leave the course prepared to trace the transition from the ancient to the modern world in 7th grade's World History II class.

This course traces how the ancient world gradually evolved into the beginnings of the modern world. Building on their study of ancient civilizations in World History I, students deepen their understanding that history is more than the study of the past; it offers a lens through which to view the world today. Three essential questions guide the year: How do historians decide which events from the past are significant, and how do they identify the causes and effects of those events? How does geography influence culture and identity? What do the stories of the past teach us about our world today? Through these questions, students extend the causal reasoning begun in 6th grade, revisit the role of geography across new civilizations, and begin to evaluate historical significance as historians do. Students continue to support their responses with evidence. Students leave the course prepared to examine the ideas and founding of American government in Civics in 8th grade.

This course examines the philosophical ideas that underpin the United States government, the events surrounding its founding, the structure of its three branches, the ways it has adapted to changing times, and the role of the individual in a healthy democracy. Building on their study of world history, students trace how ideas from antiquity, medieval Europe, and the Renaissance shaped the thinking of the American founders. The course follows the six units of the We the People curriculum and concludes with a culminating final project. Essential questions guide each unit, among them: Where does authority come from? When is it acceptable to rebel against a government, and why did the American colonists rebel? How do the three branches check and balance one another? Should government be difficult or easy to change? What are the responsibilities of Americans in maintaining a healthy democracy? Throughout the year, students weigh competing values such as freedom and security, privacy and safety, and they learn to support their positions with evidence. Students leave the course prepared to explore the origins of these ideas more deeply in Western Civilization in 9th grade.

This course examines the enduring political, social, and intellectual principles that form the legacy of Western Civilization and continue to shape the present. Students trace three kinds of connection: between the foundational ideas of the West and modern society; between diverse cultures brought into contact through trade, migration, and religious and intellectual exchange; and between past and present, as historical patterns illuminate current events. Building on the World History and Civics courses of the middle school, students begin to do the work of historians, analyzing primary sources, artifacts, and art alongside a range of classical literature. These texts help students wrestle with enduring questions: What causes the rise and fall of civilizations? What is the end toward which human communities strive, and what corrodes that aspiration? What ensures the just use of political power, and what leads to its corruption? What conditions are essential to human flourishing, and how does suffering shape it? Students are introduced to the historical reasoning processes of causation, comparison, and continuity and change, and they practice writing clear, evidence-based arguments. Students leave the course prepared for the demands of Honors or AP European History.

This course examines the political, social, economic, and intellectual developments that shaped Europe from 1450 to the present. Building on their study of Western Civilization, students trace the Renaissance and Reformation, the rise of absolute monarchies and the Commercial Revolution, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and Napoleon, the Industrial Revolution, nationalism and the New Imperialism, and the global conflicts of the twentieth century. Through analysis of primary and secondary sources, students develop a critical appreciation for the individuals who ruled, reformed, and revolutionized Europe. Students strengthen the reasoning processes introduced in ninth grade (causation, comparison, and continuity and change) and apply them across five centuries. Students also explore historiography, examining how historians' interpretations of the past have changed over time, and they develop their skills through regular analytical essays. Students leave the course able to explain how Europe's past shaped the modern world and prepared for Honors or AP U.S. History.

This course examines the political, social, economic, and intellectual developments that shaped Europe from 1450 to the present. Building on their study of Western Civilization, students trace the Renaissance and Reformation, the rise of absolute monarchies and the Commercial Revolution, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and Napoleon, the Industrial Revolution, nationalism and the New Imperialism, and the global conflicts of the twentieth century. Through analysis of primary and secondary sources, students develop a critical appreciation for the individuals who ruled, reformed, and revolutionized Europe. Students strengthen the reasoning processes introduced in 9th grade (causation, comparison, and continuity and change) and master the historical thinking skills of sourcing, contextualization, and argumentation at a college level. Students also explore historiography, evaluating how historians' interpretations of the past have changed over time, and they develop their skills through regular analytical essays written in the formats of the AP exam. Students leave the course able to interpret historical evidence and write with clarity and precision, and prepared for Honors or AP U.S. History. All students in this course take the AP exam in May.

This course traces the history of the United States from 1491 to the present, examining the political, economic, and social developments that shaped the nation. Building on their study of European history, students explore Native American–European encounters, colonial America and the Revolution, the formation of American political and social identity, the eras of Washington, Jefferson, and Jackson, the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, the World Wars, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the decades from Reagan to the present, connecting each era to current events throughout the year. Through analysis of primary and secondary sources, students refine the skills developed in ninth and tenth grades: contextualization, comparison, causation, continuity and change, argumentation from evidence, and the evaluation of historical interpretations. Students apply these skills in document-based questions (DBQs), short-answer questions (SAQs), long essays, and a research paper. Students leave the course prepared to study the American constitutional system in U.S. Government and Politics.

This course traces the history of the United States from 1491 to the present, examining the political, economic, and social developments that shaped the nation. Building on their study of European history, students explore Native American–European encounters, colonial America and the Revolution, the formation of American political and social identity, the eras of Washington, Jefferson, and Jackson, the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, the World Wars, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the decades from Reagan to the present, organized around the eight themes of the AP framework, including American and national identity, politics and power, and America in the world. Through analysis of primary and secondary sources, students refine the skills developed in ninth and tenth grades (contextualization, comparison, causation, continuity and change, argumentation from evidence, and the evaluation of historical interpretations) at a college level. Students apply these skills in document-based questions (DBQs), short-answer questions (SAQs), long essays, and a research paper. Students leave the course prepared to study the American constitutional system in twelfth-grade U.S. Government and Politics. All students in this course take the AP exam in May.

This course offers seniors an introduction to the political ideas, institutions, and behaviors that define the constitutional system and political culture of the United States. Building on their study of U.S. history, students move from how American government developed to how it functions today. Through foundational documents (including state and national constitutions and the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers), landmark Supreme Court cases, case studies, and political data, students examine the relationships among local, state, and national institutions. Units include the foundations of American democracy; the interactions among the branches of government; civil liberties and civil rights; American political ideologies and beliefs; and political participation through parties, interest groups, elections, and the media. Students apply the reasoning and argumentation skills developed throughout the department's sequence to assess the causes and consequences of political events, interpret data, and craft evidence-based arguments. Students leave the course prepared to engage as informed, thoughtful citizens.

This course offers seniors a college-level introduction to the political ideas, institutions, and behaviors that define the constitutional system and political culture of the United States. Building on their study of U.S. history, students move from how American government developed to how it functions today. Through foundational documents (including state and national constitutions and the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers), landmark Supreme Court cases, case studies, and political data, students examine the relationships among local, state, and national institutions. Units include the foundations of American democracy; the interactions among the branches of government; civil liberties and civil rights; American political ideologies and beliefs; and political participation through parties, interest groups, elections, and the media. Students apply the reasoning and argumentation skills developed throughout the department's sequence to assess the causes and consequences of political events, interpret data, and craft evidence-based arguments. Students leave the course prepared to engage as informed, thoughtful citizens. All students in this course take the AP exam in May.