Upper School Global History and Social Sciences
What is History? How does History help us understand today’s world? Whose History are we studying? The Global History and Social Sciences curriculum provides students with the opportunity to learn about History from global perspectives, looking at, analyzing, and thinking critically about primary and non-U.S. sources. Our students also examine the struggles the U.S. faced in its pursuit of the ideals of justice and equality for all —while also exploring topics and issues experienced by marginalized and underrepresented groups who traditionally receive little attention in history books. Identifying and alleviating gaps in the historical narrative provides opportunities for students to learn about others’ lived experiences. The global dimension of the curriculum demonstrates the wide variety of themes students will deal with in each course. The Global History and Social Sciences student is a critical thinker with an awareness and understanding of religious, political, social, cultural, and economic issues. Differentiation, project-based learning, and the use of technology are also important parts of the curriculum.
Requirements
30 credits are required for graduation.
Honors
In grades 10 through 12, students may elect to take their Global History and Social Science course at the honors level. Honors students are expected to be leaders in class discussions, to maintain a high level of enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity, and to demonstrate a superior level of critical analysis in all written work and on honors-specific prompts on assessments. Earning Honors credit requires that after electing Honors and agreeing to the honors policy, that the student continues to live up to these expectations.
History FAQs
Currently, we have students doing a deep dive into voting and polling data, immigration advocacy, analysis of the current presidential candidate debates, and podcasting through Student Directed Projects (SDP). In their work, students are able to focus on interests that go beyond the history classroom. We also have students involved in the Massachusetts History Bowl and Bee competitions (this year, we placed 2nd in the Massachusetts State Championships). In the past two years, students have submitted work to competitions like the NPR Student Podcast Challenge and the JFK Profiles in Courage Essay writing contests.
We use a variety of tools to cultivate student driven research, including:
- Credo
- Boston Public Library
- Google Scholar
- Gale
Examples from the US History classroom
