Academic Departments
Social Studies
St. John’s Social Studies Department, through a wide variety of academic disciplines, strengthens students’ knowledge of the past and their understanding of their place in the world today. Whether studying human behavior through psychology and economics, gaining an appreciation for art and music, or studying the history of the world from the earliest civilizations to current political debates, students observe, analyze, and evaluate the many connections across time, place, and subject matter, both in and outside of the classroom.
Students develop strong critical-thinking skills and the ability to express their ideas in a variety of ways. Through informal class discussions to individual and group presentations, essay writing, and research papers, students are expected to articulate their interpretations of the historical past and the modern world around them.
Course Offerings
- World History and Geography 1
- World History and Geography 2
- US History
- US Government
- Global Issues in Context
- Economics
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Global Issues in Contact
- AP Art History
- AP World History
- AP US History
- AP European History
- AP Psychology
- AP US Government and Politics
- Introduction to Psychology
- Introduction to Sociology
Course Requirements
Students must complete three credits of social studies to graduate. Requirements include:
- World History
- Geography 1
- US History
- More than 80% of seniors complete a fourth social studies elective.
TYPICAL COURSE OF STUDY:
- 9th Grade: World History and Geography 1
- 10th Grade: World History and Geography 2 or AP World History
- 11th Grade: US History or AP US History and additional elective
- 12th Grade: Optional elective year
Extracurricular Opportunities
- Model UN: Students research and debate current or theoretical issues facing the UN from the perspective of one or more nations involved. Club members are expected to conduct research regarding these issues and develop position papers that detail the specific position their nation might take on those issues. St. John's participates in conferences at St. Anselm’s, George C. Marshall High School, Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, Columbia University, and Georgetown University.
- It's Academic: Students meet weekly to participate in trivia contests for fun or to join the club in preparation for competition in the televised It's Academic program on WETA.
- Debate Team: Speech and debate are consistently recognized as fundamental activities in promoting student leadership, raising standardized test scores, and distinguishing applicants to elite universities. This club focuses on policy debate and student congress. Events that emphasize knowledge of governmental policy and action on both the domestic and international levels are also hot topics.
- The Sabre Student News: An online platform for student news at St. John's, students work in a state-of-the-art facility to produce weekly news shows and maintain the online platform to publish multimedia news stories.
Social Studies Faculty
List of 14 members.
