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Course Guide: History/Social Studies

History/Social Studies

Graduation Requirements:

  • 9th Grade (one year) – World History I/II
  • 10th Grade (one semester) – Ethnic Studies World History 3 or Global Leadership 
  • 11th Grade (one year) US History 11A/11B or IB History of the Americas 
  • 12th Grade (one semester) – American Government or IB 20th Century World History (continuation of the 2 year IB history course)
  • Completion of Washington State History or equivalent

Course Guide

Washington State History
Students who have not satisfied the state requirement in Washington State History in middle school can satisfy this requirement in US History in 11th grade (see below).  

World History I, Ethnic Studies World History II
Credits: 0.5 credit/semester
Grade(s): 9
Length of Course: One Year
Prerequisite: WHI/WHII 
Graduation Requirement Satisfied: World History I, II

Note: A special section of World History I/II will be offered in the Spanish Language, which is part of the Spanish Immersion Sequence. Teacher approval is required for this section.
This survey course will build upon the historical patterns in world history to understand and evaluate change and diverse perspectives in the contemporary period. Students will examine world cultures, institutions, organizational patterns, and major conflicts of the past to understand current world issues and possible solutions using historical source analysis, critical thinking, argument, and group interaction.  There will be a strong focus on literacy and argumentative writing.

Global Leadership 1 (in Spanish Immersion)
Credits: 0.5 credit
Grade(s): 10, 11, 12
Length of Course: One Semester
Prerequisite: None
Graduation Requirement Satisfied: World History 3; Social Studies elective

NOTE: This class is part of the Spanish Immersion Sequence. Teacher approval is required for this section.

This course provides the opportunity for students to examine current world problems and their historical and systemic causes.  The course is taught from an Ethnic Studies perspective and includes the structure of the 5 themes including Identity, Power and Oppression, Resistance and Liberation, reflection and Acton and Indigeneity. Students come to understand themselves in relation to systems of power and develop a sense of themselves as potential changemakers. The specific content varies from year to year based on student interest and input. There are bi-weekly class meetings to build community and provide a platform for student input into the class content and function. Throughout the semester, students engage in research, discussions, debates, role-plays, and collaborative action projects. A key component of the course is a monthly visit to a partner elementary school during which class members teach lessons to fourth and fifth grade students based on what they learn in the class. This course uses a student-centered curriculum that focuses on the development of students’ leadership skills. Weekly class meetings are held for students to discuss and amend class policies, resolve conflict, and address other issues among each other that affect the group. An emphasis is placed on team building early in the semester to help students improve their communication skills.

Ethnic Studies World History 3
Credits: 0.5 credit
Grade(s): 10
Length of Course: One Semester
Prerequisite: World History I, II
Graduation Requirement Satisfied: World History 3

This course provides the opportunity for students to examine current world problems and their historical and systemic causes.  The course is taught from an Ethnic Studies perspective and includes the structure of the 5 themes including Identity, Power and Oppression, Resistance and Liberation, reflection and Acton and Indigeneity. Students come to understand themselves in relation to systems of power and develop a sense of themselves as potential changemakers. The specific content varies from year to year based on student interest and input. There are bi-weekly class meetings to build community and provide a platform for student input into the class content and function. Students can expect a variety of instructional approaches, including the use of various types of texts, primary and secondary source documents, 21st century technologies, collaborative projects, and class discussion with an emphasis on writing and critical thinking, independently and in groups.

Black Studies US History 11A, 11B
Credits: 0.5 credit / semester
Grade(s): 11
Length of Course: One Year
Prerequisite: None
Graduation Requirement Satisfied: US History 

Note: All sections of US History 11B will incorporate Washington State History to satisfy the State requirement for students who did not satisfy this requirement in middle school.

This course is a survey of US History through the lens of the Black Studies framework. It is built around the 5 themes of Identity, Power and Oppression, History of Resistance and Liberation, Reflection and Action and Indigeneity.  Students will learn the history of the United States while centering the experiences of Black Americans. Students read diverse texts, create presentations, practice discussion skills and use evidence to write persuasive and argumentative essays.

History of the Americas – International Baccalaureate (IB)
Credits:  0.5 credit / semester
Grade(s):  11
Length of Course:  One Year
Prerequisite:  None, Reading at 11th grade level suggested
Graduation Requirement Satisfied:  Social Studies


This is a history course for 11th graders. It is also the first year of the two-year IB History program for students who are interested in taking the IB History Exam during their 12th-grade year. Students who are not interested in taking the exam will just take the first year of this course in 11th grade.

In this course, students will engage in a focused study of the history of the Americas.

The first topic of study will be Independence Movements in the Americas from 1763-1860. Students will learn about the causes, the contributions of key leaders, the reasons for the outcome of the war for independence, the establishment of a new nation, and the post-independence challenges faced by different independence movements.

The second topic of study will be Social Movements in the Americas from 1945-2020. Students will learn about the reasons for movements starting, the methods used, and the extent to which change was achieved by that movement.

Note: A special section of IB History of the Americas will be offered in the Spanish Language, which is part of the Spanish Immersion Sequence.

Students interested in and committed to taking the IB History Exam will enroll in a second year of IB History during their 12th-grade year..

20th Century World History – International Baccalaureate (IB)
Credits: 0.5 credit/semester
Grade(s): 12
Length of Course: One Year
Prerequisite: IB History of the Americas AND commitment to register for and take the IB History Exam
Graduation Requirements Satisfied: The combination of IB History of the Americas and IB 20th Century World History satisfies the American Government requirement.

In this second year of the two-year Higher Level (HL) IB History course, students will investigate major themes in the 20th Century from a variety of perspectives. Units will include Rights and Protest, the Cold War, and the rise of authoritarian or single party states such as Stalin in Russia, Mao in China, and Castro in Cuba. Students can also expect to build skills in propelling class dialogue through role-plays, Socratic Seminars and teamwork. This course also spends considerable attention on analyzing documents and acquiring in-depth historical knowledge to write “on-the-spot” college-level history essays. All students are expected to prepare for the IB exams, which are offered in May. Completion of the two-year IB history course satisfies the State’s American Government graduation requirement.

Note: A special section of IB 20th Century World History will be offered in the Spanish Language, which is part of the Spanish Immersion Sequence and will include Latin American History content.  Units will include topics such as political developments, The Cold War, and Civil Rights movements. To qualify for the IB exam, students must also take a second year in IB 20th Century Topics.

American Government 
Credits:  0.5 credit
Grade(s):  12
Length of Course:  One Semester
Prerequisite:  None
Graduation Requirement Satisfied:  American Govt.

This one-semester course will explore issues of the founding of the United States government. Students will study political philosophy, tribal sovereignty, the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment as they pertain to individual rights and civil liberties, the role of the media, voting and elections, and the criminal justice system. Students will also analyze case studies to examine how these concepts have been applied to situations such as the incarceration of Americans with Japanese Ancestry during WWII, the Fish Wars and the Boldt Decision, mass incarceration, immigration, the Civil Rights Movement past and present, and farmworkers fight for rights past and present.     

An overarching theme of this course is that students leave this class with a detailed understanding of how our system of government functions, whose interests are represented, and the great struggle to defend and expand the democratic ideal.

Theory of Knowledge – International Baccalaureate (IB)
Credits: 1.0 credit
Grade(s): 11, 12
Length of Course: Second semester of 11th and first semester of 12th grade; 7th period only.
Prerequisite: None
Graduation Requirement Satisfied: Elective

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a course about critical thinking and inquiring into the process of knowing, rather than about learning a specific body of knowledge. It is a course that all IB Diploma students around the world undertake. The TOK course examines how we know what we claim to know. It does this by encouraging students to analyze knowledge claims (assertions that we know X or know how to do Y) and explore knowledge questions (open questions about knowledge). In TOK, students discuss a wide range of topics from classical philosophy to controversial contemporary issues.

Global Leadership Spanish Immersion For Spanish Heritage students

This dynamic course invites tenth-grade students to explore the most pressing contemporary challenges from an international perspective, using Spanish as a tool for analysis and action. Through thematic areas such as climate change, migration, the impact of technology on society, and ethics in our relationship with living beings, students will analyze the intersection of human rights and global policies. This interdisciplinary approach fosters the development of the skills necessary to lead with empathy, critical thinking, and effectiveness in an interconnected world. 

The course integrates OSPI Social Studies and Civics standards with advanced Spanish language development, promoting a deep understanding of global interdependence and media literacy. Within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), students evaluate power systems and economic structures, meeting state objectives of analyzing multiple perspectives and proposing solutions to global problems. By using Spanish as the language of instruction for inquiry and academic debate, the curriculum strengthens bilingual proficiency and empowers students to exercise ethical and culturally sensitive leadership, connecting classroom learning with real-world civic impact in Spanish-speaking and local communities.