Category: Social Studies

HSTA 102H – US History I & II Dual Credit

Written by Christen Cole on . Posted in Course Catalog, Dual Credit, OC, Social Studies.

Course Length:

Two semesters

Course Description: 

The first part of this course is a survey of American history from the pre-Columbian era to the Reconstruction period (for Part I).  It will include topics in social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history with the study of Pre-Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and sectionalism, and the Civil War/Reconstruction eras. History is made up of themes, which we will address in this course.  Some themes that we will address include American settlement and diversity, American culture, religion, slavery, civil and human rights, imperialism, economic and technological change, immigration and migration, war and diplomacy, and the creation and evolution of the federal government. 

In part two, this course will cover a survey of American history from 1877 to the Present.  It will include topics in social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history with the study of the West, Industrial Era, Progressive Era, Postbellum America, Imperialism, both World Wars, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, Cold War, Civil Rights, and current history. History is made up of themes, which we will address in this course.  Some themes that we will address include American settlement and diversity, American culture, religion, effects of slavery, civil and human rights, imperialism, economic and technological change, immigration and migration, war and diplomacy, and the evolution of the federal government.

Prerequisites:

Intended for incoming high school junior or senior students

Comprehensive Syllabus:  

US History I & II Dual Credit Public Syllabus

Required Materials:

None

Specific Technical/Software Requirements in Addition to General Requirements:

Please review the general original credit software requirements at http://mtda.link/techreq

Course Availability (subject to resource and teacher availability):

Fall: Available
Spring: Available
Summer: Not available

Lead Teacher:

Lindsay Thompson, Hellgate High School, lindsay.thompson@montanadigitalacademy.org

PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL COUNSELOR TO REGISTER FOR MTDA COURSES

Global Studies A & B

Written by Jodie Hirsch on . Posted in Course Catalog, OC, Social Studies.

Course Length:

Two one-semester courses (students must independently register for each semester)

Course Description:

Global Studies is an introductory social studies course. Students will be put in the role of a reporter for the Global News Network and be sent out on various “assignments” to explore and report back on the cultural, political, geographical and economic issues facing Africa, Asia, the Middle East, North and South America and Europe. Current events and issues are emphasized in connection with the curriculum.

Prerequisites:

Students should possess high school level research, writing, critical thinking, and analysis skills.

Comprehensive Syllabus:  

Global Studies Public Syllabus

Required Materials:

Students are required to have a notebook for the course.

Specific Technical/Software Requirements in Addition to General Requirements:

Please review the general original credit software requirements at http://mtda.link/techreq

Course Availability (subject to resource and teacher availability):

Fall: A semester available
Spring: B semester available
Local schools may count either semester for credit for either A or B semester.

Lead Teacher:

Brian Fox, Kalispell Public Schools, brian.fox@montanadigitalacademy.org

PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL COUNSELOR TO REGISTER FOR MTDA COURSES

Montana History

Written by Jodie Hirsch on . Posted in Course Catalog, OC, Social Studies.

Course Length:

One semester

Course Description:

Montana History explores the political, social, cultural, and economic history of Montana within the context of the larger western United States. The course will provide an overview of pre-history to modern Montana, addressing multiple perspectives including American Indian life and culture. Students will be challenged to see how a variety of internal and external forces helped shape the state of Montana as we know it today, and how a knowledge of the past can help inform their understanding of today’s Montana.

Prerequisites:

Students should be at a high school reading and writing level.

Comprehensive Syllabus:  

Montana History Public Syllabus

Required Materials:

None

Specific Technical/Software Requirements in Addition to General Requirements:

Please review the general original credit software requirements at http://mtda.link/techreq

Course Availability (subject to resource and teacher availability):

Fall: semester available
Spring: semester available

Lead Teacher:

Taylor Ferda, Kalispell Public Schools, taylor.ferda@montanadigitalacademy.org

PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL COUNSELOR TO REGISTER FOR MTDA COURSES

World History A & B

Written by Jodie Hirsch on . Posted in Course Catalog, OC, Social Studies.

Course Length:

Two one-semester courses (students must independently register for each semester)

Course Description:

World History is a survey course designed to introduce students to the wide spectrum of events that constitute the history of World civilizations. Using a chronological approach, students will study the political, social and economic history of the World from pre-history until modern times.

Prerequisites:

Students should be at a high school reading and writing level.

Comprehensive Syllabus:  

http://mtda.link/worldhistory

Required Materials:

None

Specific Technical/Software Requirements in Addition to General Requirements:

Please review the general original credit software requirements at http://mtda.link/techreq

Course Availability (subject to resource and teacher availability):

Fall: A semester available
Spring: B semester available
Summer: Not available

Lead Teacher:

Casey Visser, High School,casey.visser@montanadigitalacademy.org

PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL COUNSELOR TO REGISTER FOR MTDA COURSES

US History A & B

Written by Jodie Hirsch on . Posted in OC, Social Studies, Summer Course Offerings.

Course Length:

Two one-semester courses (students must independently register for each semester)

Course Description:

The United States began as an experiment in freedom and democracy. Since its establishment, the country and its people have endured social, political, and economic revolutions. In this course, students will investigate the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from colonization through today.

Students are asked to analyze and evaluate decisions made by political, business, and military leaders. Emphasis is placed on connections between events of the past and present. This course also gives students the opportunity to conduct research and apply their learning to current, real-world problems.

Prerequisites:

Students should be at a junior-level reading and writing level.

Comprehensive Syllabus:  

US History Public Syllabus

Required Materials:

None

Specific Technical/Software Requirements in Addition to General Requirements:

Please review the general original credit software requirements at http://mtda.link/techreq

Course Availability (subject to resource and teacher availability):

Fall: A semester available
Spring: B semester available

Lead Teacher:

Jamie Jarvis, Billings Public Schools, jamie.jarvis@montanadigitalacademy.org

PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL COUNSELOR TO REGISTER FOR MTDA COURSES

American Government One Semester

Written by Jodie Hirsch on . Posted in Course Catalog, OC, Social Studies, Summer Course Offerings.

Course Length:

One semester

Course Description:

Students will journey through the foundations of our American government, making connections between the intentions of the Founders to the system that we have today.  We then look, in detail, at the different branches of government and analyze their individual importance and powers, along with the necessity for checks and balances, and how those force the separate branches to work together.  To wrap the semester up, we shift from the federal level to the state and local levels, including tribal forms of government.  Lastly, current events will play a large role in the different modules/topics, and students will be expected to keep up on the news and be able to discuss the big stories, especially those with political/governmental topics.

This class moves fast and requires top-notch participation, which is not just a class requirement but is needed to make the class more interesting for everyone.

Prerequisites:

Students should have a working knowledge of U.S. History and a basic understanding of World History. Students should have basic knowledge of The U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Students should be able to write a 3-5 page essay or research paper, and be able to create a PowerPoint presentation or other alternative.

Comprehensive Syllabus:  

American Government Public Syllabus

Required Materials:

None

Specific Technical/Software Requirements in Addition to General Requirements:

Please review the general original credit software requirements at http://mtda.link/techreq

It is strongly recommended that students have access to Microsoft Office for class projects and activities.

Course Availability (subject to resource and teacher availability):

Fall: semester available
Spring: semester available

Lead Teacher:

Ryan Cooney, Capital High School, ryan.cooney@montanadigitalacademy.org

PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL COUNSELOR TO REGISTER FOR MTDA COURSES

Psychology

Written by Jodie Hirsch on . Posted in Course Catalog, Social Studies.

Course Length:

One semester

Course Description:

Psychology is the study of the human mind and human behavior. This one-semester course covers topics such as history, research, biopsychology, sensation and perception, consciousness, learning, memory, intelligence, personality, psychopathology, and therapy. Coursework integrates multicultural approaches and themes to make psychology meaningful to students of diverse backgrounds.

Prerequisites:

This class has adopted a higher-level textbook; students should be comfortable with a high school reading level at a minimum.

Comprehensive Syllabus:  

http://mtda.link/psychology

Required Materials:

None

Specific Technical/Software Requirements in Addition to General Requirements:

Please review the general original credit software requirements at http://mtda.link/techreq

Course Availability (subject to resource and teacher availability):

Fall: semester available
Spring: semester available

Lead Teacher: 

Jolyn Johnson, Great Falls Public Schools, jolyn.johnson@montanadigitalacademy.org

PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL COUNSELOR TO REGISTER FOR MTDA COURSES

Criminology

Written by Jodie Hirsch on . Posted in Course Catalog, OC, Social Studies, Summer Course Offerings.

Course Length:

One semester

Course Description:

Criminology isn’t about solving cases and catching perpetrators. Criminologists work to understand why crime happens in the first place. They also focus on how to prevent and address crime. As you go through this course, you’ll be given a series of challenging situations that need the mindset of a criminologist to navigate successfully. The course will encourage you to analyze a range of criminal acts, from shoplifting to hate crimes. By the end, you’ll have an opportunity to envision alternative strategies for dealing with crime in our society and in your own school environment in particular.

Prerequisites:

None

Comprehensive Syllabus:  

http://mtda.link/criminology

Required Materials:

None

Specific Technical/Software Requirements in Addition to General Requirements:

Please review the general original credit software requirements at http://mtda.link/techreq

Course Availability (subject to resource and teacher availability):

This course has limited enrollment availability and is first come, first serve. This limit is firm.

Fall: available
Spring: available

Lead Teacher:

Lindsay Thomspon, Missoula County Public Schools, lindsay.thompson@montanadigitalacademy.org

PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL COUNSELOR TO REGISTER FOR MTDA COURSES

AP® Psychology A & B

Written by Jodie Hirsch on . Posted in Advanced Placement, Course Catalog, OC, Social Studies.

Course Length:

Two one-semester courses (students must independently register for each semester)

Course Description:

The AP Psychology course introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. While considering the psychologists and studies that have shaped the field, students explore and apply psychological theories, key concepts, and phenomena associated with such topics as the biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, learning and cognition, motivation, developmental psychology, testing and individual differences, treatment of abnormal behavior, and social psychology. Throughout the course, students employ psychological research methods, including ethical considerations, as they use the scientific method, analyze bias, evaluate claims and evidence, and effectively communicate ideas.

The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings.

  • Students learn about some of the explorations and discoveries made by psychologists over the past century.
  • Students assess some of the differing approaches adopted by psychologists, including the biological, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural perspectives.
  • Most important, students come to an appreciation of how psychologists think (or at least an appreciation of the kind of critical analysis that psychologists embrace and hope to model in their words and actions).

Access the site link below to view the PDF of the course description from the College Board:
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-psychology-course-description-2014-15.pdf

Prerequisites:

This class has adopted a higher-level textbook; students should be comfortable with a high school reading level at minimum.

Comprehensive Syllabus:  

AP Psychology Public Syllabus link

Required Materials:

None

Specific Technical/Software Requirements in Addition to General Requirements:

Please review the general original credit software requirements at http://mtda.link/techreq

Course Availability (subject to resource and teacher availability):

Fall: A semester available
Spring: B semester available
Summer: Not available

Lead Teacher:

Brian Greenwell, C.M. Russel High School, brian.greenwell@montanadigitalacademy.org

PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL COUNSELOR TO REGISTER FOR MTDA COURSES

AP® Macroeconomics

Written by Jodie Hirsch on . Posted in Advanced Placement, Course Catalog, OC, Social Studies.

Course Length:

One semester

Course Description:

Understand the choices you make as a producer, consumer, investor, and taxpayer. This course provides you with the knowledge and decision-making tools necessary for understanding how a society must organize its limited resources to satisfy its unlimited wants.

Access the site link below to view the PDF of the course description from the College Board:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap-economics-course-description.pdf

Prerequisites:

Solid math and writing skills, along with a willingness to devote considerable time to homework and study, are necessary to succeed. Emphasis is placed on critical and evaluative thinking skills.

Comprehensive Syllabus:  

AP Macroeconomics Public Syllabus link

Required Materials:

None

Specific Technical/Software Requirements in Addition to General Requirements:

Please review the general original credit software requirements at http://mtda.link/techreq

Course Availability (subject to resource and teacher availability):

Fall: not available
Spring: semester available

Lead Teacher:

Ben Lambert, Huntley Project Schools, ben.lambert@montanadigitalacademy.org

PLEASE SEE YOUR LOCAL COUNSELOR TO REGISTER FOR MTDA COURSES

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The University of Montana
32 Campus Drive – Room 365
Missoula, Montana 59812
Phone: 406-203-1812
Fax: 406-203-1815

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