Social Studies

Meet Our Staff:

Mr. Kevin Schultz~Northern Illinois University, Bachelor of Science
Department: Social Studies

Mr. Heinz Dietrick Suppan
Illinois College-Bachelor of Arts, University of Illinois-Master of Arts
Department: Foreign Language (German) and Social Studies

Classes:

AMERICAN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
Included in this course will be a familiarization with economic theory as it applies to government and business and the practical application of personal economics to prepare for daily experience in the marketplace. This course is designed as a practical offering associated with the everyday problems of economic living in our modern society. (Prerequisite: None)

BASIC LIFE SKILLS
Basic Life Skills Class is a course designed to highlight job hunting skills, consumer skills, writing skills, and citizenship issues. Students enrolled in this class will learn such things as completing job applications effectively; creating a resume; the importance of creating a good impression; making a family budget; balancing a checkbook; understanding bank statements, credit cards, interest finance charges, along with other issues that a person needs for everyday life.
Basic Life Skills Class will also teach specific concepts related to school success including self-motivation, choices and consequences, and skills for life-long learning and correct study principles. Students will learn how to manage their time, effective note taking, how to study, how to read a textbook, and how to “study smart”. (9 weeks) (Prerequisite: None)

WORLD GEOGRAPHY
This course teaches students about the world in which we live. It focuses on space, resources, and people. To help students become more proficient learners of geography, basic map and study skills will be introduced, practiced and reviewed throughout the semester. (Prerequisite: None)

STATE AND LOCAL HISTORY
This social science course will focus on local and state history. It will cover Ottawa and Illinois history from prehistoric times to the present. Topics the students will study include Native American Indians, European exploration and immigration, the growth of cities, the wars, state geography, politics, and Illinois economics.

UNITED STATES HISTORY
This course covers the history of the United States from the Age of Discovery to the present. Material may be presented in either chronological or topical units. (Prerequisite: None)

MODERN AMERICAN HISTORY
This course will provide the student with the academic background needed to analyze the country in which they live today. Many of the laws, attitudes and political cycles that are prevalent today stem directly from events that have happened between the time period of 1945 to the present. The course will span Truman’s decision to drop the Atomic bomb to the Cold War, the Korean Conflict, the Kennedy assassination, Civil Rights, Vietnam, Watergate and the impact of Middle Eastern politics. The course will also be an in depth study of modern day Presidents. The course will prepare students to achieve and succeed in college American History II courses. The student should also be ale to learn and appreciate current events.

WORLD HISTORY
This is a survey course that will provide students with an understanding of the development of mankind from the development of civilization in the river valleys to the rise of great nations such as in ancient Egypt, classical Greece and the development of Rome from the earliest beginnings of its expansion as a great empire. (Prerequisite: None/Highly recommended for the college bound student)

EUROPEAN HISTORY
This course is a survey that will provide the students with an understanding of the growth and the development from the end of the Middle Ages to mid 20th-Century. The course will explain how Europe passed from the Renaissance to the Reformation of the Church to the Age of Discovery and the Rise of Nation States. The student will be given the opportunity to examine both sides of the revolutions that changed the face of Europe and the course of European powers that re-shaped political boundaries on a nearly regular basis. The problems of national unification and international impact of their nations will be examined in order to understand why Europe has always been a hotbed for war and military alliances. Finally, the course will focus on the hope of Europe for a more cooperative and inter-dependent future through systems like the European Community, the Common Market and a reduction of military alliances as a means of promoting mutual trust and understanding as Eastern Europe emerges after nearly a half century of Soviet domination and oppression. (Prerequisite: None)

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
This course is designed to give students the knowledge necessary to be responsible citizens. The students will study the 3 branches of government, their systems, and how the American system was established will be researched. The importance of political parties and elections will be stressed. State and local government will be studied. The students will also learn to be intelligent voters. The test over the State and Federal Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Flag Code which are required for graduation will be administered. (Prerequisite: United States History)

PSYCHOLOGY
This is an introductory course. It deals with the analysis and description of human behavior with special reference to learning, memory, thinking, emotional life, personality development and therapy. The emphasis is on psychological principles as they relate to daily life. (Prerequisite: None)

SOCIOLOGY
This is an introductory course that deals with social problems, social institutions, social change, group behavior, and social interaction. Sociology is the scientific study of society and the social activity of human beings. We will study social institutions such as schools, the family, government, poverty, crime, and cultural variation. (Prerequisite: None)

Marquette High School - 1000 Paul Street - Ottawa, IL 61350 - 815.433.0125