SOCIAL SCIENCE SAMPLE COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Governor's School Social Science curriculum combines several key themes that are reflected in our courses. First, we want students to see themselves simultaneously as individuals and as participants in society. Secondly, while our material is firmly rooted in history, we use history to ground discussions of contemporary social problems. Finally, we want students to combine both classroom discussion and personal experience in meaningful, analytical ways. Social science must, after all, be "social" as well as "scientific."

GS-EAST

The purpose of the social science program is to explore contemporary concepts in as many of the different fields of social science as possible and to examine those concepts from both domestic and international perspectives. In doing this, the goal is to re-examine and move beyond pre-existing ideas about society, government, and the individual in a way that encourages students not only to see answers, but more importantly to learn to ask the right questions.

Much of the course is based on reading excerpts and discussions of contemporary works as well as simulations, experiments, debates, and other novel experiences that challenge and enrich student perceptions of various social science issues. Among the readings recently used were Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel; Benjamin Barber's Jihad v. McWorld; Robert Putnum's Bowling Alone; and Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed. Other informational texts such as the North Carolina Progress Board's Eight Imperatives and the Civic Index by the Civic Education Consortium are also used to inform discussion and provide a foundation from which to examine concepts, ideas, and social theories. Guest lecturers have included Dr. William Kimler of North Carolina State University ("The Evolution of Historical Thought"), Dr. Bill Rivenbark of the Institute of Government ("Making Decisions with Local Government Budgeting"), and Robb Warfield, who discussed his experience serving with the Peace Corps in Mauritania. As part of the effort to "peel back the layers of history" the Social Science students have toured the North Carolina State Archives. The Social Science department has also organized formal debates on same-sex unions in North Carolina and round-table discussions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition to these formal activities, Social Science students have organized "Debates on the Quad" dealing with a variety of topics.

GS-WEST

American Politics: Talking Points of the Modern Process

As an integral discipline in the social sciences, the study of politics allows us to explore human relationships in terms of creating institutions and the processes involved before, during, and after creation. This course will focus on the processes, given the political institutions and concepts that exist in modern America. Rather than study politics in a normative fashion, opining the way the process should be, students will explore and analyze the process as it plays out daily in D.C., on the airwaves, and through the blogs. By applying political science theories and analysis, students will confront the industrialization of modern politics, questioning modern processes and the language that comes from them.

Topics include:

• How the Reagan Revolution shaped our present paradigm
• Political socialization (family, schools, media)
• The War on Terror, War in Iraq
• The immigration compromise bill
• Recent (and current) elections
• Campaign advertising
• The role of the Internet in campaigning and governing
• The cost of politics
• Those generated by student interest