Bishop Seabury Academy

The social studies curriculum presents Bishop Seabury students a true global perspective. Beginning in seventh grade with World Geography and finishing with Comparative Governments in twelfth grade, Seabury students develop a solid understanding of our global society. Seventh-grade World Geography gives an overview of space and culture. In eighth-grade World Religions, students are presented with an overview of the major religious beliefs and philosophies of the world. Freshmen and sophomores take World History. In these two years, students are provided with an in-depth look not just at world history but also at historical trends and the development of the global society in which we live today. Juniors take U.S. History, which focuses on the political and economic growth of the United States and its changing role in the global community. The senior elective is Comparative Government. This is a college-level course which compares the governments, policy making, political economy, and collective identity of six different nation states. When students have completed this curriculum, they are well-prepared to become citizens in the new global community that is so rapidly changing today.

Faculty

Bill Gollier
Department Chair
M.A.., History, University of Missouri, Columbia
B.A., History, University of Kansas
Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Date Appointed: 2006

Sara Asher
Director of International Students
M.A.., Curriculum and Instruction, University of Kansas
B.S.., History, South Dakota State University
Member of Kappa Delta Pi, education honor society, 1997
History Day judge, state and region one competitions, 2003 & 2004
Participant in East Asia Institute for Teachers, 2005
Participant in Korea Foundation Teacher’s Workshop, 2006
AP European History Exam Reader, 2006, 2007, & 2008
Date Appointed: 2002

Dr. Don M. Schawang
Head of School, Ninth-Grade English
Ph.D., Theatre & Film, University of Kansas, 2001
M.A., English, Wichita State University, 1992
B.A., English & Creative Writing, Wichita State University, 1990
U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, Teacher Recognition Award, 2008
KAIRS Distinquished Teacher of the Year, 2005
Date Appointed: 2001

Overview

This course will focus not only on the physical geography of the world but also on the cultural geography and current state of the changing world. All of the major continents will be covered except North America. This class aims to empower the student with a geographic and broad historical sense of the world while enriching current reading and writing skills, thus enabling the student to become a responsible, respectful member of a world society.

Topics Covered

-General Overview of the World

-Latin America

-Western and Eastern Europe

-Russia

-Middle East and North Africa

-Sub-Saharan Africa

-Asia and Oceania
 

Overview

This course focuses on the many responses to the sacred that individuals and groups have taken throughout human history. The course is global in scope and acknowledges the religious pluralism that impacts nearly everyone in the 21st century. The impact of geography on religion is an important component, as is the impact of religion on human history. Students will develop a vocabulary of religious terms, engage in increasingly abstract discussions, improve their reading comprehension and composition skills (particularly through personal journal writing), and work individually and together to present information to their peers. Students of World Religions take their place as engaged citizens of the world, characterized by curiosity, respect, and imagination.

Important Skills and Major Projects

Students will take notes, write, experience projects, and engage in class discussions on various world spiritual and philosophical traditions. They will develop a more sophisticated and accurate historical vocabulary through critical reading and personal research. They will be aware of geography and its impact on religion. Collaborative group work will engage students in the free exchange of ideas, with respect for the philosophical and political differences of other students. This course introduces students to higher level thinking about abstract ideas.

Goals
By the end of the course, students should be conversant with the concepts of the world’s different religions. Students will better appreciate the impact of religion on history, philosophy, and conflict. They will also become more confident in their public speaking, writing, and cooperative learning skills.
 

Overview

This course covers the rise of civilization from prehistoric agrarian communities to the age of urban centers. Time periods cover the ancient world to the Renaissance. Students are introduced to the concept of historical cycles and use historical maps to focus on place and time of historical events. Reading comprehension is demanded for a college-level text; students study historical terminology, test-taking skills, and engage in collaborative group work and formal presentations.

Topics Covered

  -Early Civilizations Ancient Rome

  -Ancient Egypt Fall of Rome

  -Mesopotamia Medieval World

  -Ancient Greece 14th Century & Early Renaissance

Important Skills and Major Projects

Students take notes and engage in class discussions on the rise and fall of civilizations. They develop an academic, historical vocabulary through critical reading, ancillary texts, and computer research. They study geography and its impact on how civilizations arise and how geography and natural events contribute to the fall of civilizations as well. Collaborative group work and class projects engage students in the free exchange of ideas and respecting the philosophical and political differences of other students. Frequent quizzes and tests help students build strong test-taking skills.

Goals

By the end of the course, students should be conversant with essential historical concepts and events. Their exploration of the rise of world civilizations will prepare them for the next level of study which will take them from the Renaissance to the Modern World. They will be well-equipped to engage in historical research and research paper-writing.
 

Overview

The purpose of the World History course is to develop a greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts, in interaction with different types of human societies. The course highlights the nature of changes in international frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. The course builds on an understanding of cultural, institutional, and technological precedents that, along with geography, set the human stage.

Topics Covered

  -The course covers the years 1400-2006 and is based on four themes:

  -Globalization: The Shrinking World: 1450-2006

  -Revolution: Technological, Political, Social, Economic

  -Development of the Nation State: Representative Government and Authpriatian Regimes

  -The End of the Nation State: 2006?

Important Skills and Major Projects

  -Constructing/Evaluating Arguments

  -Using Documents to Support and Argument

  -Assessing Issues

  -Recognizing Global/Local Patterns

  -Compare/Contrast Societal Reactions

  -Commonalities/Differences among Civilizations and Societies

  -The Student Will Write One Historical Research Paper

  -The Student Will Write Several Essays Which Re-encofrceWriting Skills and the Subject Matter
 

Goals

  -Gain Knowledge of the World's Cultures

  -Learn How to Use PRimary Documents and Visual images

  -Learn the Tools of a Historian

  -Learn How to Write Historical Essays

  -If Sitting for the AP Exam in May: To Achieve a Qualifying Grade

AP Differentiation

  -AP students meet with the instructor weekly in a 0 or 8th hour to discuss issues and problems

  -AP students have a different set of essays which relate to the AP exam

  -Class lectures and discussions are formatted like a college course; thus, meetings are for improvement in          writing and in interpretation, not for lecture.
 

Overview

This course is a two-semester survey of American history from the age of exploration and discovery to the present. Lecture and class discussions include political, economic, and social factors involved in the growth of the United States as a nation. Emphasis is placed on critical and evaluative thinking skills, essay writing, interpretation of original documents, and historiography. It is a challenging course that is meant to be the equivalent of a freshman college course. A research paper focusing on American history will be required.

Topics Covered

  -Europeans colonize North America Development of the West

  -The American Revolution The Machine Age

  -Forging a National Republic Vitality & Turmoil of Urban Life

  -Nationalism, Expansion, & Market Economy The Progressive Era

  -People & Communities in the North & West Americans & The Great War

  -People & Communities in a Slave Society The Great Depression & New Deal

  -The Civil War & Reconstruction WWII at Home & Abroad

  -The Cold War/Viet Nam

  -Prosperity, Power, & Peril

Important Skills and Major Projects

This course places emphasis on the essay as the primary form of student expression. Students are required to write many essays per semester and participate in class discussion. Academic level of discourse is encouraged to better prepare students for college level study and class discussion. Homework and meeting deadlines demand student initiative and responsibility.

Goals

By the end of the course, students should be able to participate in discussions of history in a thoughtful, articulate manner. Students should be able to think critically about all aspects of U.S. History, including ideas central to our identity as Americans.

AP Differentiation

Although some students may opt to take this course as non-AP, they will be expected to participate in discussion of AP test materials and engage in AP test preparation activities. AP students will have additional writing assignments and modified exams. AP students will meet with the instructor in the morning on a prescribed day to discuss specific AP test preparations such as essays, readings, and additional source material.