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Social Studies Courses
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The State of Ohio curriculum is the benchmark established by the Ohio State Board of Education for students to complete credits in high school Social Studies. More information about the curriculum is available on the Secondary Curriculum Website. Pickerington requires three credits, 1 each from World History, American Government, Principles of Democracy, and Economics.
College Credit Plus students will receive additional information for the next steps via email after scheduling is complete.
Social Studies
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Financial Literacy (Classes of 2026 and 2027)
Financial literacy elective is a graduation requirement. This course introduces students to real-world personal finance and money management topics with practical problem/project-based learning. Students will examine financial matters such as saving, investing, student loans, debt repayment, credit cards, risk management, and budgeting. Students engage in hands-on scenarios in which they will learn to prepare for, overcome, and avoid financial crises. Based on the skills and knowledge applied in this course, students will develop financial goals, and create realistic and measurable objectives to be financially literate and money smart.
Course Number: 701
Duration: Semester
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 11
Fees: None
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World History
The World History courses will begin with a review of the Renaissance, the Reformation, European exploration and colonization, the Age of Reason, and the Enlightenment.
The course then will focus on the world from 1877 to the modern era. Students will study the variety of emerging global powers and the issues created as the world moved through the 20th century.Course Number: 501
Duration: Full Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 9
Fees: None
Additional: Course only available in the 9th grade.
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American History
This course examines the history of the United States of America from 1877 to the present. The federal republic has withstood challenges to its national security and expanded the rights and roles of its citizens. The episodes of its past have shaped the nature of the country today and prepared it to attend to the challenges of tomorrow. Understanding how these events came to pa
This course examines the history of the United States of America from 1877 to the present. The federal republic has withstood challenges to its national security and expanded the rights and roles of its citizens. The episodes of its past have shaped the nature of the country today and prepared it to attend to the challenges of tomorrow. Understanding how these events came to pass and their meaning for today’s citizens is the purpose of this course. The concepts of historical thinking introduced in earlier grades continue to build with students locating and analyzing primary and secondary sources from multiple perspectives to draw conclusions. Students will also be required to use skills related to using a variety of resources to construct theses and support or refute contentions made by explanations of historical events; examine issues related to historical inevitability; and examine key documents that form the basis for the United States of America.
Course Number: 511
Duration: Full Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 10
Fees: None
Additional: Must be taken in the 10th-grade year; state end-of-course exam required.
ss and their meaning for today’s citizens is the purpose of this course. The concepts of historical thinking introduced in earlier grades continue to build with students locating and analyzing primary and secondary sources from multiple perspectives to draw conclusions. Students will also be required to use skills related to using a variety of resources to construct theses and support or refute contentions made by explanations of historical events; examine issues related to historical inevitability; and examine key documents that form the basis for the United States of America.
- Course Number: 511
- Duration: Full Year
- Credits: 1
- Grade: 10
- Fees: None
Additional: Course covers American History graduation requirement and must be taken in the 10th grade year; state end-of-course exam required.
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Principles of Democracy (P.O.D.)
This course examines the principles and practices of government in the United States. The purpose of the course is to acquaint students with the basic American governmental structure and the skills needed for today’s citizens to participate in the governmental process.
Course Number: 523
Duration: Full Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 11
Fees: None
Additional: Credit in POD, AP US Government, or Intro to American Government CCP is required for graduation; POD State of Ohio end-of-course exam.
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Economics
Economics examines the economic system of the United States. This course will acquaint students with economic theory and how it applies to the public and private sectors. Topics covered will include the evolution of our economic system, price determination, money and credit, government finance and taxation, unemployment, international trade, as well as other aspects of economics.
For students who have already completed Economics prior to the end of 2023-2024 school year, the course will count as the student’s Financial Literacy graduation requirement. Beginning 2024-25 school year, Economics will not count as the graduation requirement and students are required to complete the Financial Literacy course.
Course Number: 530
Duration: Semester
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 11-12
Fees: None
For informative and planning purposes ONLY: Rising Sophomores and Rising Freshmen use this course for academic planning. This course will be offered during the 2024-2025 school year and will be required for the class of 2026 and beyond.
Social Studies Electives
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History of American Sport
This course presents an overview of the development of amateur and professional athletics over the course of history in the United States. Using the development of sport and games as a lens, the social, cultural, and business history of the United States will be considered with a focus on the racial, ethical, legal, and monetary components of sports. Students need not be athletes to appreciate this elective course.
Course Number: 541
Duration: Semester
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 11-12
Fees: None
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Modern American Wars
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This course will study current events in the United States and around the world with a strong review and emphasis on America’s wars in the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will analyze the causes and effects of these wars, and how they shaped both domestic and foreign policy in present times.
Course Number: 539
Duration: Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 11-12
Fees: None
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Psychology
Psychology is the study of human behavior. The course examines biological and environmental influences on the individual. Students will explore what people do, how they think, and why they act as they do. Topics to be covered include: history of psychology, methods of psychology, personality theories, theories of learning, sensations and perceptions, conflicts and adjustment, stress and frustration, psychological disorders and treatment.
Course Number: 542
Duration: Semester
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 11-12
Fees: None
Additional: Course offered for elective Social Studies credit.
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Sociology
Man is not an island. We do not live isolated from every other person in our society. We are part of a large society that has many different lifestyles, roles, and groups. This class illustrates the importance of social interaction in the behavior of mankind. Basic institutions of society are discussed, such as family, religion, and the economy. Problems of our diverse society are discussed, such as divorce, crime, discrimination and poverty. The class will revolve around a lot of class discussion and participation in activities such as skits, role-playing, debates and planning a social movement. Psychology studies the individual, Sociology studies the group.
Course Number: 540
Duration: Semester
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 11-12
Fees: None
Additional: Course offered for elective Social Studies credit.
College Credit Plus (CCP) Social Studies
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African-American History Before 1877 CCP
Available at Central Only
The class is primarily a lecture/discussion course which includes the history of African Americans in the New World from the time of the slave trade to the end of Reconstruction.
This course is an elective History course and does not fulfill the student’s graduation credit for American HistoryCourse Number: HIST2223CCP
Duration: Semester
Credits: 1 high school, 3 college
Grade: 9-12
Fees: None
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African-American History Since 1877 CCP
Available at Central Only
The class is primarily a lecture/discussion course that includes the history of African Americans from the end of Reconstruction to the present times.
This course is an elective History course. It does not fulfill the student’s graduation credit for American History.Course Number: HIST2224CCP
Duration: Semester
Credits: 1 high school, 3 college
Grade: 9-12
Fees: None
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American Politics & Govt CCP/Intro to American Govt CCP
This course introduces students to the nature, purpose and structure of the American political system. Attention is given to the institutions and processes that create public policy. The strengths and weaknesses of the American political system are discussed, along with the role of citizens in a democracy.
Course Number (North): POLS1100CCP / (Central)
Duration: Semester
Credits: 1 high school, 3 college
Grade: 9-12
Fees: None
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Ethnic & Cultural Diversity CCP
Available at Central Only
This course focuses on the differences and similarities among racial, ethnic, religious and other diverse populations in the United States and includes historical, religious, and sociocultural issues and current conflicts. The current and past experiences of selected American racial, ethnic, gender, and religious groups are examined with respect to theories and patterns of intergroup relations and issues of prejudice and discrimination (both individual and institutional). Potential future trends in American intergroup relationships are addressed.Course Number: SOC2020CCP
Duration: Semester
Credits: 1 high school; 3 college
Grade: 9-12
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International Relations CCP
Available at North Only
This course examines the origin, nature, and development of the post-Cold War international system. It explores how individuals, Nation-States, nongovernmental and international organizations interact with one another. Basic concepts include knowledge of actors such as Nation-States, international organizations such as the United Nations, transnational corporations (TNCs), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and social movements.The course further examines theoretical frameworks for interaction such as idealism, realism, and nationalism. Aspects of foreign policy including political economy, isolationism, and interventionism are also considered. Exploration of strategies for enhancing international security, conflict resolution, diplomacy, military intervention, and the role of international law provides application and context to course materials.
This course does not fulfill the State of Ohio Government (P.O.D.) requirement for graduation.
Course Number: POLS1300CCP
Duration: Semester
Credits: 1 high school, 3 college
Grade: 9-12
Fees: None
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Modern American History CCP
(this course fulfills the American History graduation requirement)
This course covers a wide range of topics in modern American history from Reconstruction to the present time. It is an introduction to the study of history and to the political, economic, intellectual, and social themes that have shaped our present society. The course covers the American History requirement for graduation; the student’s grade in the course replaces the state end-of-course (AIR) exam requirement.
Course Number: HST1600CCP
Duration: Semester
Credits: 1 high school, 3 college
Grade: 9-12
Fees: None
Pre-AP & Advanced Placement Social Studies
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Pre-AP World History & Geography
(course fulfills the American History graduation requirement)
This course explores concepts throughout human history, including but not limited to, ancient civilizations, pre-Columbian history in the Americas, colonial European periods, medieval times, and concepts relevant in the area of human geography. Special attention, however, will be made to align with Ohio’s Modern World History requirements. At the conclusion of the course, students will have developed the fundamental skills necessary to be proficient in further AP coursework in History and Social Science.
Course Number: 508PreAP
Duration: Full Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 9
Fees: None
Additional: For more information about Pre-AP World History and Geography, please review the College Board’s website for the course, available on the Secondary Curriculum Website.
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AP European History
If this course is taken in 9 Grade, the course covers the Modern World History requirement for graduation. If the course is taken in 10-12 Grades, the course will be taken for elective credit.
AP European History is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college European history course. In AP European History students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in four historical periods from approximately 1450 to the present.Students develop and use the same skills, practices, and methods employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making historical comparisons; and utilizing reasoning about contextualization, causation, and continuity and change over time. The course also provides six themes that students explore throughout the course in order to make connections among historical developments in different times and places: interaction of Europe and the world; poverty and prosperity; objective knowledge and subjective visions; states and other institutions of power; individual and society; and national and European identity.
Course Number: 536AP
Duration: Full Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 9-12
Fees: None
Additional: Students may take AP European History in grades 9-12. For more information about AP European History, please review the College Board’s website for the course, available on the Secondary Curriculum Website.
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AP Human Geography
If this course is taken in 9 Grade, the course covers the Modern World History credit for graduation. If the course is taken in 10-12 Grades, the course will be taken for elective credit.
AP Human Geography presents high school students with the curricular equivalent of an introductory college-level course in human geography or cultural geography. Content is presented thematically rather than regionally and is organized around the discipline’s main subfields: economic geography, cultural geography, political geography, and urban geography. The approach is spatial and problem oriented.
Case studies are drawn from all world regions, with an emphasis on understanding the world in which we live today. Historical information serves to enrich analysis of the impacts of phenomena such as globalization, colonialism, and human–environment relationships on places, regions, cultural landscapes, and patterns of interaction. Advanced placement courses are demanding and require daily homework.Course Number: 525AP
Duration: Full Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 9-12
Fees: None
Additional: Students may take AP Human Geography in grades 9-12. For more information about AP Human Geography, please review the College Board’s website for the course, available on the Secondary Curriculum Website.
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AP Micro/Macroeconomics
AP Micro/Macroeconomics is a college-level course that introduces students to basic economic principles, skills and practices. First semester, students focus on Microeconomics and the functions of individual economic decision-makers. Microeconomics develops students’ familiarity with the operation of product and factor markets, distributions of income, market failure, and the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the economy.
Second semester, students focus on Macroeconomics and applying economic principles to an economic system as a whole. Macroeconomics places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price-level determination. It also develops students’ familiarity with economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics. In order to be successful in Micro and Macroeconomics, students should possess basic mathematics and graphing skills. Students will learn to use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts.
Course Number: 535AP
Duration: Full Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 11-12
Fees: None
Additional: Fulfills Economics requirement for graduation; students eligible for free/reduced lunch should check with their counselor about AP exam fee waivers.
For more information about AP Micro/Macro Economics, please review the College Board’s website for the course, available on the Secondary Curriculum Website. -
AP Psychology
AP Psychology is a college-level introductory psychology course in which students learn the theoretical and historical underpinnings of the field of psychology, distinguish among the domains of psychology (biological, cognitive, contemporary approaches) analyze contributions of major historical figures, gain exposure to the empirical research process upon which the field is based and the application of research and theory to explain human behavior, and discuss and challenge contemporary approaches to biological, cognitive, learning, developmental, motivation, personality, abnormal behavior, and social psychology. Advanced placement courses are demanding and require daily homework.
Course Number: 542AP
Duration: Full Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 11-12
Fees: None
Additional: Course is offered for elective Social Studies credit; Students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences; For more information about AP Psychology, please review the College Board’s website for the course, available on the Secondary Curriculum Website.
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AP United States Government & Politics
(fulfills Government/POD graduation requirement)
AP United States Government and Politics introduces students to key political ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the political culture of the United States. The course objectives are more complex than those of the other POD courses offered at the high school because of the college level nature of the course. The course examines politically significant concepts and themes, through which students learn to apply disciplinary reasoning, assess causes and consequences of political events and interpret data to develop evidence-based arguments. Advanced placement courses are demanding and require daily homework.
Course Number: 528AP
Duration: Full Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 11
Fees: None
Additional: Students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences; For more information about AP United States Government and Politics, please review the College Board’s website for the course, available on the Secondary Curriculum Website. -
AP United States History
This course is designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester introductory college or university U.S. history course. Students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in nine historical periods from approximately 1491 to the present. Students develop and use the same skills, practices, and methods employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making historical comparisons; and utilizing reasoning about contextualization, causation, continuity, and change over time. The course also provides seven themes that students explore throughout the course in order to make connections among historical developments in different times and places: American and national identity; migration and settlement; politics and power; work, exchange, and technology; America in the world; geography and the environment; and culture and society. Advanced placement courses are demanding and require daily homework.
Course Number: 520AP
Duration: Full Year
Credits: 1
Grade: 10
Fees: None; students encouraged to buy Amsco review book
Additional: Course fulfills the American History graduation requirement; students may use AP exam scores in lieu of state-mandated AIR assessment. Students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write well; students eligible for free/reduced lunch should check with their counselor about AP exam fee waivers; the student’s score on the AP exam replaces the state end-of-course (AIR) exam requirement. For more information about AP United States History, please review the College Board’s website for the course, available on the Secondary Curriculum Website.