history

Legal Studies

Open to 11th and 12th grade students

Legal Studies introduces students to a few of the many facets of law in the United States, such as Criminal, Civil, Family, and Contracts law. As critical reading, writing and argument development are important in the legal profession, Legal Studies students focus on developing these skills through case reading, brief writing and fact patterns. This class also emphasizes experiential learning as students step into mock trials, prepare for and argue cases, negotiate contracts, and view local legal proceedings when available. Students learn what the law is like and gain a glimpse into the legal profession to identify a possible future career path.

GENDER & ETHNIC STUDIES

Prerequisites: Completion of or current enrollment in Modern World History or an equivalent course

Introduction To Psychology

Open to 12th grade students and selected 11th graders who need a fifth full-year course or have a desire to pursue a psychology degree in college

This course examines the human mind and human behavior. Students will explore the different models upon which modern psychology has been built, along with such things as the history and origins of psychology, research methods, human development, and psychological disorders. The course will engage students with thought-provoking questions, meaningful conversations, and projects that cover a broad spectrum of learning capabilities designed to prepare students for their future away from VES by understanding the basics of psychology and how to apply it to the real world.

This course is unconventional in its aim to center the experiences of those who have traditionally been pushed to the margins. Understanding historical systems of privilege and oppression will be key to learning about how racism, sexism, heterosexism and class privilege can become pervasive in society. Students will immerse themselves in scholarship written by authors of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds to gain deeper understanding of how different communities interact with law enforcement, educational institutions and justice systems. Furthermore, understanding theories on gender, sexuality and intersectionality will enhance students’ perspectives on how identity plays an important role in the creation of social hierarchies. Topics may include but are not limited to mass incarceration, immigration policy, school-to-prison pipeline, wealth distribution and social movements. In taking this class, students will identify one particular topic of interest and use it to design a semester-long or year-long research project that may be shared with the entire community.