Social Studies  
 
Goals
The general goal of the Social Studies Department is to produce a "good" citizen. A good citizen is one who is able to contribute to the improvement of his/her society. Such a student should develop critical thinking skills which will make it possible to analyze the thoughts of others and to synthesize his/her own thoughts. A student should have the evaluative tools at hand which will provide him/her with guidelines for making good decisions. Finally, a student should have the willingness to contribute his/her talents and to recognize the talents and contriubutions of others.
 
More specifically, the goals of the Social Studies Department are:
 
to provide a student with the opportunity to examine the values and beliefs held by individuals and groups;
 
to develop the student´s ability to think critically about important issues which face contemporary American and world societies;

to help students produce a body of tested principles and generalizations about human relations while helping them understand the limits of such generalizations;
 
to furnish opportunities for student creativity so the individual´s talents can be developed;
 
to help the student clarify his/her substantive values;
 
to encourage students to appreciate the progress, accomplishments and even failures of humans and to develop a corresponding spirit of tolerance for the ways in which different groups and societies have established their histories;
 
to use library and classroom resources to find, assimilate and apply information;
 
to write and speak for a variety of audiences and purposes in a clear and concise manner.