Political Theory: (fall) Students must have completed American History or Advanced Placement U. S. History as a prerequisite for this course. This course is designed to stimulate critical thinking and development of political ideas and civil liberties, teach advanced research and writing techniques, and teach oral presentation techniques including the use of technology.

US Government: (spring) Students must have completed Political Theory as a prerequisite for this course. This course is designed to stimulate critical thinking about the rights and duties of American citizenship, the workings and Constitutional underpinnings of the United States government, and the history of civil rights. A paper and several projects are included in the course.

AP US Government: (spring) Students must have approval from their current Social Studies and English teachers and must follow Advanced Placement course request guidelines. This course is designed to teach the same skills as the U. S. Government class with a greater emphasis placed on the skills and knowledge required for success on the Advanced Placement exam including writing high level free response essays and analysis of primary sources such as data tables and editorial cartoons. At the end of the course, students will take the AP US Government exam.

History of Religion in the US: This one-semester elective course focuses on the role of religion in American history. Following an introductory overview of the legal framework within which American church-state issues arise, students will examine the development of American religious ideas and institutions by close readings of a variety of primary sources including political sermons from the pre-revolutionary and revolutionary periods, essays and letters of prominent political and religious leaders of the pre-revolutionary and early national periods, relevant statutes, and court opinions. The course will also examine in what ways political and public life are affected by religious ideas and the historical foundations, as well as some modern interpretations, of the relationship between religion and politics in the public forum.