Social studies
DEPARTMENT

Ilm Academy’s High School History curriculum equips students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills to understand the past and its impact on the present. Through the study of world civilizations, U.S. history, geography, civics, and economics, students explore multiple perspectives while developing civic responsibility, moral reasoning, and global awareness. Comprehensive texts and primary sources enrich learning, preparing students to become informed, thoughtful, and engaged participants in a democratic society.

World History

In World History, high school students begin with an in-depth look at the great civilizations, kingdoms and empires of the ancient world. They focus on the leaders, thinkers, and institutions of those times, understand their rise to prominence, their manner of conducting the affairs of state, and their lasting impressions and influences.

In this course, students also deepen their understanding of geography, focusing on a society’s location and environment and their effects on relationships outside that society. Students strengthen their map reading skills and overlay their topographic knowledge of places with population, and political and natural resource information. From this knowledge students form a sophisticated appreciation for history as it is shaped by people, who are in turn shaped by their physical environment.

Huma Bokharey

American History

The American History course examines modern U.S. history scrutinizing the growth of the federal government starting in the late nineteenth century through to the present. Students explore what it means to be an American at present and how the U.S. established itself as a world leader and superpower. Students also develop their appreciation for the diversity of the United States population as well as its distinctive geography. This survey covers a period of nearly 150 years of developments and includes consideration for culture, religion, literature, art, music, and education, as well as foreign and domestic politics.

American Government and Civic Responsibility

Ilm Academy’s high school students culminate their history studies with the principles of American democracy and civics. This concentration delves into the key elements of representative democracy as they developed over time. Students contemplate the trade-offs of majority rule and the protection of individual rights, how much power the government should have, and their responsibilities as citizens within the U.S. democracy. Furthermore, students study the U.S. government with the goal of understanding how it works, including elections, passage of laws, executive powers and responsibilities, as well as judicial oversight. They also understand their rights and responsibilities as they relate to participating in their government through voting, community service, and government activism.