by Aneesa Vaez-Iravani
Webmaster
    This year LGHS is offering three brand new classes for 10th grade sophomores to fulfill their social studies requirements. Introduction to Law, Psychology, and Sociology allow students to expand their understanding of history beyond 20th century events formerly taught to sophomore students. This year they are given the opportunity to learn the studies based on different levels of human activity.

    Lindsay Schubert is teaching Introduction to Law, a popular choice among sophomores. Schubert explained, “We do a lot of discussions, debates, simulations, and mock trials. In the next unit, we will be simulating a crime scene investigation, where students will either set up fake crime scenes or serve as investigators. We will also have some guest speakers, [including] attorneys, police officers.” Having just finished an introductory unit covering legal and Constitutional topics, the students are currently studying basic civil rights and liberties. Next they will shift their focus to trial procedure, evidence, crime scene investigation, international law, and youth and family courts as part of the criminal and civil law unit.. Schubert believes, “students will become more aware of how the legal system affects them, directly and indirectly. I hope it will encourage them to look more critically at legal issues and become active participants in creating and changing laws.”

    Psychology, taught by Janis Rogers, is a year-long course. Rogers explained, “We’re currently studying Personality Theories, from Psychodynamic to Humanistic Perspectives— [those of] Freud, Jung, Adler, Maslow, [and] Rogers.” The first semester of the course focuses primarily on the thoughts and basic natural behavior of human beings, while the second semester will focus on issues concerning physiological anthropology and sub-cultural and cultural variations that influences an individual’s brain. Rogers believes, “ [that] students will gain a greater understanding of why they react in certain ways, along with a greater understanding of why they perceive things a certain way. They will also examine the pathways of learning and retrieving information.” Although the course includes several complex and difficult-to-grasp concepts, Psychology has thus far triggered a number of positive reactions from students. 

    The third course, P-Sociology, taught by Marcy Cooper, focuses on human relationships and everyday behaviors of humans based on society’s impact and an individual’s social class. Like Introduction to Law and Psychology, it is a year-long class, and is also offered to upperclassmen who wish to take the class as an elective. Students will learn about several different aspects of society, including discrimination and inequality amongst citizens, with integrated simulations and activities involving student role-play of different social classes. Currently examining the sociologic perspective and the basic meaning of sociology, students will continue to learn about deviance and social control, as well as racism, gender issues, and poverty. In doing so, Cooper believes “[students will gain] a better perspective of their place in society and how it operates, and a better understanding of the world around them.”