Social Studies Electives - Course Preference Survey - Version 1

The Social Studies Department together with the School's Administration and the Counselling Department are trying to determine which courses should be offered to students next year.

Under the new curriculum, students will be required to take one of the Senior Social Studies Electives to meet their graduation requirements. There are 15 potential courses that could be offered. Not all of them will be offered.

1. Please pick the five courses in which you are most interested from the list of 15 options (Question #1) that may be offered.

2. Scroll down to that course and rank your interest in that course on a scale of 1 (Most Interested) to 10.

This survey is an attempt to gather sufficient information to allow an informed decision to be made regarding which courses should be offered.

By indicating your preferences, you are, in no way, committing yourself to taking a specific course. You are not making a course selection in this survey. It is simply a tool to help make the course selection process more meaningful.

Thanks for helping. Your name is not required.

Tools

Choose the five courses that are of the greatest interest to you. Read the course description (content descriptions only are provided). You can change your choices before submitting your response.

You can use a ranking more than once.

		1	2	3	4	5
History	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Law	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Asian Studies	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Social Justice	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
BC First Peoples	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Human Geography	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Political Studies	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Genocide Studies	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Philosophy	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Physical Geography	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Comparative Cultures	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Comparative World Religions	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Contemporary Indigenous Studies	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Economics	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest
Urban Studies	Greatest Interest						Lower Interest

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

History
Course Content as Prescribed by the Ministry of Education

• the rise and rule of authoritarian regimes
• civil wars, independence movements, and revolutions
• human rights movements, including those of indigenous peoples
• religious, ethnic, and/or cultural conflicts, including genocide
• global conflicts, including World War I, World War II, and the Cold War
• migrations, movements, and territorial boundaries
• interdependence and international co-operation
• social and cultural developments
• mass consumption and production of communication and
transportation technologies

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Law
• key areas of law such as criminal law, civil law, and family law
• foundations of Canadian law
• structures and powers of the federal and provincial courts and administrative tribunals
• the Constitution of Canada and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• legislation concerning First Peoples
• role of the judiciary as a constitutional check on legislative power
• Canada’s correctional system
• legislation concerning children and youth
• legal resources and services, both online and in the community
• structures and roles of global dispute resolution agencies

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Asian Studies
• physical geography, including resource distribution and physiographic features
• human geography, including demography, migration, urbanization, and environmental issues
• industrialization, globalization, economic systems, and distribution of wealth and resources
• interdependence and co-operation
• development, structure, and function of political and social institutions
• social and political movements, including human rights initiatives
• local, regional, and global conflict
• local, regional, and national identities

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Social Justice
• various theoretical frameworks, interpretations, and concepts of social justice
• connections between self-identity and an individual's relationship to others in society
• connections between social justice issues
• past and present social injustices in Canada and in the world, their possible causes, and their lasting impact on individuals, groups, and society
• roles of governmental and non-governmental organizations in issues of social justice and injustice
• processes, methods, and approaches individuals, groups, and institutions use to promote social justice

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

BC First Peoples
• traditional territories of the BC First Nations and the relationships with the land
• role of oral tradition for BC First Peoples
• impact of historical exchanges of ideas, practices, and materials among local BC First Peoples and with non-indigenous peoples
• provincial and federal governmental policies and practices that have affected, and continue to affect, BC First Peoples responses to colonialism
• the resistance of BC First Peoples to colonialism
• role and significance of media in challenging and supporting the continuity of culture, language, and self-determination of BC First Peoples
• commonalities and differences between traditional and contemporary BC First Peoples governance systems
• contemporary challenges facing BC First Peoples, including legacies of colonialism

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Human Geography
• demographic patterns of growth, decline, and movement
• relationships between cultural traits, the use of physical space, and
impacts on the environment, including First Peoples cultures• global agricultural practices
• industrialization, trade, and natural resource demands
• increased urbanization and influences on societies and environments
• relationships between natural resources and patterns of population settlement and economic development
• political organization of geographic regions

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Political Studies
• structure and function of Canadian and First Peoples political institutions
• major ideologies and political systems
• election processes and electoral systems
• role of mass media in democratic societies
• power relationships between citizens, government, and other bodies in the creation of public policy
• scope and characteristics of the international system
• issues in local, regional, or national politics in Canada
• issues in global politics, such as security, conflict management, development, and sustainability

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Genocide Studies
• origins and development of the term “genocide”
• economic, political, social, and cultural conditions of genocide
• characteristics and stages of genocide
• acts of mass violence and atrocities in different global regions
• strategies used to commit genocide
• uses of technology in promoting and carrying out genocide
• recognition of and responses to genocides
• movements that deny the existence of or minimize the scope of genocides
• evidence used to demonstrate the scale and nature of genocides
• international law and enforcement

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Philosophy
• methods of reasoning and argument in philosophy
• metaphysical theories about the nature of reality
• ontological theories of being
• epistemological theories about knowledge and truth
• theories of justice and freedom
• theories of morality and ethics

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Physical Geography
• features and processes of plate tectonics and their effects on human and natural systems
• features and processes of gradation and their effects on human and natural systems
• natural disasters and their effects on human and natural systems
• Climate, weather, and interactions between humans and the atmosphere
• Characteristics of global biomes, including climate, soil, and vegetation
• Natural resources and sustainability

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Comparative Cultures
• definitions of culture and how these have changed over time
• elements of culture and cultural expressions
• conflict and conflict resolution within and between cultures
• systems of power, authority, and governance
• role of value systems and belief systems in the development of cultures
• interactions and exchanges between cultures
• interactions between cultures and the natural environment

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Comparative World Religions
• characteristics of religion, mythology, and spirituality• core beliefs, practices, and ethics of world religions, including
spirituality in First Peoples cultures
• approaches to doctrines or belief systems
• institutional and social structures
• sacred texts, traditions, and narratives
• art, architecture, narratives, and other forms of expression
• relationship between religion and government at different times
and places

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Contemporary Indigenous Studies
• the varied identities and worldviews of indigenous peoples, and the importance of the interconnection of family, relationships, language, culture, and the land
• factors that sustain and challenge the identities and worldviews of indigenous peoples
• the resilience and survival of indigenous peoples in the face of colonialism
• community development, partnerships, and control of economic opportunities
• responses to inequities in the relationships of indigenous peoples with governments in Canada and around the world
• restoring balance through truth, healing, and reconciliation in Canada and around the world

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Economics
• economic thought before Adam Smith
• classical theories of value, growth, and distribution
• classical economic thought on money, banking, and policy
• Marxist economics
• neoclassical economics and the role of markets
• Keynesian theory of money, investment, and cycles
• neoclassical synthesis
• contemporary economic thought
• behavioural economics

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

If the course described below is one or your top five choices, please give it a ranking according to your interest level.

Urban Studies
• urbanization as a global phenomenon
• historic settlement patterns in urban centres
• local and regional governance in BC and relationships with other levels of government
• functions of local and regional government
• urban planning and urban design
• decision making in the planning of cities and regions
• contemporary issues in Urban Studies

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very Interested Not Interested

As part of your learning in Social Studies, which of the following would be of help to you?

		1	2	3	4	5
Field Trips	Very Helpful						Less Helpful
Guest Speakers	Very Helpful						Less Helpful
Career Opportunity Information, Events, Speakers ....	Very Helpful						Less Helpful

Mr. P.

Social Studies and History

Fraser Heights Secondary School

Surrey, BC