Upper School Course Guide
Course Descriptions

Social Sciences

Civics

List of 1 items.

  • Civics and Citizenship, Grade 10, Open

    CHV20
    This course explores rights and responsibilities associated with being an active citizen in a democratic society. Students will explore issues of civic importance and the influence of social media, while developing their understanding of the role of civic engagement and of political processes in the local, national, and/or global community. Students will apply the concepts of political thinking and the political inquiry process to investigate, and express informed opinions about, a range of political issues and developments that are both of significance in today’s world and of personal interest to them. This course also includes learning on digital literacy and critical-thinking skills, the mechanisms of government, Indigenous governance systems and structures, the historical foundations of the rights and freedoms we enjoy in Canada, ways in which government policy affects individuals’ lives and the economy, and ways for students to serve their communities.
    Prerequisite: None

Economics

List of 3 items.

  • The Individual and the Economy, Grade 11, University/College Preparation

    CIE3M
    This course explores challenges facing the Canadian economy as well as the implications of various responses to these challenges. Students will explore the economic role of business, labour, and government, as well as their own role as individual consumers and contributors, and how all of these influence stability and variability in the Canadian economy. Students will apply the concepts of economic thinking and the economic inquiry process, including economic models, to investigate the impact of economic decisions.
    Prerequisite: Canadian History Since World War I, Grade 10, Academic or Applied

  • Analyzing Current Economic Issues, Grade 12, University Preparation

    CIA4U
    This course examines current Canadian and international economic issues, developments, policies, and practices from diverse perspectives. Students will explore the decisions that individuals and institutions, including governments, make in response to economic issues such as globalization, trade agreements, economic inequalities, regulation, and public spending. Students will apply the concepts of economic thinking and the economic inquiry process, as well as economic models and theories, to investigate, and develop informed opinions about, economic trade-offs, growth, and sustainability and related economic issues
    Prerequisite: Any university or university/college preparation course in Canadian and World Studies, English, or Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Analyzing Current Economic Issues plus AP Micro and Macroeconomics Preparation, Grade 12, University Preparation

    CIA4U1
    This course includes all the content of CIA4U and moves further into Macro and Microeconomics to prepare students for the Advanced Placement examinations. CIE3M is strongly recommended for this AP course. Students who have not completed CIE3M need permission from the Department Head to take AP Economics.
    Prerequisite: Any university or university/college preparation course in Canadian and World Studies, English, or Social Sciences and Humanities; The Individual and the Economy, Grade 11, University/College Preparation highly encouraged.

Geography

List of 5 items.

  • Exploring Canadian Geography, Grade 9, De-streamed

    CGC1W
    This course builds on learning in Grades 7 and 8 in geography. Students will explore relationships within and between Canada’s natural and human systems and how they interconnect with other parts of the world. Students will also examine environmental and economic issues, and their impact related to topics such as natural resources and industries, careers, land use and responsible development, and sustainability. In addition, students will understand the connections that diverse communities and individuals have with the physical environment and each other throughout Canada, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives. Students will apply geographic thinking, use the geographic inquiry process, and use geospatial technologies throughout their investigations.
    Prerequisite: None

  • Forces of Nature: Physical Processes and Disasters, Grade 11, University/College Preparation

    CGF3M
    In this course, students will explore physical processes related to the earth’s water, land, and air. They will investigate how these processes shape the planet’s natural characteristics and affect human systems, how they are involved in the creation of natural disasters, and how they influence the impacts of human disasters. Throughout the course, students will apply the concepts of geographic thinking and the geographic inquiry process and use spatial technologies to analyse these processes, make predictions related to natural disasters, and assess ways of responding to them.
    Prerequisite: Canadian Geographic Issues, Grade 9, De-streamed

  • World Issues, A Geographic Analysis plus AP Human Geography Preparation, Grade 12, University Preparation

    CGW4U1
    In this course, students will address the challenge of creating a more sustainable and equitable world. They will explore issues involving a wide range of topics, including economic disparities, threats to the environment, globalization, human rights, and quality of life, and will analyse government policies, international agreements, and individual responsibilities relating to them. Students will apply the concepts of geographic thinking and the geographic inquiry process, including the use of spatial technologies, to investigate these complex issues and their impacts on natural and human communities around the world.
    Prerequisite: Any university or university/college preparation course in Canadian and World Studies, English, or Social Sciences and Humanities

  • The Environment and Resource Management, Grade 12, University/College Preparation

    CGR4M
    This course investigates interactions between natural and human systems, with a particular emphasis on the impacts of human activity on ecosystems and natural processes. Students will use the geographic inquiry process, apply the concepts of geographic thinking, and employ a variety of spatial skills and technologies to analyze these impacts and propose ways of reducing them. In the course of their investigations, they will assess resource management and sustainability practices, as well as related government policies and international accords. They will also consider questions of individual responsibility and environmental stewardship as they explore ways of developing a more sustainable relationship with the environment.
    Prerequisite: Any university, university/college, or college preparation course in Canadian and World Studies, English, or Social Sciences and Humanities

  • The Environment and Resource Management plus AP Environmental Science Preparation, Grade 12, University/College Preparation

    CGR4M1
    This course covers all the topics in CGR4M but extends further to prepare students for success on the AP Environmental Science examination at the end of the year.
    Prerequisite: Any university, university/college, or college preparation course in Canadian and World Studies, English, or Social Sciences and Humanities


History

List of 5 items.

  • Canadian History since World War I, Grade 10, Academic

    CHC2D
    This course explores social, economic, and political developments and events and their impact on the lives of different individuals, groups, and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit
    individuals and communities, in Canada since 1914. Students will examine the role of conflict and cooperation in Canadian society, Canada’s evolving role within the global community, and the impact of various individuals, organizations, and events on identities, citizenship, and heritage in Canada. Students will develop an understanding of some of the political developments and government policies that have had a lasting impact on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and communities. They will develop their ability to apply the concepts of historical thinking and the historical inquiry process, including the interpretation and analysis of evidence, when investigating key issues and events in Canadian history since 1914.
    Prerequisite: None

  • American History, Grade 11, University Preparation

    CHA3U
    This course explores key aspects of the social, economic, and political development of the United States from precontact to the present. Students will examine the contributions of groups and individuals to the country’s evolution and will explore the historical context of key issues, trends, and events that have had an impact on the United States, its identity and culture, and its role in the global community. Students will extend their ability to apply the concepts of historical thinking and the historical inquiry process, including the interpretation and analysis of evidence, when investigating various forces that helped shape American history.
    Prerequisite: Canadian History Since World War I, Grade 10, Academic or Applied

  • World History to the End of the 15th Century, Grade 11, University/College Preparation

    CHW3M
    This course explores the history of various societies and civilizations around the world, from earliest times to around 1500 CE. Students will investigate a range of factors that contributed to the rise, success, and decline of various ancient and pre-modern societies throughout the world and will examine life in and the cultural and political legacy of these societies. Students will extend their ability to apply the concepts of historical thinking and the historical inquiry process, including the interpretation and analysis of evidence, when investigating social, political, and economic structures and historical forces at work in various societies and in different historical eras.
    Prerequisite: Canadian History Since World War I, Grade 10, Academic or Applied

  • Canadian and International Politics, Grade 12, University Preparation

    CPW4U
    This course explores various perspectives on issues in Canadian and world politics. Students will explore political decision making and ways in which individuals, stakeholder groups, and various institutions, including different levels of government, multinational corporations, and non-governmental organizations, respond to and work to influence domestic and international developments. Students will apply the concepts of political thinking and the political inquiry process to investigate current political policies, issues, and events, and to develop and communicate informed opinions about them.
    Prerequisite: Any university or university/college preparation course in Canadian and World Studies, English, or Social Sciences and Humanities

  • World History since the 15th Century, Grade 12, University Preparation

    CHY4U
    This course traces major developments and events in world history since approximately 1450. Students will explore social, economic, and political changes, the historical roots of contemporary issues, and the role of conflict and cooperation in global interrelationships. They will extend their ability to apply the concepts of historical thinking and the historical inquiry process, including the interpretation and analysis of evidence, as they investigate key issues and assess societal progress or decline in world history.
    Prerequisite: Any university or university/college preparation course in Canadian and World Studies, English, or Social Sciences and Humanities

Law

List of 2 items.

  • Understanding Canadian Law, Grade 11, University/College Preparation

    CLU3M
    This course explores Canadian law, with a focus on legal issues that are relevant to the lives of people in Canada. Students will gain an understanding of rights and freedoms in Canada, our legal system, and family, contract, employment, tort, and criminal law. Students will use case studies and apply the concepts of legal thinking and the legal inquiry process to develop legal reasoning skills and to formulate and communicate informed interpretations of legal issues, and they will develop the ability to advocate for new laws.
    Prerequisite: Canadian History Since World War I, Grade 10, Academic or Applied

  • Canadian and International Law, Grade 12, University Preparation

    CLN4U
    This course explores a range of contemporary legal issues and how they are addressed in both Canadian and international law. Students will develop an understanding of the principles of Canadian and international law and of issues related to human rights and freedoms, conflict resolution, and criminal, environmental, and workplace law, both in Canada and internationally. Students will apply the concepts of legal thinking and the legal studies inquiry process and will develop legal reasoning skills when investigating these and other issues in both Canadian and international contexts.
    Prerequisite: Any university or university/college preparation course in Canadian and world studies, English, or social sciences and humanities.

Philosophy

List of 1 items.

  • Philosophy: Questions and Theories, Grade 12, University Preparation

    HZT4U
    This course enables students to acquire an understanding of the nature of philosophy and philosophical reasoning skills and to develop and apply their knowledge and skills while exploring specialized branches of philosophy (the course will cover at least three of the following branches: metaphysics, ethics, epistemology, philosophy of science, social and political philosophy, aesthetics). Students will develop critical thinking and philosophical reasoning skills as they formulate and evaluate arguments related to a variety of philosophical questions and theories. They will also develop research and inquiry skills related to the study and practice of philosophy.
    Prerequisite: Any university or university/college preparation course in Social Sciences and Humanities, English or Canadian and World Studies

General Social Sciences

List of 3 items.

  • Introduction to Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology, Grade 11, University Preparation

    HSP3U
    This course provides students with the opportunities to think critically about theories, questions, and issues related to anthropology, psychology, and sociology. Students will develop an understanding of the approaches and research methods used by social scientists. They will be given opportunities to explore theories from a variety of perspectives, to conduct social science research, and to become familiar with current thinking on a range of issues within the three disciplines.
    Prerequisite: Canadian History, Grade 10 or English, Grade 10

  • AP Seminar, Grade 11, University Preparation

    HSB4U1
    In Grade 11, students focus on the use of social science theories, perspectives, and methodologies to investigate and explain shifts in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour and their impact on society. Students will critically analyse how and why cultural, social,
    and behavioural patterns change over time. The anchoring of Challenge and Change to AP Seminar will provide students with the opportunity to apply research skills to pursue an academic topic, question or issue within the context of the social sciences. The aim being to cultivate curious and independent learners who are able to make logical, evidence-based arguments and decisions.
    Prerequisite courses: Any university, university/college, or college preparation course in Social Sciences and Humanities, English or Canadian and World Studies; Meeting and consultation with counsellor required.

  • Challenge and Change in Society, Grade 12, University Preparation

    HSB4U
    This course focuses on the use of social science theories, perspectives, and methodologies to investigate and explain the shifts in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour and their impact on society. Students will critically analyze how and why cultural, social, and biological patterns change over time. They will explore the ideas of social theorists and use those ideas to analyze causes of and response to challenges such as technological change, deviance and global inequalities. Students will explore ways in which social science research methods can be used to study social change.
    Prerequisite: Any university, university/college, or college preparation course in Social Sciences and Humanities, English or Canadian and World Studies

Upper School Social Sciences Faculty

List of 10 members.

  • Photo of David Calverley

    Dr. David Calverley 

    Upper School Faculty
  • Photo of Clark Davis

    Mr. Clark Davis 02

    Upper School Faculty
  • Photo of Sean DeZilva

    Mr. Sean DeZilva 

    Upper School Faculty
  • Photo of Aidan Docherty

    Mr. Aidan Docherty 

    Upper School Faculty
  • Photo of Geoff Green

    Mr. Geoff Green 

    Upper School Faculty
  • Photo of Alicia Hawryluk

    Ms. Alicia Hawryluk 

    Upper School Faculty
  • Photo of Jon Itzkovitch

    Mr. Jon Itzkovitch 

    Upper School Faculty
  • Photo of Alexander Johnston

    Mr. Alexander Johnston 

    Upper School Faculty
  • Photo of Gavin Muranaka

    Mr. Gavin Muranaka 

    Subject Head: Curriculum and Faculty Growth - Business Studies (7-12)
  • Photo of Jay Shannon

    Mr. Jay Shannon 

    Upper School Faculty

Course Descriptions

2365 Bayview Ave. Toronto, ON M2L 1A2
Ph: 416.449.2556