Social Studies

World History

The world is, by all measures, a very large place - and our goal in this course is to begin grappling with this scale! Over the course of the year we will tackle some of the major milestones of recorded history, seeking to provide a foundation for all future investigations of history.

In the First Semester we will look at early human societies, including Early Egypt, the Ancient Greeks, India, and China. The Second Semester will be devoted to ‘modern history’ starting in roughly 1500, examining topics such as colonialism, slavery, the Industrial Revolution, and the conflicts of the early 20th Century. We will use these topics as an avenue to learn key writing & research skills - argument, analysis, citations, discussion, etc - that will set students up for success throughout their academic careers.

US History — Civics

The word "civics" comes from the Latin word for "citizen." Essentially, it is a branch of political science concerned with (as its first known usage held, in 1885), "the rights and responsibilities of a citizen." In the year 2025, this deceptively simple idea leads us in many directions: We have to think critically about where we're getting our information from. We need to ask where talking points originate, and who has a vested interest in putting them forward. And we need to look at the nature, origin, and evolution of our governmental systems — how it was intended to work; who was and was not included within its original conception; how things have shifted over the centuries, and why that happened; how the systems do and do not work today; and how we can be the kinds of people who are striving to make it work better in the future. Overall, a solid understanding of our civic institutions is empowering — especially in 2025, when, to be blunt, the framework of our political system is currently being tested and warped in almost unprecedented ways.
This course will be composed of three parts:
• The first will look at the fundamentals of government: Why do we need a government in the first place? What should a government do and not do? What sort of government do we have in the United States? What does the Constitution say (and why does it say that)? What sort of government did the founders envision and intend to create?
• The second will look at the journeys those fundamental principles have taken over time: How have they been put into practice, and how have they changed? What has happened to the complicated relationship between local, state, and federal institutions since 1787?
• And the final part will challenge us to think about what the appropriate response is to our current political moment, and wherever things go from here. If we hope to do anything to meaningfully impact our collective future, it is imperative to have a solid grasp of what our rights, responsibilities, and opportunities are as citizens.

US History — Ethnic Studies

This social studies course explores race, ethnicity, and identity through the lens of California’s diverse past and present, with a focus on the experiences and contributions of African American, Chicanx/Latinx, Native American, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities. Grounded in the foundational disciplines of Ethnic Studies, students will examine social systems, movements, and civic responsibility, analyzing how these forces have shaped both California and the broader United States. Through engagement with primary and secondary sources, class discussions, and project-based learning, students will strengthen their reading, writing, research, and critical thinking skills - all of which are needed to analyze diverse perspectives and reflect on complex social issues through analysis of case studies.

We Have Always Been Here: An Introduction to Gender & Sexuality Studies

What do we mean by the words ‘sex’ or ‘gender’ or ‘sexuality’ and where do these terms come from historically? How are all of these categories changing in the 21st Century? Through readings, activities, and media, students will develop tools to critically analyze the socio-cultural, political, economic, and institutional forces that shape individuals and structures in gendered ways, and provide students a broad-based overview in the fields and topics of Gender & Sexuality Studies. The course will look at the way both genders & sexualities – as sets of practices, identities, and relations – are constrained, contained, elaborated on, and created via systems and institutions. This course will dive into the way these identities come into the world, and then examine theoretical approaches in the fields of Gender & Sexuality Studies.

The Food We Eat: A Cross-Cultural History

Fortune cookies, California roll, apple pie, cioppino, enchilada or mofongo; momos, pasty, empanada, and pierogi. The food we eat is the story of religion, culture, race and identity. It is the story of the agricultural revolution, the Silk Road, the Columbian Exchange, economic hardships, imperialism, immigration, and Instagram & TikTok. In this course, we will tackle the topic of food by studying its history, by reading works from chefs, food historians and food critics, and by diving into the world of food television and documentaries. Finally, we will explore our own histories with food and how food has affected our lives and our families’ stories.

Decolonizing Art History

Decolonizing Art History is a critical exploration of how systems of power, colonization, and cultural appropriation have shaped both Western and Eastern art traditions. Rather than covering a broad survey, the course dives into specific artists, curators, and themes to examine the role of art in maintaining or challenging dominant narratives—especially in religious, political, and institutional contexts. Students will analyze how museums and other institutions have contributed to or attempted to address these histories. The course emphasizes how we can engage with art today without replicating colonial frameworks. It culminates in a student-driven curation project that reflects these inquiries.

Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerra: A History of California & the Bay

Long before being ‘discovered,’ the place now known as California was a land of diverse peoples with deep histories and cultures. In this course, we will seek to dig into the stories at root in California, with a focus on the Bay Area. We will look topics such as: the Indigenous populations who predated settlers; the impact of colonization on both people & nature; the expansion of this system under the Gold Rush; the powerful impact of Black communities on the area; the long history & impact of Latinos/Hispanics & Asian culture; and the ways that the Bay has offered a home for counterculture challenges to dominant values. This course is designed with local voices and histories, aiming to allow us all to better know where we are living. 

Let Marsha P. Johnson & Our Friends Guide Us: Queer History

From persecution at the hands of the Nazis, to being the Prime Ministers of Iceland & Serbia, to throwing bricks through windows at protests, queer individuals have always been a part of our world. This class will look at how gender and sexuality have been constructed throughout history, examining the vast set of identities that have existed outside of male & female and beyond heterosexuality. While the class will focus heavily on the United States, we will look globally at Queer History to understand how diverse and expansive the world truly is. Through examining the stories of LGBTQ+ communities around the world, this class provides students an opportunity to learn how gender and sexual identities & expressions play a role in our daily lives.

Urban Studies: Comparative Cities

This one-semester elective will introduce students to the work of urban studies by examining historical and contemporary issues in urban planning, governance, and life. Students will learn about how discrimination, redlining, and zoning contributed to inequity within American cities and consider how different cities around the globe have addressed issues ranging from public space/parks to affordable housing, public safety, infrastructure, and climate change. As a class, we will consider how gentrification and global tourism has transformed cities internationally, both creating new economic opportunities and exacerbating inequality. Ultimately the course will challenge students to be more engaged citizens of the cities in which they live.

Eastern Philosophy

This course tells a story that begins in ancient India, with the central tenets and texts of Hindu (or “Brahmanical”) philosophy; the flowering of Buddhist philosophy from within that system, and its development over the next thousand years in northern India; the Taoist and Confucian systems Buddhist thought encountered when it arrived in China; and its radical metamorphosis into the Zen tradition in Japan. If time allows, we will look at the contemporary transmission of these philosophical systems into the West, and the semiotics of Zen spas, mindfulness retreats, and yoga pants.

To put it another way, this course is about exploring different answers to George Saunders’ question above, from Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Daoist, and Zen Buddhist philosophical schools. We talk about the nature of the mind, the nature of the self, and the nature of reality. But where that leads us — or, why that matters — or, like, where the rubber hits the road — is looking at why, for most of us, daily life is often so difficult and dissatisfying — what we can try to do about dealing with that, and maybe even starting to change it.