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Geography & Economics Department
Philosophy
Welcome to Holy Spirit Preparatory School’s
Geography and Economics Department.
The geography and economics department teaches the contemporary social sciences. Our intention is to provide students with on going situations and issues in relation to people, regions and localities in the United States and around the world. The contemporary social sciences expose students to the critical questions of how wealth and living standards are maintained, but why some regions of the world continue to prosper and others are in practical economic stagnation.
Geography
Geography is the study of the science of space and it seeks to answer questions about where things are located on earth surface, why they are located where they are, how places differ, how people relate to and use the environment and the impact of human activities on the environment. We teach the two main braches of geography; physical and human. In the study of people in relation to their environments, we challenge students to develop a deeper and fuller appreciation for the issues which confront mankind. These issues include population growth, and natural resource use, the expansion and decay of cities, improving the standards of living of people and forms of environmental pollution and options available to us to resolve them.
Economics
Economics is the study of the world around us, an evolving science, with a particular focus on society and how people behave when confronted with scarce and limited resources and they are required to make choices. Economics takes as its subject material some basic questions about how society produces and consumes, then explores how society answers those questions. The key questions are: What should we produce? How should it be produced? Who gets to consume what is produced?
Economics is divided into key branches; micro and macro. At HSP we teach macroeconomics allowing students to integrate their study with human and physical geography into the wider understanding of the US and world economies.
Skills
Students are trained to understand and use complex graphs, write research papers, understand maps, charts and statistical data. They will also develop data analysis and problem solving and decision making skills. Classes will challenge students to use different modes of assimilating information and applying what has been learned to new situations. Reading, writing, debating, presenting information, participating in discussions and in small group tasks, reviewing a variety of geographical and economic source data and critiquing, will be integral to the method by which this courses are delivered. The courses are essentially delivered to the enquiry-based approaches to learning.
Research
Mr. Deen is at present researching the forms of knowledge constructed in AP Human Geography classrooms. The aim of the research is to discover how teachers act as co-constructors of knowledge within their classroom space.
Field Work
Students are assigned local field work assignments during the course of the school year.
Examinations
Students will take the midterms and finals examinations as per school policy.
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