Saskatchewan Distance Education Courses

Course Description:

The goal of this course is to help students understand that humans establish various kinds of organizations as a means of systematically meeting their needs and wants. These organizations may be political or economic. Additionally, this course is about a lot of "isms", (conservatism, liberalism, socialism, imperialism) or philosophical viewpoints that underlie how people think about society in unique ways.

The ideas of this course are far-reaching, and while complex at times, certainly the basis for understanding almost everything about the makeup and the conflicts of our world.

There are five core concepts which figure prominently in Grade 10 History.

• Interdependence: The concept of interdependence underlies the study of social organizations.

• Social Institution: Students will explore the organizations which have been established to organize our social or common lives.

• Decision-Making: Students will study how political and economic decisions are made at the national and international levels.

• Power: Students will further develop their understanding of this concept by exploring political and economic decision-making.

• Ideology: Students will examine the role ideology plays in the economic and political decision-making processes of social organizations.

The concepts of this course can be quite challenging, but for those who read broadly before undertaking to answer questions in the assignments, the rewards of studying this course and the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th century events that are used to illustrate the unit concepts, can be substantial and thought-provoking.

Due to the demanding nature of this course, it is recommended for students who have excellent independent study and research skills.

Note: The following textbook will be required for this course: "Globe Fearon World History" published by Pearson Group. It can be purchased by phoning "1-800-387-8028".