（Social Science / Humanities）

Standards: Common Core State Standards, New York Framework for Social Science

Assessment: Portfolio of presentations, essays, and project work.

Inthiscourse, students are led on a historic and philosophical journey through the study of epistemology – the Theory of Knowledge. The study of philosophical concepts, such as epistemology, helps prepare students with analytic reasoning and critical thinking skills that are developed through literary studies.The aim of the course is to help students reflect on critical issues, remove their own prejudice and consider the importance of logic in the way they present arguments.Furthermore, the course also promotes the development of oral presentation skills, as well as developing higher level reading and writing capabilities. Students start the year with an overview of Plato’s work, The Republic, which introduces many of the concepts that they will critique over the duration of the course before moving on to other thinkers such as Locke, Hume and Descartes.