Civics and Politics

All-Gender Course; Prerequisite - Successful completion of one year of high school social studies or permission from the administration; Fall semester or Full-year course
COURSE DESCRIPTION
We are part of many different communities that shape who we are and what we believe. This course provides students with opportunities to understand better how our society and political system shape their various identities. By exploring aspects of our identities and lived experiences, we evaluate how the concept of citizenship and the individual citizen work together to create the communities we inhabit. From the launching point of the knowledge, values, and feelings we bring into the class, we uncover our own biases, explore the difference between fact and opinion, practice empathy, and learn to voice our own perspectives without silencing the perspectives of others. We investigate how power structures in our society, ranging from government to the media, affect us. Students who take this course will leave with an understanding of our political system, society, and the structural frameworks that shape our identities, while simultaneously developing increased empathy and global awareness.
WHAT STUDENTS SAY

“I really enjoyed the topics that we are touched upon. I think they are very interesting, and I love learning more about different cultures, especially those misrepresented by the media. Additionally, the topics we have discussed allowed me to discover new parts of myself and my own identity” 

"Ms. Johnston was such a phenomenal teacher! I truly enjoyed her class so much. We always had enough work and assignments to be appropriately challenged, but because of how enjoyable the assignments themselves were, learning was really fun. Every week, it was exciting to me as a political science major to see what we would be learning about and discussing. She responded to messages almost immediately and would leave great comments on assignments sometimes with recommendations for articles to read which made this course feel like it was almost in-person. I thoroughly enjoyed this class."

WHAT STUDENTS DO
Learning is an active process at One Schoolhouse. Students design, create and apply. And, they engage with classmates and connect with their teachers through discussions, video conferences, and projects. Specifically, in this class students will:
  • Set goals that drive their learning. Students reflect regularly on their growth, and meet on video chat with their online teacher to review progress towards their goals.
  • Have choice in how they learn new content and practice new skills. Students are given agency to determine the best ways for them to learn.
  • Apply what they are learning to the real world. Learning is meaningful and connects to concepts outside the classroom.
  • Practice constructive engagement in a diverse and changing world. Students interact with classmates from across the country and around the world.
  • Gain academic maturity. Online learning takes greater discipline and independence than a traditional face-to-face classroom. Teachers support students to build this skill.
MEET A TEACHER FOR THIS COURSE
SIGNATURE ACTIVITIES
Examples of signature activities and projects for this course are:
  • Class discussions about topics such as media bias, the current state of politics, and how our identities shape our experiences as Americans
  • A collaborative group project that will end with a simulated appeal in front of the UN where students propose a plan to decrease gender discrimination across the world.
  • Drafting a Personal Belief Statement; students will assess what they believe and why they hold those beliefs through inquiry-based learning.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SECOND SEMESTER?
Students wishing to pursue a civics or political science project may enroll in the course for the full year. For students continuing into Semester II, the course shifts into personalized, project-based work, where students engage in deep, sustained inquiry; authentic and iterative research; critical analysis; and rigorous reflection, revision, and assessment as they journey through a self-designed, long-term activism, design, or research project on the topic of their choosing. Guided by a One Schoolhouse teacher, students pursue individual study/self-assessment or collaborative seminar/peer-review. Pathway options from which students choose include:​
  • Spring Activism Seminar: In this seminar, students identify a need and create a plan to effect economic, environmental, political, or social change in a target community.  Utilizing a social science approach to research and evaluation, students are guided through the process of planning the deployment of a novel idea and identifying markers of success.  Students may create a strategic plan for a club or non-profit or design an artistic product in this seminar. 
  • Spring Design Seminar:  In this seminar, students design a technological solution to a real-world problem.  Through the engineering design process/scientific method, students gather and analyze data to determine the effectiveness of their model or the accuracy of their hypothesis.  Students may prototype and produce a public product in this seminar. 
  • Spring Research Seminar:  In this seminar, students answer a theoretical or ethical question.  Utilizing the social science/humanities tools for source evaluation, students collect, critique, and evaluate artifacts or primary source documents to explore their thesis.  Students may create a written or multimedia product in this seminar. 

Upon completion of their inquiry-driven project, students will have gained academic maturity and expanded their ability to engage in a diverse and changing world. They will be able to draw and defend conclusions from theoretical underpinnings, contextual background, and mathematical analysis or source evaluation. Finally, they will have created and tested something useful of their own design or will be able to defend a position based on their own research.​
COURSE APPROVAL
This course is approved by the NCAA. 

One Schoolhouse is fully accredited with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges through December 1, 2025; we are an approved online publisher for the University of California. 
Nicole Johnston
she/her/hers
Teacher
BA American University
MPA Seton Hall University