Division of Social Science

Integrated social science offers you chances to explore a variety of disciplines of social science. If you are curious about social science in general and want a taste of the essence of the different disciplines under it, this course is the right place for you. By taking this course, you can select two 8-week long projects/researches within a semester. They are designed by encompassing sociology, journalism, psychology, and psychoanalysis.

Today, the world created by the media is more diverse and complex than at any time in history. This course will train learners to have critical thinking to look at different media, understand how to evaluate a work, understand the deep meaning behind it and the values it represents, and enable learners to understand the skills of information dissemination and support their ability to operate in practice. Finally, learners will comprehensively improve their media literacy and make their own audio story programs.

The field of psychology encompasses everything from the inner workings of neurons to the social cultural factors that motivates mass groups. Social psychology, as a subfield of psychology, taps into interpersonal processes and group behaviors. In the duration of this course, we will be focusing on understanding the "feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of people in social situations" - the main strand of inquiry in social psychology (Gilovich et al., 2016, p.5). In light of the current social climate at Qingsen School, we will make sense of everyday social scenarios around us using the psychological theories and findings on prejudice and intergroup relationships. The course begins with a survey-level introduction on the science of psychology and its various branches before taking a glimpse on a long-held debate within social psychology: are we a product of our individual personality or the social environment? We then take a deep dive into the theories, concepts, and evidence on the psychology of prejudice: What is prejudice from a psychological point of view? Why is prejudice so hard to change - both at the individual and at the group level? What are the more effective ways of bridging collective divisions and reducing interpersonal biases? And most importantly, how might we use such knowledge to improve the social conditions on our very own campus?

Students will not only engage in disciplinary thinking in the field, but will also put themselves in the role of applied social psychologists responsible for identifying an issue in intergroup relationships at Qingsen, evacuating knowledge on the nature and extent of that issue, and subsequently devise programs promoting intergroup interactions. Learners will produce an Exploration Reports that details the process and product of their inquiry.

In this course, the teacher will use the basic theoretical framework of psychoanalysis to introduce the topic of "self-analysis" to learners. A human being can measure all things; a person's heart can measure a world. This course is suitable for learners who are interested in psychology and want to apply psychological knowledge to their own lives. In this course, we will also do a research project that aims to better help other learners in the community.

Why is the Chinese government able to conduct a zero-tolerance policy in Covid-19? What does it mean when the supreme court overturns Roe v. Wade? Why is Afghanistan not only known as the "graveyard of Empire" but also the "graveyard of the political institution"?

Those questions are studied by comparativists and will be incorporated into our course this semester. In this course, we will explore the history of political science and comparative politics, the differences between the political regimes and their changes, and the interaction between the central government and local government. Since this course will not prepare you for the AP exam, we will dive really deep into those topics and give you chances to research the relevant topic that you are interested in.

In addition, this course will "overwhelm" you with tons of readings, which will give you a taste of the college-level course and college way of learning. Thus, if you are interested in political science or social science in general and want to pursue them in the future, this course is definitely the right place for you!

This course is a survey of world history from 1200 to the late 20th century. It is designed with students who are keen on taking the AP assessments at the end of the year, but should also be accessible for others without AP assessment ambitions as well. The two main components of the course include (1) historical thinking skills and reasoning processes and (2) course content. Though the AP curriculum divides the course into 9 separate units, the course will conflate them into time periods (1) 1200 -1450, (2) 1450 -1750, (3) 1750 - 1900, and (4) 1900 - present. Students will have multiple opportunities to 'do history' including critical thinking, work with primary and secondary sources, creating and interpreting arguments, research, and writing.

This course will contain both micro and macroeconomics.

Microeconomics introduces concepts and analysis, supply and demand analysis, theories of the firm and individual behavior, competition and monopoly, and welfare economics. Learners cultivate their understanding of the principles that apply to the functions of individual economic decision-makers by using principles and models to describe economic situations and predict and explain outcomes with graphs, charts, and data as they explore concepts like scarcity and markets, costs, benefits, and marginal analysis, production choices and behavior, and market inefficiency and public policy.

Macroeconomics emphasizes economic principles applied to the economy as a whole and includes an analysis of basic economic concepts revolving around scarcity, measurement of economic performance, national income and price determination, the financial sector, inflation, unemployment, and stabilization policies, economic growth and productivity, and international trade and finance.

To what extent can we trust our own memory? Can people be entirely shaped by environmental factors beyond their control? How do psychologists draw the boundary between normal and abnormal behavior, and how valid is this boundary? Are people inherently egotistic or altruistic? How do we know the answers to these questions, and how valid are those answers?

If you ever found yourself wondering about these questions (and hoping to prove the extent of your knowledge on a high-stake, standardized exam), then this course is made just for you. AP Psychology prepares learners interested in taking AP Psychology and/or college level courses and research studies in psychology. In the fall semester, we will explore concepts in motivation, emotion, and personality, clinical and developmental psychology, learning, memory, and more. You will learn to understand, interpret and predict human behavior by applying theories and concepts in psychology. The year-long course culminates in the AP Exam on May 2, 2023 and in an independent research project and defense conducted on the learners' topic of interest. Periodic performance assessments, including 2 complex projects, are designed to assess your knowledge and skills in the discipline and draw connections between psychology and everyday life.

In the spring semester, we will dive deeper into lower levels of explanation for human behavior, covering the full range of topics from the history of psychology, biological bases of behaviors and sensation and perception. What are the explanations for visual illusions? Why do we dream? What are the origins and nature of consciousness? Can your subjective experience be constructed solely as the interactions amongst your 80 million neurons? More importantly, you will learn about how scientists discover truths about human functioning through experiments and research. You will also be guided through designing, implementing, analyzing and interpreting your own study and data on a topic of your choice.

This course provides an overview of human geography, which is focused on how people organize themselves and interact with the earth. Major topics include population and migration, political geography, cultural geography, agriculture and rural land use, cities and urban land use, and industry and economic development. In each unit we will dive into a few case studies. For example, what problems does Japan face with its ageing population? How does Russia’s political system help keep together the largest country in the world? How do China, India, and the USA produce so much food? The course will be a variety of readings, research, lectures, and projects.

A successful student in this class will be interested in learning about how the world works. They should be curious about the world and keep up with current world events in the news. Students who are interested in careers in fields such as urban planning, tourism, environmental management, government, or non-profits should consider taking this course.

This course serves as a foundation for students in terms of developing business vocabulary, introducing general business topics, and using critical/analytical thinking to contemplate and subsequently solve complex business issues. This course uses business as a very practical, tangible subject which can be explored using real-world discussions, scenarios, simulations, and experiences.

Business can be viewed first by examining local, national, and global factors that influence its development and evolution, followed by an exploration of its internal organization with regards to how individual businesses, namely in the private sector, adapt to meet a globalized, evolving external environment. Students will analyze major issues associated with marketing, strategic and operational management, finance, human resources, logistical systems, and operations such as supply-chain management. This course allows students to discuss common questions associated with future employment opportunities.

Group projects for instance will model university level business collaboration efforts among students, and simulations will serve to mimic real-world business scenarios which require implementation of critical thinking skills through the utilization of analytical thinking. Simulations will be fast- paced, competitive components of the class which will incorporate aspects of readings, lectures, and group work, by giving students the experience to stretch their wings through the use of a practical business scenario/case study. Students can expect to see these kinds of simulations and activities in tertiary education business courses, which serve to prepare students for a globalized, competitive world in internships and full-time employment.