"No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a peace of the Continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the Sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a Promontory were,
as well as if a Manor of thy friends or of thine own were;
any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind;
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."   
                                                                                                                                  John Donne

Social Studies prepares people for life.  It is the study of all that makes us human.  We study our past to learn who we are as a people, to appreciate our culture, to understand where we have been and where we are going.  We study our government because we value the freedoms our democracy gives us--freedoms that are only preserved when citizens make educated choices and participate in the democratic process.  We study Economics to better achieve financial security within the free enterprise system.  We study Geography to understand the relationship between ourselves and our environment.  We study the history and geography of our world to better understand other people and cultures.  Through this understanding of other people, we enhance our own lives and improve the chances of world peace.  We study Sociology to understand how and why we act the way we do, when we interact with each other.  We study Psychology to understand ourselves.  Social Studies is the study of what makes us unique and what we have in common.  Through these courses we examine ourselves and the world we live in. 

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JeanGarvey@usd475.org                                        Revised:  10/13/04