This upcoming school year, Olathe West will add four new courses to its roster. All four courses are social science courses. The new courses include Women’s Studies, Black American History, Human Geography, and Contemporary Issues. Keep reading to learn some more about these new classes.

Women’s Studies

Credit: 0.5

Available to: Freshman-Senior 

The women’s studies class will focus on the different waves of feminism and begins in the 1300s with Joan of Arc and finishes in modern-day feminism. The course will cover many important women throughout history such as Susan B. Anthony. “[The goal of the course is] to have students understand how the role of women has changed over time and have a better understanding of the role of women in today’s society,” said Social Studies teacher Megan Ruport, who will be teaching the course next year.

Black American History

Credit: 0.5

Available to: Freshman-Senior

The Black American History class centers around showing African American history in the United States from the 1500s to the modern-day. The class celebrates African-American contributions to history. Historical, political, cultural, and social developments of black Americans will be a major focus of the class.

Human Geography

Credit: 0.5  

Available to: Freshman-Senior

The Human Geography course combines the world geography class and the cross-cultural connections class into one course. The course contains the geography of our world along with the cultures of these different regions and countries. The class will also focus on the skills and knowledge that you need to be an active global citizen.

Contemporary Issues

Credit: 0.5

Available to: Sophomore-Senior

The Contemporary Issues class discusses current events and uses historical context to explain them better. This course has been offered in the district for many years however this will be the first year Olathe West adopts it to its arsenal.