Prospect Social Science Department

The PHS Social Science Department seeks to engage students at all grade levels and provide challenges for every student in order to prepare them for making choices about the world around them.

 

The department offers 3½ years of social science education.  We strongly recommend that students begin our program with the 9th grade Geography class.  This will reinforce basic geography skills learned in middle school and extend students’ knowledge and awareness of the larger world.  Students who take Prospect’s freshman level Geography class will have a strong foundation for success in the higher level Social Science classes.

 

Marisa Cantone

 

Nancy D'Attilio

Mike Dudock

Jeanie Kim

Aaron Sherrill

Joe Slimak
 

Stephen Smith (Dept. Chair)

  

 

Social Science Courses

9th Grade - Geography

At the freshman level, students begin to critically evaluate maps, timelines and data.  This information is then used to analyze how change occurs over time and across geographies and cultures.  Students interpret human movement patterns and interactions and how these apply to differing social communities.

 

10th Grade – World History

Students learn to make inferences concerning the causes and effects of historical events.  The sophomores will come to understand the connections between single events and the larger social and political trends in history.

 

11th Grade – United States History

Juniors are able to take the knowledge acquired in World History and use it to place American history into a global context.  The events and people that make up the nation’s history are studied not just as singular moments, but as a part of a larger story.  Students also acquire additional interpretive skills and learn to apply critical thinking skills to the study of history.  Students are also encouraged to see the personal connections between America’s story and their own history and lives.

 

12th Grade – American Government & Economics

Through the study of American Government, seniors are given the opportunity to extend their discussion on personal history to include the reciprocity of individual rights and responsibilities of American citizens. In Economics, the discussion continues as students learn to use cost/benefit analysis and other forms of reasoning to determine the economic behavior of both citizens and themselves as individuals.

 

Social Science Teachers

Marisa Cantone received a degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis and she received her credential from San Jose State University.  Ms. Cantone is one of the three members of our department to come to Prospect after spending time in the legal world.  Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked as a paralegal in an antitrust law firm.


 

E-mail address: mcantone@cuhsd.org

Nancy D’Attilio has both a BA and an MA in Geography and has taught at Prospect since 1999.  Prior to entering the teaching profession, Ms. D’Attilio worked in the private sector as a digital mapmaker for in-car navigation systems.  She started at PHS as a specialist in the resource department, which allows her to help students of all academic levels.  Ms. D’Attilio enjoys road trips, reading and movies.

 

E-mail address: ndattilio@cuhsd.org

Mike Dudock has worked in the Campbell Union High School District for 30 years, and has taught 11 different courses in the social science discipline.  He is a graduate of Campbell High School and San Jose State University and brings a wealth of knowledge to our department.  He is the co-author of a district textbook for the course “Careers and Goals”.  Mr. Dudock is an avid fan of college sports and is the resident expert on college mascots.

 

E-mail address: mdudock@cuhsd.org

Jeanie Kim received her BA in Political Science (with a minor in International Studies) from Santa Clara University and did postgraduate work in Comparative Politics at UCLA.  She spent a year in Seoul, South Korea living and working at an orphanage.  After having spent time working at a law firm and at a semiconductor company she decided to return to education as a social science teacher.

 


E-mail address: jkim@cuhsd.org

Aaron Sherrill grew up in San Jose and graduated from San Jose State University with a BA in Political Science. Prior to becoming a teacher at Prospect, he worked for several firms in Silicon Valley before he realized that the place for him was a high school classroom. He counts hockey, motorcycling, and playing the guitar (very clumsily) as his favorite pastimes. Mr. Sherrill recently fulfilled a lifelong dream, taking a year off from teaching in order to travel in Asia. “As a World History teacher,” Mr. Sherrill says, “I hope that what I learn from my eye-opening travels can be of benefit to my students, as well.”

 

E-mail address: asherril@cuhsd.org

Joe Slimak grew up in northern Colorado.  He attended Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado, where he received a BA in Social Science and a dual MA in Special Education and Gifted and Talented Education.  Mr. Slimak has taught History and Geography at St. Paul’s Catholic College in Sunbury, UK; the Summer Enrichment Program at the University of Northern Colorado; and special education throughout Colorado.  He is excited to be here at Prospect High School, however he is saddened by our lack of a rugby team.

 


E-mail address: jslimak@cuhsd.org

Stephen Smith attended Sonoma State University and San Jose State University, graduating with a BA in Political Science.  Before joining the Social Science Department, he worked in the political and legal professions for 12 years.  Mr. Smith spent time working as litigation paralegal for a major Silicon Valley law firm and a local computer manufacturer.  In addition, he has worked professionally on several local political campaigns.  Mr. Smith lives within the CUHSD borders with his wife Susan and 6-year-old son Casey.

 

E-mail address: ssmith@cushd.org

Course Website Links

World Map

United States Interactive Map — State data on population, demographics, population and more

Stocks Quest — A global stock market game

MLA Formatting and Style Guide —MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities.

Fantasy Congress — Pick your Congressional team

high school San Jose