Social Studies
As the world becomes an increasingly interactive global community, a well-rounded liberal arts education must include a wide array of experiences in history and social sciences.
With a natural progression from junior kindergarten to grade 12, the Social Studies Department helps students appreciate the history and cultural traditions of our own community, our nation and the world. Students should understand that they share the earth with peoples and cultures whose values and actions are based on different beliefs and assumptions from those in our Western society.
By understanding the political, economic, and social systems that drive any society, students have the ability to interpret the modern world. Through a comparative and critical approach, students gain respect and appreciation for cultures and value systems different from our own, and at the same time value the finest elements in our tradition.
Park Tudor Legacy Initiative
This unique history project for students in grades 10-12 has resulted in the publication of four books highlighting wartime memories from the American Revolution through the Gulf War, as well as wartime experiences from other countries. The Park Tudor Legacy Initiative also has partnered with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and the office of Indiana Senator Richard Lugar to document veterans' oral histories, and with IUPUI to create a digital database of Legacy Initiative oral history interviews.
Model UN Program
Students in grades 10-12 have an opportunity to participate in Model United Nations programs in the United States and in The Hague. Underclassmen gain experience by preparing position statements for specific countries. Past conference destinations have included Dayton, Ohio, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Williamsburg, Va. Seniors who have gained experience from earlier conferences may be invited to attend the Hague Conference, which occurs in late January each year. Park Tudor has participated in this conference for more than 20 years and is one of only five schools in the United States that is invited to attend.