Students are required to take 2 courses in History, including US History. Most students complete at least 3 history courses before graduation. All junior and senior history courses require a substantial research paper.
Department Philosophy
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The Upper School History Department seeks to expose students to western and nonwestern historical traditions while also grounding students in the history of the United States. Each course works to embody the values and mission of Westtown School through fostering in students a deepening sense of civic understanding, involvement and activism.
As a department we seek to use and study the past to understand the present. Woven throughout our approach to understanding both past and present is intentionality in presenting issues, individuals and events from multiple perspectives. History is a process of discussion, interpretation and continuing revelation in both evidence and understanding.
We live in an increasingly interconnected world. Our departmental challenge is to provide students with the tools to understand the multiple factors that shape history: social, economic, cultural, political, personal, religious, geographic and structural.
Distinguishing Features:
- Independent research component in all upper level (11th and 12th grade) elective courses
- Peace and Justice is a year long course looking at issues of identity, intolerance and civic activism.
- The Peace and Justice making change project gives students a combined research experience and advocacy opportunity on an issue of the student's choosing
- US History Archives Project utilizing the school’s archive. Students conduct primary document based research and write an original paper based on that research.
- Year-long seminar on Latin American History emphasizes understanding current events in light of the past.
- The Holocaust and genocide are studied in a year-long seminar.
- Hiroshima to 9/11 helps students to understand contemporary global issues, like the war on terror and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in relation to major foreign policy developments since the start of the Cold War.
For specific course information, go to the Curriculum Guide.