History Department

The Pingry history curriculum is based upon the belief that a thorough and sophisticated knowledge of the past is vital to understanding and appreciating the complexity of human experience. History is much more than a recitation of the facts; it is a way of seeing and making sense of the world around us. Our hope is that our students will become independent thinkers, capable of making informed decisions as citizens and leaders in a democratic society.				James P. Murray Department Chair AP U.S. History, Postwar American Culture Theodore W. Corvino ’94 Faculty World History 9, American Dreams John Crowley-Delman ’97 Faculty World History 9, American Society & Culture Alfred A. DeSimone Faculty AP U.S. History, AP Government Phillip H. Gratwick Faculty World History 9, American Society & Culture Lee Hadbavny Faculty World History 10, World Religion Matthew Horesta Faculty World History 9, World History 10 Madeline H. Landau Faculty World History 10, AP European History Patricia A. Lionetti Faculty AP Psychology John C. Raby Faculty World History 9, World History 10 Michael C. Richardson Faculty AP Psychology Leslie Wolfson Faculty Perspectives in Economics, AP Macroeconomics & Microeconomics James P. Murray Department Chair Jeffrey Bartsch Faculty History 7 Alice Brown Faculty History 7, American Journey Mark D. Facciani Faculty History 6 Jeff Lisciandrello Faculty History 6 Jason Murdock Faculty History 6 Michael H. Webster Faculty History 7, American Journey Cathleen O. Everett Faculty Grade 5 Social Studies
In the Lower School, the social studies program includes the study of human relationships with the world, both past and present, and draws its subject matter from geography, anthropology, economics, political science, and social psychology. The primary focus of the middle-school history curriculum is on skills development. By assigning frequent writing assignments, we encourage students to begin moving from memorization to analysis, from describing "what happened" to explaining "why it happened" and "what it means." Our goal is to ensure that each student knows how to craft a coherent analytical essay, with a clearly stated thesis and supporting evidence. The upper-school curriculum provides students with a thorough and challenging introduction to world history (ninth and tenth grade) and U.S. history (11th grade). We expect all students entering the Upper School to understand the basics of how to write a well-organized history essay and to possess the fundamental thinking skills necessary for the advanced study of history. Throughout the program, students have many opportunities to strengthen their writing and critical thinking skills. Once they have acquired the necessary background, they can move on to a wide variety of electives, ranging from AP Government and AP Psychology to Economics: Principles and Issues.