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History
We study history to understand how various forces throughout our past have shaped our present: our values, our interactions with each other, and our relationship with the physical world around us. History teaches us about the constant of change, granting us both humility and optimism as we face the capacity and limitations of humankind to effect change. With this deeper understanding of our humanity, we can approach the future more realistically.
History also helps us appreciate other perspectives and cultures and how they have shaped American cultures. We can trace the evolution of our common system of law, our representational form of government, and our capitalistic and industrial economy. In particular, the History Department focuses on the Western origins of the ideals of individual liberty and democracy that have come to define our pluralistic society. Therefore, the study of Western civilization is at the core of the Hopkins high-school History program. We examine the slow, often faltering progress of liberty and justice against the backdrop of ongoing economic, social, and religious change.
In the Junior School, students complete a two-year sequence that layers geography, innovation, and the quest for empire. The History Department’s highschool program begins with Atlantic Communities I, a year-long course that studies the period from the Age of European Exploration through the Age of Napoleon. This course, and each of the subsequent Atlantic Communities courses, combines European and American history with the histories of West Africa and Latin America. Atlantic Communities II covers the period from the Industrial Revolution to World War II; Atlantic Communities III begins with the Cold War and concludes in 2001. Students may take the year-long AP® U.S. History or AP European History courses in lieu of the one-semester Atlantic Communities III course.
Electives in the department are open to students in Grades 11 and 12, enabling them to explore a wide range of history and social-science topics in greater depth. In all courses students learn how to read critically, to conduct research, to write and revise papers, and to make effective oral presentations. A minimum of 2½ credits of History is required for graduation: Atlantic Communities I and II, and either Atlantic Communities III or AP U.S. History or AP European History. Students in the Senior School may take more than one history course concurrently.
Please note that, because of the possibility of scheduling conflicts, students must list a second choice for each elective. Students who are away for a term may not enroll in AP U.S. History or in AP European History, due to the research paper component of those courses.
History also helps us appreciate other perspectives and cultures and how they have shaped American cultures. We can trace the evolution of our common system of law, our representational form of government, and our capitalistic and industrial economy. In particular, the History Department focuses on the Western origins of the ideals of individual liberty and democracy that have come to define our pluralistic society. Therefore, the study of Western civilization is at the core of the Hopkins high-school History program. We examine the slow, often faltering progress of liberty and justice against the backdrop of ongoing economic, social, and religious change.
In the Junior School, students complete a two-year sequence that layers geography, innovation, and the quest for empire. The History Department’s highschool program begins with Atlantic Communities I, a year-long course that studies the period from the Age of European Exploration through the Age of Napoleon. This course, and each of the subsequent Atlantic Communities courses, combines European and American history with the histories of West Africa and Latin America. Atlantic Communities II covers the period from the Industrial Revolution to World War II; Atlantic Communities III begins with the Cold War and concludes in 2001. Students may take the year-long AP® U.S. History or AP European History courses in lieu of the one-semester Atlantic Communities III course.
Electives in the department are open to students in Grades 11 and 12, enabling them to explore a wide range of history and social-science topics in greater depth. In all courses students learn how to read critically, to conduct research, to write and revise papers, and to make effective oral presentations. A minimum of 2½ credits of History is required for graduation: Atlantic Communities I and II, and either Atlantic Communities III or AP U.S. History or AP European History. Students in the Senior School may take more than one history course concurrently.
Please note that, because of the possibility of scheduling conflicts, students must list a second choice for each elective. Students who are away for a term may not enroll in AP U.S. History or in AP European History, due to the research paper component of those courses.
Our Faculty
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Elizabeth GleasonEvans-Rood History Department Chair / Community Service203.397.1001 x680Stanford University - B.A.
Brown University - M.A. -
Sarah BelbitaHistory / Academic Support203.397.1001 x642Mitchell College - A.A.
Western New England College - B.A.
American International College - M.Ed. -
Margaret CoonsHistory203.397.1001 x568Yale University - B.A.
Teachers College, Columbia University - M.A. -
Kevin CroninSchool Scheduler / History203.397.1001 x372Bates College - BA
Yale University - MAR -
David DeNaplesDirector of Summer School / History203.397.1001 x607Southern Connecticut State University - B.S. -
Jessica DunnHistory / Academic Support203.397.1001 x750Yale University - B.A.
Vanderbilt University - M.Ed. -
Ian GuthrieHead Advisor Class of 2029 / Visual Arts / History203.397.1001 x619Stetson University - B.A.
University of Colorado - M.A. -
Tisha HooksHistory / Researcher in Residence / Academic Support203.397.1001 x541Mount Holyoke College - B.A.
Yale University - Ph.D. -
Daniel LevyHistory203.97.1001 x613Georgetown University - B.A.
New York University - M.A. -
Megan MaxwellHistory203.397.1001 x652University of Maryland, Baltimore County - M.A.
Stanford University - B.A. -
Edwardo PerezHistory - Penn Fellow203.397.1001 x677Bowdoin College - B.A
University of Pennsylvania - M.S.Ed -
Thomas PetersArchivist / History203.397.1001 x175Dartmouth College - A.B.
University of Wisconsin - M.S.
Episcopal Church in Connecticut - Ordained Priest -
Tim PhippsHistory / Head Football Coach(203) 397-1001 x520University of Connecticut - B.A.
Sacred Heart University - M.A. -
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John RobertsAssistant Head of School / History203.397.1001 x122Yale University - B.A.
Wesleyan University - M.A.L.S. -
Errol Saunders IIExecutive Director of Pathfinder / HistoryYale University - B.A.Bio
Teachers College, Columbia University - Ed.M. -
Scott WichHead Advisor Class of 2028 / History203.397.1001 x610St. Lawrence University - B.A.
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Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.
