Pathways Through the History Curriculum

Penn History is delighted to release a pilot version of a web-based app designed to help undergraduates create their own unique path through the department's rich curricular offerings: Penn History Pathways!  Simply put, this fun and engaging game-like platform encourages students to ask “how can history help me answer big questions?” instead of “which requirements does this course fulfill?”  

Try out the Pathways app by clicking here: https://pathways.history.upenn.edu/

pathways landing page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pathways app can be used in a couple of ways. 

  1. By selecting one of the “Pathways” listed at the top of the page, students can explore courses with topical and methodological similarities.  Pathway options include:
  • Gender and Sexuality
  • Cities and Environments
  • Ideas and Beliefs
  • War and Revolution
  • Law and Society
  • Slavery and Race
  • Wealth and Inequality
  • Culture and Everyday Life
  • Global Connections and Movements

 

  1. If a student has already taken a history course, they can select it from the menu and see how it connects – literally, via the network of pathways – to other courses.  For example, the image below shows the “Network View” for HIST 314 Victorian Britain.  The Pathway “Culture and Everyday Life” links HIST 314 to other courses by a wide red line.

Pathways course page

We hope these Pathways will spark new conversations between students and advisors that take them beyond the confines of curricular requirements. Please give it a try and let us know what you think!

Note: only History courses offered in the current and the previous semester are visible in Pathways.  For more information about the current semester's courses, visit the History Department website Courses page.