Curriculum Detail

All boys. All boarding. Grades 9-12.

Academics

Curriculum Guide

Select a Department

Department

History

The disciplined study of history encourages students to pose questions, examine evidence, and reach conclusions about the development of humankind. At Woodberry Forest students discover the historical method of gathering and interpreting factual information from primary and secondary sources in order to gain a better understanding of the past. The History Department stresses reading, writing, note-taking, and outlining to help students develop vital communication and critical thinking skills.

Woodberry Forest requires three history courses: Stories and Histories for third formers, US history for fourth formers, and one of several transnational electives for fifth formers. Sixth formers may choose from a variety of electives.

History_Stories and Histories: An Introduction to Historical Analysis

An introduction to the academic study of history, this course addresses selected topics and themes in the history of Western Civilization and is required of all third formers. Each of the units in the course begins with a story: the Iliad and the Trojan War, Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment and subsequent election as President of South Africa, Charles Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic, and other iconic moments from the past that highlight the dramatic dimension of the human experience. Students then use these episodes to learn the craft of the historian: asking “why” and “how” questions that reach beyond narrative towards analysis — from story to history. Grounded in topics that bridge geographical and chronological boundaries, each of the three terms in the course addresses a single theme: war, culture, and society (fall term); the individual conscience and the state (winter term); and science and technology (spring term).
Honors Europe & the World

Europe and the World (Honors)

This course centers on six episodes in European history: 16th century Antwerp; the reign of Peter the Great; the career of Napoleon Bonaparte; mid-Victorian England; the Holocaust; and East Germany during the Cold War. Students will read six books (one for each unit) and will write two research papers (during the fourth and fifth marking periods). There will be an emphasis on the global connections between events in Europe and those in the wider world, as well as an emphasis on interpreting primary and secondary historical sources.
History_United States History (Regular and Honors)

Required of all fourth formers, United States History reviews the important aspects of the history of the United States through primary and secondary sources from colonial times to the late twentieth century. It is arranged topically within a chronological framework and stresses the development of America’s political institutions and political theory. Pertinent social, constitutional, economic, and diplomatic themes are studied in order to understand the complexity and relationship of such forces in our political system. Students write several major papers throughout the course: synthetic papers which require them to draw from a wide range of course material; a research paper based solely on primary sources; and a research paper involving both primary and secondary sources drawn from an array of subscription databases and the extensive collections of the Woodberry library. Honors United States History covers much of the same material as the United States History course, but in greater breadth, depth, and detail. Several college-level monographs are used to complement a standard college survey textbook. Placement in an honors section is determined by grades and teacher recommendation for returning fourth formers and by admissions information for new fourth formers. In all cases, honors placement is at the discretion of the department.
Honors The Atlantic World

Honors The Atlantic World

Textbooks
Alison Games. The Web of Empire: English Cosmopolitans in an Age of Expansion, 1560-1660
ISBN: 978-0-19-973338-5
Marshall C. Eakin. The History of Latin America: Collision of Cultures
ISBN: 978-1-4039-8081-6
John Thornton. Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400-1800, 2nd ed.
ISBN: 978-0-521-62724-5

This course is designed to establish a fundamental understanding of the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that have shaped the Atlantic World since the fifteenth century. Over the course of four hundred years a growing web of interdependence emerged between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. We will study the convergence of those continents and the ensuing interactions and patterns that have wrought an entirely new framework for historical analysis. This course also explores the connections between African, European, and Indigenous populations, as well as the exchanges, migrations, and conflicts that resulted.
Echoes of Africa: Civilizations, Colonization, and Change

Echoes of Africa

Textbook
Robert Harms, Africa in Global History with Sources.
ISBN: 978-0393927573

Echoes of Africa explores the rich history of Africa and its connections to the world. Spanning from early African civilizations, such as Egypt and Nubia, to modern history, including the “Scramble for Africa” and post-colonial independence movements, the course examines the continent’s profound influence on global events and its enduring impact. The fall trimester will focus on early African civilizations and empires, the winter on European involvement in Africa, and the spring on decolonization and modern Africa. Students will engage with primary sources, scholarly articles, historical narratives, and multimedia content to understand Africa’s diverse cultures, contributions, challenges, and transformations.
Environmental History

Environmental History (Regular)

Textbooks
Hughes, J. Donald. An Environmental History of the World: Humankind's Changing Role in the Community of Life. 2ed. New York: Routledge, 2009
ISBN: 978-0415481502
McNeill, John Robert. Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2001.
ISBN: 978-0393321838

This course explores the history of humankind's relationship with the natural environment. From the earliest civilizations to the present day, people have sought to exploit nature for their benefit. In the first trimester, students will examine how people in the early and pre-modern periods adapted to and shaped nature for survival and prosperity. During the second trimester, we will explore the Industrial Revolution and empire-building's impact on the environment. This includes an examination of how nations exploited natural resources to gain power and dominance over others. Finally, students will study contemporary environmental issues and ideas of conservation and environmentalism, gaining a deeper understanding of how human behavior and attitudes have impacted the natural world. Throughout the course, students will read monographs and journal articles, participate in discussions, complete assessments, and research related topics.
History_Islamic History and Politics (Regular and Honors)

Fifth formers must take one of these courses to satisfy the school’s graduation requirement. Sixth formers may elect to take one or more, and will have priority in registration. In registering, students should indicate a) how many history courses they intend to take, and b) what their ranked choices are. Honors designations will be made after course enrollment is complete. Students are not guaranteed their first choice course.

This course traces the history of interaction between the West and the Islamic world. Using a collection of primary and secondary sources, students will explore, in successive terms, the rise of Islam through to the Crusades, Islam in America, and Global Islam, the Middle East, and Modern Islamist Movements, including Al Qaeda and ISIS. An introduction to non-Western oriented historical thought will help guide the study of this critical subject.
Honors US History

Honors US History

Textbook
Books will be purchased and billed as needed - Please do not purchase anything in the summer.

Required of all fourth formers, United States History reviews the important aspects of the history of the United States through primary and secondary sources from colonial times to the late twentieth century. It is arranged topically within a chronological framework and stresses the development of America’s political institutions and political theory. Pertinent social, constitutional, economic, religious, and diplomatic themes are studied in order to understand the complexity and relationship of such forces in our political system. Students write several major papers throughout the course: synthetic papers which require them to draw from a wide range of course material; a research paper based solely on primary sources; and a research paper involving both primary and secondary sources drawn from an array of subscription databases and the extensive collections of the Woodberry library. Honors United States History covers much of the same material as the United States History course, but in greater breadth, depth, and detail. Several college-level monographs are used to complement a standard college survey textbook. Placement in an honors section is determined by grades and teacher recommendation for returning fourth formers and by admissions information for new fourth formers. In all cases, honors placement is at the discretion of the department.
History Independent Study: Napoleon and the Dos de Mayo Insurrection

Historical Research Seminar (Honors)

This course affords exceptionally able students the opportunity to work with historical sources, both primary and secondary, on a topic of their choosing. The end result in each trimester is a paper of some 30-40 pages. Archival work in primary sources is particularly encouraged. Permission of the history department chair is required.
History_Ancient Empires

Fifth formers must take one of these courses to satisfy the school’s graduation requirement. Sixth formers may elect to take one or more, and will have priority in registration. In registering, students should indicate a) how many history courses they intend to take, and b) what their ranked choices are. Honors designations will be made after course enrollment is complete. Students are not guaranteed their first choice course.

The Great Pyramids of Egypt, the meteoric rise and sudden death of Alexander the Great, and the thrills of the Roman Colosseum: some of the most fascinating individuals, buildings, and rituals of the ancient world were closely tied to the emergence, growth, and flowering of the first extensive empires in world history. This course will investigate the origins, characteristics, and significance of the Egyptian, Macedonian, Roman, and Byzantine empires, the four greatest empires of the Ancient world. This course will focus heavily on analysis of traditional primary and secondary texts but will also engage other historical sources such as archaeology and the question of how scholars use material evidence to reconstruct and analyze the past.
History_Europe and the World

Fifth formers must take one of these courses to satisfy the school’s graduation requirement. Sixth formers may elect to take one or more, and will have priority in registration. In registering, students should indicate a) how many history courses they intend to take, and b) what their ranked choices are. Honors designations will be made after course enrollment is complete. Students are not guaranteed their first choice course.

This course centers on six episodes in European history: 16th century Antwerp; the reign of Peter the Great; the career of Napoleon Bonaparte; mid-Victorian England; the Holocaust; and East Germany during the Cold War. Students will read six books (one for each unit) and will write two research papers (during the fourth and fifth marking periods). The assessment at the end of each trimester will consist of an exam. There will be an emphasis on the global connections between events in Europe and those in the wider world, as well as an emphasis on interpreting primary and secondary historical sources.
History_The Atlantic World

Fifth formers must take one of these courses to satisfy the school’s graduation requirement. Sixth formers may elect to take one or more, and will have priority in registration. In registering, students should indicate a) how many history courses they intend to take, and b) what their ranked choices are. Honors designations will be made after course enrollment is complete. Students are not guaranteed their first choice course.

This course is designed to establish a fundamental understanding of the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that have shaped the Atlantic World since the fifteenth century. Over the course of four hundred years a growing web of interdependence emerged between Europe, Africa, and the Americans. We will study the convergence of those continents and the ensuing interactions and patterns that have wrought an entirely new framework for historical analysis. This course also explores the connections between African, European, and Indigenous populations, as well as the exchanges, migrations, and conflicts that resulted.
Introduction to Historical Analysis

Stories and Histories: An Introduction to Historical Analysis

Textbook
No textbooks required for the fall term. Students will use a reader which will be given to them by their instructors.

An introduction to the academic study of history, this course addresses selected topics and themes in the history of Western Civilization and is required of all third formers. Each of the units in the course begins with a story: the Iliad and the Trojan War, Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment and subsequent election as President of South Africa, Charles Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic, and other iconic moments from the past that highlight the dramatic dimension of the human experience. Students then use these episodes to learn the craft of the historian: asking “why” and “how” questions that reach beyond narrative towards analysis — from story to history. Grounded in topics that bridge geographical and chronological boundaries, each of the three terms in the course addresses a single theme: war, culture, and society (fall term); the individual conscience and the state (winter term); and science and technology (spring term).
The Atlantic World

The Atlantic World

Textbook
Matthew Restall and Kris Lane, Latin America in Colonial Times 2nd Edition
ISBN: 978-1108403467

This course is designed to establish a fundamental understanding of the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that have shaped the Atlantic World since the fifteenth century. Over the course of four hundred years a growing web of interdependence emerged between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. We will study the convergence of those continents and the ensuing interactions and patterns that have wrought an entirely new framework for historical analysis. This course also explores the connections between African, European, and Indigenous populations, as well as the exchanges, migrations, and conflicts that resulted.
History_Environmental History

This course explores the history of humankind's relationship with the natural environment. From the earliest civilizations to the present day, people have sought to exploit nature for their benefit. In the first trimester, students will examine how people in the early and pre-modern periods adapted to and shaped nature for survival and prosperity. During the second trimester, we will explore the Industrial Revolution and empire-building's impact on the environment. This includes an examination of how nations exploited natural resources to gain power and dominance over others. Finally, students will study contemporary environmental issues and ideas of conservation and environmentalism, gaining a deeper understanding of how human behavior and attitudes have impacted the natural world. Throughout the course, students will read monographs and journal articles, participate in discussions, complete assessments, and research related topics.
US History

United States History (Regular)

Textbook
No textbooks required for this course.

Required of all fourth formers, United States History reviews the important aspects of the history of the United States through primary and secondary sources from colonial times to the late twentieth century. It is arranged topically within a chronological framework and stresses the development of America’s political institutions and political theory. Pertinent social, constitutional, economic, religious, and diplomatic themes are studied in order to understand the complexity and relationship of such forces in our political system. Students write several major papers throughout the course: synthetic papers which require them to draw from a wide range of course material; a research paper based solely on primary sources; and a research paper involving both primary and secondary sources drawn from an array of subscription databases and the extensive collections of the Woodberry library. Honors United States History covers much of the same material as the United States History course, but in greater breadth, depth, and detail. Several college-level monographs are used to complement a standard college survey textbook. Placement in an honors section is determined by grades and teacher recommendation for returning fourth formers and by admissions information for new fourth formers. In all cases, honors placement is at the discretion of the department.
History_American Government and Politics (Honors)

Sixth form elective courses are limited to sixth formers and do not count toward the three-year graduation requirement.

Prerequisite: completion of US History. Honors American Government and Politics provides students with a close examination of America’s political theories, institutions, and processes. They will come to understand the historical foundations of the United States and of contemporary American political culture and the fundamental principles of the Constitution. Thereafter, the course will cover the primary American political institutions: the Congress, the presidency, the federal courts, and the bureaucracy. Links will be made between these institutions and political parties, interest groups, the media, and public opinion in order to understand the forces and constraints on policy making. The class moves off campus once each trimester to observe policymaking at Montpelier (the home of James Madison), the nation’s capital of Washington DC, and the state capital of Richmond. The students also periodically meet with visiting political participants, including officeholders, campaign advisers, and interest group advocates.
Honors Democracy & Dictatorship

Dictatorship and Democracy: Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, and the United States, 1917-1941 (Honors).

Textbooks
Orlando Figes, Revolutionary Russia, 1891-1991: A History.
ISBN: 978-1-2500-6262-8
Thomas Childers, The Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany.
ISBN: 978-1-4516-5114-0

For approximately a quarter-century following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, dictatorship challenged democracy as an irrepressible wave of the future; politicians and intellectuals throughout the West questioned the very survival of representative self-government in the face of oppressive alternatives that seemed, to some, capable of delivering on their promise of a better life. Working its way downwards from sophisticated ideas to complex events, this course examines the ideological foundations of the Bolshevik and Nazi regimes, the emergence of Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany in the wake of the First World War and the Great Depression, and the ambivalent response of Americans to fascism and communism until the United States entered the Second World War. This course finally explores the relationships between the ideologies of fascism and communism and the unspeakable horrors of the mid-twentieth century: the brutal famines and bloody purges of the Soviet Union and the Holocaust. With these tragedies in mind, students will finish the course by considering the title of Sinclair Lewis’ novel about America in the 1930s: It Can’t Happen Here. Dictatorship in the United States didn’t happen in between the world wars. Why not?
Honors Constitutional Law

The Constitution: History, Law, and Jurisprudence (Honors)

Prerequisite: “A-” or higher in fifth form honors history - or “A” in regular fifth form history. Permission of the instructor required.

This course is an intensive introduction to the history of the American Constitution. After a comprehensive examination of the British foundations of American constitutionalism and the American Founding (1763-1788) in the fall term, this course traces the history of constitutional interpretation through key opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court through the end of the winter term. Students explore these opinions in order to read and think like a student of the law - while maintaining an eye on historical context. In the late fall and winter, students will investigate the history of constitutional jurisprudence on the Supreme Court: How do Supreme Court judges go about making their decisions? What assumptions about the law and constitution have guided the Supreme Court in the past? How and why have those assumptions changed over time? In particular, this course addresses the court’s evolving jurisprudence in two dynamic and consequential areas of the law: economic regulation and racial justice. The spring term will explore related topics beyond those listed above. These spring topics will be chosen with input from the students enrolled in the course.

Our Faculty

Dr. Matthew Boesen

History

History Chair and Faculty Adviser to the Headmaster

540-672-6021

Yale University - BA
University of Virginia - MA, PhD

matt_boesen@woodberry.org

2001
Bio
Matt Boesen is a member of the history department, director of faculty recruitment, and faculty advisor to the headmaster. He served as Woodberry’s dean of faculty for eight years from 2015 to 2023. Matt designed and currently teaches an upperclass honors course called Democracy and Dictatorship between the World Wars, as well as Woodberry’s third-form history course, Stories and Histories. Matt earned an AB from Yale University and an MA and PhD from the University of Virginia. He lives in the Class of 2007 Faculty North Duplex with his wife, Christal, director of health services and Woodberry’s primary mental health counselor and educational testing provider, and their two children.
Ty Adams

History

(540) 672-3900 ext. 8605

Appalachian State University - BS
University of Virginia - MEd

ty_adams@woodberry.org

2016
Bio
Ty serves the WFS faculty in the history department after spending two years teaching at Avon Old Farms in Avon, CT. Ty began his teaching career at WFS as a Kenan-Lewis Fellow in 2016 and received a full-time appointment to the faculty in 2018. At WFS, he taught in the history department, served as dorm head of Turner Hall, and led the Woodberry in Oxford program in 2017. He earned a B.A. in history from Appalachian State University and an M.Ed. from UVa. Ty lives in the B dorm-level tower apartment and serves as the dorm head of the Walker Building.
Bowen Borgeson

History

(540) 672-3900 Ext. 8648

St. Lawrence University - BA
Villanova University - MA

bowen_borgeson@woodberry.org

2022
Bio
Bowen Borgeson serves as a member of the history department. He joined the Woodberry faculty in 2022 after teaching, coaching baseball and soccer, and serving as an award-winning head of a boys’ dormitory at the Hill School in Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from St. Lawrence University, where he played baseball, and a master’s degree in history from Villanova University. Mr. Borgeson lives with his wife, Kate, and their three children in the Haynes House.
Chad Bullock

History

(540) 672-3900 ext. 8607

William & Mary - BA
William & Mary - MA
Gettysburg College - MA

chad_bullock@woodberry.org

2021
Bio
Chad Bullock serves as a member of the faculty in the history department. He came to Woodberry from William & Mary, where he earned a BA in Government and an MA in Education. Chad started at Woodberry as a Kenan-Lewis Scholar and has attained an MA in American History from Gettysburg College. Chad and his wife Lizzie live in the C Dorm Tower Apartment.
Taaj Davis

History, Student Affairs

Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Community and Belonging

(540) 672-6790

Kenyon College - BA
University of Virginia - MEd

taaj_davis@woodberry.org

2019
Bio
Taaj Davis serves as the director of community and belonging and the assistant dean of students. In addition to these administrative roles, he also teaches a section of US History and coaches varsity football. Mr. Davis is a 2019 graduate of Kenyon College where he majored in American Studies and played football. In 2021, he received his masters' degree in education from the University of Virginia. Mr. Davis lives in the Finch Pod and joined the faculty in 2019 as a Kenan-Lewis Fellow before beginning a full time role in 2021.
Dr. Byron C. Hulsey '86

History, Headmaster's Office

Headmaster

(540) 672-6000

University of Virginia - BA
University of Texas at Austin - MA and PhD

byron_hulsey@woodberry.org

2014
Bio
Byron C. Hulsey, a 1986 graduate of 91吃瓜网 and a former member of the faculty, became the school’s ninth headmaster on July 1, 2014.

Dr. Hulsey is an experienced educator and leader who possesses a love of learning, a passion for excellence, and a deep and abiding respect for the culture and traditions of 91吃瓜网. Before returning to Woodberry, he served as head of school at Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama, for eight years.

As a Woodberry student, Dr. Hulsey was senior prefect; he received the Archer Christian Memorial Medal, the school’s highest student honor, in 1986. He was a Jefferson Scholar at the University of Virginia, where he earned his undergraduate history degree in 1990. Following graduation, he taught for two years at Bryanston School, a boarding school in Blandford, England, before returning to his native Texas to earn MA and PhD degrees from the University of Texas at Austin as a Patterson-Banister Fellow in American History. He is the author of Everett Dirksen and His Presidents: How a Senate Giant Shaped American Politics, published in 2000 by the University Press of Kansas.

Dr. Hulsey joined the Woodberry faculty in 1998. He served as assistant director of college counseling, taught history, coached basketball and baseball, and lived on dorm. He returned to the University of Virginia in 2000 as associate director of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation. Three years later, his deep interest in secondary education called him to Norfolk Academy, where he served as assistant headmaster. He moved to Randolph School in 2006.

Dr. Hulsey has a daughter, Claire, who attends St. Andrew’s School in Delaware, and a son, Ben ’22, who attends Washington and Lee University. Byron and his wife, Anne Bruce Ahearn, live in the Duncan House on the campus of 91吃瓜网.
Dr. Frederick Jordan

History

(540)672-3900 Ext. 8616

Swarthmore College - BA
State University of New York - MA
University of Notre Dame - PhD

fred_jordan@woodberry.org

1996
Bio
Fred Jordan, history department chair and holder of the J. Sargeant Reynolds ’54 Chair of Government, teaches US History and honors government and politics. He joined the faculty in 1996. He earned an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College, an MA from SUNY Stony Brook, and a PhD from the University of Notre Dame, where he wrote his dissertation on the historic mission of six American boarding schools. In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Jordan oversees the Senior Distinction program and advises the Woodberry Christian Fellowship. Dr. Jordan and his wife, Karen, a former member of Woodberry's history department, are the parents of Elizabeth, Ted '06, and Win '11. They live in the Stewart House.
Robert Kendall

History

(540) 672-3900 ext. 8618

University of North Carolina - BA
Dartmouth College - MALS

robert_kendall@woodberry.org

1982
Bio
Robert Kendall teaches history as the Frances and Baker Duncan 1911 Chair and coaches bengal soccer and bengal lacrosse. He has been a faculty member since 1982. He earned a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar, and an MA from Dartmouth College. He serves as a reader for the AP European history exam and coordinates the English Speaking Union program. Mr. Kendall and his wife, Ellen, are the parents of Amy '03, Robin, Alec '12, and Grace, and live in the Boyd/Rapp Faculty Residence South.
Frank Tallman '95

History

(540) 672-3900 Ext 8620

Vanderbilt University - BA
Dartmouth College - MALS

frank_tallman@woodberry.org

2004
Bio
Frank Tallman '95 holds the Harry and William Frazier Chair, teaches history, and is assistant varsity soccer coach and Bengal lacrosse coach. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BA and from Dartmouth College with an MALS. Before returning to Woodberry in 2004, he worked in real estate finance and taught at Christ School. Mr. Tallman lives in the Caughron House with his wife, Tricia, a teacher at Grymes Memorial School in Orange, and their three children.
Gerry Wixted

History

History Deparment

(540) 672-3900 ext. 8615

Dickinson College - BA
University of Virginia - MEd

gerald_wixted@woodberry.org

2015
Bio
Gerry Wixted serves on the history faculty at Woodberry. Previously, he was teaching human geography and US history at Lawrence Academy, where he also coached soccer and varsity basketball. Gerry began his career as a Kenan-Lewis Fellow at WFS in 2015 and received a full-time appointment the following year; at WFS, he taught US History, an upper-class elective on the World Wars, and led the Woodberry-in-Oxford Program. Gerry holds a B.A. in history from Dickinson College and a M.Ed. from UVa. He also holds the William Stamps Farish Master in history, an honor which he was awarded in 2020. He serves as the dorm head of Hanes Hall and lives on Lower Hanes.

91吃瓜网 is an exceptional private school community for high school boys in grades nine through twelve. It is one of the top boarding schools in the United States and one of the only all-boys, all-boarding schools in the country.

Phone: 540-672-3900

Explore & Resources

Woodberry Forest admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, and national or ethnic origin to all of the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs. The school is authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant students.