American History seminar: Penn and West Philadelphia

University Archives and Records Center
University of Pennsylvania

American History Seminar:
Penn and West Philadelphia

In the fall semester 2005, Mark Frazier Lloyd, Director of the University Archives, taught a 200-level, post-1800 American history seminar on the relationship between Penn and West Philadelphia.

This was a research seminar on Penn's past, present, and future relationships with West Philadelphia / Philadelphia, from 1870 to 2010, from town gown conflict to town gown collaboration. Students conducted research in primary and secondary sources on Penn's three-stage transition over time: indifference, conflict, and collaboration with West Philadelphia. The staff and resources of the University Archives were made available for consultation.

The students wrote papers on topics relating to the neighborhoods and public schools of West Philadelphia. These papers are available here as PDF files to be read, searched and printed.

First graded assignment: Essay (five to eight pages) on a West Philadelphia neighborhood

Pick a neighborhood in West Philadelphia. What communities existed there historically? When? What communities exist there now? What are the community landmarks that make this neighborhood unique? Document your responses.

Cedar Park: Then and Now by Aaron Chalal and James Fogarty
(available as a PDF file - 99 kb, 8 pages)
Garden Court by Lauren Rosenello
(available as a PDF file - 118 kb, 7 pages)
Kingsessing: Swedish Settlement to Urban Blight by Elizabeth D. Day
(available as a PDF file - 155 kb, 11 pages)
Powelton Village, by Marie Belin
(available as a PDF file - 154 kb, 9 pages)
Powelton: From Estate to Village by Evan Goldin
(available as a PDF file - 40 kb, 13 pages)
Powelton Village: From Rural Estates to Suburban Community to Urban Artisans by Elliot Greenwald
(available as a PDF file - 49 kb, 10 pages)
The Community of Spruce Hill by Gilly Lane
(available as a PDF file - 57 kb, 9 pages)
History of Spruce Hill by Lauren Pinsker
(available as a PDF file - 412 kb, 8 pages)
Squirrel Hill: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives by Ryan Jones
(available as a PDF file - 22 kb, 6 pages)

Second graded assignment: Essay (five to eight pages) on public schools in West Philadelphia

When did the public schools in West Philadelphia go "bad" and what will it take to "fix" them? Use five schools -- Lea, Belmont, Harrity, Bryant, and Penn-Alexander -- as case studies. Provide context and evaluation; which approach works best and why?

West Philadelphia Schools by Marie Belin
(available as a PDF file - 101 kb, 8 pages)
A Study of Education in West Philadelphia by Aaron Chalal
(available as a PDF file - 110 kb, 12 pages)
Partnership with Community and Hope by Elizabeth Day
(available as a PDF file - 107 kb, 12 pages)
Philadelphia School System: Hope Among the Problems by James Fogarty
(available as a PDF file - 84 kb, 8 pages)
The Past and Future of Five West Philadelphia Schools by Evan Goldin
(available as a PDF file - 110 kb, 9 pages)
Say Yes to Education and the Penn Alexander School: Uniting Penn with the Public Schools of West Philadelphia by Elliot Greenwald
(available as a PDF file -117 kb, 11 pages)
Public Education in West Philadelphia by Ryan Jones
(available as a PDF file - 93 kb, 6 pages)
Education in West Philadelphia: When did it go wrong and how will it be fixed? by Gilly Lane
(available as a PDF file - 75 kb, 10 pages)
West Philadelphia Schools by Lauren Pinsker
(available as a PDF file - 109 kb, 9 pages)
West Philadelphia Schools: What Works, What Doesn't by Lauren Rosenello
(available as a PDF file - 71 kb, 10 pages)

More on the study of Penn and West Philadelphia

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