Minicourses, one of the most popular educational developments to appear in a long time, are the subject of this working paper. It is designed to illustrate the impact of and to provide information about short courses or mini-courses, in the Pennsylvania secondary social studies curriculum. An attempt is made to answer questions that are frequently asked by social studies teachers and department chairmen interested in this curriculum approach. What a minicourse is, the advantages and disadvantages of minicourses, how to initiate a short-course program into the curriculum, and the outlook for mini-courses in the curriculum are discussed. There are lists of mini-courses offered, with descriptions and grade levels, from four school districts in Pennsylvania. (Author/OPH)