Humanitas is an upper-school humanities curriculum aiming to teach the story of humanity through primary source documents. The series will consist of 16 volumes (two books per semester) that will cover the story of America, as well as the stories of ancient Greece and Rome, the early and late medieval eras, and the modern world. Rooted in the idea of ad fontes, meaning “back to the fountains” in Latin, Humanitas reflects the understanding that all learning depends on a return to the foundational sources that have historically shaped cultures and influenced the course of history.
What Sets Humanitas Textbooks Apart?
Humanitas approaches history with the understanding that firsthand knowledge is superior to secondhand knowledge as well as being easier and more enjoyable to learn. Considering this, each set of books reflects the contributions of a team of scholars and subject experts who have carefully selected critical source documents from each period. Masterfully composed introductions and afterwords aid in contextualizing each primary source document and annotations in the texts enable students to meaningfully engage each reading. The series aims to ensure that students will have received an education in the truest sense of the work by exposing them to the greatest minds, art, ideas, people, and events of the last 3,000 years.
What is the Scope of Humanitas?
The Humanitas curriculum is comprised of a curated selection of the most pertinent primary source documents aimed toward offering students an exposition of ideas embedded in Western Civilization. In each semester of this 4-year course of study, students will work through 50 chapters, which are presented in a set of two books: Ancient Greece Books 1 and 2; Ancient Rome Books 1 and 2; Early Medieval Books 1 and 2; Late Medieval Books 1 and 2; American Origins Books 1 and 2; The American Republic Books 1 and 2; Early Modern Books 1 and 2; and Late Modern Books 1 and 2.
How To Teach Humanitas: A Teacher's Guide to Primary Sources from Classical Academic Press on Vimeo.
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