Humanitas: Early Middle Ages Program

About this curriculum

Unlike most contemporary approaches to history, which reflect the fashions and biases of the fleeting present,  Humanitas  offers students something more substantial. Following C.S. Lewis’ stout defense of reading primary sources in “On the Reading of Old Books,”  Humanitas  will help “persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but it is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire.” Geared towards history, humanities, and humane letters courses, the  Humanitas  series offers a continuous, unfolding narrative of Western Civilization through a collection of carefully curated primary source documents. Full program includes: Humanitas: Early Middle Ages Humanitas Early Middle Ages is designed as a one-semester, high school history course. With the rise of Christianity and the foundering of Rome, the medieval period begins in crisis. The Early Middle Ages books move from pressing questions about the relationship between the Church and state to the establishment of a Holy Roman Empire. Students will dis…