RISE OF ENGLAND introduces students to some of the greatest poetry composed in the English language. Dr. Peter Leithart guides students through the three major play types by looking at the tragedy of King Lear, the history of Richard III, and the comedy of The Merchant of Venice, as well as six of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Wesley Callihan then guides students through the great epic poem: John Milton’s Paradise Lost, as well as the poetry of George Herbert, John Donne, and Marvell.
Learn about the influence this poetry had on England in its day, and the lasting legacy of these works in culture to this day.
“Old Western Culture” is a literature curriculum named after a term coined by C.S. Lewis to describe the fabric of ideas that shaped Western Civilization. For centuries, a “Great Books” education lay at the heart of what it meant to be educated. It was the education of the Church Fathers, of the Medieval Church, of the Reformers, and of all the Founding Fathers of the Unites States.
– It is a CLASSICAL EDUCATION, based on the great books of western civilization.
– It is a CHRISTIAN EDUCATION, which sees the history and literature of the West through the eyes of the Bible and historic Christianity.
– It is an INTEGRATED HUMANITIES CURRICULUM, bringing together literature, history, philosophy, doctrine, geography, and art.
– It is a HOMESCHOOL oriented curriculum, made by homeschoolers with the needs of homeschooled in mind, including flexibility, affordability, and ease-of-use.
We bring a master-teacher into your home, and encourage parents to gain an overview of Western Civilization themselves by watching the video lessons with their children.
HOW DOES OLD WESTERN CULTURE WORK?
Old Western Culture is a video course. It is built around master teachers. This unit is taught by Wes Callihan and Peter Leithart. With decades of teaching experience, they guide students through the story of Western civilization. Rise of England contains 12 video lessons (approx 30-45 min each).
Each lesson begins with a brief review before jumping into summary, commentary, analysis, and inter-disciplinary connections of the works covered. After each lesson, students complete the assigned readings, and answer comprehension questions in the Student Workbook or online workbook.
CREDITS
Rise of England is 1/2 High School Credit in either literature or history. Each year of Old Western Culture is a double-credit Humanities course which is most commonly broken down into 1 Literature credit and 1 History credit. The double-credit assumes that the student will watch all the videos, read the required reading, answer the daily worksheets, and take 4 exams (one for each unit). This a robust course academically, and requires a fair bit of reading. Wesley Callihan and Peter Leithart will coach your student on how to approach the reading in the video. Average daily reading load is 30-40 pages.
As an “integrated humanities” course, Old Western Culture will constantly be incorporating history, literature, theology, philosophy, art, and art history, all through the eyes of the Great Books.
Lecture List for Rise of England:
Average lesson length: 30-40 min 1. Introduction to Early Moderns (Wesley Callihan) 2. Introduction to Shakespeare (Peter Leithart) 3. Shakespeare’s Sonnets (Peter Leithart) 4. Shakespeare’s King Lear (Peter Leithart) 5. Shakespeare’s Richard III (Peter Leithart) 6. Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (Peter Leithart) 7. Metaphysical Poets: John Donne (Wesley Callihan) 8. Metaphysical Poets: George Herbert and Marvell (Wesley Callihan) 9. Introduction to Milton (Wesley Callihan) 10. Paradise Lost I (Wesley Callihan) 11. Paradise Lost II (Wesley Callihan) 12. Paradise Lost III (Wesley Callihan)
What’s Included in Rise of England?
Our web app includes access to everything you’ll need for the course which includes:
● Video access
● PDFs of:
◦ Student Workbook
◦ Exams
◦ Reader
Physical discs and printed versions of the materials can be purchased as add-ons. We highly recommend physical versions of the books, whether you purchase our Readers or your own physical books.
Course Usage Recommendations:
Highly recommended: Physical Books
The Great Books are a central aspect of this course. We highly recommend that you read the works in physical form. You can use your own books or purchase our Readers.
Recommended: Physical Workbooks
The physical Workbook is a good alternative to printing your own workbook, but will depend on personal preference. Our goal is to support the course in the most flexible manner, so we leave the choice to you, and offer the PDFs at no extra charge for those who prefer to print.
Optional: Physical Discs
For a small extra charge, we can send you physical discs. Physical discs are only recommended for those with weak internet, since the best experience is the Roman Roads web app (which does not expire).
Material Details
The Workbook
The workbook gives the student questions to answer for every reading assignment and lecture, discussion questions to think about, and discussion questions for further study, reflection, or as paper topics. The Answer Key at the back of the textbook will give the recommended answer to all the essay questions. We encourage students to answer the questions on their own before referencing the Answer Key.
The Exams
This unit includes an “A” and “B” exam which allows students to either take a practice test, or retake an exam. A Teacher’s Guide includes suggested answers to all the essay questions, as well as tips for grading essay questions.
Wesley Callihan grew up on a farm in Idaho and graduated with a degree in history from the University of Idaho in 1983. He has taught at Logos School in Moscow, Idaho; the University of Idaho; New St. Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho; and at Veritas Academy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He co-authored the book Classical Education and the Homeschool (published by Canon Press). In 1997 he founded Schola Classical Tutorials where he teaches online classes.
Peter Leithart, PhD, is President of Theopolis Institute and an adjunct Senior Fellow of Theology at New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho. He is the author of many books, including Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays.
He received an A.B. in English and History from Hillsdale College in 1981, and a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1986 and 1987. In 1998 he received his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in England.
He and his wife, Noel, have ten children and seven grandchildren.
Wes Callihan and Peter Leithart on the Old Western Culture set discussing Rise of England
Your Shopping Cart will be saved and you'll be given a link. You, or anyone with the link, can use it to retrieve your Cart at any time.
Back
Save & Share Cart
Your Shopping Cart will be saved with Product pictures and information, and Cart Totals. Then send it to yourself, or a friend, with a link to retrieve it at any time.
