FAQs

WHAT IS “OLD WESTERN CULTURE”? “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. And 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 a master teacher | Wes Callihan. With decades of teaching experience | he guides students through the story of Western civilization. Each unit of The Greeks (year 1 of Old Western Culture) contains 12 video lessons (48 in year 1 | approx 30 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.

WHAT BOOKS ARE COVERED IN YEAR 1 | THE GREEKS? The Greeks is divided into 4 units: 1. The Epics. Works covered: The Iliad and The Odyssey2. Drama and Lyric. Works covered: A collection of Greek plays and poetry. 3. The Histories. Works covered: Herodotus | Thucydides | and Xenophon4. The Philosophers. Works covered: selected readings from Plato and Aristotle.

WHY DO PEOPLE LOVE WES CALLIHAN? Wes Callihan is a master story teller! With a remarkable ability to communicate a passion for history and literature | he makes profound ideas accessible | relevant | and interesting. Also known for his distinctive “rabbit trailers | ” forays into funny and obscure historical anecdotes | which have a way of showing up at the dinner table. (After all | rabbit trails are “hooks for the imagination and memory.”) Wes Callihan is a true classical scholar | fluent in both Latin and Greek. He lectures only from the notes in the margins of his worn copies of the Great Books.