A New Way to Teach Western Civilization

• September 15, 2026

Students sit at tables in a classroom, using laptops for schoolwork. Educational posters and maps—including references to Western civilization—decorate the walls. An American flag is in the foreground. Small groups work together, engaging with their computers and each other.

Julie Denesha For The Washington Post via Getty Images

This fall, Hillsdale College and Golden Thread Academic, a humanities imprint of Encounter Books, will release a new Western civilization curriculum for high school teachers.

The Golden Thread Curriculum will serve as a guide for teachers who use “The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition” as textbooks. Written by professors Allen C. Guelzo and James Hankins, this two-volume textbook set details the transformation of Western civilization from the Age of Antiquity to the modern era as a continuous narrative that interweaves longstanding themes and conversations in Western tradition.

“For too long, the study of Western civilization has been sidelined in our schools,” said Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 education at Hillsdale College. “The Golden Thread Curriculum has been created by some of the best history teachers in America, and with it, high school teachers and schools across the country can lead students in understanding and perpetuating our cultural inheritance.”

The new curriculum follows the textbooks’ two-volume format, covering ancient civilization to the Renaissance in volume I and up to modern day in the second. Volume I was released on Sept. 15, with Volume 2 becoming available in October.

Both volumes will be adaptable sources that provides teachers with a wide array of supplementary materials such as daily lesson plans, suggested assignments, and interactive activities. The Golden Thread Curriculum’s official website will also provide an online resource suite tailored to each unit.

“We believe a free and democratic society can only endure when its history, literature, and foundational ideas are passed down with integrity, depth, and intellectual honesty,” said Roger Kimball, president and publisher of Encounter Books and Golden Thread Academic. “The Golden Thread Curriculum was created to help students encounter the great people, debates, achievements, and challenges that have shaped our civilization.”

The curriculum is part of a collaboration between Hillsdale College’s K-12 Education program and The Golden Thread Academic, whose partnership is meant to present the history of Western civilization as a rich tradition with myriad figures and philosophies that still shape today’s society.

This initiative is one of the Hillsdale K-12 Education Office’s many programs that provide educational, administrative, and financial resources to help private and public schools with their liberal arts programs.

The Golden Thread Curriculum will be available to all parents, teachers, and school networks that register.

Malia Loock | Intern

Malia Loock is a Daily Signal intern.

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