Institute for the Study of Western Civilization

About the Institute

Our Location

The Institute for the Study of Western Civilization

10060 Bubb Road

Cupertino, CA 95014

Tel: (408) 864-4060

FAX: (408) 864-4064

Map and Directions

The Institute for the Study of Western Civilization was founded in 2002 for the purpose of encouraging the teaching of the Western Tradition. The core of our activities is our three-year sequence of courses entitled "The Making of the Western Mind" which is taught at the Institute building at 10060 Bubb Road in Cupertino in partnership with University of California Extension, Santa Cruz.

All of the courses presented by the Institute stress four principles:

  1. the chronological
  2. the biographical
  3. the interdisciplinary
  4. the aesthetic

We believe that:

  • Any student needs a solid chronological structure of knowledge in order to understand any period of history;
  • The activities of great men and women often drive history and that the knowledge of their lives helps us to understand any period of history;
  • Various fields of study such as economics, sociology, anthropology must augment a historical core of study in order to understand any period of history;
  • And finally, that the artistic achievements of the human community provide important insights into the past and that the aesthetic experience should be part of any study of history.

These principles animate both the teaching of Institute courses and activities with local educators. Beyond the central teaching activity of the Institute, there is also a program of outreach to the Bay Area educational community with special emphasis on the teaching of history in secondary education. The Institute will be offering scholarships to finance the cost of the "The Making of the Western Mind" course sequence for teachers currently teaching in local high schools. The Institute will be developing curricular materials to aid in the teaching of the Western Tradition in high schools. And finally, the Institute will be developing a textbook and a teacher's guide based on our course "The Making of the Western Mind."

In addition to our classes, we also offer occasional public lectures on Friday and Saturday evening at the Institute on various subjects with a special emphasis on art.

STATEMENT OF THE INSTITUTE POLICY ON NONDISCRIMINATION
The Institute for the Study of Western Civilization admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to its students and does not discriminate on the basis of race in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, and other institute-administered programs.