I assign selected articles from the Golden anthology in conjunction with the appropriate topic in my syllabus for several reasons. I want students to have some idea of what historians do. I also want begining students to try their hand at criticizing scholar's work. The articles also serve as important vehicles for stimulating discussion.

Combining the latest scholarship with classic pieces, "The Social Dimension of Western Civilization's"48 secondary-source readings hook students with the fascinating and often surprising details of how everyday Western people worked, ate, played, celebrated, worshipped, married, procreated, fought, persecuted, behaved, and died.

Combining the latest scholarship with classic pieces, The Social Dimension of Western Civilization's48 secondary-source readings hook students with the fascinating and often surprising details of how everyday Western people worked, ate, played, celebrated, worshipped, married, procreated, fought, persecuted, behaved, and died.