Summer Seminars for High School Teachers
About the 2026 Campus Summer Program
Mercer University has long been known for its innovative Great Books program, a seven course sequence which encourages close reading and discussion of some of the most enduring texts of Western Civilization. Now, Mercer's McDonald Center for America's Founding Principles is pleased to bring the Great Books experience to the nation's best high school teachers.
In June 2026, Mercer will host a Summer Seminar for High School Teachers titled "Novus Ordo Seclorum: Creating the American Republic." Participating teachers will arrive on campus on the evening of June 21 and depart on the afternoon of June 26. This program will take place on Mercer's beautiful and historic Macon campus.
The ultimate purpose of the Summer Seminars is to model for high school teachers how the Great Books texts and distinctive discussion-based pedagogy might be employed to enrich the academic experience of students. The student who has read and discussed a Platonic dialogue will better understand the distinctive features of the Western philosophic tradition. The student who has read and discussed Federalist #51 will better appreciate the startlingly deep thinking that lies behind even the most familiar institutions.
The Great Books Summer Seminar will take participants on a journey from the origins of democracy in ancient Greece to the dawn of modern democratic forms and the creation of the United States republic. Throughout the week-long program, the Summer Seminar will be dedicated to the close reading and discussion of great texts and ideas.
Benefits to Participants
- $1,000 Stipend
- Collaborative learning with some of Mercer's outstanding Great Books faculty
- Lodging in a fully furnished campus dormatory for the entirety of the week-long Seminar (living on campus not required for participants who prefer to commute)
- All meals provided, including an opening banquet
- Complementary copies of all Seminar readings
Schedule and Curriculum
June 21-26
Each workday of the Seminar will feature three intensive academic sessions. The majority of these sessions will be conducted as true Great Books discussions, in which Seminar participants and Mercer faculty members will engage in an extended conversation about the day's text. Two afternoon sessions will feature a scholarly presentation to help provide historical context for the discussion or to provide a model of close reading and analysis of the texts. Additional afternoon workshop sessions will be dedicated to helping participants develop strategies for bringing the Great Books into their own classrooms.
The Seminar's readings will begin with some of the books and ideas that informed the founders' thinking (from the origins of democracy in ancient Greece to the intellectual origins of the modern commercial republic) and move to some of the most important writings during the creation of the United States republic. All readings are selected to help participants and faculty alike become better teachers and students of the political order in which we live.
To Apply
Teachers in the fields of History, Literature, Government, Economics, and related disciplines are invited to apply.
Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Summer Seminar Faculty
- Dr. Will Jordan, Professor of Political Science, Center Co-Director
- Dr. Kevin Honeycutt, Professor of Philosophy, Center Co-Director
For more information, please contact Will Jordan via e-mail or (478) 301-2445.
