Launched in 2005, Great World Texts in Wisconsin connects high school teachers and students across the state with scholars at UW-Madison through the shared project of reading and discussing a classic piece of world literature.
Drawing from world literature throughout the ages, the program’s selection of texts reflects a capacious understanding of the idea
of the “literary classic.” In previous years, we have collaborated with high schools on texts associated with mid–twentieth
century Colombia, ancient Greece, and contemporary India.
The program provides schools with complimentary copies of the text and includes a colloquium during which participating teachers work with UW faculty members on interpreting and understanding the text, extensive supporting curriculum materials, and a stipend to participate in an Annual Student Conference during which students from all participating schools come together to share their creative responses to the text and hear from distinguished speakers, often including the text’s author or contemporary representative. Now in its nineteenth year, Great World Texts has reached thousands of students and teachers in dozens of school districts throughout the state of Wisconsin.