Offered Academic Year 2023-2024

Great Books III

Wednesdays--8:00-9:30 a.m. (Pacific Time)

This marks the third year of a four-year sequence in which the great works of Western Culture are intently examined.  The purpose for such an endeavor rests on the assumption that history has a flow to it, that God is captain of the Story of the World, and that a solid grasp of this flow—or “Great Conversation”—is a vital part of what it means for a young man or woman to gain an education.   Investigating the great works is, in part, what is meant by the phrase “classical education” today.  Continuing with examples of the most pivotal literature produced in the Medieval period and beyond, students will become acquainted with some of the crucial chapters in the Great Conversation.  The readings will be challenging and class discussions will be designed to aid in understanding essential segments of the texts.  There will also be an emphasis on learning to write essays according the models used by the Greeks and Romans. Students are advised to purchase the recommended versions of the texts we will be studying.

Writing the Essay

Tuesdays--8:00 to 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Time)

Utilizing a variety of methods, we will focus on various stages in the writing process. Beginning with the basic skills of crafting interesting sentences, we will progress through the effective structuring of coherent paragraphs, and ultimately practice writing the classic five-paragraph persuasive essay. Some assignments will involve the imitation and outlining of the work of established writers from history.  In order to avoid the error of merely discussing essay-writing and never actually writing, there will be ample practice in writing essays. 

This is not merely a writing class, however.  Students will have opportunity to read, savor, analyze, discuss and and enjoy some classics of English Literature.  In that way, our class times will be divided fairly evenly between writing instruction and discussion of the weekly readings.  Please see this link to view and purchase texts we will be using for discussion in class.

Intermediate English

Mondays--8:00-9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time)

The purpose of this course is to provide younger students with an introduction to two key facets of English: reading and understanding great literature; and writing interesting sentences and paragraphs.  Students will have opportunity to enjoy and discuss classic examples of literature, and will be given ample practice in writing.