In the 5th century A.D., the world of the Roman Empire was slowly dying. Its rulers were increasingly weak, literature and philosophy largely exhausted, the cities and provinces impoverished, the ancient religion and civic patriotism atrophied and enfeebled. Goths, Vandals and Huns spilled over the borders. Men all around fearfully anticipated the end of things. And in a middling town…
CLASS DESCRIPTION Please Note: This course has rotating content so that students may take the class more than once. Learn History through Biography: The Greek biographer Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans is one of the cornerstones of Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy. Join Classicist Thomas Banks in his online class dedicated to exploring this classic book, with Alexander the…
CLASS DESCRIPTION A year-long in-depth study of Medieval and Renaissance English literature. Each work will be fully placed in its historical, philosophical, literary, and theological context. CS Lewis said that it's the duty of the reader to read the Great Books like the original audience; otherwise we cannot understand what we are reading. This takes work because we come to…
CLASS DESCRIPTION The literary, intellectual and religious revolutions that took place in the 19th and 20th centuries were events whose echoes remain with us still. The purpose of this course is to guide the student through some of the best literary fiction written in that time period, placing each book within its historical context with background information on the authors’…
CLASS DESCRIPTION After the French Revolution, Europe had been changed permanently in its political, cultural, and spiritual life. The Napoleonic Wars, Industrial Revolution, Victorian Age, followed in the 20th century by the two world wars and growth of totalitarianism, represent one of the most dramatic and most violent periods of recorded history. Students who enroll in this course are encouraged…
CLASS DESCRIPTION This course is the continuation of Latin 1. In this class, students will complete Wheelock’s Latin and practice reading longer and more complex passages from ancient, medieval, and Renaissance authors. The latter half of the course will orient students towards the foundational genres of Roman literature such as epic, history, lyric poetry, epistles, and satire. The aim of Latin 2…
CLASS DESCRIPTION The language of the ancient Roman people is well worth studying for its own sake, but especially for the sheer joy of reading the Romans in their own words. Many important Western texts, such as Virgil’s Aeneid, are best enjoyed in the original language. There are other benefits to studying Latin, of course, but we should always approach…
CLASS DESCRIPTION Over the course of the 16th century, it became more and more obvious that the Medieval era had drawn to a close and given way to new developments in religion and culture. New continents were discovered, the forms and aims of the arts branched out in new directions. The Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation worked enormous changes in…
CLASS DESCRIPTION In this class, we will read the whole of Dante's Comedy, with a particularly focus on how Dante used the "great books" of his own day to construct a deeply spiritual and psychological journey, from despair and loss and divisiveness to a happiness so bright and full the human mind cannot take it all in. We will see…
CLASS DESCRIPTION The understanding of the grand narrative of the Hebrew Bible is the cornerstone of the understanding of story. In this course, students will study the history of the Hebrew people through reading the principal historical narratives of the Old Testament from the Exodus to the end of the Old Testament, illustrated by the laws of Moses, the stories…
CLASS DESCRIPTION In this year-long class, we will learn the foundations of Old English grammar while being introduced to various literary forms in the language. The first term consists of grammar knowledge, poetry reading, and initial translations. The second term includes more advanced grammar and continued poetry and narrative translations. Students will be expected to do in-class readings. Throughout the…
CLASS DESCRIPTION A year-long in-depth study of the literature of the Greeks and the Romans. Each work will be placed in its own historical and philosophical setting. A main purpose of this course is to give the student a richer understanding of the pre-Christian classical world and its religious, literary and intellectual ideals. This class and the ancient history course…
