Courses
14 yrs and up, $195, 14 week course – Prerequisite: One Intermediate Level course
A girl secretly helps an enemy soldier to escape from the soldiers of her own country – and finds herself bound to a dangerous game of secrecy. A Russian village is convinced that a spy is among them – unaware that he is only a bored young man with a tremendous imagination who loves to see what he can get away with. A king and a humble gondolier were mixed up at birth – now that they are of age, not even they know which should inherit the crown! Lights dim, the curtain rises, and the audience is swept away by side-aching laughter, fantastic thrills, and deeper questions that stay with us. Students read through the scripts of these timeless plays, and get a chance both to discuss them Socratically and to perform scenes from them in class, readers’ theatre style. From Shaw to Shakespeare to Sophocles, come unleash your flair for the dramatic, and dive into some of the world’s greatest works of theatre.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – Prerequisite: One Intermediate Level course
In the Rhetoric, Aristotle states that, “It is absurd to hold that a man should be ashamed of an inability to defend himself with his limbs, but not ashamed of an inability to defend himself with speech and reason; for the use of rational speech is more distinctive of a human being than the use of his limbs.” There is no doubt that Rhetoric has been used in the World’s greatest speeches in order to persuade man to fight and believe in a cause. This class will explore many of the world’s greatest speeches and judge them through the light of Aristotle’s Rhetoric and through their own merits. What makes a speech great, even once the time for action has passed? How does one know when Rhetoric is being used for a good, or bad, cause?
The Speeches studied in the course reach from Ancient Greece, to Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, and the 40th Anniversary of D-Day. It will cover speeches from the World Wars, the Abolition of the Slave trade, as well as Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speeches.
14 yrs and up - $175.00 – 14 week course – Prerequisite: One Intermediate Level Course
Never was there a man more timeless than G.K. Chesterton. His writings span the turn of the century, yet read as applicably to our 21st century culture as to his own era. This course will delight its participants with the craft of excellent storytelling. Chesterton clearly knows that one of the simplest ways to learn is through narrative, not lecture, and one can tell that G.K. also finds this method a delightful way to teach. Students will examine both his fiction and non-fiction works with a special emphasis on Chesterton's refreshing response to modern philosophy.
15 yrs and up, $185.00, 14 week course – Prerequisite: Foundational Great Books
This is a sequel to the Foundational Great Books course. The ultimate aim of this course is for the students to develop a deeper and richer appreciation of our entire Christian/Western culture, as well as our place within that culture - in short to cultivate Classical-Christian literacy. Students will delve into these iconic writings, asking questions such as: Do we know what death is? How do we live a good life? What is the nature of art and beauty? They will witness Plato's famous rendition of Socrates' final conversation, and Aristotle's pivotal treatise on art. They will enjoy the beauty of more deeply understanding man's calling through Aquinas, find parallels to their own life through studying the allegory of Christian's journey in Pilgrim's Progress, and immerse themselves in the beautiful, but agonizing, Russian world of the Brothers Karamozov. These works will make a lasting impact.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $185 – Prerequisite: One other intermediate level course.
Explore some of the most dramatic, mysterious, and thrilling tales ever told. Witness anew the gripping battle between good and evil. How are we to succeed in confronting the forces of darkness? What happens when man tries to play God? These beautiful works of Victorian Gothic literature shed the light of truth upon the desperate struggles of their characters. Some of the scenes are undoubtedly grim, but the subject matter is not written for mere sensationalist reasons, but rather to reveal the true nature of evil and affirm the triumph of beauty, truth, and goodness. Gothic literature tears the mask off of evil and exposes its lies, like a light shone into a corner that casts out and destroys the darkness.
13 yrs and up, $185 – No Prerequisite
Modern Classics serves as a great introduction for the Socratic Method style of learning. Students read classic literature of the 19th and 20th centuries with the goal of understanding predominant themes and analyzing the moral qualities of major characters. Over the course of the semester, students will develop their abilities to logically argue a position, cite examples from the text, and listen and respond to their fellow classmates.
13 yrs and up, $185 – No Prerequisite
Only Jane Austen could concoct such a perfect blend of drama and wit! Here are three more of her masterpieces to savour. Discover the secrets of Northanger Abbey, walk the fine line between Sense and Sensibility, and learn what can be achieved with just a bit of Persuasion. Add Socratic discussion to the mix, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a fine time of it!
12 yrs and up, $185 – No Prerequisite
Fantastic tales of heroism, honour, mystery, and courage! Students follow the exploits of warriors, kings, seafarers, and hosts of adventurers, using Socratic discussion to uncover the deeper meanings in these classic and well-loved stories.
14 yrs and up, $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
No era has been so darkened and mythologized in the modern eye as the Medieval Age. Shatter the misconceptions about this daring and adventurous epoch by diving into eyewitness accounts to history and rock-solid scholarship! Use Socratic discussion to explore history's most sweeping saga of dauntless martyrs, brilliant scientists and scholars, scheming overlords, and ordinary men and women living through extraordinary times. From the perilous days when barbarian hordes sacked Europe to the age of explorers pushing open the world's boundaries, this course will form students in critical thinking, discussion skills, and knowledge of history.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – Prerequisite: One Intermediate Level Course
Tacitus said it was “worth a conquest;” Chamberlain called it “the darkest land;” Shakespeare named it a “precious stone set in the silver sea.” Who would have thought a small northern island would be the scene of the one of the most dramatic tales in history - one that would span empires and ages? Students will embark on a journey through the wars, loves, and adventures of England’s history, and Socratically challenge the concepts that wove its rich tapestry. The course will begin with the first century before Christ, when Rome famously “turned its gaze upon Britain,” and continue through to the sweeping changes of the Victorian empire.