Thursday, May 14, 2009

Homeschooling Beowulf

Have you all missed me? Blogging has been quite light but I have a good reason. I've been scheduling summer school courses for you and your teens. You won't believe the awesome professors and course offerings Homeschool Connections has put together! I hope you're all up to keep the learning going over summer because you won't want to miss the seven online classes we'll be offering to you.

For now, I'm just going to share the first class since it starts in only two weeks. Yes, you heard that right -- only two weeks.

I'm swamped today with Michele's webinar Time Management for Moms, Fr. Pacwa's webinar tomorrow, and homeschooling the kids but I promise to have all the other courses posted within the next 24 hours.

In the meantime, here is the information on that first course:
Course Title:
Beowulf and Christ

Course Description:
This great mini epic will be explored as an allegory that teaches the Anglo-Saxon world how to transform pagan heroic ethos into a pattern for Christian heroism and how to re-envision blind Fate as Godly Providence. The Charles Kennedy translation is suggested. Be careful not to get a web version that cuts out the Christian elements. This is a book that lies behind J.R.R. Tolkien’s depiction of Edoras as well as the warlike virtues of Gondor. Suitable for any high school student who can read the poem and enjoy it. It is preferred that student have pre-read the poem before the first day of class. There will be no homework assigned for this course.

Professor's Biography:
Dr. Henry Russell is Headmaster of the St. Augustine's Homeschool Enrichment Program founded with his wife Crystal. The program began in Fall 2005 with 20 students in two living rooms and now tutors more than 70 students.

A graduate of Princeton and South Caroline (M.S.), Dr. Russell completed his graduate work at Louisiana State University.

Formerly the Chairman of Ave Maria College's Department of Literature, he has also been a professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville and Wake Forest University. He is a founding faculty member of the St. Robert Southwell Creative Wiiting Workshop held in Mahwah, New Jersey.

Dr. Russell's works include The Catholic Shakespeare Audio Series. He was the Associate Editor of The Formalist from 1990-2004 and his writings have been published in various journals. He was honored to edit Dr. Alice von Hildebrand's groundbreaking volume, The Privilege of Being a Woman.

Fee:
Four-week course for $60.

Dates and Time:
Classes will begin Monday, June 1, 2009 and meet every Monday through June 22, 2009. The time will begin 10:00 AM Eastern and end at 11:15 AM Eastern.

Enrollment Period:
Enrollment is currently open and will close when the class is filled. (Maximum 25 students.)

Course Materials:
Beowulf, preferable the Kennedy translation.

Equipment requirements:
Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone. If you do not own a headset, you can find them for a reasonable price at Amazon.

Course Access:
All Homeschool Connections courses are recorded and available to registered students for up to six months.

If you want a peek at the other courses, here are the links. I'll post more detailed information soon.
http://tinyurl.com/catholicmacbeth
http://tinyurl.com/spacetrilogy
http://tinyurl.com/catholicliving
http://tinyurl.com/collegewriting
http://tinyurl.com/tolkienfairystories
http://tinyurl.com/massexplained

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maureen,

My student would miss the first week of class because she is at music camp every morning that week. Will the sessions be recorded on a voice thread for those registered to "make-up" a class?

I'd hate to have her miss this opportunity. I'm sure the first session lays out the expectations and sets the tone for the session, making it an important one to NOT miss!

Thanks for any info.
Maureen in IL

Maureen said...

Maureen, thank you for that question! I'll have to make sure to add that to the description.

YES, all classes are recorded. The registered students will be able to access it within hours of the class ending. The recording will be available to them to review for 6 months.

Plus, if students are on vacation they may be able to access the live class from a laptop or hotel computer.

Terri said...

Hello there.
I am new to this kind of learning opportunity. A long time HS friend sent me your link. The course looks very good!
I have a precocious 11 year old daughter who has read several translations of Beowulf independently. I believe she would be capable and have fun in this class. But my information is scant. Could I audit a class session? What are your thoughts/policies on her participating?

Maureen said...

Terri,

The course is designed for high school students but if she is pretty advanced it might be okay considering that there is no homework. But I would want you to sit with her during the lectures and discuss together afterward.

If I were you, I would see if the library has the Kennedy translation to make sure she can read it okay. I don't know if the versions she's read are dumbed down or not.

It's an audit class anyway -- no grades are given. The idea is to have fun learning in the summer.

I love instilling a love for learning more than giving them an actual body of knowledge -- if that makes sense.