American History

The American History course will provide an overview of key events in the development of the United Sates from roughly exploration of the New World through the 2000s. The course will be a thematic and topical study of the political, social, and economic, and cultural developments that shaped the history of the United States from the birth of a nation to the present. The goal of the course is to make history ‘come alive’ using many forms of information and research including primary and secondary sources, biographies, guest speakers, music, art, food, architecture, and field trips. Students will gain an understanding not only of what happened in history, but will also learn valuable historical research skills to complete a research paper on a topic of their choice.

American Literature & Academic Composition

This class will explore the idea of the American Dream, starting during the years of westward expansion, continuing through the injustices of the Civil War, and ending in the mid-20th century by asking the questions: what is the American Dream?  Is the American Dream truly achievable? AND is it biblical? We will explore the topics of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness using works by Mark Twain, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Willa Cather, Russell Freedman, Frederick Douglass, Stephen Crane, Betty Smith, John Steinbeck, Tennessee Williams, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Rhetoric

Rhetoric is, in a sense synonymous with public speaking, or as the textbook Rhetoric Alive! Book 1: Principles of Persuasions states more precisely, “a burgeoning civic discourse based upon an ever-increasing alignment with truth.”  In this class, students will practice memory and analysis of famous speeches and create their own arguments using the three rhetorical appeals of ethos(speaker’s character), pathos (emotional predispositional of the audience), and logos (logic).