|
In the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, our goal is to provide elite students with a curriculum that allows them to climb the mountain of wisdom. At the top of that mountain are Theology and Philosophy and from there to the mountain's base are a series of steps known as the classical liberal arts.
Several of the steps on that climb--and the most important of all--are the Language Arts. However, when modern parents and students hear the term "Language Arts" they often think of modern, practical English reading and writing courses that have been taught since the creation of public schooling in the mid- 1800s. That is not what was studied by wise men throughout history, but a simple "practical" English program for everyday use. You can't expect to raise great communicators with study materials intended to provide common students with a "good enough" education.
In the CLAA, we provide a unique series of courses in Classical Grammar, Reasoning and Rhetoric taught by Mr. William Michael that aims to satisfy the goals of the Language Arts as they need to be studied by one ascending the mountain of Wisdom. However, we are also happy to provide students with an efficient course of studies in Traditional English studies.
|
About the Authors
Mr. William Michael
(CLAA Director)
Courses Available
English Grammar I (Etymology)
English Grammar II (Syntax)
English Grammar III (Prosody)
English Literature I* (to 1500)
English Literature II (1500 to 1800)
English Literature III (post 1800)
English Literature IV (American)
Costs
Enrollment: $125/student
* Mr. Michael's World Chronology I and Humanities I are pre-requisites to this course.
|
|
English Grammar I
Intended for students who have completed Petty School Reading and Writing or who are new to the CLAA, this course leads students through the first two divisions of Grammar: Orthography and Etymology. Students learn the English letters, syllables and words and the nine English parts of speech.
English Grammar II
Intended for students who have completed English Grammar I or new students to the CLAA who are able to pass an entrance examination. This course teaches the rules of construction (syntaxis) in Engilsh as they relate to each of the nine English parts of speech.
English Grammar III
Intended for students who have completed English Grammar II or new students to the CLAA who are able to pass two entrance examinations. This course teaches Prosody--the rules of pronunciation, poetry and punctuation in Engilsh.
English Literature I (before 1550)
This course provides a rigorous study of medieval English history and culture, which is crucial to understanding English literature and neglected by nearly all study programs today. We work to establish the foundation for all future English readings. We read from the writings of the Catholic missionaries who brought the true faith to the British Isles, and those works that preserve for us the mixing of Christian and pre-Christian civilization. We read and study the works of Roger Bacon, Sir John Mandeville, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sir Thomas Malory, Geoffrey Chaucer and John Lydgate. We end our study reading St. Thomas More, who represents the sad end of Catholic England.
English Literature II (1550 to 1800)
In this course, we examine the literature of England during her sad period of revolution, heresy and division, in which the progress of English literature was checked. Fortunately, the soil of England's earlier Catholic intellectual life continued to bear fruit into the Protestant era. In this course we study the works of Spenser, Shakespeare, Bacon, Donne, Milton, Bunyan, Pope, Dryden, Cowper, Swift, DeFoe and Johnson. Please note that the CLAA will be providing an entire program of study devoted to Shakespeare and that this course will simply introduce the student to his works and historical/literary context.
English Literature III (post 1800)
This course picks up with English literature in the early 1800s, when Romanticism emerged as the new fad in post-Catholic England. Here, we will read Wordsworth and Coleridge, Southey, Burns and Byron, Austen, Scott, Shelley, Dickens, Doyle, Tennyson and more. We will avoid the dark and chaotic works of modern non-Christian authors as well as the made-for-money mystery works of mercenary authors like Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers because they are vain and we will give an account to God for the use of our time and energy in studies. Our studies will end with the reading of Tolkien, Lewis, Chesterton and Belloc.
English Literature IV (American Literature)
This course concludes our study of English Literature and focuses on the authors of American Literature. To succeed in this study, we will go back in time to the 1600s, as America is founded and will walk through the history of American Literature which, in light of the achievements of the English, is quite unimpressive, being removed yet further from the classical Catholic tradition of true literature.
|
|
Q. When will this program be open for enrollment?
A. Mr. Michael intends to open this program in January of 2012 to a small number of students and then to all students in September 2012. The only course available to new students will be English Grammar I, so there's no use getting excited about thoughts iof Shakespeare and Tolkien when students lack the language skills necessary to read them analytically and profitably. This is not a course in literary trivia--you can get that elsewhere. Moreover, English Literature I will only be open to students who have completed the lessons in World Chrobology I through lesson 30, which teaches the Christianization of Europe. Students cannot study English literature without a knowledge of the history of the world before 1000 AD.
Q. Will the purchase of books be required for CLAA English Literature courses?
A. No. All of the works we will read are available freely online through Project Gutenberg or Google Books. Of course, you can buy copies if you wish, but we would not recommend any significant investment in printed books except for devotional and reference works.
Q. Should my child study English Grammar or Classical Grammar?
A. Obviously, as the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, our desire is to provide as many students as possible with an authentic classical education. That means Latin and Greek language studies and reading the masters in their own languages. The reality, however, especially in homeschooling circles, is that few students have the support to progress efficiently in those studies at a young age. Therefore, we recommend this gentler course--aimed at the same goal--whereby students may begin in their own native English, which is taught, however, using the same system and structure as classical Latin and Greek are in Classical Grammar. Also, students who are not seeking a classical education, can receive a most excellent, if not the best available English language education here using this program rather than our classical study program.
|
|
Mr. William Michael
 Mr. Michael is the founder and director of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, which he started after establishing a highly successful classroom teaching career. He is, before all else, the author of the CLAA's core curriculum courses including Religion, Grammar, Reasoning and Rhetoric. Mr. Michael has undertaken the instruction of the CLAA Practical Arithmetic course because, as an father of nine responsible for the management of a large and busy household and owner of two thriving businesses, he is concerned that our "practical" Arithmetic courses actually be practical--that is, useful for real life rather than school exercises. According his colleagues, students and their parents, Mr. Michael has a unique ability to teach with a style that is clear and enjoyed by students of all ages.
Questions about the program may be sent to Mr. Michael at: wmichael@classicalliberalarts.com
|
