Medieval World to Reformation History

This course introduces high school students to some of the classical historical texts, or Great Books, of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation. These texts have influenced the development of the West. While studying these texts, students explore the ideas, events, and cast of characters that molded societies, arts and ideas from the Middle Ages through the Reformation.

This course focuses on history, but also integrates some study of medieval and Renaissance literature, helping students to see and enjoy the integration of both history and literature. In this upper-school course, students will examine and discuss events, trends, ideas, achievements, and failures found in these historical periods, while also comparing and contrasting such study with their own contemporary period.

Required Materials:
Books and supplies are not included in the purchase of the course.

The Confessions, Augustine; F. J. Sheed, translator.
- ISBN: ‎ 978-0872208162.
_God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science, James Hannam. _
- ISBN: ‎ 978-1848311503; or (this is the same book, only for a different market): The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution. ISBN: ‎ 978-1596981553
The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism (Modern Library Classics) (selections)
Selected Writings (Penguin Classics), Thomas Aquinas.
- ISBN: 978-0140436327 (selections)
Erasmus and Luther: The Battle over Free Will (Hackett Classics)
- ISBN: 978-1603845472
The Freedom of a Christian, Martin Luther.
- ISBN: ‎‎ 978-1433582264
Early Anabaptist Spirituality: Selected Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality).
- ISBN: ‎ 978-0809134755 (selections)
Handouts of selections from key Protestant and Catholic thinkers, as well as selections from the Council of Trent, Protestant councils and confessions, and other works, provided in pdf form by instructor

Andy Newman

[email protected]

Andy Newman calls western Nebraska home, that borderland where Midwest and West shake hands. There he has taught literature, composition, history, journalism, and the humanities for twenty years at the high school and college levels. His mind and heart have longed been pulled toward classical Christian education. And he is as excited as he is thankful to now be fully in its orbit.
His education is varied, having earned master’s degrees in history and English from the University of Wyoming and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, respectively. Most recently, he earned a MTh in Applied Orthodox Theology from the Antiochian House of Studies and a MA in Biblical Theology from John Paul the Great Catholic University and, in Fall of 2021, completed his coursework for the PhD in Humanities from Faulkner University and has moved on to the dissertation.

Quarter 1

The Confessions, Augustine; (selections)
The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism (selections)

Quarter 2

_God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Scienc_e, James Hannam.
Selected Writings, Thomas Aquinas (selections)
Selections from Bernard of Clairvaux, Catherine of Siena, Clare of Assisi, and Duns Scotus, among others, pdfs provided

Quarter 3

Erasmus and Luther: The Battle over Free Will, Erasmus and Luther
The Freedom of a Christian, Martin Luther.
Selections from John Calvin, Theresa of Avila, Francis de Sales, Philip Melanchthon, Igantius of Loyola, and Ulrich Zwingli, among others, pdfs provided.

Quarter 4

Early Anabaptist Spirituality: Selected Writings (selections)
Selections from the Council of Trent and Protestant councils and confessions (Thirty-nine Articles, Westminster Confession, Augsburg Confession, for instance), pdfs provided

Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.

High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.

Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)

Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm

Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:

Visit zoom.us/download.
Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
Open and run the installer on your computer.
In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.

Scanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.

Z

Step 1

Z

Step 2

Z

Step 3

Z

Step 4

Explore our courses!

First, read the available course descriptions, noting prerequisites, target grades, and course objectives. If you think your student is prepared for the course, go ahead and register. After registration, a placement assessment may be provided to students, depending on the course and the student’s previous enrollment with Scholé Academy. Registration is finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.

All Courses | By Grade

Read the Student-Parent Handbook.

Please take careful note of our teaching philosophy, our technology requirements, our school policies, the parent agreement, and the distinctions between our grade levels.

Double-check the course section dates and times.

Make sure they don't conflict with other activities in your schedule or other courses you are purchasing. Our system will not catch double-bookings!

You're ready to add course selections to your cart!

Our Assistant to the Principal will be in touch with you after your enrollment to help you with next steps, including any placement evaluations that may be required for your course selections.

This registration will be finalized when the student's placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.