Medieval History for Middle Grades

This course introduces the students to the ideas, events, and cast of characters that molded the social, political, religious, scientific, economic, and technological history and literature from Medieval, Renaissance and Reformation Europe. This class is paired with a corresponding Medieval Literature for Middle Grades class, taught by the same teacher, and scheduled back-to-back in a “block.” Students who take both courses receive a discount. Either course may also be taken as a stand-alone course. Because of this arrangement, and the nature of history and literature, there will necessarily be overlap between the two classes. This integrative experience of history and literature is one of the benefits of the classical model.

I believe that the Biblical mandate to “love thy neighbor” extends even to human beings that came before us. We desire to know and understand how people in the past lived, what they valued, and how they made sense of the world. Augustine wrote that humans are defined by their loves. We can get a sense for the “loves” of past people and cultures by studying their world and by reading the works that they read. This is an act of Christian charity or love that should stir us to humility and gratitude. My hope is that students come out of this course with a historical mindedness that produces a deeper love of God and love for our neighbor.

The main geographical focus of this course will be on Europe, but will also include portions of the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas when relevant. Western culture did not exist in a vacuum but was shaped by exchanges and encounters with the broader world before it became the cultural tradition that we inherited. Each class period is intended to be primarily seminar/ discussion style. The instructor may open a history class with a traditional lecture-style lesson to provide historical background and context, but the intention is to keep the classes dialogue driven.

This course is suitable for rising 7th–9th graders. Students are expected to have proficient reading and writing skills as well as the interest and capacity for engaging in discussion about history and literature. Students suited for this course will also be cultivating the following scholarship skills:

• Actively and independently engage in note-taking
• Apply teacher critiques
• Adhere to deadlines
• Be responsible for class and project preparedness
• Take initiative to ask questions for understanding and comprehension

**How much time will students spend on homework? **
This varies by student according to his or her pace. However, students are generally assigned about 1.5–2.5 hours of reading each week. Additional time may be required to supplement the student’s own studying and paper or project development.

**How does this course compare to the upper-school medieval/Renaissance/Reformation history course? **
The chief differences between the middle-school and upper-school levels for this course are noted below. While there will be some overlap of content taught, the upper-school course will be much more challenging and assume a more mature student with more background knowledge and greater reading, writing, and scholarship facility.

**How is faith integrated with these courses? **
These seminar-style discussions unfold organically. One could approach the texts with a focus on defensive critiques of classical authors. By contrast, we seek to read charitably. We treat classic authors as if they were friends, gleaning every available truth while also examining them from a robustly Christian perspective.

At Scholé Academy, we have carefully considered how we should engage our contemporary culture as those who believe that Christ is the Truth (John 14:6), and that all truth has its source in him. We think it is important to provide our upper school students (in grades 7-12) with tools and opportunities for critically examining various cultural trends, issues and mores through the lens of orthodox, Christian beliefs. Being confident in the truth revealed to us in creation, the Scriptures, and the tradition of the church, we are not afraid to follow the truth and its implications nor to address error and falsehood. … Read more about our Faith & Culture.