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Middle and high school students will argue (and sometimes quarrel), but they won’t argue well without good training. Students who complete this course will know how to reason with clarity, relevance, and purpose…and have fun along the way! This course seeks to impart to students a kind of “logical judo” that helps them detect fallacious reasoning and protect themselves from rampant propaganda.
As a fundamental text for teaching logic and critical thinking, The Art of Argument will impart to students the skills needed to craft accurate statements and identify the flawed arguments found so frequently in editorials, commercials, newspapers, journals, and every other media—as well as the ability to accurately identify fallacies throughout their course texts, lectures, and other curriculum. The course and text emphasize the practical and real-world application of soundly structured inductive logic.
Using methods such as Socratic dialogue, ample discussion, integration of other subjects, and application to current events, the book is essential for dialectic and rhetoric students. During the course, students will complete the entire Art of Argument text, learning all 28+ fallacies, identifying them, defining them, and creating them. Students will also be required to write approximately four short essays (4-5 paragraphs) which are intended to highlight specific concepts where students often get stymied.
**Writing Prerequisite: **This course is geared towards rising 7th–12th graders who are able to type and have had some experience writing academic papers, including the following skills: compare/contrast essays, supporting thesis statements with evidence, and MLA formatting.
Required Materials: Books and supplies are not included in the purchase of the course. These resources are listed to help inform your decision-making as you make course selections and build your course schedule. Please reach out to the instructor if you have any questions about materials.
jschambach.scholeacademy@gmail.com
Jimmy Schambach holds a Master of Divinity from Regent University, and a BA in theology and philosophy from Evangel University. Currently, he works as the executive director of a faith-based nonprofit organization called M28 Ministry, which operates out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In his past, Jimmy worked as a youth and young adult pastor at a large church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Since his time in college, Jimmy has grown in his love for philosophy, logic, and theology. He has taught in many settings over the years and enjoys his classes at Scholé Academy. Jimmy and his wife, Tristin, live in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, where they have a young daughter named Aviana and a dog named Panda.
Ash White holds a BA in English and Theatre from Mary Baldwin University, and has taught literature, writing, and logic at the middle and secondary levels for twenty years. Ms. White is passionate about classical education and homeschooling. She and her husband Jon live in the Shenandoah Valley and are voracious lovers of books and music. If you visit their home, you'll find it difficult to determine which collection is largest: books or vinyl records!
Father Gabriel Souza was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of blessed memory in February of 2021. He currently serves under the Omophorion of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York in the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. Fr. Souza’s education and priestly formation prepared him to serve in various positions as an educator, director of religious education and faith formation for youth and young adults, and pastoral counselor. With strong interpersonal skills, he builds and develops strong relationships with parishioners and students.
Passionate about working with youth and leading the liturgy and prayers of the church, it is through teaching and preaching that his passion for Jesus truly comes alive. He enjoys spending time with my very close-knit family and socializing with my friends- especially other clergy. Reading, traveling, learning about the great treasures of Orthodoxy, meeting people, and learning about and experiencing different cultures are also the great joys of his life.
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pbelfry.scholeacademy@gmail.com
Peter Belfry has a wide range of teaching and tutoring experience across a variety of subjects and age levels, from kindergarten through to adult education at the college level. He has taught at several classical, Christian, and public schools. In addition to serving as an instructor with Scholé, Peter is a professor at a local college, where he teaches courses in computer programming, mathematics, business, and workplace skills.
Peter holds an Honors BA in History as well as a BA in Education, specializing in History and Computer Science. He also holds an MA in Classical and Christian Studies from Knox Theological Seminary, which provides him with a strong background for teaching from a classical perspective. During his master's program, he read and reflected on many of the Great Books, such as Plato's Republic, and studied Scripture and church history to understand how these texts have shaped the Western world. Peter has completed teacher training with the Association of Classical Christian Schools at Rockbridge Academy.
In addition to teaching, Peter has experience serving in a pastoral role and enjoys volunteering in his local church and community, helping with evangelistic outreach and teaching Bible lessons. He strongly believes in Scholé’s approach of seeking “restful learning,” viewing education as life-giving and freeing for the soul by acknowledging the Lord Jesus as the source of all that is true, good, and beautiful.
Peter lives with his wife, twin boys, and baby girl. He has developed a passion for a broad range of subject areas including finance, history, philosophy, writing, public speaking, literature, Bible, politics, logic, programming, and mathematics and seeks to teach them all through the lens of a Biblical, Christian worldview.
Currently, Peter teaches the following classes at our school:
The Art of Argument: An Introduction to the Informal Fallacies
The Logic of Computer Programming
The Art of Computer Programming
Faithful Stewardship: A Christian Guide to Personal Finance and Investments
Middle School Scholarship Skills Workshop
frsweeney.scholeacademy@gmail.com
Fr. James Sweeney is a priest of the Anglican Province of America and serves as an assisting priest at St. Barnabas Anglican Cathedral in Dunwoody, Georgia, north of Atlanta. Fr. Sweeney currently works as Academic Dean at Cherokee Christian Schools, a classical Christian school in Woodstock, Georgia, where he previously served as upper school principal. Fr. Sweeney has taught high school courses in rhetoric, history, theology, and government throughout his years in educational administration.
Teaching and education are Fr. Sweeney’s second career. Previously, he practiced law in the public and private sectors for more than thirty years and served in appointed political office for several years. Fr. Sweeney founded a successful law firm that represented churches and religious organizations and schools in religious liberty and nonprofit corporate matters. He remains an active member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a member of the Board of Visitors, and serves as Chancellor of Nashotah House Theological Seminary, a 185 year-old Anglican seminary in Wisconsin. Fr. Sweeney earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, his Master of Theological Studies in historical theology from Nashotah House Theological Seminary, a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of San Francisco. He is presently completing his Doctor of Ministry degree at Nashotah House. Fr. Sweeney has been married for 36 years and enjoys Baroque music, opera, and traveling in the British isles with his wife.
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.
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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.
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