Liberal Arts Level 6: Ancient Classics Literature (Greek Year)

Liberal Arts 6: Ancient Classics LITERATURE offers students a glimpse into the ancient Greco-Roman world through a selection of some of the greatest works of this formative period. The course offers an in-depth exploration of some of the best, most beautiful, and most influential books of Civilization. Students will read and discuss texts from three ancient cultures that became the inheritance of the classical Christian world: the Hebrews, the Greeks, and the Romans. Rooted in the tradition of the “Great Books,” students will gain significant historical and literary understanding and master the skills of independent scholarship by carefully studying primary sources.

The “Greek Year” rotation spans from 8th century BC to the reign of Alexander the Great (4th century BC), whereas the “Roman Year” rotation spans from the founding of Rome (8th century BC) to the fall of the Roman Empire in the West (late 5th century AD). The second half of the Roman Year will in turn focus on the first few centuries of the Church. Texts include a wide range of genres, such as epic poetry, lyric poetry, history, drama, philosophy, and theology. As a course within the “Great Books” tradition of the classical liberal arts curriculum, most of class time will be spent discussing the primary texts, with the instructor providing supplementary contextual data where relevant.

Students will engage with the most important and foundational ideas of these ancient cultures, including both how they saw themselves and how the earliest Christians ultimately transformed these through the light of the Gospel. Students will analyze these materials critically, asking such questions as: What were the foundational ideas of Greco-Roman civilization? What did they value and why? How and why did these values and ideas change over time? Which of these did the Church see fit to keep, or to reject? What relevance do these ancient ideas and values have for us in the Church today?

As a course within St. Raphael School, non-Orthodox students are welcome to enroll, but with the understanding that the instructor will approach the material from an explicitly Eastern Orthodox perspective. This means that while the class will evaluate these ancient classics through a Christian lens, the Orthodox standards for evaluation may differ significantly from those of non-Orthodox. At the same time, students should also be prepared to read each text firstly on its own terms before attempting to evaluate it on its merits. To this end, true understanding must begin with a degree of empathy, even if the author in question is a non-Christian. Both History and Literature are designed to be complementary with one another, but can be taken on their own.

This class is paired with our Liberal Arts Level 6: Ancient Classics HISTORY course and scheduled back to back with that course in a block. Students who take both courses receive a discount. This course may also be taken as a standalone history study.

High School Credit: The modern subjects of “history” and “literature” do not do justice to the rich variety of works represented in the Great Books of civilization.  Successful students will nonetheless gain both an understanding of ancient history and a facility in the art of reading ancient literature. Thus, graduates of St. Raphael School's Liberal Arts courses may list the combination as two credits—both “history” and “literature”—on their high school transcript.

View Liberal Arts Curriculum Map

Quarter 1

• Hesiod, The Works and Days; Theogony; The Shield of Herakles (Ann Arbor Paperbacks)
• Homer, The Iliad (Penguin Classics)

Quarter 2

• Homer, The Odyssey (Penguin Classics)
• Greek Tragedies 1: Aeschylus: Agamemnon, Prometheus Bound; Sophocles: Oedipus the King, Antigone; Euripides: Hippolytus

Quarter 3

• Greek Tragedies 1: Aeschylus: Agamemnon, Prometheus Bound; Sophocles: Oedipus the King, Antigone; Euripides: Hippolytus
• Plato, _Gorgias _(Penguin Classics)

Quarter 4

• Aristotle, Poetics (Penguin Classics)
• Apollonius of Rhodes, Jason and the Argonauts (Penguin Classics)

• 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:
  1. Visit zoom.us/download.
  2. Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
  3. Open and run the installer on your computer.
  4. 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.