Rhetoric
Rhetoric | 9th-12th
Discover the ancient and future form of education that challenges us to glorify God with our minds and restore a Christian culture to our churches and homes.
Rhetoric entails being able to state the truth in a beautiful way.
Rhetoric Curriculum
Rhetoric entails being able to state the truth in a beautiful way. This means using poetry, this means using clear writing, this means being able to defend the ultimate truth of God’s word to the unbelieving world.
BIBLE: WISDOM LITERATURE
Students will gain an appreciation for God’s Wisdom, as seen in the person and work of Christ, by sustained and disciplined inquiry into the wisdom literature of the church as recorded in Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes and Job.
Students will examine the wisdom of Christ as seen in the wisdom literature of Holy Scripture, by doing the following:
Debate different Modern interpretations of the texts through progymnasmata writing exercises of Confirmation and Refutation and oral exercises of the formal dialectic
Become familiar with the way the Modern privileging of Reason overthrew the ancient tradition of wisdom, and see how this effects the reading and application of God’s Holy Word to all of life
Engage in a multiyear study of the use of figures of speech in holy scripture, through use of the text by Bullinger
Find events in the text on geographical maps, and observing the change of maps over time, and locate events in the text on a timeline
Memorize proverbs and psalms and recite or sing them as a class and individually
Apply biblical concepts learned in class to real world situations, so that they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable situations later in life
Engage in a sustained inquiry into our need for wisdom, as seen in a research paper based in the class reading of the book on biblical wisdom
Pray these scriptures through the adoption of a habitual practice of morning and evening prayer, modeled on Lectio Divina
The student will academically study the same passages they pray, so that God’s Spirit will form both the head and the heart for lifelong love of God’s Word.
MODERN HISTORY: EUROPEAN & AMERICAN
Students will gain an appreciation for the emergence of modern civilization, from the time of the Reformation and Renaissance through the Age of Revolutions to the present with specific attention given to the Industrial Revolution, World Wars, Cold War, Information Revolution and current Culture War
Students will engage in sustained and disciplined inquiry into modern civilization by doing the following:
Debate different historical interpretations of events such as the morality of entering the World War or dropping the atomic bomb to end it, through writing exercises of Confirmation and Refutation and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Find events in the text on geographical maps, and observing the change of maps over time
Locate events in the text on a timeline and memorization of Geneva Academy timeline for class
Apply insights from historical research to real world, so they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable events in life
Students will spend extended time developing close reading skills in primary source historical material including but not limited to:
Selections from
The Enlightenment Reader
Autobiographies of Ben Franklin
American Foundational Documents
The Origin and Principles of the American Revolution…, by Fredrich Gentz
Communist Manifesto and Russian Revolution readings
Lincoln-Douglas debates, and Lincoln’s Speeches
Selections related to Turner’s Frontier Thesis and Industrialization
Treaty of Versailles
Mein Kampf and readings related to WW2
Selections related to Cold War, Civil Rights Movement, and Fall of the Soviet Union
The teacher will also draw from resources including but not limited to Jackson Spielvogel’s Western Civilization: Since 1500, Volume 2, and Hendrick Van Loon’s Story of America
MODERN LITERATURE & COMPOSITION
Students will gain an appreciation for the literature of modern civilization from time of the Reformation and Renaissance through the Enlightenment and Romanticism to the emergence of a literary modernity and its transformation into postmodernity.
Students will engage in sustained and disciplined inquiry into the literature of modern civilization by doing the following:
Debate different literary interpretations through writing exercises of Confirmation and Refutation and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Expand their knowledge of writing exercises from Selby’s Classical Composition, focusing on Thesis and Law
Locate literary events on an historical timeline and memorization of Geneva Academy timeline for class
Use experience to interpret texts and apply insights from literature to the real world, so they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable events later in life
Become familiar with the writing/editing process through weekly rough draft revision in peer editing sessions and teacher corrections
Imitate good writing at the sentence, paragraph and essay level, separating form from content and adapting the form to new content from the student’s own experience
Develop extensive vocabulary and copious writing skills through the use of Erasmus’ writing exercises, and weekly vocabulary games taken from the readings
Memorization of poetry
Students will cultivate close reading skills by reading and debating the interpretation of great works of literature in the primary source, including but not limited to the following:
Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan and Pilgrims Regress by C.S. Lewis
by Jonathan Swift
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly and poetry from Shelly and Byron
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Pit and the Pendulum and various short stories from London and O’Conner
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain or Huckleberry Finn
Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell
To Kill and Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby, by Fitzgerald
The teacher will also draw from other literary resources approved by Geneva Academy.
RHETORIC: INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL ORATORY
Students will study the origin, history, purpose and biblical application of Classical Rhetoric by working through
The Rhetoric Companion: A Students Guide to Power in Persuasion. The teacher will make selections for classroom reading and discussion from the following:
Selections from The Rhetoric, by Aristotle
Selections from Platonic dialogues
Cicero’s Classical Canons of Rhetoric
Institutes of Oratory, by Quintilian
Classic Rhetoric for the Modern Student by Corbett
A successful student in this class will be able to do the following:
Make interpretations of the text and defend them in civil classroom discussion
Apply the concepts learned to public speaking exercises, such as speech meet
Demonstrate mastery of the progymnasmata exercises by writing persuasive examples of each of the exercises
Remember and be able to recognize the five canons of rhetoric, the three kinds of style, and compose an example of the three genres of rhetoric
MATH – ALGEBRA 1
Algebra one students build on their success in pre-algebra, by continuing to master the skills necessary for higher mathematical instruction in the Upper School. Geneva math students are required to teach four math topics, to their fellow students in public presentations in order to develop their mathematical and rhetorical competence. The successful Algebra student will be able to recognize and solve problems in the following areas:
Solving for Unknown with GCF & LCM
Order of Operations
Graphing Lines and Inequalities
Equation of a Line
Slope Intercept Formula
Solving Simultaneous Equations
Trinomial Factoring & Repeated Factoring
Multiply & Divide Polynomials
Fractional Exponents
Difference of Two Squares
Pythagorean Theorem and Radicals
Area, Perimeter, & Volume of Polygons
Supplementary & Complementary Angles
Midpoints, Bisectors, & Transversals
Parallel & Perpendicular Lines
Points, Lines, Rays, & Planes
Square & Cube Roots and Radicals
Construct Angles & Triangles
Types of Triangles
Prove Triangles Congruent
SCIENCE – PHYSICAL SCIENCE
The goal of this course is to discover and study the physical laws and matter that God created at an introductory level so that students will be better equipped to study these in more detail in the subsequent years.
This course will introduce traditional concepts of physics and some chemistry. Conceptual and mathematical understanding of physics will be stressed. Problem-solving skills, test-taking skills, time-on-task, problem-based learning, critical thinking situations, and activity and lab-based learning will be the incorporated throughout the course.
Course Objectives:
Instill wonder and awe in students as they discover the intricate design, order and complexity of God’s creation.
Give students a deeper understanding of how physics and laws of nature impact their daily lives.
Teach students practical scientific skills, which they can use to investigate, study and explain the world around them, from a Biblical worldview. All students are required to prepare an original project and research paper for Geneva’s bi-annual science fair.
Encourage the spirit of scientific investigation and with it the attitudes of accuracy, in thought and work.
Prepare students for further study in physics and chemistry.
SPANISH I
Students must meet the prerequisites of Latin I and II before taking this second language. Spanish students will learn how to speak and understand basic Spanish (well enough to use on a mission trip or to share their faith). Students will learn how to understand various Spanish-speaking peoples, how to write and compose sentences, including verb conjugation and correct grammar and vocabulary. A successful student will be able to do the following:
Appreciate the diversity of cultures and languages of God’s people
Understand, speak and write Spanish at an elementary level
Apply grammar to another language and build sentences in Spanish
Discuss the cultural and geographical similarities and differences of Spanish speaking countries
Take advantage of the increased opportunities available to those with Spanish speaking skills
CHOIR
Introductory Choral Music with the Kodaly method
Folk songs, hymns, patriotic songs, and Christian holiday works are introduced and practiced
FOUNDATIONS OF ART
Introduction to the Foundations of Art students will learn about the elements of Art and Principles of Design, including a study in watercolor leaf painting, Audobon inspired colored pencil drawing,
graphite self-portrait, Ceramic coil vases and face mugs. Students will also do further studies in the following:
Linoleum Printmaking
Bas relief Tiles
Rose window color wheel painting
Tempera Painting
Acrylic painting
One-point perspective
PE
Twice a week with exercises, stretching, and individual and team games.
Emphasis on general fitness and cultivating lifelong habits of activity
AESTHETICS 1
(GETTING ASK ME IF I HAVE IT YET WHEN YOU GET HERE)
BIBLE: PROPHETS AND REVELATION
Students will gain an appreciation for the revelation of Christ as the fulfillment of the old testament tradition of apocalyptic literature, by sustained and disciplined inquiry into the prophetic literature of the church as recorded in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentation, Ezekiel, Daniel as well as the 12 “minor” Prophets and Revelation
Students will examine the revelation of Christ as seen in the apocalyptic literature of Holy Scripture, by doing the following:
Debate different Patristic and eschatological or “End Times” interpretations of the texts through writing exercises such as Encomium and Viturpation and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Open and close class with a responsive reading liturgy taken from the day’s reading
Memorize sections of the prophets and recite or sing them as a class and individually
Apply biblical concepts learned in class to real world situations, so that they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable situations later in life
Engage in a sustained inquiry into the interpretation of Revelation, as seen in a research paper based in the class reading of the book on finding Christ in the OT, or “Four Views” of Revelation
Pray these scriptures through the adoption of a habitual practice of morning and evening prayer, modeled on Lectio Divina
The student will academically study the same passages they pray, so that God’s Spirit will form both the head and the heart for lifelong love of God’s Word.
ANCIENT HISTORY
Students will gain an appreciation for the early history of human civilization from creation to the time of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty with specific attention given to the controversies surrounding the responsible interpretation of events such as the rise and decline of Rome and other controversial events in the history of Western Civilization.
Students will engage in sustained and disciplined inquiry into ancient civilization by doing the following:
Debate different historical interpretations of events such as the cause of the decline of the Greek and Roman Empire, through writing exercises of Encomium and Viturpation and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Find events in the text on geographical maps, and observing the change of maps over time
Locate events in the text on a timeline and memorization of Geneva Academy timeline for class
Apply insights from historical research to real world, so they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable events in life
Students will spend extended time developing close reading skills in primary source historical material including but not limited to:
The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
The War with Hannibal, by Livy
Annals of Imperial Rome, by Tacitus
Selections from Josephus, including The Jewish War, and Antiquities
Selections from The Apocrypha, and works of Philo
Selections from 12 Caesars, by Suetonius
The teacher will also draw from Susan Wise Bauer’s The History of the Ancient World and other excellent resources.
ANCIENT LITERATURE & COMPOSITION
Students will gain a deeper appreciation for the literature of ancient civilization from time of Creation to Julio-Claudian Dynasty.
Students will engage in sustained and disciplined inquiry into the literature of modern civilization by doing the following:
Debate different historical interpretations through writing exercises of Encomium and Viturpation and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Locate literary events on an historical timeline and memorization of Geneva Academy timeline for class
Use experience to interpret texts and apply insights from literature to the real world, so they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable events later in life
Become familiar with the writing/editing process through weekly rough draft revision in peer editing sessions and teacher corrections
imitate good writing at the sentence, paragraph and essay level, separating form from content and adapting the form to new content from the student’s own experience
develop extensive vocabulary and copious writing skills through the use of Erasmus’ writing exercises, and weekly vocabulary games taken from the readings
Memorization of poetry
Students will cultivate close reading skills by reading and responsibly entering the debate about the interpretation of great works of literature in the primary source, including but not limited to the following:
Odyssey by Homer
Aeneid by Virgil
Greek and Roman comedies, tragedies and poetry
The Republic by Plato
On the Nature of Things, Lucretius
Eclogues and Georgics by Virgil
Metamorphoses by Ovid
Poetics by Aristotle
Meditation of Marcus Aurelius
Patristic dialogues and debates
RHETORIC II: ETHOS, PATHOS AND LOGOS
Students will study the origin, history and purpose and biblical application of pathos, ethos and logos in rhetorical forms appropriate to the situation. Students will focus on the basic format and techniques of formal and informal argumentation, with attention given to apologetical examples
The teacher will make selections for classroom reading and discussion from the following:
Selections from Platonic dialogues, Quintillian and Cicero
Selections from On Rhetoric, and Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle
Classical Rhetoric its Secular and Biblical Traditions, by George Kennedy
Classic Rhetoric for the Modern Student, by Corbett
A successful student in this class will be able to do the following:
Recall and apply the five canons of rhetoric and a proper understanding of ethos and pathos to their speech meet presentation
Research, compose, memorize and deliver at the speech meet
Critically judge a debate and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of an argument
Engage in newspaper or blog reading and evaluation of opinion
Demonstrate rhetorical awareness of, avoidance, and felicity of refutation of logical fallacies in argumentation
MATH – ALGEBRA 2
This class rounds out the students’ knowledge and understanding of algebra. The student continues the tradition of teaching lessons or presentations, to continue to develop their rhetorical competence. The successful student will also be able to recognize and solve problems in the following areas:
Exponents
Rational expressions
Scientific notion and combining like terms
Radicals, Basic operations, and simplifying
Factoring polynomials and rational expressions
Fractional exponents
Imaginary and complex numbers
Conjugate numbers
Squares, Cubes and Pascals triangle
Binomial theorem
Completing the square
Quadratic formula
Discriminants
Applications using percent
Isolating one variable
Ratios
Unit multipliers and metric conversions
Distance= rate X time
Motion word problems
Graphing lines: slope intercept formula
Parallel and perpendicular lines
Inequalities
Distance and midpoint formulas
Conic sections, circles and ellipse
Parabola, and maxima and minima
Hyperbola
Solving systems of equations
Coins, consecutive integers, and mixtures
Age and boat in the current problems
Solving equations with three variables
Vectors
SCIENCE – BIOLOGY
This course introduces students to the basic structure and concepts of life and living organisms within God’s creation. Major areas of study include a study of what scientifically constitutes life, biological classification and the five different kingdoms and the main phyla and their characteristics. Students will not only study these theoretically, but also gain first-hand knowledge as they dissect, compare and contrast the different organisms God has created. The different respiratory, circulatory, digestive, nervous and reproductive systems for various organisms and plants will be studied, compared and contrasted as a basis for classification.
Students will also study the chemical transactions that occur at the cellular level. They will study the cell, its structure and functions in some depth, including the reproduction of cells and thus life. Students will also study Mendelian genetics and understand how traits and genes are passed on from one organism to the other.
In the second half of the semester, students will study the rhetoric and dialectical argumentation of Charles Darwin and discuss, compare and contrast his rhetoric to the Biblical view of Creation. Some Bio-ethical topics will be discussed throughout the class, such as euthanasia, genetic engineering, abortion, etc. as they relate to the topic at hand. The Biblical view and authority of Scripture will be discussed and examined when these topics come up. A successful student will be able to do the following:
Instill wonder and awe in students as they discover the intricate design and complexity of God’s creation.
Give students a deeper understanding of how biology impacts their daily lives.
Teach students practical scientific skills, which they can use to investigate, study and explain the world around them, from a Biblical worldview. All students are required to prepare an original project and research paper for Geneva’s bi-annual science fair.
Encourage the spirit of scientific investigation and with it the attitudes of accuracy in thought and work.
Give students a basic understanding of the scientific ideas regarding micro and macro evolution, equipping students to identify the worldview and assumptions that underlie it as well as the Biblical worldview and understanding of how life started.
AESTHETICS II – THE MIDDLE AGES
Students will deepen their appreciation of God’s beauty and the many artistic gifts he has given throughout the ages. Students who successfully complete this class will be able to do the following:
Define the study of aesthetics and articulate its value in general and to a Christian
Understand and use correctly the vocabulary of artistic concepts, methods, materials
Accurately describe the links between the cultures of the Byzantines, Muslims, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, and Christians in the middle Ages and their art and architecture
Recognize key works of art and architecture from each of the civilizations studied
Link Gothic expressions to their modern incarnations
Explain how Christians of the Middle Ages incarnated their beliefs into art and architecture
SPANISH II
Students must meet the prerequisites of Latin I and II as well as Spanish I before taking this advanced second language. Spanish II will lead students into an intermediate proficiency in Spanish.It emphasizes the communication, culture, connections, comparisons and communities of Spanish speaking people. A successful student will be able to do the following:
Appreciate the diversity of cultures and languages of God’s people
Understand, speak and write Spanish at an intermediate level
Apply grammar to another language and build sentences in Spanish
Discuss the cultural and geographical similarities and differences of Spanish speaking countries
Take advantage of the increased opportunities available to those with Spanish speaking skills
CHOIR
Introductory Choral Music with the Kodaly method
Increasingly taking a leadership role in the coral singing in class and school
Folk songs, hymns, patriotic songs, and Christian holiday works are introduced and practiced
ART: FOUNDATIONS OF ART
Advanced Art students will learn more about the elements of Art and Principles of Design, including a study in lettering and typography, paper cutting, drawing (with pen, ink, graphite, charcoal, and oil and chalk pastel), ceramic Sgraffito wedding vase. Successful students will also study
High relief and bas relief sculpture
Plaster figure sculpture
Relief printmaking,
Ceramic Greek red/black figure vessels
Watercolor painting
Acrylic painting
PE
Twice a week with exercises, stretching, and individual and team games.
Emphasis on general fitness and cultivating lifelong habits of activity
BIBLE: PAULINE EPISTLES
Students deepen their appreciation of scripture as Gods Word by extended and disciplined study of Pauline Epistles and dedicated study of the Reformation
Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of how the texts they study were used in medieval and reformation era debates about Paul and justification by faith, among other theological topics, through writing exercises of Encomium and Viturpation and oral exercises of the formal dialectical method.
Students will engage in sustained and disciplined inquiry into the life and work of the Apostle Paul by doing the following:
Debate different medieval and reformation interpretations of the biblical texts through writing exercises and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Become familiar with the way the Pauline Epistles were used in the life of the church, and see how this effects the reading and application of God’s Holy Word to all of life
Memorize sections of the prophets and recite or sing them as a class and individually
Apply biblical concepts learned in class to real world situations, so that they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable situations later in life
Engage in a sustained inquiry into the interpretation of life and work of Paul, as seen in a research paper based in the class reading of a book on different interpretations of Paul and examination of his works from a rhetorical perspective
Extended inquiry into the history of reformation as seen in the works of Huss, Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin and Cranmer seen as an attempt to recapture the church’s Pauline spirituality
Pray these scriptures through the adoption of a habitual practice of morning and evening prayer, modeled on Lectio Divina
The student will academically study the same passages they pray, so that God’s Spirit will form both the head and the heart for lifelong love of God’s Word.
MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Students will gain an appreciation for the cultural and material life of medieval civilization, from the time of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty to the advent of the Reformation with specific attention given to the Carolingian renaissance and the rise and decline of the Holy Roman Empire and the Crusades
Students will engage in sustained and disciplined inquiry into medieval civilization by doing the following:
Debate different historical interpretations of events such as the Crusades through writing exercises of Encomium and Viturpation and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Find events in the text on geographical maps, and observing the change of maps over time
Locate events in the text on a timeline and memorization of Geneva Academy timeline for class
Apply insights from historical research to real world, so they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable events in life
Students will spend extended time developing close reading skills in primary source historical material including but not limited to:
The City of God, by Augustine
Selections about the Crusades
Selections from St. Thomas Aquinas, or Assisi and Aquinas by G.K. Chesterton
The Prince by Machiavelli
Chronicle of the Kings of England, by William of Malmesbury
Lives of Thomas Beckett, by Michael Staunton
The Travels of Marco Polo
An extended unit on reformation history including selections from The Westminster Confession of Faith, Schleitheim Confession, works of Calvin, Luther, the 39 Articles, Augsburg Confession and Synod of Dordt
Teacher will draw primarily from Susan Wise Bauer’s The History of the Medieval World and History of the Renaissance World for age-appropriate activities deepening the students understanding of the history of the time leading up to the birth of the Modern world
MEDIEVAL LITERATURE & COMPOSITION
Students will gain an appreciation for the literature of medieval civilization from theJulio-Claudian Dynasty to the time of the Reformation with specific attention given to the literature of medieval Europe, including England.
Students will engage in sustained and disciplined inquiry into the literature of medieval civilizations by doing the following:
Debate different historical interpretations through writing exercises of Encomium and Viturpation and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Locate literary events on an historical timeline and memorization of Geneva Academy timeline for the class
Use experience to interpret texts and apply insights from literature to the real world, so they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable events later in life
Become familiar with the writing/editing process through weekly rough draft revision in peer editing sessions and teacher corrections
imitate good writing at the sentence, paragraph and essay level, separating form from content and adapting the form to new content from the student’s own experience
develop extensive vocabulary and copious writing skills through the use of Erasmus’ writing exercises, and weekly vocabulary games taken from the readings
Memorization of poetry
Students will cultivate close reading skills by reading and debating the interpretation of great works of literature in the primary source, including but not limited to the following:
Selections from City of God, by St. Augustine
Marriage of Philology and Mercury by Martianus Minneus Felix Capella
Consolation of Philosophy, by Boethius
Works by Aquinas, medieval dialogues and disputations
The Divine Comedy, by Dante
Selections from Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer
Don Quixote, by Cervantes
Shakespearean tragedies or historical plays
Selections from The Fairie Queen, by Spencer
Introduction to English poetry with selections from Cooper, Woodsworth, Donne and others
The teacher will also draw from European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages, by Ernest Robert Curtius and other resources.
ECONOMICS I: INTRODUCTION TO MICRO AND MACRO ECONOMICS
Students in this class will examine the nation’s basic economic structure, giving sustained and disciplined inquiry into the following topics:
Supply, Demand, and Equilibrium
Elasticity and Its Applications
Taxes and Subsidies
The Price System
Price Ceilings and Price Floors
Trade
Externalities
Costs and Profit Maximization Under Competition
Competition and the Invisible Hand
Monopoly
Price Discrimination
Labor Markets
Public Goods and the Tragedy of the Commons
Asymmetric Information
Consumer Choice
Successful students will be able to articulate the relationship between economic systems, models, political choices and various worldviews or philosophies and a biblical view of stewardship. They will also be able to describe Judeo-Christian teaching on economics in the family and community context, including debt, charity, wealth, money, investment, character, employer-employee relationships, the church and the marketplace.
Students will engage in a sustained and disciplined inquiry into the following primary sources about economics including by not limited to:
I, Pencil by Leonard Read
Selections from
Economic Sophisms, by Frederick Bastiat
Selections from Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
Selections from The Communist Manifesto, by Marx and Engels
Selections from The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by Keynes
RHETORIC: APOLOGETICS AND SPEECH
Students will learn the basic format and techniques of formal and informal argumentation, with attention given to apologetical examples. Selections will be taken from but not limited to the following:
The Luther-Erasmus debate about predestination and free will
The Ham-Nye debate on science and origins
The Harris-Wilson “Letter to A Christian Nation” debate
The Hitchens – Wilson “God is not Great” debate
The debate surrounding Christian exclusivism as seen in Ravi Zacharias’ book Jesus Among the Other Gods
Others as they become evident in our ongoing “Great Conversation”
The teacher will make selections for classroom reading and discussion from the following:
Mere Christianity, by CS Lewis
New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell
The 10 Most Common Objections to Christianity, by Alex McFarland
Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing your Christian Convictions, by Gregory Kould
A successful student in this class will be able to do the following:
Recall and apply the five canons of rhetoric and a proper understanding of ethos and pathos to their response to the problem of higher criticism of the bible as well as philosophical problems such as theodicy (or the problem of evil), naturalism and postmodernism
Properly cite research, compose, memorize and deliver a speech at the speech meet
Critically judge and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a debate
Demonstrate critical thinking and persuasive skills defending or adapting personal beliefs when challenged
MATH – PRECALCULUS
Students will determine the nature of functions and their limits, and explore the concepts of infinite and instantaneous. Most importantly, they will learn about the Derivative and the Integral, and the special relationship that they share, as well as advanced topics such as Multiple Integrals. Along the way we will explore the historical development of calculus, and the discoveries that lead us to knowing calculus the way we do today. A student who successfully finishes this course should be able to do the following:
Define a function
Define the domain and range of a function
Determine if a graph represents a function
Determine the nature of the function from the graph
Work with and know the Laws of Logarithms
Determine the limit of a function
Calculate limits using the limit laws
Give the precise definition of a limit
Determine the continuous or discontinuous nature of a function
Find horizontal asymptotes
Take the Derivative of a function using differential rules
Apply the rates of change, growth and decay to the natural sciences
Use Sigma Notation and Riemann Sums to define and determine the value of a definite Integral
State the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (Part 1 and 2)
Use the substitution Rule to perform a change of variables thus simplifying the Integral
SCIENCE – CHEMISTRY
This course will introduce traditional concepts of chemistry, as well as the rhetorical and dialectical strategies of successful Chemists. Students will look at chemists and the study of matter under the frame work that God created and governs it all. Chemistry is the study of atoms, how they arrange themselves into compounds, and the changes they undergo.
The course will include a review of measurement and the metric system, study of atomic structure in some detail, investigation of the periodic table and its meaning, study of various types of chemical bonding, and investigation into different chemical compounds and why they behave as they do (as far as we know). Conceptual and mathematical understanding of chemistry will be stressed.
Problem-solving skills, test-taking skills, hands on activities, time-on-task, problem-based learning, critical thinking situations, and activity and lab-based learning will be incorporated throughout the course. A student who successfully completes this course should be able to do the following:
Experience wonder and awe as they discover the intricate design, order and complexity of God’s creation.
Have a deeper understanding of how chemistry impacts their daily lives.
Appropriately use practical scientific skills, which they can use to investigate, study and explain the world around them, from a Biblical worldview. (All students are required to prepare an original project and research paper for Geneva’s bi-annual science fair)
Conduct inquiry in the spirit of scientific investigation and with it the attitudes of accuracy in thought and work.
Have an awareness of rhetorical and dialectical strategies of scientists more generally and chemists in particular
AESTHETICS III – RENAISSANCE TO BAROQUE
Students will deepen their appreciation of God’s beauty and the many artistic gifts he has given throughout the ages. Students who successfully complete this class will be able to do the following:
Define the study of aesthetics and articulate its value in general and to a Christian
Understand and use correctly the vocabulary of artistic concepts, methods, materials
Accurately describe the links between art and the cultures of 14th century France and Italy, 15th century Northern Europe and Italy, and high renaissance Italy, France and England and the Baroque period.
Recognize key works of art and architecture from each of the civilizations studied
Explain how Christians of the Reformation and Counter reformation incarnated their beliefs into art and architecture in the 16 and 17th centuries
Accurately describe a work of art in writing and analyze it
CHOIR
Introductory Choral Music with the Kodaly method
Increasingly taking a leadership role in the coral singing in class and school
Folk songs, hymns, patriotic songs, and Christian holiday works are introduced and practiced
ART: FOUNDATIONS OF ART
Advanced Art students will learn more about the elements of Art and Principles of Design, including a study in lettering and typography, paper cutting, drawing (with pen, ink, graphite, charcoal, and oil and chalk pastel), ceramic Sgraffito wedding vase. Successful students will also study
High relief and bas relief sculpture
Plaster figure sculpture
Relief printmaking,
Ceramic Greek red/black figure vessels
Watercolor painting
Acrylic painting
PE
Twice a week with exercises, stretching, and individual and team games.
Emphasis on general fitness and cultivating lifelong habits of activity
BIBLE: JESUS AND THE FOUR GOSPELS
Students deepen their love of the person and work of Jesus through an examination of the ways in which the four gospels all point toward the same Jesus, while having stylistic differences that enhance the literary portrait of our Savior.
Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of how the texts they study were used in modern debates about the historical Jesus among other faiths, through writing exercises of Encomium and Viturpation and oral exercises of the formal dialectical method.
Students will engage in sustained and disciplined inquiry into the life and work of the Apostle Paul by doing the following:
Debate different modern interpretations of the biblical gospel through writing exercises and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Become familiar with the way the different Gospels were used in the life of the church, and see how this effects the reading and application of God’s Holy Word to all of life
Engage in a multiyear study of the use of figures of speech in holy scripture, through use of the text by Bullinger
Find events in the text on geographical maps, and observing the change of maps over time, and locate events in the text on a timeline
Memorize sections of the gospels and recite or sing them as a class and individually
Apply biblical concepts learned in class to real world situations, so that they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable situations later in life
Engage in a sustained inquiry into the interpretation of the controversy surrounding the life and work of Jesus, as seen in a research paper based in the class reading of a book on finding the one Jesus in the four gospels
Pray these scriptures through the adoption of a habitual practice of morning and evening prayer, modeled on Lectio Divina
The student will academically study the same passages they pray, so that God’s Spirit will form both the head and the heart for lifelong love of God’s Word.
BIBLICAL CIVICS: THE OBLIGATIONS OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP
The student will gain a working knowledge of the constitutional polity of their local church. We will then focus on local city of Roseburg, Douglas County, Oregon and American constitutional order, to be able to discharge their civic duty as a citizen for the Glory of God. They will trace the development and corruption of constitutional order through time.
A successful student will be able to do the following:
Describe a narrative of American History from revolution to now, through the supposed “four” American Revolutions and Republics. The student will give appropriate balance to both continuity and change in the description of the past of our beloved America.
The teacher will use primarily teacher made resources in addition to existing resources on The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Debates.
AMERICAN HISTORY
Students will gain an appreciation for the continuity and discontinuity that exists between ancient, medieval and our American civilization.
Building on their extensive knowledge of the ancient and medieval worlds, students will engage in sustained and disciplined inquiry into the American civilization by doing the following:
Debate different historical interpretations of controversial American events through writing exercises of Encomium and Viturpation and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Find events in the text on geographical maps, and observing the change of maps over time
Locate events in the text on a timeline and memorization of the Geneva Academy timeline for the class
Apply insights from historical research to real world, so they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable events in life
Students will spend extended time developing close reading skills in primary source historical material including but not limited to:
Various early explorers and colonial era literatures
Selections from Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford and other puritan writings
American Revolutionary era pamphlets
Democracy in America, by De Tocqueville and other travel record literature
Gilded Age and Industrial Revolution and Westward Expansion selections
Mexican-American War and Civil War, from Battle Cry Freedom
Selections from Marie Chestnut and other diaries
Reconstruction and Radical Republicanism political documents
World War I & II documents
Great Depression and “New Deal” documents
Progressive era and emigration selections
Cold War era selections up to the Fall of the Soviet Union
Korea, Vietnam and Civil Rights Era documents
9/11 and the War on Terror
Teacher will draw from volume Kidd’s American History narrative, as well as one and two of A Concise History of the American Republic, by Samuel Eliot Morison, Henry Steele Commager, et al. and other sources.
AMERICAN LITERATURE & COMPOSITION
Students will gain an appreciation for the literature of American civilization from the founding to the present.
Students will engage in sustained and disciplined inquiry into the literature of American civilization by doing the following:
Debate different historical interpretations through writing exercises of Encomium and Viturpation and oral exercises of formal dialectic
Locate literary events on an historical timeline and memorization of Geneva Academy timeline for the class
Use experience to interpret texts and apply insights from literature to the real world, so they will be prepared to apply them to unpredictable events later in life
Become familiar with the writing/editing process through weekly rough draft revision in peer editing sessions and teacher corrections
Imitate good writing at the sentence, paragraph and essay level, separating form from content and adapting the form to new content from the student’s own experience
Develop extensive vocabulary and copious writing skills through the use of Erasmus’ writing exercises, and weekly vocabulary games taken from the readings
Memorization of American poetry
Students will cultivate close reading skills by reading and debating the interpretation of great works of literature in the primary source, including but not limited to the following:
Paradise Lost, by Milton
The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne and other early American selections
Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman and other American poetry
Moby Dick, and short stories by Herman Melville
The Fable, or other selections from William Faulkner
The Sun also Rises, or other selections from Ernest Hemingway
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
Short Story collections from famous American authors like J.D. Salinger and Flannery O’Conner
Other selections depending on the class and teacher judgment
The teacher will also draw on collections or anthologies of American Literature as appropriate
ECONOMICS II: INTERMEDIATE MICRO AND MACRO ECONOMICS
Students will individually apply the general topics learned through goal setting. They will also study, in depth, the following topics: fiat currency, fractional reserve banking, the history of central banking, differing theories of economic growth and the problem of externalities and different kinds of responses. The successful student will also be able to
GDP
The Wealth of Nations and Economic Growth
Growth, Capital Accumulation, and the Economics of Ideas
Savings, Investment, and the Financial System
Personal Finance
Unemployment and Labor Force Participation
Inflation and Quantity Theory of Money
Business Fluctuations
Business Cycle Theories
Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve
Fiscal Policy
Students will engage in a sustained and disciplined inquiry into the following primary sources about economics including by not limited to selections from:
Economic Sophisms, by Frederic Bastiat or Rhetoric of Economics by McCloskey
Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
The Communist Manifesto, by Marx and Engels
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by Keynes
RHETORIC IV – SENIOR THESIS
This is the capstone of the students Geneva rhetorical education. The student will research, write and publicly defend their position on a controversial thesis of public importance. Students will prepare by researching and writing and delivering a speech at the speech meet, done to MLA standards. A student who successfully completes this could will be able to:
Draft lines of inquiry for the purpose of researching a topic, and know of places to look
Draft, edit and revise thesis statements for papers, speeches and debates
Draft, format, edit, revise and publish a substantial research paper in MLA format on both a controversial and non-controversial subject
Draft, edit, revise, memorize and deliver a speech, employing appropriate rhetorical techniques for an audience
Present and orally defend a well-researched thesis
Do all of the above with grace and eloquence
MATH – CALCULUS
Students will refine their algebraic, geometric, and trigonometric skills by exploring the nature of functions and their limits, and the concepts of infinite and instantaneous. Perhaps most notable, we will learn about the Derivative and the Integral, and the special relationship that they share, as well as advanced topics such as Multiple Integrals. Along the way we will explore the historical development of calculus, and the successful rhetorical and dialectical strategies that lead us to knowing calculus the way we do today.
A successful student will be able to do the following:
Define and describe a function
Define the domain and range of a function
Determine if a graph represents a function
Determine the nature of the function from the graph
Work with and know the Laws of Logarithms
Determine the limit of a function
Calculate limits using the limit laws
Give the precise definition of a limit
Determine the continuous or discontinuous nature of a function
Find horizontal asymptotes
Take the Derivative of a function using differential rules
Apply the rates of change, growth and decay to the natural sciences
Use Sigma Notation and Riemann Sums to define and determine the value of a definite Integral
State the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (Part 1 and 2)
Use the substitution Rule to perform a change of variables thus simplifying the Integral
SCIENCE – PHYSICS
Students in this class will learn to appreciate the beauty of God’s ordering of the universe. Students will become aware of successful rhetorical and dialectical strategies in science and Physics more specifically, by examining the works of Physicists. Topics include the following:
Mechanics
Properties of Materials
Thermodynamics
Waves
Optics
Electricity & Magnetism
Students will also become familiar with the need for experiential confirmation and refutation of theories and the rhetorical conventions governing the writing of lab reports, by engaging in many hands-on learning activities including but not limited to:
Projectiles
Radial Acceleration
Diffraction Grating
Index of Diffraction
Lenses
Capacitors
Circuits
Friction
Pulleys
Torque
Density
Springs
Buoyancy
Specific Heat
Gravitational vs. Inertial Mass
AESTHETICS IV – NEOCLASSICAL TO MODERN
Students will see Gods great Artistry by sustained and disciplined inquiry into the aesthetic movements of neoclassicism, Romanticism, Pre-Raphaelites, the Hudson River School, Impressionism illustration, and the rapid and often disturbing changes in art in the 20th century. The class culminates in the student articulating and defending their understanding of a Christian aesthetic.
CHOIR
Advanced Choral Music with the Kodaly method
Students increasingly taking a leadership role in the choral singing in class and school
Folk songs, hymns, patriotic songs, and Christian holiday works are introduced and practiced
ART: FOUNDATIONS OF ART
Advanced Art students will learn more about the elements of Art and Principles of Design, including a study in lettering and typography, paper cutting, drawing (with pen, ink, graphite, charcoal, and oil and chalk pastel), ceramic Sgraffito wedding vase. Successful students will also study
Hhigh relief and bas relief sculpture
Plaster figure sculpture
Relief printmaking,
Ceramic Greek red/black figure vessels
Watercolor painting
Acrylic painting
PE
Twice a week with exercises, stretching, and individual and team games.
Emphasis on general fitness and cultivating lifelong habits of activity
"'O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called...knowledge.'"
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