Literature

WELCOME!

Welcome to the Colloquia Literature page! Let us introduce you to our courses: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde short course, Animal Farm short course, and our yearlong Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Courses all at online literature courses. 

Our Story

In 2003, the Schutt's oldest son David was a homeschooled high-school freshman. Lisa thought David should be reading classic literature and was thrilled that with Mike's English degree and love for the classics they together could and would start a four-year era-based cycle that would end his senior year. Although Mike had good intentions, he never “found the time” to actually teach their son, so Lisa strategically invited several of David's homeschooled friends to join them the very next Friday for the semester. There is nothing like accountability! From those first four students studying ancient literature in their living room, the local class has grown to over 50 students and is now in its 22nd year.

During the hour-and-half class, Mike uses a combination of lecture and Socratic method to facilitate a discussion of the assigned work for the week, which students have read before class. This is very natural for him, since he has taught in the law-school classroom and on the faculty of Worldview Academy. Over each four-year cycle, the course covers literature from four eras: Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Reformation, and Modern.

We have taken the popular local literature class and made it available to families who are looking for a tool to deepen their students' experience reading classic literature. We have recorded the interactive classes over four years to give the online students the in-class experience. The yearlong online courses give instruction and encouragement to students as they read and model faithful thinking about reading, the arts, and worldview from a distinctly Christian perspective. Registered students follow a reading schedule, watch an introductory video on the major themes of each work, answer study questions, and watch a recorded classroom discussion of each week's reading. 

Read more about the era-based literature courses. 

Have a look at what our online students are saying! 


How the Literature Course Works

Each family participates in the Literature course based on the schedule set out in the Syllabus. Students watch an introductory video, complete the reading assignments, and then watch the Class Discussion Video for that week, posted every Monday morning and removed the following Sunday night. 

Parents, of course, choose which day of the week the readings are due and when the student will view the Class Discussion Video. 

The Big Picture

The course intentionally takes a "big picture" approach to transcendent themes in the classic novels, epic poems, and modern short stories the course covers. That is, Mike assumes that students have read carefully and comprehend well, so the class usually jumps right into a discussion of themes and worldview. In addition, the course seeks to foster a love of reading these classics, and some time is spent in every class sharing what the students enjoyed or did not enjoy about the weeks' reading. Technical questions, such as literary definitions and the like, are handled as they arise, rather than as a main feature of the class.  

The classroom discussion is conducted primarily as a dialogue between instructor and students. Mike is an English major with a love for literature and its power to captivate and encourage us as human beings created in the image of God. He has been a law professor for almost three decades, and he serves on the faculty of Worldview Academy, where he spends his summers teaching high school students about law, government, vocation, and leisure from a distinctly Christian perspective. 

Students participate in the classroom by viewing the interaction on video. With clever use of the pause button, small groups or families can discuss in their homes along with the class. 

Reviews

What our students are saying! 

Available Courses

Contact Us

Questions? Contact Mike or Lisa at contact@joiningthegreatconversation.com.