Our Rhetoric Students also participate in a wide range of classes.
Omnibus combines history and literature in a single course. Each year, students will focus on a specific time period and read classic texts to enhance their understanding of that era.
- 9th Grade: Ancient Near East, Greece and Rome; Early Church
- This course returns to a study of the Ancient Near East, Greece and Rome, with a deeper consideration of matters of ethics and justice, before ultimately coming to the Gospel of Salvation in Jesus Christ. Students read epic and dramatic poetry in The Iliad, the classical historical texts of Josephus and Thucydides, and the philosophy of Plato (amongst others) that ask deep questions about goodness and justice, and what it means to live ethically in community with other human beings.
- 10th Grade: Medieval Europe with a continental emphasis
- Omnibus returns to a study of Medieval Europe with a deeper philosophical and theological consideration of Christendom, starting with St Augustine’s City of God, continuing through specifically Christian forms of imaginative literature that develop throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance while reading texts like Hamlet, The Faerie Queen, and Paradise Lost, They also learn about developments in science while concluding with the Reformation and Renaissance and the emergence of humanism in Western Philosophy.
- 11th Grade: The Modern World with a Global Emphasis
- Omnibus focuses on Europe’s transition into the modern age from the medieval age. The class studies solidity of the unified Christian world view as people of this age begin to question everything from social class and religion to philosophy and government. Because of the class’s historical situation in the modern age the literature is primarily comprised of novels and plays from the West’s greatest authors with texts such as Sense and Sensibility, Crime and Punishment, The Sun Also Rises, and The Great Divorce.
- 12th Grade: The History and Literature of the United States of America
- Omnibus begins with the study of the origins of America as colonies of Britain as they establish their own unique identity, first culturally and then politically. It follows with a study of America as an independent nation from independence to the Cold War, and the effects and application of the principles of freedom, responsibility, and justice. Texts include The Scarlet Letter, The Souls of Black Folk, a Good Man is Hard to Find and The Death of a Salesman.
Science courses at Rhetoric draw on the knowledge and skills built at the Grammar and Dialectic levels and encourage deeper thinking about science and our relationship with creation. Emphasis on model building and real-world applications lead to discussions on the intersection of science and everyday life.
- 9th Grade Algebra Physics
- Ninth grade is a physics course which emphasizes building mathematical models for real-world situations.Physics corresponds to students’ study of algebra in 8th or 9th grade, showing them a practical application of mathematics. Students learn to appreciate the beautiful harmony of creation as they begin with one and two-dimensional kinematics but end the year with the strangeness of the universe as they explore special relativity.
- 10th Grade Biology
- Tenth grade students continue their exploration of the complexity of life in Honors Biology. Laboratory skills are paramount through multiple dissections throughout the year.
- 11th Grade Chemistry
- Eleventh grade science sees another jump in the level of rigor, as well as further integration of mathematics with science. Students’ time in the chemistry lab emphasizes the importance of precision and attention to detail.
- 12th Grade Physics
- In twelfth grade, students will choose an advanced course that corresponds to both their interests and their math track.
- Calculus students take a parallel course in calculus-based physics which, like the algebra version, begins with Newtonian mechanics and ends with quantum physics and relativity. Students begin to learn how to develop complicated formulas from first principles.
- Honors Environmental Science, while less math-intensive, is a rigorous course that examines biology and the environment at a systems level. Students should expect research, writing and an exploration of their role and responsibilities in the natural world.
Rhetoric Theology courses build upon the foundation of the biblical theology gleaned in the dialectic years, deepening the understanding acquired there and pushing students into broader areas of loving engagement with neighbors.
- Logic enables one to think well about the world, especially arguments found therein. Students embody the art of logic through contemplation of the theistic foundations of logic, practice of making and defending arguments,training in identifying fallacious arguments and learning proof methods for sentential and quantified logic.
- Systems of Thought is devoted to the exploration and discussion of the history and development of Christian doctrine, doctrine being shorthand for the content of scripture’s narrative, conceived as stage directions for the dramatic embodiment of the biblical narrative of creation, fall, renewal.
- Government/Econ represents a seeming departure from what seems a traditional biblical and theological trajectory. These courses are, however, significant in their placement in the theological curriculum. The promises of God include an eschatological Garden City, a polis in which the reign and rule of Christ encompasses all things, including the structure of human society and the places of exchange. Government and economics examines the diverse ways God’s image bearers have attempted to live out that image in community, looking specifically at American Government and economic policies and finishing with conversations about personally and practically stewarding God’s resources.
- Comparative Religions is the study of the world’s religions, but with a concern for how we ought to treat an Other’s religious beliefs as much as with the content of those religious beliefs. Couched in terms of sacrificial listening, the goal of the course is humble engagement with other religion through a critical evaluation of students’ own assumptions about Others’ religions, a consequent embodiment of a Gospel-driven ethic of engagement and careful readings of the major texts of Atheist, Taoist, Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim neighbors.
Students at The Academy complete their Latin study in 9th grade and, between grades 10-12, students take Spanish.
In Rhetoric Mathematics, our courses follow a traditional sequence:
- Algebra 1
- Geometry
- Algebra 2
We continue the Glencoe/McGraw Hill curriculum through Algebra 2.
Upper-level math classes include:
- Honors Precalculus
- Honors Intro to Probability and Statistics
- Honors Calculus
We offer two math tracks that are primarily based on student readiness. If students have successfully completed our 8th grade math course, they have the option to start the track with Geometry. The second track starts with Algebra 1 in 9th grade. Both tracks prepare students for standardized testing and college readiness. Many of our upper-level math classes offer concurrent enrolment with a local university.
Practicum continues into the rhetoric grades with courses IV & V.
- Practicum IV is designed to guide the student in the basics of persuasive composition and elementary poetry. In the composition portion of the year, The Lost Tools of Writing I guides the student not only in composing a persuasive essay, but also in analyzing literature, employing the three canons of classical rhetoric (invention, arrangement, and elocution), and applying various schemes and tropes. In the study of poetry, the student utilizes the book The Art of Poetry to guide them in learning how to identify and utilize the basic poetic devices as they read and analyze poetry and then compose their own poems.
- Practicum V is designed to guide the student in the basics of judicial composition and in depth studies of specific American poets and poetry. In the composition portion of the year, Lost Tools of Writing II guides the student in perfecting the judicial essay. This course allows students to further hone their use of the three classical canons of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, elocution) while also focusing on citations, addressing a certain audience, problems of bias, and an exploration of justice, laws, evidence, and motive. In the poetry portion of this course, students will focus on a study of specific verse and shape forms through a study of the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman.
The Academy’s Writing program culminates in the execution of a Capstone project, presented to our community in their last semester.
Rhetoric students also take two elective classes each year. Elective choices include but are not limited to: Music, Art, P.E., Drama, Forensics/Debate.