Rhetoric School Curriculum

The courses in the rhetoric school are all focused on teaching students how to construct and express arguments through deeper exposure to and practice with the subjects taught. Our liberal arts training, emphasizing the verbal and mathematical arts, along with the integration of subjects, comes alive most fully during these last four years. Beyond simply preparing them for college, our curriculum endows students with useful capacities and invigorated imaginations.

Upper School Course Timeline & TGS Graduation Requirements

Mathematics

Geneva’s mathematics curriculum rests upon the foundational principle that math is a formative liberal arts discipline in its own right as well as a useful tool in fields like science, technology, and engineering. In the rhetoric school, the mathematics curriculum seeks to build upon the liberal arts of arithmetic and algebra, expanding these skills as students explore the concepts of discrete quantity and continuous magnitude in the classes of Geometry, Algebra II, and Calculus. From the ancient Greek’s use of trigonometry to determine relative distances of the sun and the moon to Galileo’s predictions of the rate of fall of projectiles, math has been an integral part of analyzing the natural world. As such, mathematics provides a vital resource for studies in scientific disciplines like chemistry and physics.

GEOMETRY
Normally taken in 9th grade
Course Code: 1206320 (Honors)

We have inherited art, literature, and democracy from the Greeks, but they have also given us mathematics—specifically geometry. In mathematics, God has given us a window through which to observe our intricate universe. In fact, it can be said that geometry, with its strict adherence to deduction and abstraction, was the first branch of mathematics to be discovered.

Geometry gives us the ability to think sequentially and logically. It enables us to create and appreciate beauty. In this course, students explore the beautiful and coherent world of geometry.

Students study the basic axioms, postulates, and definitions of geometry. They engage in a process of discovery in which they see the beauty of mathematics. They work collaboratively and independently to practice, discover, and problem-solve. Class time includes plenty of opportunities to practice skills, play games, and create two- and three-dimensional geometric figures using a variety of methods including construction, the method used by Euclid.

Enduring Understandings

Geometry is a deductive system. Knowledge, therefore, proceeds from initial postulates, axioms, and definitions to theorems. Because of this, it has great internal cohesiveness.
Proof is the method for determining mathematical truth beginning with geometry and proceeding to all of the fields of mathematics. Through geometry, students develop deductive reasoning through the tool of the proof.
Through geometry, we can model the physical world through the use of drawings, models, and equations. We can then use those models to solve real-world problems.
Geometric and algebraic procedures are interconnected and build on one another. Integration of various mathematical procedures builds a stronger foundation for finding solutions.

ALGEBRA II
Normally taken in 10th grade
Course Code: 1200340 (Honors)

Mathematics is a wonderful God-given tool that models the relationships of nature and science. It is the language spoken by God’s physical creation. We discover in mathematics a reflection of the order, rationality, and immutability found in God’s own divine nature. In studying mathematics, we develop practical skills in ordering and manipulating the world around us and are able to more effectively rule over nature and benefit mankind. With these skills, we are able to develop a deeper, intuitive understanding of God himself.

Algebra II has historically been the study of advanced algebra and merging of the abstract computational tool of algebra with the spatial relationships of geometry. This advance allowed for a geometric curve to be represented by an equation, providing extraordinary insight into the properties of shapes and moving objects. This class covers the knowledge, skills, and essential ideas of advanced and geometric algebra and sets the foundation for the introduction of calculus. Special emphasis is placed on learning as a community with the understanding that mathematics in a discovery context requires practice in both the dialectic and rhetoric arts. Through valuable discussion, debate, and play, students discover primary principles of Algebra II while sharing in the wonder brought about by the exploration process.

Enduring Understandings

Algebra II coursework allows students to refine computational fluency in advanced algebra techniques while developing thorough and efficient organizational habits for computational work.
Where appropriate, students are asked to participate in Socratic questioning and discussions. Questions of value or merit are presented, leading to thoughtful discussions designed to sharpen the students’ ability to think clearly, critically, and reflectively about the immediate lesson and the fundamental ideas of the subject matter.
Advanced algebra techniques are applied and understood in order to evaluate real-world problem-solving situations. Many times, these problems require persistence and ingenuity. Explanations of problem-solving methods and alternative methods presented by peers should be clear and logical.Advanced algebra techniques are applied and understood in order to evaluate real-world problem-solving situations. Many times, these problems require persistence and ingenuity. Explanations of problem-solving methods and alternative methods presented by peers should be clear and logical.
Learning is not a solitary activity. A community in which discussions, debate, and play are incorporated contributes to the building of habits for lifelong learning.
Mathematics is a tool that gives mankind constructs with which to understand the patterns and relationships of God’s creation.

PRECALCULUS
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 1202340 (Honors)

Through learning mathematics, students cultivate virtues that help people flourish. These include fortitude, self-control, curiosity, patience, and joy. Through working collaboratively, students independently and interdependently explore the ideas of mathematics. As Blaise Pascal said, “People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others.” The precalculus course in particular seeks to help students to love the beauty of and think deeply about mathematics. Precalculus allows students to apply their knowledge in advanced algebra while developing a thorough understanding of all types of functions, conic sections, vectors, parametric functions, polar functions, and introductory calculus.

Enduring Understandings

Mathematics is a tool that gives mankind constructs with which to understand the patterns and relationships of God’s creation.
Contextualization of mathematical ideas is at the forefront of learning. Students become mathematical explorers through engaging in problem-solving and reasoning with their peers.
Learning is not a solitary activity. A community in which discussions, debate, and play are incorporated contributes to the building of habits for lifelong learning.
Students are asked to participate in Socratic questioning and discussions. Questions of value or merit are presented, leading to thoughtful discussions designed to sharpen the students’ ability to think clearly, critically, and reflectively about the immediate lesson and the fundamental ideas of the subject matter.

FUNCTIONS, PROBABILITY, AND STATISTICS
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 1210300 (Honors)

Statistics is known as the science of data collection. Just as many fields of science use the scientific method to form conclusions of hypotheses based on experimentation, statistical analysis follows a similar process of observations, forming hypotheses, developing experiments, and accurately interpreting and presenting data to form conclusions. Statistical modeling provides quantifiable, empirical data that presents correlations and relationships within data and allows professionals to develop predictions based on current outcomes or trends with varying degrees of confidence.

This introductory statistics course presents how to form statistical hypotheses and accurately collect appropriate and unbiased data from experimentation or data collection, explores the various ways of analyzing data, and develops statistical reasoning skills. Even though statistics is often viewed as an objective form of mathematics, students develop an understanding that it can be very subjective and oftentimes misleading depending on how data is collected and interpreted.

During the first nine weeks, SAT mathematics subject matter is incorporated into the statistics course to help students prepare to take the exam. They study test-taking and problem-solving strategies as well as review all previous mathematical topics including Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Precalculus coursework. Students enhance their testing efficiency with specific strategies regarding the use of graphing calculators.

Enduring Understandings

In the first nine weeks, students review test-taking strategies and skills for the SAT mathematics test. The SAT mathematics test covers all skills from previous coursework including Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Precalculus.
Statistical analysis and graphic displays often reveal patterns in seemingly random data or populations, enabling predictions with varying degrees of confidence. The message conveyed by the data depends on how the data is collected, represented, and summarized.
Statistical analysis and modeling can be utilized to argue or refute theories in a variety of disciplines. The process of accurate modeling includes the knowledge of valid experiments, creating statistical hypotheses, designing an experiment, and correctly interpreting data with reasonable arguments using logical inductive and deductive skills.
Statistics utilizes mathematical processes of problem-solving, communication, reasoning, representations, and technology to solve problems and communicate results clearly.
Solving statistical problems requires an understanding of spatial sense, geometric properties, measurement, patterns, functions, statistics, probability, and simple algebraic concepts.

AP CALCULUS AB
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 1202310
Minimum Prerequisites: Precalculus Hons (B+), Cum GPA (3.0), 11th grade PSAT math score (570)

Calculus arose out of the scientific revolution of the 1600s and is an expressly unique mathematical tool that uses the principles of zero and infinity to efficiently determine exact answers to problems that could only be solved as laborious approximations beforehand. The elegance, simplicity, and raw computational power of calculus served as the fuel for the rapid and profound advances in the physical sciences and thus significantly shaped the philosophy and culture of the modern Western world.

In this culminating high school mathematics class, students are expected to think deeply about mathematics and tackle problems of greater complexity than they have in the past. From the first day, students learn to look at problems from a variety of angles and determine appropriate methods for solving them. The goal is that students discover the beauty of calculus and see the world through this new lens.

The class walks together through the basic ideas of the calculus: beginning with the limit, continuing on with the derivative, and concluding with the integral. Every day, students work, play, and learn together. They approach learning as a communal endeavor with the teacher as facilitator and guide helping them to discover and appreciate the beauty of calculus.

Enduring Understandings

Patterns, functions, and relationships can be represented graphically, numerically, symbolically, or verbally.
The derivative represents a rate of change and may be used to find local linear approximation. It may be applied to solve a variety of problems.
The definite integral may be understood both as a limit of Riemann sums and as the net accumulation of change and can be used to solve a variety of problems.
The relationship between the derivative and the definite integral is understood through the fundamental theorem of calculus.
The study of calculus is a human endeavor born in a particular time and place that can allow us to more fully understand the universe and worship the God who created it.

AP CALCULUS BC
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 1202320
Minimum Prerequisites: Precalculus Hons (B+), Cum GPA (3.0), 11th grade PSAT math score (600)

The class explores limits, derivatives, integrals, sequences and series, polar techniques, and parametric equations. By the study of these topics and through the use of practice problems, this class prepares the students to take the AP Calculus BC examination in May. Every day, students work, play, and learn together. They approach learning as a communal endeavor with the teacher as facilitator and guide helping them to discover and appreciate the beauty of calculus.

Enduring Understandings

Patterns, functions, and relationships can be represented graphically, numerically, symbolically, or verbally.
The derivative represents a rate of change and may be used to find local linear approximation. It may be applied to solve a variety of problems.
The definite integral may be understood both as a limit of Riemann sums and as the net accumulation of change and can be used to solve a variety of problems.
The relationship between the derivative and the definite integral is understood through the fundamental theorem of calculus.
The study of calculus is a human endeavor born in a particular time and place that can allow us to more fully understand the universe and worship the God who created it.

Science

Science in the rhetoric school allows for training in both the verbal and mathematical arts to come together. Skills of observation, interpretation, classification, and identification of cause and effect are coupled with skills of computation, analysis, and prediction. By studying the created world properly, we begin to understand and appreciate the mind of the creator. The natural sciences like biology, chemistry, and physics emphasize an empirical approach to knowledge that is highlighted by the central role of observation in the scientific method. We also study the findings of the great scientists, highlighting the role that observation played in their work and emphasizing the actual history of their discoveries. In addition, we train the students to be good observers and scientists through both formal and informal experiments and laboratory work. A quantitative analytical approach to science that utilizes the mathematical arts is employed as students progress in mathematical ability. The study of science contributes well to the educational goal of the school as a whole: the pursuit of truth together with goodness and beauty.

BIOLOGY
Normally taken in 9th grade
Course Code: 2000320 (Honors)

Biology is a course that surveys the study of life. Students explore the characteristics and nature of living organisms. In the first semester, they explore the historical divisions of living things: humans, animals, and plants. Students learn the attributes of living things by studying the human body, dissecting a rat, and understanding how the systems of the body are integrated together. From there, they see how these attributes are manifested throughout the diversity of the animal and plant kingdoms. During the course of the first semester, students discuss how the study of these subjects has changed from the time of the ancient Near East to the Middle Ages along with how the discipline of natural philosophy has changed over time.

In the second semester, students see how the study of biology changed because of the discovery of cells. Ecology is studied in the context of a week-long camping trip to the Everglades. Following this study of diversity, the class discusses how the theory of evolution developed since the scientific revolution in order to try to explain the diversity of life. Finally, the recent developments of theories of inheritance and the cellular processes that exist within cells are studied and explored. The course culminates in discussion about the adequacy of mechanistic, evolutionary processes for explaining everything that is understood about biology.

Throughout the year, students should expect interconnections with their English, Western civilization, rhetoric, and biblical doctrines classes.

Enduring Understandings

Living organisms integrate a variety of structures to carry on the functions of life.
Organisms are interconnected with other organisms and their environments.
Biology is tied to the historical narrative that shapes who we are as we study nature.
Biology as a science is a way of knowing characterized by observation, induction, comparison, and narrative that is distinct from the physical sciences.
Biology demonstrates the intricacies and complexities of God’s creation through the interaction of information, molecular systems, organisms, and their environments.

CHEMISTRY
Normally taken in 10th grade
Course Code: 20003350 (Honors)

The world is full of intriguing phenomena. To understand what is happening at the visible level, one must understand what is happening at the atomic level. A firm understanding of the topics presented in this course allows for an easy transition to the study of any of the modern sciences, engineering, or medicine. For the future non-scientist, this study provides an understanding of what science is and aims to instill a sense of wonder and awe for the created world.

Students in this course gain a profound understanding of the world in which they live, both the parts they can see and the parts they cannot. They characterize matter both quantitatively and qualitatively, learn various models that describe the nature of matter and chemical bonding, and explore the nature of atoms. The ability to gain knowledge by analyzing data is also a recurring theme. Where possible, attention is given to scientific and ethical issues and the intersections of science and religion.

Course information is presented in lecture form, guided inquiry, and inquiry. Scientific phenomena are also demonstrated in class either by the instructor or in the form of student laboratory investigation. The students participate in various scientific experiments, cook, and study the impact of gas laws on bottle rockets. This course is designed with the hope that students find it both interesting and challenging and that they use it as a microscope to peer into the beauty of God’s creation.

Enduring Understandings

Most everything we observe, chemically speaking, can be explained through the use of models at various scales.
All matter is made up of atoms. This matter undergoes chemical and physical changes and can be understood in both quantitative and qualitative ways. All of these changes also involve changes in energy.
Chemistry has a rich history that includes both negative and positive interactions with society.
Chemistry also has a rich future that includes both negative and positive interactions with society.
Chemistry and, more broadly speaking, science do not stand in opposition to faith. Instead, chemistry can and should work in concert with faith in an attempt to understand the mysteries of God’s creation.

PHYSICS I / PHYSICS DUAL CREDIT / AP PHYSICS I
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 2003390 (Honors) / PHYC053 (Dual Credit) / 2003421 (AP)

Following the Renaissance in Europe, amazing discoveries and mathematical insights transformed the culture. Though the ancient Greeks provided a foundation for these new ideas, Europeans had advanced only slightly in natural philosophy since the fall of the Roman Empire. The revolution in physics began quietly in the sixteenth century with Copernicus but accelerated in the seventeenth century culminating in Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy). This new intellectual framework for studying the world gave birth to modern science, which has profoundly impacted not just how our society lives but how it thinks. This class traces these developments in detail and investigates the methods, analysis, and arguments that formed the backbone of the scientific revolution. Students learn to utilize mathematics to understand and explain physical situations and their causes through the concepts of force, momentum, and energy. They also evaluate the new ideas associated with controversies in the scientific revolution such as the role of natural laws and the mechanical philosophy, the relationship between body and soul, and the use of methods and processes for establishing truth.

Enduring Understandings

Those who laid the foundations of mathematics and natural science, such as Galileo, Pascal, and Newton, have relevance to contemporary discussions of math and science and should be studied as holistic thinkers.
The lordship of Christ over all of creation is meaningful for mathematics and natural science. The rise of modern science is not an unalloyed good free from cultural assumptions and practices but is accompanied by both good and bad elements.
Physics seeks to describe true and beautiful harmonies within creation such as those associated with force, mass, energy, and momentum. But it is not capable of arriving at absolute, universal, or God-like knowledge of reality.
The history of discovery offers insight into the justification of knowledge as it reflects a conversation between natural science and natural history governed by natural philosophy.
Late modern science need not elicit skepticism if early modern science is not dogmatic.

AP CHEMISTRY
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 2003370

Some might ask why a Christian classical school like The Geneva School would offer an AP Chemistry class, but the answer is quite simple. The course that the College Board designed is academically demanding and can greatly benefit those students who plan further study in the hard sciences after high school. Topics covered include properties of matter, atomic structure, bonding, stoichiometry, kinetics, equilibrium, acid-base reactions, thermochemistry, basics of organic chemistry, and electrochemistry. These topics and related skills are the foundation to modern chemistry and serve as a backdrop for all students’ future science endeavors. In an effort not to “reinvent the wheel” Geneva offers this course designed by the College Board, but the class is taught from a historic Christian viewpoint, as a way for students to grow in their understanding of the material world and develop the required skills to practice the discipline of science.

The structure of the classroom is discovery and discussion based and requires a flipped classroom. Homework consists of watching supplemental lectures online, practice problems, and completing progress checks. Special attention is also given to labs that are delivered in a guided-inquiry format. This course is incredibly challenging both in the breadth and depth of topics covered and knowledge that is required by the end of the year. Yet the students who finish the course find it quite rewarding as they see the world differently and ultimately develop a deeper view of God’s beauty.

Enduring Understandings
In addition to the big ideas, scientific practices, and further details outlined by the College Board, it is the goal of this particular course and instructor that students should grasp these specific enduring understandings related to Geneva’s view of chemistry:

To understand the physical world, a student must understand chemistry. It is the central science, and without it, neither biology nor physics can be fully grasped.
The answers given by the study of chemistry do not negate answers provided by other pursuits (philosophical or theological) but work in a very important way to support them.
It is only recently that scientists have taken to studying science and science alone. In truth, science and faith aren’t exclusive. They represent different ways of knowing, and they answer fundamentally different questions.
We are studying the natural world and answering questions regarding the natural world when we study chemistry.
Chemistry, and more broadly speaking science, does not stand in opposition to faith. Instead, it can and should work in concert with faith in an attempt to understand the mysteries of God’s creation.

CENTRAL FLORIDA NATURAL HISTORY
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 2002450 (Honors)

Central Florida Natural History focuses on getting outside and seeing things where they live. The environs surrounding the school are richer in life than we typically imagine. Within a half-mile of campus, there are dozens of insect, arthropod, mollusk, mammal, reptile, fish, bird, tree, vine, fern, and “weed” species. We are just accustomed to ignoring them! This class is interested in seeing and understanding them.

Students observe things very closely. In order to do this, they make collections of plants and animals—both alive and preserved. They work together to construct plant presses to preserve and collect plant specimens and also construct a large specimen box to house the insects collected as a part of the class. In addition to collecting specimens, students construct and keep a detailed natural history field book/sketchbook. This book serves as the repository of all the close observations students make of the various things they collect or bring inside to observe.

Enduring Understandings

In order to love a place (and it is proper to love the place where one lives), it is necessary to be able to name and understand the non-human things that also live in that place.
Central Florida is home to an enormous variety of living things. These things do not confine themselves to “wild” areas; they live all around us at all times of the year.
Beauty is common, but it is not always easy to see. One has to look, know where to look, and know how to see the beauty that lives there.

ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY DUAL CREDIT
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: BSCC093
Minimum Prerequisites: Biology honors and Chemistry honors (B+), Cum GPA (3.0), 11th grade PSAT math score (600)

Anatomy and Physiology is an advanced science course that is designed to be a sort of pre-pre-med course. If students are interested in any career in medicine, then this course gives them a thorough introduction to it. If students are not interested in a career in medicine but would like to have a better understanding of the human body, its movement, and medical language, then this course is also for them. This course studies human anatomy and physiology, the parts and functions of the body. Students also learn basic medical terminology. Students who are skilled in language, particularly Latin, will find practical application for such knowledge in this course. Dissection and practical evaluations of a sheep’s heart and internal mammalian anatomy happen in the second and third quarters. As the organ systems of the body are surveyed, students learn about disease processes in that system, and the class also discusses ethical issues surrounding the body including transhumanism, sexual ethics, transgender issues, and the allocation of scarce, life-saving medical resources. All of this is completed in the first three quarters.

The final quarter is the quarter of integration. Students are introduced to four basic medical charts: history and physical, operative report, consult, and discharge summary. Students are also taught basic techniques for suturing. Each group receives a new cat on which they perform a leg disarticulation amputation. Students then create the story of why their patient needed this procedure in the format of the aforementioned medical charts. Each group then presents their case to the class and teacher as though speaking with medical professionals and is cross-examined regarding their understanding of anatomy, physiology, and disease process as well as their appropriate use of medical terminology. The final project evaluates the effects of poor posture on human body systems.

Enduring Understandings

The structures of the human body give rise to a functioning, integrated system.
Disease disrupts the functioning of this integrated system.
Human beings bear the image of God in their essence and not in their functions.
Students grow in skills for dissecting and observing specimens.

AP PHYSICS II
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 2003422
Minimum Prerequisites: Minimum Prerequisites: Scientific Revolution (B+), Cum GPA (3.0),
11th grade PSAT math score (600)

Physics is the study of matter and energy, and the interactions between them. In this course students seek to discover more about the beauty of God’s creation, and by extension his character. AP Physics II is designed to cover everything that would be taught in a second semester college level, algebra-based physics course. Specific topics covered include fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, wave properties, optics, and modern physics topics such as nuclear physics, quantum physics, and relativity. The course is designed to not only teach students how to perform rigorous calculations, but to also articulate underlying concepts in physics and develop their own experiments. Labs occupy at least 25% of class time. Students gain a fuller understanding of the scientific method as they design their own experiments and communicate their results effectively. This is a preparatory course for the AP Physics II exam, given on May 13, 2025.

Enduring Understandings

Materials have many macroscopic properties that result from the arrangement and interactions of the atoms and molecules that make up the material.
All forces share certain common characteristics when considered by observers in inertial reference frames. At the macroscopic level, forces can be categorized as either long-range (action-at-a-distance) forces or contact forces.
There are certain quantities that are always conserved: energy, linear momentum, electric charge, and nucleon number. Classically, mass is also conserved.
Interactions with other objects or systems can change the total energy of a system.
Certain types of forces are considered fundamental.
A field associates a value of some physical quantity with every point in space. Field models are useful for describing interactions that occur at a distance (long-range forces) as well as a variety of other physical phenomena.
Classical mechanics cannot describe all properties of objects.
All matter and electromagnetic radiation can be modeled as waves or particles.

AP PHYSICS C: ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 2003425
Minimum Prerequisites: Scientific Revolution (B+), Cum GPA (3.0), 11th grade PSAT math score (600)

This class sequentially follows the previous course in the scientific revolution. It traces the eighteenth and nineteenth century developments in electricity and magnetism leading to the discovery of the nature of light. The class prepares the students to take the AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism examination in May. The electromagnetic conclusions regarding light provided the necessary foundations for Einstein’s discovery of the theory of relativity, which overthrew the Newtonian paradigm. The first scientific revolution inspired early modern philosophers, notably John Locke, to develop a rigorous empirically inspired foundation for society. On the other hand, the surprising results of relativity theory and quantum physics during the twentieth century startled many and contributed to the erosion of the ideas of modernity. Relativism had already taken root philosophically, but its champions annexed, often unadvisedly, developments in the twentieth century, such as chaos theory and relativity theory, to bulwark their claims. Thus the twentieth century witnessed the rise of both scientism and postmodernism as two divergent approaches to truth in reality. This class seeks to highlight a biblical perspective in these matters and engender a Christian approach to science and knowledge in the twenty-first century. As in Scientific Revolution, this class continues to challenge the student with many new topics in physics and mathematics and expects students to justify their knowledge through proofs, demonstrations, and persuasive arguments.

Enduring Understandings

What Is Real?

The univocal assumptions adopted in the early modern period about reality, truth, and knowing crumbled into postmodern anti-realism strongly influenced by eighteenth- through twentieth-century physics, including the ontology of the continuous field, relativity theory, and quantum physics.
Christian metaphysics provides the foundation necessary for natural science and natural philosophy and guards our thoughts from subtle but corrosive falsehoods and idols.
Jesus Christ, as the incarnate logos and a person of the Trinity, is the locus and model of reconciliation for the mathematical and empirical, the one and the many, and quantity and quality, as suggested in Colossians 1:15–20.

How Do We Know It?

The quantitative nature of reality can be discovered by the careful mathematical observation of five key phenomena in electricity and magnetism, which also trains the mind for further empirical thinking. These five phenomena are static point charges, parallel plate capacitors, circuits, two parallel current carrying wires, and a moving magnet’s influence on a loop of wire.
Scientific advances are alternately driven by new observations and the search for coherent representations of such and reflect the traditional distinction between real being and beings of reason. Thus, how should we consider Einstein’s assertion of the reality of electric and magnetic fields, and does that suggest that electric flux is also a real being?

How Then Shall We Live?

Submitting our knowing selves to Christ’s lordship includes the cultivation of good habits, fitting emotions, and true beliefs regarding natural reality and mathematical truth. This includes a wonder towards the conclusions of the relativity of space and time as demonstrated by Einstein.
Natural science properly pursued should lead us to wonder, work, wisdom, and worship.

English

In the rhetoric school, English is a literature-based curriculum. Although English at the seventh and eighth grade level places particular emphasis on the writing process, rhetoric students continue to study grammar, vocabulary, and writing primarily by drawing upon the literary works studied. Equal emphasis is placed on both the analysis of and aesthetic appreciation for the rich tradition found in the literary canon of Western civilization. As Christians we find in great literature a presentation of the human condition that mirrors the biblical truth of both the dignity and disorder of man’s state and his resulting need for salvation. As they wrestle with important literary themes from every age, students are expected to form and articulate, both orally and in writing, ideas that can be logically defended and winsomely expressed.

ENGLISH I
Normally taken in 9th grade
Course Code: 1001320 (Honors)

English I (Honors) explores literature primarily from the medieval and Renaissance periods. Students begin with Virgil’s Aeneid, a work written well before this time frame but that greatly influenced medieval writers and thinkers. From there, the class turns to tales of Northern European mythology, followed by Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Orfeo, Dante’s Divine Comedy—Inferno, excerpts from The Canterbury Tales, and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Alongside the reading of great works, students also continue to develop their analytical writing skills, through written essays, and their creative writing skills, through poetry. In this way, students learn to write well-ordered, carefully worded prose and verse that express ideas vividly and present arguments in a logical and persuasive manner.

The overarching questions this year include the following: What defines a hero? and How have cultures defined the characteristics of a heroic and honorable person throughout Western history? Great literature has a unique ability to speak to our hearts, minds, and imaginations. We are programmed by the Great Storyteller to love and be moved by a good story. Thus, the study of literature is not a frivolous pastime but a means to living a more fully human life. Through our reading, discussion, and analysis of literature we seek to understand how Medieval and Renaissance writers viewed the world and their place in it, what we can learn from them, and how God has used story to convey his truth throughout the ages.

Enduring Understandings

Good reading requires an active and inquisitive mind and a willingness to accept the text in the spirit in which it was offered. This requires additional effort when reading works from other cultures and historical contexts.
Writing is a process that requires frequent revision and revisiting. Writers aim to clearly and persuasively communicate stories or ideas that have value with beautiful language.
Literature is notoriously hard to define or delimit, but in this class, we define literature as written work that demonstrates artistry and that rewards multiple readings. While literature is always rooted in a historical and ideological context, it also transcends that context to speak to larger questions of human experience and imagination.
All truth is God’s truth. God utilizes Christian and non-Christian writers to reveal his truth, and as Christians we can recognize God at work in the world through a variety of sources.
Good reading of good books provides windows and doors that allow us to transcend our own limited perspective and the blindspots of our age. As C.S. Lewis said, “My own eyes are not enough. I will see through the eyes of others.” This transforms how we see, experience, and relate to God, our fellow human beings, and the world.

ENGLISH II
Normally taken in 10th grade
Course Code: 1001350 (Honors)

Tenth grade English examines British literature of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The curriculum lines up with what students are learning in Western Civilization class while also giving them a timeline continuum for the literary history that has already been established from eighth and ninth grades.

The overarching question that students wrestle with in this course is, What does it mean to be human? The authors they study challenge this idea of humanity and have their own answer, but all of them, Christian and non-Christian alike, reveal something of what is true about the nature of man as he was designed to be and as he is in his fallen state.

Through collaborative learning, seminar discussion, lecture, hands-on projects, and writing, students not only gain a clearer understanding of these seminal works in the Western literary canon but also a clearer self-understanding of how to live more fully and truly as human beings. Thus, the course seeks through the reading, study, and discussion of great literature to fulfill in part the mission of The Geneva School, namely, to guide students in loving beauty, thinking deeply, and pursuing Christ’s calling.

Enduring Understandings

Close examination of great literature provides rich opportunities for the careful reader to analyze and evaluate themes, as well as the motivations, actions, and outcomes of characters and authors, which may have profound implications for his or her own life in light of biblical truth.
An author’s writing is affected by his or her life experiences and societal influences; therefore, as we explore literature, we must take note of an author’s historical and cultural milieu out of which his worldview arises.
Each author has a purpose for writing, which may be to expose injustice or hypocrisy, to persuade for change, to communicate information, or simply to entertain. It is important to recognize an author’s purpose.
A work of literature should be approached with curiosity, open-mindedness, and humility.
When reading great literature, be it fiction, non-fiction, drama, or poetry, we delight in both the creative use of language and in a work’s enduring themes.
Because human beings were designed to live in community, clear oral and written communication is a fundamental necessity. To that end, students strive to increase their vocabulary, to be precise in grammar and diction, and to communicate their ideas in a winsome and persuasive manner.
Learning is a communal endeavor.

ENGLISH III
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 1001380 (Honors)

English III is designed to provide students with an overview of and appreciation for American literature and to teach them to write analytically about literature. This course trains students to read closely in a variety of literary forms including novels, short stories, poems, and plays. Students are then asked to analyze and write about the author’s purpose, recognizing how the author uses literary devices to achieve that purpose and to communicate ideas and experiences to the reader. As a study of literature, the course asks students to continually contemplate the value of story and how we understand and evaluate the things we read.

The overarching question for the year seeks to examine how our literature reflects the American experience and identity. Art emerges from and naturally bears the marks of the society in which it is created. It reflects and speaks to the strengths, values, and dreams of that culture as well as its weaknesses, failures, and fears. Therefore, as a study of American literature in particular, this course familiarizes students with a number of great works and influential movements in the American literary tradition. The study of these works will address these overriding questions: How has our art reflected the American experience? and thus, What does it mean to be an American? Though students are encouraged to refer continually to these questions and attempt their own answers, this course approaches these questions by recognizing that the American identity, as expressed in our literature, bears the hallmarks of its Puritan legacy, its veneration of rugged individualism, and its history of slavery and racial inequality. These forces have shaped and indelibly marked us, and they recur frequently in our best stories and poems, forever defining and shaping our understanding of the American Dream.

Enduring Understandings

We are shaped by story. Because literature has the unique ability to speak to our hearts, minds, and imaginations, it is central to Geneva’s mission to love beauty, think deeply, and pursue Christ’s calling.
Good reading requires an active and inquisitive mind and a willingness to accept the text in the spirit in which it was offered. Close reading of literary texts requires an easy command of literary devices, genres, and methods and the perception to see how an author uses those to convey meaning.
Writing is a process that requires frequent revision and revisiting. Its goal is to communicate clearly and persuasively stories or ideas that have value.
Literature is notoriously hard to define or delimit, but in this class, we define literature as a written work that demonstrates artistry, that rewards multiple readings, that is always rooted in a historical and ideological context, but that transcends that context to speak to larger questions of human experience and imagination.
American literature broadly addresses the question, What does it mean to be an American? The American identity, as expressed in our literature, bears the hallmarks of its Puritan legacy, its veneration of rugged individualism, and its history of slavery and racial inequality.
All truth is God’s truth. God utilizes Christian and non-Christian writers to reveal his truth, and as Christians, we can recognize God at work in the world through a variety of sources.

AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 1001430
Minimum Prerequisites: English II Honors (B+), Cum GPA (3.0), 10th grade PSAT evidenced based reading and writing score (550)

This AP English Literature and Composition course is designed to do two things: (1) to prepare students to pass the AP English Literature and Composition exam and (2) to provide students with an overview of and appreciation for American literature. As preparation for the AP Literature exam, this course teaches students to read closely in a variety of literary forms including novels, short stories, poems, and plays. Students are then asked to analyze and write about the author’s purpose, recognizing how the author uses literary devices to achieve that purpose and to communicate ideas and experiences to the reader. As a study of literature, the course asks students to continually contemplate the value of story and how we understand and evaluate the things we read.

The overarching question for the year seeks to examine how our literature reflects the American experience and identity. Art emerges from and naturally bears the marks of the society in which it is created. It reflects and speaks to the strengths, values, and dreams of that culture as well as its weaknesses, failures, and fears. Therefore, as a study of American literature in particular, this course familiarizes students with a number of great works and influential movements in the American literary tradition. The study of these works will be used to address these overriding questions: How has our art reflected the American experience? and thus, What does it mean to be an American? Though students are encouraged to refer continually to these questions and attempt their own answers, this course approaches these questions by recognizing that the American identity, as expressed in our literature, bears the hallmarks of its Puritan legacy, its veneration of rugged individualism, and its history of slavery and racial inequality. These forces have shaped and indelibly marked us, and they recur frequently in our best stories and poems, forever defining and shaping our understanding of the American Dream.

Enduring Understandings

We are shaped by story. Because literature has the unique ability to speak to our hearts, minds, and imaginations, it is central to Geneva’s mission to love beauty, think deeply, and pursue Christ’s calling.
Good reading requires an active and inquisitive mind and a willingness to accept the text in the spirit in which it was offered.
Close reading, a skill that the AP exam tests, requires an easy command of literary devices, genres, and methods and the perception to see how an author uses those to convey meaning.
Writing is a process that requires frequent revision and revisiting. Its goal is to communicate clearly and persuasively stories or ideas that have value.
Writing for the AP English Literature and Composition exam requires the ability to respond to a writing prompt with a well-organized essay that uses tools of literary analysis and examples from literature with which the student is familiar.
Literature is notoriously hard to define or delimit, but in this class, we define literature as a written work that demonstrates artistry, that rewards multiple readings, that is always rooted in a historical and ideological context, but that transcends that context to speak to larger questions of human experience and imagination.
American literature broadly addresses the question, What does it mean to be an American? The American identity, as expressed in our literature, bears the hallmarks of its Puritan legacy, its veneration of rugged individualism, and its history of slavery and racial inequality.
All truth is God’s truth. God utilizes Christian and non-Christian writers to reveal his truth, and as Christians, we can recognize God at work in the world through a variety of sources.

ENGLISH IV
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 1001410 (Honors)

“Men do not make laws. They do but discover them.”
–Calvin Coolidge

English IV (Honors) at The Geneva School is a culminating English course that allows seniors to encounter important writing of the past and present in order to reflect on the specifically Christian and classical education they’ve received, helping them to consider seriously the role that they and their education play in the modern world.

As President Coolidge pointed out, the world is something we encounter, not make. This view is contrary to the prevailing “winds of doctrine” that declare the malleability of human nature, subject truth to the will of men, and proclaim mastery over nature. Coolidge’s observation is one that has its roots in a long history of philosophy and literature that recognizes man’s place in the universe as subject to truths outside himself, inherent realities of creation, self-evident verities.

In this day and age, then, when such verities are denied and the tradition that communicates them is under attack, what does it mean to receive a “Christian classical education”? How do we live in the midst of this ideological conflict? How have these traditions informed our civic responsibilities, and what is replacing them now? Does truth exist? Are there really what T. S. Eliot called “permanent things”? Does it matter? What are the challenges and pitfalls of being human in this digital age?

Student reading addresses these and other enduring questions, chosen with the aim of teaching students to address topics across the humanities and sciences, both in novels and short essays, employing the analytical and rhetorical skills they have developed during their years at The Geneva School, as well as throughout the course. To accomplish this, students learn to read with critical attention to an author’s purpose, the occasion of the address, the audience being addressed, and the author’s tone. They gain fluency in writing by regular practice in writing essays of argument, analysis, and synthesis.

Highlights of the class include analysis and discussion of the summer’s reading of C. S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces as a work in which the Christian and classical traditions cohere and as an introduction to the investigation of the formative importance of story—and specifically myth and fairy tale—to our humanity, collaboration with history and science classes in reading and analyzing essays of import to modernity, study of various academic and literary works of mostly twentieth and twenty-first century provenance that ask valuable questions regarding the meaning and significance of living in our age, frequent and active class discussion, and the annual trip to the Orlando Shakespeare Theater.

Enduring Understandings

Good reading requires an active and inquisitive mind and a willingness to accept the text in the spirit in which it was offered.
Close reading requires attentiveness to the author’s purpose and to the structures and rhetorical devices he uses to further that purpose.
Writing is a process that requires frequent revision and revisiting. Its goal is to communicate clearly and persuasively stories or ideas that have value.
Academic writing involves first becoming conversant with a topic, then entering the conversation by responding to what others are saying with a thesis of one’s own, and finally arguing that thesis using reasoning and evidence appropriate to one’s subject and audience.
The class continues training in three kinds of academic writing: argumentative essays that advance a thesis with clear reasoning and appropriate evidence, analytical essays that explain the means an author uses to further his or her purpose, and synthetic essays that build an argument incorporating multiple sources that the test provides.
Nearly all forms of communication—the spoken or written word, the still or moving image, and others—spring from a context, aim at an audience, and are driven by a purpose. Being aware of this makes one a more discerning reader, listener, or viewer, and a better writer.

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 1001420
Minimum Prerequisites: AP English Literature or English III Honors (B+), Cum GPA (3.0), 11th grade PSAT evidenced based reading and writing score (550)

“Men do not make laws. They do but discover them.”
–Calvin Coolidge

The Geneva School AP English Language and Composition course is designed to do two things: to prepare students for the AP English Language and Composition exam and to function as a culminating English course that allows seniors to encounter important writing of the past and present in order to reflect on the specifically Christian and classical education they’ve received, helping them to consider seriously the role that they and their education play in the modern world.

As President Coolidge pointed out, the world is something we encounter, not make. This view is contrary to the prevailing “winds of doctrine” that declare the malleability of human nature, subject truth to the will of men, and proclaim human mastery over nature. Coolidge’s observation is one that has its roots in a long history of philosophy and literature that recognizes man’s place in the universe as subject to truths outside himself, inherent realities of creation, self-evident verities.

In this day and age, then, when such verities are denied and the tradition that communicates them is under attack, what does it mean to receive a “Christian classical education”? How do we live in the midst of this ideological conflict? How have these traditions informed our civic responsibilities and what is replacing them now? Does truth exist? Are there really what T. S. Eliot called “permanent things”? Does it matter? What are the challenges and pitfalls of being human in this digital age?

Highlights of the class include analysis and discussion of the summer’s reading of C. S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces as a work in which the Christian and classical traditions cohere and as an introduction to the investigation of the formative importance of story—and specifically myth and fairy tale—to our humanity, collaboration with history and science classes in reading and analyzing essays of import to modernity, study of various academic and literary works of mostly 20th and 21st-century provenance which ask important questions regarding the meaning and importance of living in our age, as well as frequent and active class discussion and our annual trip to the Orlando Shakespeare Theater.

Enduring Understandings

Good reading requires an active and inquisitive mind and a willingness to accept the text in the spirit in which it was offered.
Close reading for the AP English Language and Composition exam requires attentiveness to the author’s purpose and to the structures and rhetorical devices he uses to further that purpose.
Writing is a process that requires frequent revision and revisiting. Its goal is to communicate clearly and persuasively stories or ideas that have value.
Academic writing involves first becoming conversant with a topic, then entering the conversation by responding to what others are saying with a thesis of one’s own, and finally arguing that thesis using reasoning and evidence appropriate to one’s subject and audience.
The AP English Language and Composition exam tests three kinds of academic writing: argumentative essays that advance a thesis with clear reasoning and appropriate evidence, analytical essays that explain the means an author uses to further his or her purpose, and synthetic essays that build an argument incorporating multiple sources that the test provides.
Nearly all forms of communication—the spoken or written word, the still or moving image, and others—spring from a context, aim at an audience, and are driven by a purpose. Being aware of this makes one a more discerning reader, listener, or viewer, and a better writer.

History

The overarching aim of history instruction in the rhetoric school is to provide students with a comprehensive historical understanding of themselves (individually and collectively) as Western, American, and Christian, and through application of the art of rhetoric, they learn to express their position with certain key questions arising from that identity. While this historical self-understanding provides an integrative framework for their entire Geneva education, students also employ the art of dialectic to identify and critically evaluate the historical origins of the ideas, beliefs, loves, habits, assumptions, and practices that characterize them and their culture in the present. As such, history plays an integral role in the formation of the Christian moral philosophy we seek to cultivate.

WESTERN CIVILIZATION I
Normally taken in 9th grade
Course Code: 2100460 (Honors)

In this course, students examine Western history from the late Roman Empire through the Renaissance, with particular attention given to the factors responsible for the emergence of medieval Christendom and the seeds of its eventual fracture. Medieval Europe was in many ways a coherent Christian society. Even as the Roman Empire collapsed, the Western world continued to be held together by a remarkable coherence, largely due to the influence of Christianity. As N. T. Wright put it, “The medieval [person] characteristically took it for granted that everything, in all spheres of divine and human affairs, in every part of the created order, was connected in a wonderful and complex web within which one might travel in thought from one part to another” (Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today, 70).

Enduring Understandings

The standard practice of historians and students of history involves reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources, such that history can be defined as the interpretation of the past based on investigation of evidence from and historical scholarship about that past.
Historical periodization is the product of historians’ choices as a means of organizing the past in order to make it more accessible and memorable in the present.
Western civilization should be studied because it is essential to understand the development of the society in which we live and the traditions that shape us in the present. This is true especially insofar as we are both Christians and modern Americans.
Christianity is a historical faith. It begins with a historical event around which a new community forms, and it is the working out of the implications of this event within the Jewish and Roman contexts of the ancient world that gives shape to the Church and the orthodox faith through the Middle Ages up to the present.
The relationship between Christianity and any given socio-political order is complex, and has been complex from the inception of the Church. The study of the varying Christian postures towards the state throughout late antiquity and the Middle Ages offers much material for reflection on our own modern preconceptions about the Church and wider society today.
Such historical self-understanding can assist the Christian—whose very purpose in life is to love God with his entire being and his neighbor as himself—in better discerning the extent to which he is (or is not) faithfully following the totalizing call to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

WESTERN CIVILIZATION II
Normally taken in 10th grade
Course Code: 2109320 (Honors)

John Calvin famously opens his Institutes of the Christian Religion with the insight that two things are necessary for Christians: knowledge of God and knowledge of self. This course aims to provide students an important way for them to understand themselves as products of the civilization and worldview of the modern West.

This course explores the history of Western civilization from the mid-fourteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. In other words, this course explores modernity: that time period and distinctive way of life—beginning in the Renaissance and extending to our time—characterized by man’s autonomous quest to understand and master the world in order to live more freely, comfortably, and enjoyably within it. Broadly, the course aims to help students identify the historical sources of some of our most deeply held ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and practices. In a sense, then, it promises to help students better explain themselves to themselves, with the goal that they might begin to understand how they have been shaped and formed as modern people. Such self-awareness of our own cultural formation is essential to discerning the challenges and opportunities that modern Western culture presents to a distinctive Christian faith, life, and witness. Ultimately, then, the study of the history of Western civilization helps students cultivate a vision of Christian faithfulness in their own time.

Enduring Understandings

The standard practice of historians and students of history generally involves reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources, such that the discipline of history can be defined as the interpretation of the past based on investigation of evidence from and historical scholarship about that past.
Historical periodization is the product of historians’ choices as a means of organizing the past in order to make it more accessible and memorable in the present.
The story of modern Western history, extending from the Renaissance to the present, may be characterized in terms of increasing secularization, while being narrated in terms of the rise and fall of confidence in autonomous reason in relation to other authorities such as tradition, Christian revelation, and personal experience.
The way of life associated with the narrative of modern Western history (modernity) may be characterized as man’s autonomous quest to understand and master the world in order to live more freely, comfortably, and enjoyably within it.
Understanding modern Western history is necessary for understanding ourselves as modern people—that is, as those who participate in a distinctive way of life that has emerged since the sixteenth century.
The acquisition of such cultural self-understanding is crucial for Christians because it allows us to better understand the challenges that both the church and individual Christians face in the modern Western world. Understanding the modern world also allows us to understand how the church and Christians have been shaped by it, which in turn helps us to understand true biblical Christianity by contrast.

UNITED STATES HISTORY
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 2100320 (Honors)

This two-semester course explores United States history from its colonial origins to the mid-to-late twentieth century. The overarching question that gives the course coherence and contemporary relevance asks, “What does it mean to be an American?” One might answer simply and unreflectively, “What it means to be an American is to be free.” However, what that means never has been straightforwardly simple and usually has depended on whom you ask, so to speak, within a given historical context. Furthermore, one must always ask, “Free from what and free for what?”

With that in mind, one particularly important reason for studying American history is to help students better understand how present-day Americans have been shaped by the past to think, desire, and behave in distinctive ways, thereby better positioning themselves to disentangle the interrelationship between being American and being Christian. In other words, striving to understand what it has meant to be an American through time assists in discerning the ways in which being American is compatible or incompatible with one’s more basic Christian identity. Given that the United States was and is the creation of human beings, there is much that is recognizably good and admirable, even while invariably those things will be intertwined with much that often was not so good and not so admirable. The course thus invites students to think deeply about their dual heritage—of being American and Christian—in all of its complexity. In addition to being engaging and interesting, that task promises to help students become more conscientious and appreciative American citizens, while simultaneously assisting them in their more fundamental quest, “as they grow in age,” to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (to borrow from the Book of Common Prayer).

The course is conducted as a hybrid of lecture and seminar centered on common readings. The main text is Wilfred McClay’s Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story; it is supplemented by David Shi and George Brown Tindall’s America: A Narrative History and various primary and secondary historical sources. Students complete writing assignments and sit for quizzes, tests, and exams. Success in the course depends largely on a student’s diligent engagement in and out of the classroom.

Enduring Understandings

The standard practice of historians and students of history involves reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources, such that history may be defined as the interpretation of the past based on investigation of existing evidence and others’ interpretations.
The periodization of American history is the product of historians’ choices and is done primarily as a means of organizing the past in order to make it more accessible, meaningful, and memorable in the present.
American culture has been characterized by a mix of the sacred and the secular since the nation’s colonial origins.
Although liberty (or freedom) is clearly central to any understanding of America’s meaning, that meaning has changed over time and has been ambiguous and contested throughout American history for various political, socio-economic, intellectual, religious, regional, and ethno-cultural reasons.
The territorial confines of the United States have a contingent historical character to them, extending from the nation’s colonial origins through the nineteenth century.
United States history has been punctuated regularly by war since its colonial origins.
Knowledge of United States history helps to explain ourselves to ourselves as historical beings; that is, knowledge of United States history assists us in better understanding ourselves in the present as those who participate in a distinctive, taken-for-granted American way of life that has formed over four centuries.
Such historical self-understanding can assist the Christian—whose very purpose in life is to love God with his entire being and his neighbor as himself—in better discerning the extent to which he is (or is not) living as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 2106320 (Honors, 0.5 credit)

In 1932 the American theologian-philosopher Reinhold Niebuhr observed the following paradox: “For all the centuries of experience, men have not yet learned how to live together without compounding their vices and covering each other ‘with mud and with blood.’ The society in which each man lives is at once the basis for, and the nemesis of, that fullness of life which each man seeks.” Niebuhr was alluding to the perennial “problem of justice,” the problem of individuals living together, under a common government, in pursuit of a good or flourishing human life—what Thomas Jefferson referred to in the Declaration of Independence as “happiness.”

This one-semester course, combining both lecture and seminar, introduces students to the American experience of that problem. During the first half of the course, students encounter some of the important intellectual sources that informed the Founding Fathers in their writing of the United States Constitution. During the second half of the course, students read the entire Constitution and Bill of Rights, consider significant questions and controversies that arose at the time of its writing and ratification (many of which persist to this day) and explore the basic structure and workings of the American government. Success in the course depends greatly on completing assigned readings and being consistently and actively engaged during class.

Enduring Understandings

The origins of the United States government are deeply rooted in Western history, beginning most immediately with the American colonial and revolutionary experience within the British Empire and extending back through the early-modern and medieval periods to the mixed government theory of classical antiquity.
The system of government created by the United States Constitution is a federal republic, with allowance for limited, indirect democratic influence. In a republic, sovereignty theoretically resides in the people (rather than a monarch). In a federal system of government, the exercise of that sovereignty is shared or divided among central, state, and local governments.
The United States Constitution created a central government that separated and distributed specific powers among three branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—with each branch designed in part to check and balance the exercise of power by the other branches.
The United States Constitution was born of compromise, its process of ratification was vigorously debated and contested, and several interrelated issues—the nature of the federal Union, the role and extent of central governmental power, the matter of race-based slavery, the involvement of “the people” in the electoral and governing process, and the place of religion in American society—have remained central to American socio-political life ever since.
The Bill of Rights originally placed limits on the exercise of central governmental power in relation to both the individual and the states; many of those limits also have been applied subsequently to the exercise of state power in relation to the individual.
Although most of the Founding Fathers were not Trinitarian Christians, they were not anti-religious. That is, although opposed to the establishment of a national religion, they nevertheless agreed that religion was a key source of the virtue that almost all believed was necessary for the long-term vitality of a republic.

ECONOMICS
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 2102320 (Honors, 0.5 credit)

This one-semester course aims to teach students how to think like Christian economists as they consider the US mixed economy and their participation in it as Christians.

Economics is an essential aspect of the American experience, but it is often mischaracterized as a dry, complicated subject that can be siloed away from biblical truths. However, God is creation’s transcendent economic authority (1 Cor. 10:31), and the Christian’s purpose, “to glorify God,” applies to a Christian’s interactions with markets, money, man, and his maker (Deut. 8). This course aims to give life and light to the predominantly intuitive subject of economics. Through applicable and engaging examples, students learn and consistently reference the basic ideas of scarcity, utility, tradeoffs, opportunity cost, incentives, efficiency, and marginalism. Unpacking these concepts and visualizing them through basic models gives each student a toolbox for thinking like an economist. However, though economists prefer to utilize an analytical approach for normative issues, this course further explores what it means to think like Christian economists by discussing kingdom-mindedness and by applying the truths of the gospel.

Upon completion of this course, students should demonstrate knowledge of how the American economy functions and the basic principles that drive economic policy. Additionally, students should be equipped to interact with markets and man, as they pursue God’s calling for their lives beyond the Geneva classroom. This is achieved mainly through students’ active engagement in class along with their timely completion of the assigned readings.

Enduring Understandings

The United States has had a capitalist system since its eighteenth-century origins. Capitalism may be defined as an economic, legal, and political system based upon the following: predominantly private ownership of capital; the production of goods and services for profit; free, competitive markets as the primary determinants of prices and quantities for goods, services, and factors of production; and an individual’s right to his or her own labor.
American capitalism never has been purely laissez-faire (i.e., individuals never have been completely free of government involvement in their economic activities), and thus the US economy currently may be characterized as “mixed.”
Throughout the nation’s history, Americans have argued about the role and purpose of the central government, particularly in relation to the economy. Such arguments have been central to the American social experience and provide a substantial basis for understanding the contemporary division between Republican and Democratic parties, between “conservatives” and “liberals.” Government involvement in the economy comes in the form of fiscal, monetary, regulatory, and welfare policies, all of which are theoretically intended to enable the central government to carry out its constitutional responsibilities.
The basic concepts of economics are broad, intuitive, and conceptually analytical. They span both sides of the “aisle,” though reasonable people may apply them to economic policy differently in the vast political spectrum.
Regardless of how a Christian understands his relationship to the specific social context within which he lives, he is never free to ignore or escape that context; rather, the Christian is obligated to think as deeply as possible about how he will live within it as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.

Rhetoric and Theology

Rhetoric is both the power of seeing the available means of persuasion in any given situation and the art of leading souls. As Christians, we have a responsibility to think, speak, and act within our particular situation in ways that are faithful to Scripture and the historic Christian tradition and that promote the kingdom of God. The aim of this four-year sequence of courses is for students to learn and practice the art of rhetoric while also learning how to think according to the truths, tradition, and telos of the Christian faith.

RHETORIC I
Normally taken in 9th grade
Course Code: 1007350 (Honors, 0.5 credit)

The simplest goal of rhetoric is effective communication. As Christians, we are called to use good rhetoric in order to communicate Christ to others. But in a broader sense, the study of rhetoric helps us realize how to be persuasive in any situation, and even, according to Plato, how to lead souls.

In this course, students reflect on and practice the skills and habits that can help them be soul-leaders, no matter what vocation they pursue later in life. These skills are developed through written assignments, class discussions, oral presentations, speeches, and debates. After providing an overview of rhetoric, the focus of the class turns to invention—the ability to find and formulate arguments.

The Common Topics are the starting places in classical rhetoric for brainstorming material and generating potential arguments. The three appeals—ethos, pathos, and logos—help a speaker persuade his audience by highlighting his own credibility, appealing to values shared with the audience, and connecting with the listeners’ emotions and rationality. Using such tools, students will grow in their ability to generate sound and convincing arguments.

Enduring Understandings

We have a responsibility to cultivate and understand the purpose of rhetoric, the art of a good person speaking well. God’s word calls us to grow in wisdom and teaches that the wise person is honest, prudent, and encouraging in speech.
The study of rhetoric results in discernment in what we read, hear, and say.
As rhetoricians, one of our aims is to recognize the importance of the invention process, the work of exploring possible content or means of an argument in an effort to select the best method for developing a strong, persuasive case given the audience we have.
We do this by understanding the modes of persuasion—the three appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos concerns the character and credibility of the speaker, pathos concerns the emotions of the audience, and logos concerns the rational appeal of the speech.
The Common Topics—Definition, Testimony, Comparison, Relationship, and Circumstance—are the starting places in classical rhetoric for generating potential arguments. They represent typical ways that people naturally develop ideas about a subject, so studying them can help us discover what to say.

FOUNDATIONAL BIBLICAL DOCTRINES
Normally taken in 9th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (Honors, 0.5 credit)

“Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
—C. S. Lewis, “Christian Apologetics”

As Christians and followers of Christ, we are called to seek the good, the true, and the beautiful, but we live in an age where the world echoes Pilate’s question to Jesus, Quid est veritas? (What is truth?) In this course, we seek to find ultimate truth by the pursuit of theology—that is, the study of God—because it is through theology that we find the foundation and source of the good, the true, and the beautiful.

This study of theology takes the class on a journey. Along this journey are several vantage points, where the students pull over to take in the view and ponder deep things. They listen to, and are taught by, our spiritual ancestors. They begin to see our story as part of a larger narrative that includes these voices of the past. They open God’s Word as they seek to transform their minds and renew their loves. The destination is far, but the scenery along the way is beautiful. They know that they have arrived at their destination when they begin to find answers to these foundational questions: Who is God? What is he like? Is his Word trustworthy? What has he done for us in Christ? How does the Holy Spirit work in our lives? Who are we, as beings created male and female, body and soul, in his image (imago Dei)? As Lewis notes above, the answers to these questions are of infinite importance, and there is no middle ground in the pursuit of theology, which is ultimately the pursuit of goodness, truth, and beauty.

Enduring Understandings

Theology is the study of God, and God has graciously revealed himself to us in nature, our consciousness, his Word, and ultimately, his Son.
Although there are passages in the Bible that contain mystery and paradox, there are no passages that contain contradiction.
The Bible is trustworthy in all that it teaches because it is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. Students study and understand the origin and reliability of the Bible.
God has revealed that he exists as one divine being with a unity of essence and trinity of persons, which are distinct yet inseparable.
Jesus Christ is the Messiah and true Prophet, Priest, and King that the Old Testament scriptures anticipated. The New Testament bears witness to how Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his life and ministry.
The early creeds of the church (Apostles’, Nicene, Chalcedonian Definition) establish orthodox boundaries to belief regarding the intra-trinitarian relationships as well as how the divine and human natures of Christ are united (hypostatic union).
The Holy Spirit adopts us as children of God, unites us to Christ, applies Christ’s redemptive work to us, and sanctifies us into the image of the Son. The Holy Spirit also gives us assurance that we have been reconciled to God and have a renewed relationship with the Father, through the Son.
God created man, male and female, with a body and soul, in his image, and we are created to be stewards of creation. As such, every human life has intrinsic value and meaning.

RHETORIC II
Normally taken in 10th grade
Course Code: 1001480 (Honors, 0.5 credit)

Rhetoric is both the ability to find the available means of persuasion in any given situation and the ability to lead souls. As Christians, we have a responsibility to think, speak, and act in ways that lead to human flourishing, that are faithful to Scripture, and that promote the kingdom of God. Therefore, it is fitting and beneficial to learn and practice the art of rhetoric while also learning how to think according to the truths and tradition of the Christian faith.

Students begin this course by reviewing and expanding upon the material covered in Rhetoric I, with an overview of the five canons of rhetoric, the three kinds of speech, and the modes of persuasion. Students have the opportunity to deliver speeches each semester.

The goal of this course is for students to understand and practice the art of rhetoric in a way that emphasizes the skills and habits of reasoning well and speaking well in light of the Christian faith.

Enduring Understandings

The canons of rhetoric are invention, arrangement, elocution/style, memory, and delivery. These serve as standards and guidelines by which the art is properly practiced.
The modes of persuasion (the three appeals)—ethos, logos, and pathos—correspond directly to speaker, speech, and audience. Ethos concerns the credibility of the speaker, logos concerns the rational appeal of the speech, and pathos concerns the emotions of the audience.
Arrangement in classical rhetoric follows the six parts of a discourse—introduction, statement of fact, thesis and division, confirmation, refutation, and conclusion.
Classical rhetoricians distinguished three types or categories of orations and persuasive discourse. They are judicial (forensic), ceremonial (epideictic), and deliberative (political).
Judicial rhetoric concerns accusing or defending for the sake of upholding truth and justice. It relies heavily upon the speaker’s ability to reason and to justify his or her beliefs.
For the purposes of judicial speech (of which most academic writing is generally a part), logos is the most important mode of persuasion. While the skills of logic/dialectic are crucial to the rhetorician’s ability to reason persuasively, they must be employed in a way that is suitable to the particular rhetorical situation and audience.

BIBLICAL ETHICS
Normally taken in 10th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (Honors, 0.5 credit)

Dr. John Frame writes, “Christian ethics is theology viewed as a means of determining what human persons, acts, and attitudes are acceptable to God and which are not” (Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology, P&R, 2006, p. 314). So biblical ethics is the Christian study of human behavior. Morality measures what people do and thus morals change with time and cultures. Biblical ethics considers what people ought to do based on God’s unchanging truth. This class first discusses how we know what we know (epistemology) and how we decide what is true. Then we consider the “ought” of human behavior through the lens of the Ten Commandments as a summary of unchanging truth. Brief readings (primarily for Q2–4) augment student understanding and plant seeds for class discussions.

Enduring Understandings

This course equips students to think deeply about the nature of truth and its application to daily life.
Students learn to discuss important issues on which disagreement commonly exists, and students learn how to have such discussions while holding respect and honor for those people with whom they may disagree.
Students gain a firm perspective on the difference between morals (a measure of what people do) and ethics (an understanding of what people ought to do).
Students gain a better understanding of how biblical ethics is related to the Good News of historic Christian faith.

RHETORIC III
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 2120910 (Honors, 0.5 credit)

Rhetoric is not simply a technique for effective communication; it is the liberal art of discovering the available means of persuasion given the dynamics of our rhetorical situation and the needs of our audience. As a liberal art, it sets us free to use language fruitfully and responsibly. As the art of persuasion, it cultivates the basic human ability to create worlds and lead souls through speech.

Because we are always leading people with our words, we must learn to use language wisely and well. This is especially true for Christians, who are called to love their neighbors as themselves. To lead souls wisely, we need both skill with words and practical, ethical judgment. This means training in the art of rhetoric as well as diligent study of the Scriptures, the Christian tradition, and the great authors—particularly those who have graced the English language.

The rhetorical focus of this course is ceremonial speech. Its aim is not simply to instruct, but to capture the hearts and minds of an audience with a vision of honor and beauty. Hence ceremonial speech is particularly concerned with style—the skill of crafting language in order to move and delight an audience as well as to teach them. The general divide in the outline below is concerned with the schemes and tropes of style.

The second semester of the course includes academic research and writing. Students acquire many of the tools and strategies that they need for their upcoming senior thesis orations.

Enduring Understandings

Style is the canon of classical rhetoric devoted to selecting words and arranging sentences and phrases that best fit our rhetorical purposes, the dynamics of the situation, and the needs of our audience.
Ceremonial speech is designed not simply to instruct, but to delight and to move an audience with a vision of honor and beauty. The rhetorical purpose of ceremonial speech is to call an audience to love and to admire what is good, honorable, and fitting.
One cultivates style organically by reading great texts and listening to eloquent speakers, copying the best passages as commonplaces, and committing them to memory.

WORLDVIEW ANALYSIS
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (Honors, 0.5 credit)

This course surveys some of the most common worldviews using James Sire’s book The Universe Next Door. Students are taught to discern how these various worldviews are manifested in their daily lives through the different forms of media that students have at their fingertips. Students learn philosophical terminology that relates to their own worldview and the Christian faith. There is an emphasis on being able to compare and contrast worldviews and other faiths observed in American culture and different forms of media with the Christian worldview. Students write a short research paper in which they analyze the worldview of a particular artist, musical group, movie, or series and compare or contrast it with a Christian worldview.

Students also read Strange New World by Carl Trueman. This book recounts, from a Christian point of view, how several thinkers such as Rousseau, Hegel, Nietzsche, Marx, Freud, and Wilhelm Reich have influenced Western culture from the Romantic period to the present day. He explains how the concept of “identity” has been redefined by “individual expressivism.” He also analyzes the causes and consequences of the sexual revolution that occurred in the 20th century. This knowledge is used to discern the nuances of questions in our present cultural milieu concerning marriage, abortion, sexual identity, and LGBTQ+ concerns. Students write a short research paper on an issue that interests them inspired by reading this book.

Enduring Understandings

Students answer the eight worldview questions posed by James Sire for Christian Theism, Deism, Naturalism, Nihilism, Existentialism, Eastern Pantheistic Monism, The New Age, Postmodernism, and Islam:
- What is prime reality?
- What is the nature of external reality?
- What is a human being?
- What happens to a person at death?
- Why is it possible to know anything at all?
- How do we know what is right and wrong?
- What is the meaning of human history?
- What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?
Students discern the worldviews portrayed in American culture and popular media.
Students identify common worldviews and then compare and contrast them with the Christian worldview.
Students articulate their own statement of faith and their own worldview.
Students develop skills in careful reading, writing, researching, thinking, evaluating, analyzing, and debating.
Students articulate the origins and impact of “expressive individualism” on modern society.
Students articulate how the concept of “identity” has been transformed from the 19th through the 21st century.
Students describe the major contours of the modern self and how this concept impacts the nature of personhood, the politics of recognition, and the power of imagined community.

CAPSTONE THESIS & BIBLE
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Codes: 1009310 (Honors, 0.5 Credit), 9999999 (Honors, 0.5 Credit)

In The Ethics of Rhetoric, Richard Weaver says, “The right to utter a sentence is one of the very greatest liberties. . . . [It is] a liberty to handle the world, to remake it, if only a little, and to hand it to others in a shape which may influence their actions.” As Christians, we have a responsibility to use our words in ways that lead to human flourishing, that are faithful to Scripture, and that promote the kingdom of God. Rhetoric has been called the art of leading souls with words. We study rhetoric because it helps us see the available means of persuasion in any situation, and so it gives us insight and understanding as well as skill in influencing others. We study the Bible in order to know and love God and to learn to respond to his love in our speech and actions.

As Geneva’s culminating course in rhetoric, Capstone Thesis & Bible challenges students to grow further in their skills and habits of reasoning well, communicating persuasively, and living faithfully. Students in this course learn the importance of listening to others and giving due consideration to their views as they continue to build a case for their own proposals. This training culminates in a significant paper on a contemporary issue that each senior presents and defends before faculty members, parents, and peers. Along the way, seniors hone their skills through shorter speeches and classroom discussions, and they learn about academic writing, documentation, and deliberative rhetoric.

A deliberative orator aims to move an audience toward responsible action in accordance with what is good and fitting; this requires wisdom, which begins with the fear of God. By their senior year, Geneva students have had the opportunity to enjoy discussions across the disciplines and to see how Christianity and culture intersect. Given this rich background and the more mature thought processes that come with getting older, the senior year is an opportune time for students to revisit biblical themes and explore how Christianity need not take a back seat in the marketplace of ideas. Students continue to see that ideas—all ideas—have consequences for how we live our lives and how we understand human flourishing. Building on this, the Capstone Thesis & Bible course challenges seniors to consider what practices of mind, body, spirit, and community will help them sustain a biblical faith and a life of Christian discipleship in the years to come.

Enduring Understandings

We have a moral imperative to use words wisely, ethically, and skillfully and to lead the souls of our hearers toward truth, goodness, and beauty.
In deliberative rhetoric, ethos is a critical mode of persuasion since it highlights the speaker’s good sense, character, and practical wisdom.
Classical rhetoricians identified six parts of a discourse—opening, statement and history of the problem, thesis and outline, proof, refutation of counterarguments, and conclusion.
Preparing a thesis involves asking good questions, taking a reasonable position on a contested issue, discovering and organizing arguments and marshaling appropriate evidence to support them, refuting counterarguments, and documenting one’s sources. A persuasive thesis demands clear and elegant writing, which takes hard work and involves a series of drafts.
In an argument, evidence does not explain itself. It is the writer’s job to demonstrate the relevance of the evidence to the claim made.
When delivering a speech or engaging in a significant dialogue, the ability to remember one’s points and speak them in a clear and engaging manner makes the speaker more persuasive.
Understanding the historical and literary context of a book of the Bible, along with its structure, can help us better understand its meaning.
The Bible’s meaning is relevant for our contemporary world.
The contemporary world is marked by an endless array of choices. These choices give us constant opportunities to refashion ourselves, but they also make it necessary for us to constantly reconsider or recommit to our chosen identities. Something more substantial is needed—an awareness of our person, our identity in Christ, which transcends the many selves we may put on as we go through life.
A Christian classical education strives to help with this. It teaches us radical humility; it trains us in the love of God; it drives us to be “dissatisfied with all goodness that is not Goodness Itself” (Gibbs).
This dissatisfaction is part of the message of Ecclesiastes: we need an appropriate perspective about the things the world holds up as meaningful and satisfying. But Ecclesiastes also teaches that when we fear God and humbly receive the good things in life as his gifts, we can live lives of gratitude and joy.
The Epistle to the Philippians offers us insight into how to live with joy and hope despite suffering. It gives us a model for living by highlighting Christ’s humility as well as his glory.
Biblical hope is not just desire or wishful thinking; it is confident expectation of future good from God based on an understanding of his character and his promises.
The gospel is always embedded in some cultural form, so the Christian must ask, How can I remain vigilant to the way cultural practices are shaping my desires and influencing what I love? And how can I approach my culture with the spirit of hope, joy, and affirmation that is central to the gospel and yet be obedient to God’s commands?

Foreign Languages

The acquisition of languages, both classical and modern, has been a hallmark of classical liberal arts education from the time of the European Renaissance. The desire to converse with the Latin and Greek sources of Western civilization, as well as with the people and works of the great contemporary cultures, lies near the heart of liberal education. To that end, students are required to study a foreign language at Geneva through their junior year, though many continue to do so in their senior year as well. From third through eighth grade, all students study Latin, and beginning in ninth grade, they may elect to continue in Latin or begin the study of ancient Greek or modern Spanish or French.

LATIN II
Normally taken in 9th grade
Course Code: 0706310 (Honors)

This course reviews the foundations of Latin vocabulary and grammar covered in previous years and continues the systematic study of the Latin language both in morphology (i.e., how words are formed) and syntax (i.e., how the words go together). This systematic study continues in the traditional method of memorizing vocabulary and paradigms; parsing and declining words; applying the important work of memorization in the translation of Latin into English and Latin into (other) Latin, and composing English phrases and sentences in Latin; and memorizing passages of ancient Latin. Students have additional readings from the textbook, which serve both to reinforce the vocabulary and grammatical concepts and to illuminate the classical Roman world as the backdrop for their study of the Latin language.

Enduring Understandings

To fully engage the great literature that we have inherited from our past is truly to encounter those people who have shaped the present world in which we live. The more we encounter our forebears, the greater our acquaintance becomes with them and the likelihood of gaining wisdom from their struggles with the question of what it means to be human. And for the Western world, no literature is more fundamental, no people more influential, than those of the classical world (viz., Greece and Rome, ca. the eighth century BC through the fourth century AD).
In the words of T. S. Eliot, “We are all, so far as we inherit the civilization of Europe, still citizens of the Roman Empire, and time has not yet proved Virgil wrong when he wrote nec tempora pono: imperium sine fine dedi.”
Meaning is more fully expressed in clauses than in individual words; the arrangement of clauses is what constitutes a sentence. A Latin word’s position within its clause does something (e.g., denotes emphasis) rather than conveys (syntactical) meaning.
Translating—whether from Latin into English or vice versa—is the art of communicating as faithfully as possible the expression of an idea, with attention not only to the meaning of individual words but also to their relationship to one another as expressed by their arrangement in clauses, as well as considering semantic range, connotation, and idiomatic usage.

LATIN III
Normally taken in 10th grade
Course Code: 0706320 (Honors)

This course reviews the Latin vocabulary and grammar covered in previous years and continues the study of the Latin language both in morphology and syntax. The systematic study comprises, as in Latin II, the traditional method of memorizing vocabulary and grammar paradigms, parsing and declining, and translating Latin into English. The focus of this course moves beyond Latin–English translation to include more Latin paraphrasing (in Latin) and Latin composition. Moreover, in addition to written Latin exercises, students begin to develop an ear for the language with oral/aural exercises; all of which serve both to reinforce the vocabulary and grammatical concepts and to illuminate the classical Roman world as the backdrop for the study of the Latin language.

Enduring Understandings

To fully engage the great literature that we have inherited from our past is truly to encounter those people who have shaped the present world in which we live. The more we encounter our forebears, the greater our acquaintance becomes with them and the likelihood of gaining wisdom from their struggles with the question of what it means to be human. And for the Western world, no literature is more fundamental, no people more influential, than those of the classical world (viz., Greece and Rome, ca. eighth century BC–fourth century AD).
In the words of T. S. Eliot, “We are all, so far as we inherit the civilization of Europe, still citizens of the Roman Empire, and time has not yet proved Virgil wrong when he wrote nec tempora pono: imperium sine fine dedi.”
Meaning is more fully expressed in clauses than in individual words; the arrangement of clauses is what constitutes a sentence. A Latin word’s position within its clause does something (e.g., denotes emphasis) rather than conveys (syntactical) meaning.
Translating—whether from Latin into English or vice versa—is the art of communicating so faithfully as possible the expression of an idea, with attention not only to the meaning of individual words but also to their relationship to one another as expressed by their arrangement in clauses, as well as considering semantic range, connotation, and idiomatic usage.

LATIN IV
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 0706330 (Honors)

Vos salvere iubeo! Sermone declarare non possum quantopere gaudeam vos linguam Latinam discere!

In this course, students approach Latin in two ways. First, they continue the study of the language both in morphology (forms) and syntax (putting sentences together), but primarily in syntax. They do so utilizing a primarily grammar-translation method (as in previous years), but they also move farther away than in Latin IV from a primarily passive understanding of the language to a more active knowledge through an increased focus on generating Latin (largely written) and understanding it aurally.

Secondly, students engage with Latin literature, and choice specimens of it at that, in a direct and unmediated way. This gives them the opportunity to delve deeper into the minds of the classical Latin writers, share their experiences, contemplate the artistry of what they wrote, and relate it all to their own point in time and space. These selections are drawn from a variety of writers, with particular emphasis laid on authors of the first century BC.

Enduring Understandings

Est profunditas in lingua Latina: Students gain a firmer grasp of the way Latin expresses itself, in ordinary, prosaic settings and in more literary and artistic contexts as well.
Est nobis cognatio cum lingua Latina: Students gain insight into the commonalities that unite us with the Roman past, as well as the differences that separate us.
“Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit id est semper puerum esse”: Students gain a deeper sense of the debt the English language has to Latin—not just because of the huge vocabulary drawn from the Romans’ language but also because of the way they artistically and rhetorically expressed themselves.
Est sapientia in lingua Latina: Through translation, students hone their skills at logically disentangling what is at first apparently mystifying data, simultaneously strengthening their power of focused attention as they reflect on the relationship a single unit bears vis-a-vis the meaning of the whole thought. This gives them the potential to walk away with a fuller understanding of the power of the word, the power of speech, the power of literature, and the precarious, but crucial, relationship truth, goodness, and beauty have with them.

AP LATIN
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 0706375
Minimum Prerequisites: Latin IV (B+), Cum GPA (3.0)

This course aims at an in-depth study of the Latin language through the masterful prose and poetry of Caesar and Vergil, respectively. In preparation for the AP Latin exam, the course is structured to enable students to complete the entire required reading list as delineated in the College Board AP Latin course description. Accordingly, students discuss the major themes that these authors develop in their respective works and the techniques they use to do so. In order to become better readers of Caesar, students develop their understanding of the historical backdrop to Caesar’s commentaries on his wars in Gaul, i.e., key events of the so-called “Roman revolution”; the biography of Caesar himself; and the basic geography of Italy, Gaul, and Britain. To become better readers of the Aeneid, students develop their understanding of the epic genre; their literary background-knowledge of the Aeneid, including both the Trojan War saga and the characters and plot of the Aeneid itself; their historical background-knowledge of the events that influenced the writing of the Aeneid, i.e., Rome of the first century BC and the coming of the “Golden Age of Augustus”; their familiarity with dactylic hexameter and major figures of speech; and their knowledge of basic Latin grammar and familiarity with poetic exceptions and special case-usage. Additionally, students may have occasion to develop their general facility with the Latin language through the practice of reading selected passages of literature at sight.

Enduring Understandings

To fully engage the great literature that we have inherited from our past is truly to encounter those people who have shaped the present world in which we live. The more we encounter our forebears, the greater our acquaintance becomes with them and the likelihood of gaining wisdom from their struggles with the question of what it means to be human. And for the Western world, no literature is more fundamental, no people more influential, than those of the classical world (i.e., Greece and Rome, ca. the eighth century BC through the fourth century AD).
In the words of T. S. Eliot, “We are all, so far as we inherit the civilization of Europe, still citizens of the Roman Empire, and time has not yet proved Virgil wrong when he wrote nec tempora pono: imperium sine fine dedi.”
Meaning is more fully expressed in clauses than in individual words; the arrangement of clauses is what constitutes a sentence. A Latin word’s position within its clause does something (e.g., denotes emphasis) rather than conveys (syntactical) meaning.
Translating—whether from Latin into English or vice versa—is the art of communicating as faithfully as possible the expression of an idea, with attention not only to the meaning of individual words but also to their relationship to one another as expressed by their arrangement in clauses, as well as considering semantic range, connotation, and idiomatic usage.

GREEK I
Normally taken in 9th grade
Course Code: 0703380 (Honors)

Χαίρετε! Ὑπερφυῶς ἥδομαι ἐπὶ τῷ ὑμᾶς μετ’ ἐμοῦ τὴν Ἑλλήνων φωνὴν μανθάνειν!

Welcome to the first year of ancient Greek! Right from the start, students see the wonderful qualities that have convinced people down through the ages that Greek represents something unique in human history. They start with its alphabet, a thing marked by finesse, precision and beauty. They move on to see how Greek expresses itself in patterns and perspectives that are so mind-bending and mind-stretching that it makes other languages look artificial and made-up, but which really make perfectly good sense. They also get to know the stories that were told about gods and goddesses, about exquisite punishments doled out in the underworld, and about expeditions launched to win a fabulous prize. And, having done all this, they come out the other end a better reader, a sharper thinker, and, more importantly, a person endowed with a more capacious mind and a more human vision—of themselves, of others, of the world, and of their place in it.

So in year one, students learn how the Greeks spoke (alphabet), they learn what the Greeks called this or that (vocabulary), they learn how the Greeks conversed and wrote (grammar), and they learn what the Greeks thought (reading). Until science and technology develop a working mechanism for time travel, using the Greek language is the best and only way to go back in time and live, speak, and think as the Greeks.

Enduring Understandings

Οἱ Ἕλληνες τῇ Ἑλληνικῇ ἐχρῶντο: Greek is a language. People once lived and had all their human experiences in Greek. Let’s try to realize that. At first it seems like a puzzle to crack or decipher, but the goal is to see it as a language. Good rule of thumb: The Greeks didn’t know English.
Ἡ Ἀγγλικὴ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς πολλὰ ἐδέξατο/ἔκλεψεν: A large part of English is, in fact, Greek in two ways. English has many, many loanwords from Greek (derivatives) and many words in common with Greek (cognates). Therefore, the more one understands Greek, the more one understands English.
Ἡ γραμματικὴ οὐκ ἐπιβουλεύει ἡμῖν: Grammar won’t hurt you. Grammar is the code behind the program. It makes the language work. One bug can ruin a whole program. In the same way, faulty grammar messes up both the reader’s meaning and the writer’s meaning—and confusion ensues.
Τῷ κόσμῳ ἴσως, ἀλλ’ οὐ σοὶ ἡ Ἑλληνικὴ τέθνηκεν: Greek is something one hears, speaks, writes, reads, understands—not just translates. Students must make it their own: they must own the forms, not just identify them. This requires frequent reading, translation, and re-reading things translated. How often should one read? A good rule of thumb is until you can translate without failing to recall something and without looking at anything but the Greek.
Χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά: Greek won’t come to you; you’ve got to come to it. It requires work. But it’s the kind of work one does to, say, play a sport. Learn, practice, and practice what you learned, and soon, shooting a basketball with the right form, throwing a spiral, and serving a volleyball have become second nature.

GREEK II HONORS
Normally taken in 10th grade
Course Code: 0703390

Χαίρετε, ὦ σοφοὶ μαθηταί! Λόγῳ φράσαι οὐ δύναμαι ὅσον χαίρω ὅτι τὴν Ἑλλήνων φωνὴν ἔτι μανθάνετε!

Welcome to the second year of ancient Greek! Congratulations are in order. One whole year of Greek has been completed. Now so many new things lie ahead. First of all, verbs. From the start, students wade into the ancient Greek verbal system, which, while challenging, is a thing of exquisite beauty, introducing the students to shades of meaning that most people don’t know exist. Also, moods. Students have learned a few already, but now they dive into subjunctives and optatives, which open up a vast amount of the language and texts one can access.

However, besides these intriguing yet mechanical aspects, students continue to go deeper into a language that creates categories in their minds that give them a more expansive view of themselves, the world, and their place in it. It makes them a keen observer of text; it makes them an analytical reader; it enables them to derive as much information as possible from a tiny amount of data—in short, it equips them with the potential for arriving at truth, and a particularly humanizing aspect of the truth at that.

Enduring Understandings

Οἱ Ἕλληνες τῇ Ἑλληνικῇ ἐχρῶντο: Greek is a language. People once lived and had all their human experiences in Greek. Let’s try to realize that. At first it will seem like a puzzle to crack or decipher, but the goal is to see it as a language. Good rule of thumb: The Greeks didn’t know English.
Ἡ Ἀγγλικὴ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς πολλὰ ἐδέξατο/ἔκλεψεν: A large part of English is, in fact, Greek in two ways. English has many, many loanwords from Greek (derivatives) and many words in common with Greek (cognates). Therefore, the more one understands Greek, the more one understands English.
Ἡ γραμματικὴ οὐκ ἐπιβουλεύει ἡμῖν: Grammar won’t hurt you. Grammar is the code behind the program. It makes the language work. One bug can ruin a whole program. In the same way, faulty grammar messes up both the reader’s meaning and the writer’s meaning—and confusion ensues.
Τῷ κόσμῳ ἴσως, ἀλλ’ οὐ σοὶ ἡ Ἑλληνικὴ τέθνηκεν: Greek is something one hears, speaks, writes, reads, understands—not just translates. One must make it one’s own: one must own the forms, not just identify them. This requires frequent reading, translation, and re-reading things translated. How often should one read? A good rule of thumb is until you can translate without failing to recall something and without looking at anything but the Greek.
Χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά: Greek won’t come to you; you’ve got to come to it. It requires work. But it’s the kind of work one does to, say, play a sport. Learn, practice, and practice what you learned, and soon, shooting a basketball with the right form, throwing a spiral, and serving a volleyball have become second nature.

GREEK III HONORS
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 0703340

Ἕτοιμοί ἐστε δήπου πορρωτέρω τε τῆς Ἑλλήνων φωνῆς προβαίνειν καὶ τῶν γραμμάτων αὐτῶν γεύεσθαι! Ἐλπίζω γέ τοι ἐγώ.

Welcome to the third year of ancient Greek! This year, students witness better than ever before the qualities that set ancient Greek apart from other languages. In particular, they see more closely the way Greek expresses itself in patterns and perspectives that are so mind-bending and mind-stretching that it makes other languages look artificial and made-up. But besides these, it also contains writings that consistently look at the world from a certain perspective—that perspective being beauty. The Greeks were always talking about τὸ καλόν—it’s καλόν to do this, or πρέπον to do that. And this explains in part why Christians have been so interested in what the Greeks said and how they said it. It clues us in to that often-forgotten aspect of God’s relationship with his people—how beautiful a thing is God’s work in creation and in the redemption of his people through Christ.

How do we reach far enough into the language to enjoy this new perspective? We become them. We use their language. So in year three, students continue learning how the Greeks spoke (pronouncing, hearing, speaking), what the Greeks called this or that (vocabulary), how the Greeks conversed and wrote (grammar), and what the Greeks thought (reading). And on this last note—reading—students have the chance this year to get a taste of an authentic Greek writer, the storyteller/historian Herodotus of Halicarnassus.

Enduring Understandings

Οἱ Ἕλληνες τῇ Ἑλληνικῇ ἐχρῶντο: Greek is a language. People once lived and had all their human experiences in Greek. Let’s try to realize that. At first it will seem like a puzzle to crack or decipher, but the goal is to see it as a language. Good rule of thumb: The Greeks didn’t know English.
Ἡ Ἀγγλικὴ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς πολλὰ ἐδέξατο/ἔκλεψεν: A large part of English is, in fact, Greek in two ways. English has many, many loanwords from Greek (derivatives) and many words in common with Greek (cognates). Therefore, the more one understands Greek, the more one understands English.
Ἡ γραμματικὴ οὐκ ἐπιβουλεύει ἡμῖν: Grammar won’t hurt you. Grammar is the code behind the program. It makes the language work. On that note, one bug can ruin a whole program. In the same way, faulty grammar messes up both the reader’s meaning and the writer’s meaning—and confusion ensues.
Τῷ κόσμῳ ἴσως, ἀλλ’ οὐ σοὶ ἡ Ἑλληνικὴ τέθνηκεν: Greek is something one hears, speaks, writes, reads, understands—not just translates. One must make it one’s own: one must own the forms, not just identify them. This requires frequent reading, translation, and re-reading things translated. How often should one read? A good rule of thumb is until you can translate without failing to recall something and without looking at anything but the Greek.
Χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά: Greek won’t come to you; you’ve got to come to it. It requires work. But it’s the kind of work one does to, say, play a sport. Learn, practice, and practice what you learned, and soon, shooting a basketball with the right form, throwing a spiral, serving a volleyball or shooting an arrow have become second nature.

GREEK IV HONORS
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 0703350
NOT OFFERED THIS YEAR

Χαίρετε! Ἄγε δὴ ἐπιθῶμεν τῇ Ἑλληνικῇ ὑμῶν παιδείᾳ τὴν πασῶν βελτίστην κορωνίδα!!!

Welcome to the fourth year of ancient Greek, where the focus is on the reading of Greek literature in the original. Whether it’s a demi-god with superhuman strength, and the wrath to match, or an actual Macedonian teenager who conquered the known world; a city that decided to be a self-governing state or a city that decided to militarize; an orator who determined the way Europe would write and speak for centuries or a gospel that carried its message of salvation to the ends of the earth, Greek literature has something for everybody.

In Greek IV students delve into this literature—without an intermediary. From day one, students deal with actual Greek texts, simultaneously fine-tuning their mastery of grammar, vocabulary, and syntax along the way. The goal is that, by thus engaging with the Greeks in the language of the Greeks, the divide separating us from them will be removed and we will see, as it were, our modern-ness in their lives and their ancient-ness in ours.

Enduring Understandings

Οἱ Ἕλληνες τῇ Ἑλληνικῇ ἐχρῶντο: Greek is a language. People once lived and had all their human experiences in Greek. Let’s try to realize that. At first it will seem like a puzzle to crack or decipher, but the goal is to see it as a language. Good rule of thumb: The Greeks didn’t know English.
Ἡ Ἀγγλικὴ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς πολλὰ ἐδέξατο/ἔκλεψεν: A large part of English is, in fact, Greek in two ways. English has many, many loanwords from Greek (derivatives) and many words in common with Greek (cognates). Therefore, the more one understands Greek, the more one understands English.
Ἡ γραμματικὴ οὐκ ἐπιβουλεύει ἡμῖν: Grammar won’t hurt you. Grammar is the code behind the program. It makes the language work. On that note, one bug can ruin a whole program. In the same way, faulty grammar messes up both your meaning and the writer’s meaning—and confusion ensues.
Τῷ κόσμῳ ἴσως, ἀλλ’ οὐ σοὶ ἡ Ἑλληνικὴ τέθνηκεν: Greek is something one hears, speaks, writes, reads, understands—not just translates. One must make it one’s own: one must own the forms, not just identify them. This requires frequent reading, translation, and re-reading things translated. How often should one read? A good rule of thumb is until you can translate without failing to recall something and without looking at anything but the Greek.
Χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά: Greek won’t come to you; you’ve got to come to it. It requires work. But it’s the kind of work one does to, say, play a sport. Learn, practice, and practice what you learned, and soon, shooting a basketball with the right form, throwing a spiral, serving a volleyball or shooting an arrow have become second nature.

FRENCH I
Normally taken in 9th grade
Course Code: 0701320 (Honors)

In language learning, we experience how a people’s language is an expression of its culture. Even this class develops a culture as students collect shared experiences with each other. These new ways of expressing themselves and relating to each other with new words become engrained to the extent that students dedicate themselves to thinking, speaking, and practicing French.

French I begins the process of language acquisition in a classroom. For most students, French class is their first exposure to learning a living language. While it would be better if we could learn French in France, this class tries to find organic ways to acquire and assimilate new words, phrases, and grammar. Students make stories, sing songs, draw pictures, and act out skits, all in order to find ways to give these foreign words a home in our American consciousness. Highlights of classes are birthday parties, acting out stories, Christmas caroling, and games like “Qui suis-je” and “Qui, Madame, moi madame?”

Learning languages is a gift—it gives us an immediate path into the lives of strangers. The Old Testament says much about the way we are to treat the “strangers in your midst.” Who better than us to be welcoming and loving to those who are different than we are? What better way to do that than to speak their language?

Enduring Understandings

In French I, students focus on listening and imitating. Students train their ears to be able to hear the difference between our native sounds and inflections and those of French.
French I sets the stage for a learning atmosphere characterized by humility and risk-taking so that students imitate the new-sounding words with confidence and a healthy sense of humor.
French embodies the cultural representative of a people who contributed to Western civilization’s historic, artistic, linguistic, and culinary identity.
French I introduces students to the aural beauty of the language through the memorization of Scripture passages and songs.

FRENCH II
Normally taken in 10th grade
Course Code: 0701330 (Honors)

In language learning, we experience how a people’s language is an expression of its culture. Even this class develops a culture as students collect shared experiences with each other. These new ways of expressing themselves and relating to each other with new words and ways become entrenched to the proportion that students dedicate themselves to thinking, speaking, and practicing French.

French II continues the process of language acquisition in a classroom. This year, students dive further into some of the grammar that they began in French I. They continue to do this in a way that is as organic as possible outside of a French-speaking country by making stories, singing songs, drawing pictures, and acting out skits—all in order to find ways to give these foreign words a home in our American consciousness. Highlights of classes are birthday parties, acting out stories, Christmas caroling, and games like “Qui suis-je” and “Qui, Madame, moi madame?”

Learning languages is a gift that gives us an immediate inroad into the lives of strangers. The Old Testament says much about the way we are to treat the “strangers in your midst.” Who better than us to be welcoming and loving to those who are different than we are? What better way to do that than to speak their language?

Enduring Understandings

French II students narrate stories about themselves and others in the past and the present tense.
French II centers on producing French orally through conversations, narrating stories, and recitation.
French II increases the students’ love of the beauty of spoken French through the memorization of French poetry and songs.
French embodies the culture representative of a people who contributed to Western civilization’s historic, artistic, linguistic, and culinary identity.
Learning a different language gives students the opportunity to practice loving those different than they are by meeting them where they are.

FRENCH III
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 0701340 (Honors)

In language learning, we experience the fact that a people’s language is an expression of its culture. Even this class develops its own micro-culture as students collect and share experiences with each other. These new ways of expressing themselves and relating to each other with these new words and ways become entrenched to the proportion that they dedicate to thinking, speaking, and practicing French.

In French III, students start to experience some of the benefits of their language acquisition. They get to read French texts like Le Petit Nicholas. The class’s activities range from creating stories (written and oral), making movies, and Christmas caroling to telling their own stories, playing games, and eating together. With the level of language they now possess, students have a limitless amount of cultural activity, artifacts, history, and literature to learn about and discuss.

Enduring Understandings

As proficiency in French increases, students are more able to discuss abstract ideas and themes and interact with native French speakers face to face, in texts, and in written correspondence.
When acquiring a language, knowledge of and participation in the cultures native to that language increase. This enables students to acquire new relationships and points of reference that stretch them personally and relationally so that they begin to embody unity in diversity. In French III, students participate with various French authors such as Molière, Sempé, Pascal, and La Fontaine.
Having been exposed to a wide variety of French vocabulary and grammatical structures, limitations decrease and opportunities for expression both in oral and written communication increase.
French embodies the culture representative of a people who contributed to Western civilization’s historic, artistic, linguistic, and culinary identity.

FRENCH IV
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 0701350 (Honors)

In language learning, we experience the fact that a people’s language is an expression of its culture. Even this class develops a culture as students collect and share experiences with each other. These new ways of expressing themselves and relating to each other with these new words and ways become entrenched to the proportion that students dedicate themselves to thinking, speaking, and practicing French.

In French IV, students get to reap some of the benefits of their language learning. They get to read texts in French like Les Misèrables, Le Petit Prince, and The Chronicles of Narnia. The class’s activities range from creating stories (written and oral) and Christmas caroling to telling their own stories, discussing important topics in their lives, playing games, and eating together. With the level of language they now possess, they have a limitless amount of cultural activity, artifacts, history, and literature to learn about and discuss.

Enduring Understandings

When acquiring a language, knowledge of and participation in the cultures native to that language increase. This enables students to acquire new relationships and points of reference that stretch them personally and relationally so that they begin to embody unity in diversity as they read authors such as Hugo, Molière, and Saint-Exupéry.
Having learned the full gamut of tenses and a wide array of vocabulary, limitations decrease and opportunities for expression both in oral and written communication increase so that students are able to read French classics, enjoy the visual arts of French cinematography and drama, and listen to French music in the original language.
French IV is conducted in French and spotlights reading and writing since it is the best way of interacting with the French culture without being in a French-speaking community.
Through memorization of fables, poems, and songs, students solidify their grasp of the most enduring literary contributions of French authors and ensure that legacy in their lives.
French embodies the culture representative of a people who contributed to Western civilization’s historic, artistic, linguistic, and culinary identity.

SPANISH I
Normally taken in 9th grade
Course Code: 0708340

How can I use Spanish to connect with the people around me? What are the ways that Spanish has already influenced me? Does learning Spanish relate in any way to the other courses that I study? Can I use my study of Spanish to bring depth to my understanding of God and the beauty of his creation? Will I embrace opportunities to take what I learn and use it in the real world? These are some of the questions that should guide each student’s purpose for studying Spanish this year.

In order to accomplish these purposes, students are involved in a variety of tasks designed to heighten their understanding of written and spoken Spanish, the people who speak it, and where Spanish is spoken. They enjoy a number of virtual field trips and create cultural experiences in class to enhance their understanding of these foreign worlds. Students feast with the faithful in the celebration of Epiphany and journey along the route of El Cid as he conquers the Moors and honors his king.

Their journey toward language acquisition requires that the students work on the following skills: learning introductory vocabulary, grammar, and syntax; building foundational skills in reading, speaking, writing, and understanding spoken Spanish; and participating in verbal exercises designed to develop accurate pronunciation, including memorization/recitation. They practice conversation and make oral presentations. They are examined and graded for accuracy in grammar, reading and written skills, pronunciation, and general knowledge. Students learn about Spanish history and culture by exploring the rich tradition of legends and myths in Spanish literature.

Enduring Understandings

Language is acquired through progressive improvement in four areas: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Spanish I instruction focuses on the basic building blocks of vocabulary and present tense verb conjugations.
Practicing aloud is necessary to train the ear for sounds particular to the target language.
Training for accuracy in writing allows for written and spoken production with fewer errors.
Studying Spanish history and reading The Poem of the Cid provide two ways to make connections with other disciplines.
Knowing the basic geography of the Spanish-speaking world provides an understanding of the impact of Spanish on the world.
Learning a language elicits empathy for the foreigner who is learning English.

SPANISH II
Normally taken in 10th grade
Course Code: 0708350

What will I learn in Spanish II that will bring me closer to connecting with Spanish speakers in the world around me? Can I expect to converse with native speakers because I am in this class? How does learning Spanish and about Spanish speakers help me to understand the complex issues that surround our neighbor Mexico and its relationship with the US?

In Spanish II, students spend some time focusing on their neighbor Mexico, gaining an understanding of the complexities of Mexican immigration to the US and what shapes our perceptions of the Mexican people. They encounter the mysterious blending of religious traditions in El Día de los Muertos and experience the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine. Julio shows them how a young orphan manages in small-town Mexico as he awaits the protection of his angel. Students may begin to differentiate the accents of the Mexican speaker and the Spanish (from Spain) speaker.

Students add to their foundation from Spanish I by participating in the following: learning intermediate vocabulary, grammar (including moving from the present to the past tense with ease), and syntax; continuing to build foundational skills in reading, speaking, writing, and understanding spoken Spanish particularly through the use of storytelling. Students are required to participate in verbal exercises designed to develop accurate pronunciation, including, but not limited to, memorization/recitation, beginning-to-intermediate conversation practice, and oral presentations. Students are examined and graded for accuracy in grammar, reading and written skills, pronunciation, and general knowledge.

Enduring Understandings

Language is acquired through progressive improvement in four areas: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Spanish II builds upon the Spanish I foundation with a primary focus on vocabulary and past and future tenses.
Listening for understanding becomes more comfortable.
Forming narrative and descriptive sentences using memorized and non-memorized material is possible.
Reading short passages in the target language builds confidence in the learner.
Studying Mexico in detail provides opportunities to explore a neighboring country and to understand its impact on the USA.
Hearing the target language outside of the classroom is exciting. The learner begins to imagine communicating with someone in the target language in the setting where the language is heard.

SPANISH III
Normally taken in 11th grade
Course Code: 0708360 (Honors)

Do I have enough knowledge in Spanish to study historical and cultural themes in the target language? Is this the year that I will feel ready to risk speaking to native speakers? Will I ever understand all those verb tenses? These are some of the questions that should be on the minds of the Spanish III student. During the course of this school year, students will seek to answer these and many more.

Students will travel back in time and explore the Mayan pyramids, stopping to wonder at the similarities between the Mayan city and Egyptian city in the ancient world. They will surround themselves with the sights and sounds of ancient Córdoba and Toledo and consider how a young girl’s daily routine seems quite like ours. And they will walk in the steps of a pilgrim on the way to Santiago de Compostela, learning how even historical and biblical characters can become the stuff of legends.

Spanish Language and Culture III is designed to integrate the study of the Spanish language with an in-depth and comprehensive study of Hispanic culture, using a multi-disciplinary approach that includes study of particular aspects of philosophy, history, sociology, politics, art, music, literature, and worldview (pagan and Christian) in Hispanic cultures, both ancient and modern. It provides a thorough intermediate-level grammar review intended to further develop students’ language skills in Spanish, with the goal of producing literate and communicative students who are able to express themselves confidently and effectively in Spanish. Grammar and lexical study is complemented by communicative activities designed to hone students’ skills in the four modes of language production: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Over the course of the year, students have significant exposure to Spanish language texts such as the Bible, authentic historical documents, and literary texts that serve as the foundation for a comprehensive study of the development of Spanish and Hispanic culture.

Enduring Understandings

Extending language learning to the third year builds confidence in the four major skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Reading classic works of Spanish literature intertwines the working knowledge of literature learned in other disciplines and introduces Spanish heroes.
As one continues learning a language, reading, writing, and speaking production naturally lengthens, understanding spoken Spanish requires less translation, and discerning accents from different areas of the Spanish-speaking world becomes possible.
Studying the issues around immigration gives a broader perspective about those who seek refuge in the USA.
Students become more aware of Spanish speakers and opportunities to be helpful.

SPANISH IV
Normally taken in 12th grade
Course Code: 0708370 (Honors)

How will this year be different from the last three? How much responsibility am I willing to take to move my abilities in Spanish on to the next level? What will be the take-away from Spanish as I graduate? Examining these questions will give students a healthy starting point for Spanish IV.

Students will continue to explore, create, and connect their learning of Spanish to the world beyond the classroom. They will delve into the conquest and the Golden Age of Spain and then examine the consequences of its excesses. They will consider the model of government in the Spanish colonies and develop conclusions regarding its successes and failures. They will investigate the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in Spain and Latin America. They will experience new and creative ways to express their thoughts in Spanish, both in speaking and in literature.

In this course, students develop a strong command of the Spanish language, with proficiency in the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students complete a wide variety of integrative activities designed to synthesize aural and written materials, to develop reading comprehension skills and communicative strategies, and to refine abilities with extensive informal and formal oral presentations and writing on a variety of topics. Additionally, students broaden their cultural literacy and awareness through the use and study of authentic Spanish-language literature, substantive newspaper and magazine articles, other non-technical texts, as well as authentic audio and video recordings. These activities are combined with a rigorous and thorough review of grammar structures and vocabulary-building activities and with study and application of worldview issues. When possible, the class welcomes native Spanish speakers within our Geneva community.

Enduring Understandings

Extending language learning to the fourth year provides an opportunity for mastery in the four major skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Deepening the study of history, literature, and cultures of the target language enriches the language acquisition experience. Continuing connections with content learned in other classes emerge. Students’ abilities to transfer their skills of writing, reading, and speaking from English to Spanish produces a more mature product.
Producing oral presentations for the class in Spanish brings together the four major skills and strengthens the speaker’s capacity for public speaking.
As one gains proficiency in Spanish, it is possible for students to share their faith with Spanish speakers.
Traveling abroad to study Spanish and/or to do mission work becomes a plausible possibility.

Fine and Performing Arts

All true education begins in wonder and depends upon the imagination to flourish. This is why the arts form part of the core curriculum from K4–12th grade. All grammar and dialectic students study choral and instrumental music, studio art, and drama through eighth grade, while electives in the rhetoric school are designed to allow students to engage more deeply in one of these areas of the fine and performing arts.

RHETORIC CHOIR I–V
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 1303300, 1303310, 1303320, 1303330, (1303340 Honors)

Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
Psalm 33:3, ESV

Sing with spirit. Sing to serve.

Rhetoric Choir exists to embody and display the beauty, gratitude, discipline, and community of God’s redemptive story through music. In addition to assisting in chapel and school ceremonies, this ensemble studies and performs a diverse selection of choral music, covering a wide range of musical cultures, styles, traditions, and time periods. Through the study of this diverse literature, students develop sight-singing skills, delve deeper into music theory and music history, and learn to appreciate each person’s unique contribution.

Enduring Understandings

Music is a universal gift from God. It is a powerful medium by which humans reflect the beauty of their Creator.
Music is a language that can be learned and expressed by everyone, given the right tools and vocabulary.
Singing and music-making is a natural human response to the beauty of God, his creation, and his redemptive story.
Being made in God’s image, all people are uniquely gifted, and everyone’s voice is valuable.
Music creates community, and can be a powerful catalyst for realizing and affirming common human values and experiences.

RHETORIC LADIES CHOIR I–IV
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 1303440, 1303450, 1303460, 1303470

Sing with spirit. Sing to serve.

Ladies Choir is an academic elective in the fine arts department that creates an outlet for young ladies to grow musically and vocally in an ensemble setting for additional fine arts credit. Ladies Choir members grow in musicianship and confidence in a supportive and fun environment. Members of this ensemble learn to read music, improve vocal technique, develop ensemble blend and balance, and rehearse a diverse selection of music written or arranged for women’s voices.

Enduring Understandings

Music is a gift from God. It is a powerful medium by which humans reflect their creator.
Singing and music-making is a natural human response to the beauty of God, his creation, and his redemptive story.
Being made in God’s image, all people are uniquely gifted, and everyone’s voice is valuable.
Music, like other subject areas, can be challenging but is inherently rewarding.
Music can be a powerful catalyst for creating and affirming common human values and experiences, while learning to appreciate each person’s individual contribution.
Making music is a physical activity, requiring ongoing discipline. It is a skill, taught and learned as a craft, accessible to everyone.

RHETORIC ORCHESTRA I–IV
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 1302360, 1302370, 1302380, 1302390

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings (Proverbs 22:29a, ESV).

We can mention only one point (which experience confirms), namely, that next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. No greater commendation than this can be found — at least not by us. After all, the gift of language combined with the gift of song was only given to man to let him know that he should praise God with both word and music, namely, by proclaiming the Word of God through music.—Martin Luther

The rhetoric orchestra class is an exciting opportunity for students to build on the music knowledge they have acquired through previous music classes focusing on a band setting.

The purpose of this class is to develop basic musical skills on the student’s instrument of choice so that they can participate in a fully functional band ensemble. They develop skills in music reading and rhythm and learn how to identify musical forms in the music they study. The instrumental techniques learned in class include instrument identification, discerning which instruments fit their body and preferences, assembly, care, basic playing techniques, and music reading. As they progress through the year, they learn how to blend together to make a unified sound that is pleasing to their listeners.

Research shows there are many benefits to learning a musical instrument. Among the most important are higher levels of achievement in all other academic areas, increased capacity for learning, and a greater sense of happiness and joy. In addition, as students learn to develop musical skills, they gain valuable insights into other areas of learning that require diligence, patience, persistence, practice, and skillfulness.

Those with prodigious skill in music are better suited for all things.—Martin Luther

Enduring Understandings

Music is a universal gift from God. It is a powerful medium by which humans reflect the beauty of their Creator.
Music is a language that can be learned and expressed by everyone, given the right tools and vocabulary.
Music-making is a fundamentally natural human response to the beauty of God, his creation, and his redemptive story.
Being made in God’s image, all people are uniquely gifted, and everyone’s music contribution is valuable.
Music creates community and can be a powerful catalyst for realizing and affirming common human values and experiences.

RHETORIC BAND I
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 1302300

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings (Proverbs 22:29a, ESV).

The rhetoric band class is an exciting opportunity for students to build on the music knowledge they have acquired through previous music classes focusing on a band setting.

Those with prodigious skill in music are better suited for all things.—Martin Luther

Enduring Understandings

Music is a universal gift from God. It is a powerful medium by which humans reflect the beauty of their Creator.
Music is a language that can be learned and expressed by everyone, given the right tools and vocabulary.
Music-making is a fundamentally natural human response to the beauty of God, his creation, and his redemptive story.
Being made in God’s image, all people are uniquely gifted, and everyone’s music contribution is valuable.
Music creates community and can be a powerful catalyst for realizing and affirming common human values and experiences.

RHETORIC VOLANTE GUITAR I–III & RHETORIC ADVANCED BRAVURA GUITAR I–III
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 1301320, 1301330, 1301340 & 1302460, 1302470, 1302480

The guitar is an instrument with a rich pedagogical and cultural history, and it has developed immensely over the centuries. From its development in the Middle Ages to the modern form that we know of today, the guitar has evolved both in its role as a chamber instrument and a solo instrument. The guitar’s musical presence has steadily increased with time, the extent of its capabilities and repertoire expanding alongside the musicians who have explored and studied its versatility.

This course seeks to establish a technical, musical, and theoretical background for students in guitar performance and study. Foundational elements such as sight-reading, music theory, and guitar methodology are studied to provide a well-rounded musical comprehension of the instrument. Students build upon foundational skills and knowledge to understand the “effect” created by musicality and informed performance decisions. Students take the knowledge of guitar literature and performance and understand its rhetorical function in its varying beautiful expressions.

Enduring Understandings

The process of learning classical guitar unites the gymnastic, the aesthetic, and the intellectual.
The posture of the body, holding of the instrument, and articulation of sound require physical exercise, practice, and discipline.
Playing music is as much developing a sense for how something ought to sound as it is a proper articulation of pitches and rhythms. The ability to discern this sense of musical goodness is learned; it is cultivated through “diet” and should be pursued on a lifelong trajectory.
Understanding the theoretical aspects of composition supports (and is supported by) both the artistic and gymnastic aspects of musical performance.
An understanding of the rudiments of music theory is important both for performing and appreciating music. Learning to decipher standard musical notation is an integral skill to even the most basic music education and communication.
Learning classical guitar is an amazing and rewarding undertaking.
The guitar is a stringed chamber instrument as well as a polyphonic solo instrument.
Classical guitar refers both to a type of instrument as well as a method of playing that instrument.
Music in and of itself is a rhetorical method of conveying messages, and we recognize the persuasive and influential power that God has bestowed upon it.

JAZZ ENSEMBLE
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 1302500 9/.5 Credit)

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings (Proverbs 22:29a, ESV).

Jazz is America’s indigenous art form, having its birth and evolution in the United States. In 1987 the Joint Houses of Congress passed a resolution declaring jazz an American National Treasure.—jazzinamerica.org, 11th grade lesson plan

The Jazz Ensemble offers students an exciting opportunity to build on the music knowledge they have acquired through previous music classes, focusing on a traditional big band setting.

The purpose of this class is twofold: to develop a basic understanding of jazz styles and techniques as a way to learn about this great American art form and to share that experience with the greater Geneva community.

Those with prodigious skill in music are better suited for all things.—Martin Luther

Enduring Understandings

Music is a universal gift from God. It is a powerful medium by which humans reflect the beauty of their Creator.
Music is a language that can be learned and expressed by everyone, given the right tools and vocabulary.
Music-making is a fundamentally natural human response to the beauty of God, his creation, and his redemptive story.
Being made in God’s image, all people are uniquely gifted, and everyone’s music contribution is valuable.
Music creates community and can be a powerful catalyst for realizing and affirming common human values and experiences.

AP MUSIC THEORY
12th grade
Course Code: 1300330
Minimum Prerequisites: Cum GPA (3.0), specific musicianship criteria (details available from Mrs. Noble)

“The startled composer, tears streaming down his face, turned to his servant and cried out, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself.” George Frédéric Handel had just finished writing a movement that would take its place in history as the Hallelujah Chorus.”

Music Theory (AP) is a rigorous course designed for seniors who are excited and curious about what makes music such a compelling art form. Students must meet academic and musical prerequisites. All students taking the course take the AP Music Theory exam in the spring semester, which could qualify them for university music credits. However, the scope and application of the course is not limited to the content of the AP Music Theory course.

The overarching goal of this course is to develop a “working vocabulary” for music theory and composition through study of great works. Class time consists of a pedagogically sequenced discussion of topics, reinforced by in-class exercises. Jane Clendinning’s text, online resources, and workbook is the primary resource for this aspect of the course.

Homework consists of regular listening or composition journal entries, or workbook assignments. Students regularly share work with the class from their journal.

Enduring Understandings

Music is a gift from God; we receive it and engage with it as such. It is one medium by which we image him and affirm that which he has declared to be “good.”
Making music is a craft, and the composer an artisan. Ongoing discipline is required to learn skills necessary for thoughtful composition and analysis of musical works.
Making music is a powerful catalyst for creating and affirming community.
Music notation is an evolving language that the Western musical tradition is increasingly dependent upon. Learning to decipher standard musical notation is an integral skill to even the most basic music education and communication.

DRAMA I–IV
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 0400310, 0400320, 0400330, 0400340

Love your neighbor—Matthew 22:39

What is the purpose of theatre? Why take this class? What is theatre even for, really? The answer, as it is for every endeavor undertaken with a proper motive, is to glorify God. Of course, theatre has its specific way of doing so. We are made in the image of God and therefore reflect him, however imperfectly, in our various activities. In the creation and performance of theatre, we imitate God as creator and storyteller. When God creates he does it ex nihilo, from nothing, needing no raw materials with which to begin. God’s divine creativity and power make something out of nothing—a world from the abyss. Our “sub-creation,” as J. R. R. Tolkien phrased it, begins with material given us by God—history, intuition, experience, wood, wool, words—and, imitating the Creator’s creativity, turns it into something new, something that points to the beauty of our Savior, the Truth with a capital “T,” the goodness (and greatness) of God.

In theatre, this means telling stories worth telling, that show life in all its complexity and humor, struggle and triumph, absurdity and pain, passion and glory. Theatre runs the gamut of emotions, styles, and stories because life runs that same gamut. It is an exercise in humility and sacrifice to create good theatre. It requires loving our neighbor in the process, as well as the performance. What ends up on stage (which is, after all, the ultimate point of any theatre class) is the result of a long process of living with and learning to love our collaborators and then loving the audience by presenting a show worth watching. The collaboration behind the scenes leads to the collaboration in performance, the work of actors and audience to tell a story that gets to the heart of truths we need to hear, stories we need to remember, an inclination in ourselves we need to learn to laugh at, a “blind spot” we need to recognize and repent of, a tragedy we need to endure and to empathize with, a triumph we need to experience and to celebrate.

Enduring Understandings

As human beings made in the image of the Creator, we, too, create. Creation, fall, redemption, and glory—it’s the story God has written on our hearts, rooted in the reality and eternity of heaven.
Virtue is the result of ongoing practice—steady, slow, often painful practice, which we put into daily action alongside our brothers and sisters.
Biblical understanding and faithful Christian practice together enable us to recognize and enact Truth, Goodness, and Beauty onstage, inviting our audience into the experience.
Theatre is collaborative; it requires all of its artisans to work together to speak truth, encourage laughter, evoke tears, prompt reflection and conversation, convict, and inspire.
Christ-glorifying theatre is hard work. And it is work worth doing.

STAGECRAFT I–IV
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 0400410, 0400420, 0400430, 0400440

Stagecraft is the art form of making a vision come to fruition through scenic, sound, lighting, and costume design. The focus is on working as a community: effectively and respectfully communicating, collaborating on, and realizing a mutual vision. This is a class of doing. The students learn the skills necessary to work in many theatrical capacities from the scene shop to backstage to front of house.

The students run the upper school performances (typically performed in the evenings and on weekends) and the lower school ones (typically performed during the school day) when their schedules permit. They build sets and props for the rhetoric school plays and help with the props and sets for dialectic and grammar school plays as they are able. The goal is for the students to be capable and confident enough to realize many of their creative ideas.

Enduring Understandings

Cooperation and teamwork are essential for successful performances.
Criticism and praise must be given and accepted with grace if a student is to improve and grow as a professional.
Participation in the creative process can be frightening, but with perseverance the reward is great.
Making mistakes is a necessary part of the creative process and should not be viewed as a negative outcome.
As Christians, it is very important to understand and respect the dramatic art form and how the theatrical medium is used to shape the culture, and to be able to discern whether theatrical presentations are consistent with the Christian worldview.

JOURNALISM/YEARBOOK I & II
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 1006300, 1006310

A journalist is a storyteller. This course allows a student to develop fundamental journalism skills, gain an understanding of the history of journalism, grapple with the ethics associated with journalism, and learn management techniques related to the production of journalistic media. What is expected of students varies according to skill development relative to their years of study.

The assignments for this class are divided into four quarters. The first two quarters focus on journalistic standards and skill development, including graphic design, interviewing, and photography, along with small-scale business management. Quarter three focuses on the production of The Geneva School yearbook. In the last quarter, students move on to a variety of other projects and begin developing the following year’s yearbook theme.

Enduring Understandings

Recording and sharing stories are valuable.
Accuracy of information brings validity to one’s work.
Working in teams allows an individual to strengthen his or her own skills, as well as others’.
Being organized, meeting deadlines, and working within budgets are crucial to a successful business.
Attractive design is both impactful and memorable.
Students will grow in their appreciation of and artistic abilities in digital design.

Editors and staffers are responsible for carrying out the entire process for creating journalism, including but not limited to the following:

Learning and applying software and technology
Designing and formatting yearbook pages
Delegating assignments to staff members
Interviewing
Writing headlines, captions, and body text
Taking and choosing photos
Submitting pages, proofing, and indexing
Marketing and distribution

JOURNALISM/YEARBOOK III & IV
11th–12th grade
Course Code: 1006320, 1006330

The assignments for this class are divided into four quarters. The first quarter focuses on journalistic standards and skill development, including graphic design, interviewing, and photography, along with small-scale business management. Quarters two and three focus on the production of The Geneva School yearbook. In the last quarter, students move on to a variety of other projects and begin developing the following year’s yearbook theme.

Recording and sharing stories are valuable.
Accuracy of information brings validity to one’s work.
Working in teams allows an individual to strengthen his or her own skills, as well as others’.
Being organized, meeting deadlines, and working within budgets are crucial to a successful business.
Attractive design is both impactful and memorable.
Students grow in their appreciation of and artistic abilities in digital design.

Editors and staffers are responsible for carrying out the entire process for creating journalism, including but not limited to the following:

Learning and applying software and technology
Designing and formatting yearbook pages
Delegating assignments to staff members
Interviewing
Writing headlines, captions, and body text
Taking and choosing photos
Submitting pages, proofing, and indexing
Marketing and distribution

JOURNALISM: STUDENT MAGAZINE I–III
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (Honors for II & III)

Students learn the basics of journalism writing, photography, and design. They learn many of the Adobe products, including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat. Throughout the year, students create three issues of The Post, a student magazine, to be distributed to the student body in the fall, winter, and spring. They also produce Geneva’s literary magazine, the Asterope.

Enduring Understandings

Learning journalistic writing and editing
Understanding concepts of photography and design
Working as a team through communication and collaboration
Learning and promoting aspects of the school culture through a magazine
Learning to lead and manage a staff while meeting deadlines (honors students)

ART I–IV
9th–12th grade
Course Codes: 0101330, 0101340, 0101350, 0101360

The goal at the rhetoric level is for students to use their visual tools of communication to pursue their ideas and find their voices. Students in Art I, Art II, Art III, Art IV, and AP Art are combined in one class. Combining students of varying skill levels inspires the group and removes any hindrance to a student advancing at an accelerated pace. The fundamental procedures of studio art—the “how to” aspect—are generally taught early on. Their mastery, however, takes a lifetime to achieve.

In rhetoric art, students are taught studio fundamentals such as drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. These skills are not difficult to grasp from a procedural standpoint and do not change significantly from year to year. Students do projects involving all of them throughout their years in art classes. What changes, however, is their mastery of these skills. Students are expected to demonstrate increased mastery over their chosen media with each passing year.

Enduring Understandings

God makes things—he is creative—and we imitate him in this. It is better to make things well than to make them poorly. This is one of the reasons we study art-making.
The arts are inherently experiential and actively engage learners in the processes of creating, interpreting, and responding to art.
It is important to develop visual literacy in order to look at and see art as it was meant to be seen by its makers. This is a skill to be mastered just as much as reading and understanding books are skills to be mastered.
Through purposeful practice, artists learn to manage, master, and refine simple, then complex, skills and techniques.

AP STUDIO ART (AP DRAWING / AP 2-D ART & DESIGN)
12th grade
Course Code: 104300 (AP Drawing) / 0109350 (AP 2-D Art & Design)
Minimum Prerequisites: Studio Art III (B+), Cum GPA (3.0)

Through studio practice, application of design concepts, and informed decision making, students assemble a body of artwork that demonstrates a high level of quality and growth throughout their portfolio. Writing about their work is an integral part of the exam; a student must be able to support each piece of art and the concept behind it. Students create fifteen original pieces of art about one central idea, referred to as a Sustained Investigation, which they submit to the College Board for grading and possible college credit.

Artistic Integrity: Students are expected to use artistic integrity throughout the course. Work that is based on published photographs or the work of other artists must move beyond duplication to illustrate an original idea.

AP Drawing Portfolio: By exploring a variety of design processes and techniques, and concepts and aesthetics, students demonstrate their mastery of drawing, painting, and printmaking while advancing their visual communication skills.

AP 2-D Art & Design Portfolio: Students expand their two-dimensional design skills and advance their visual communication skills by exploring a variety of design processes and techniques and compositional and aesthetic concepts.

In consideration of the time commitment of this class, students who wish to take AP Art must have approval from the teacher beforehand. It is very challenging to create fifteen high-quality pieces of art in one academic year given the demands of other classes and extracurricular activities; it is important for students to evaluate their ability to handle the workload.

Enduring Understandings

We are made in the image of a creator God; our desire to be creative and to use art as a form of understanding ourselves and the world around us is a reflection of his glory.
The arts are inherently experiential and actively engage learners in the processes of creating, interpreting, and responding to art.
To a large degree, art is a craft, and much of it can be learned and practiced as a skill. An AP portfolio should demonstrate a student’s ability to use his voice through his work.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY I
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 0108310

Digital Photography I is designed to enable students to develop and demonstrate basic skills in photography. The course is divided into two basic elements: the camera and image processing. These two elements are taught alongside one another in a fluid, synergistic method. The instructor introduces the camera as a tool and teaches students how to use this tool following the basic rules of photographic composition. The students print and enhance their own work applying the standards of photography. In the third and fourth quarter, students apply creative techniques to express themselves as a creation of God and to show the truth and beauty of creation.

Enduring Understandings

Photography I students enjoy creating images that meet the standards of a good photograph using the manual controls on their cameras.
Each student gains a good working knowledge of his or her camera’s functions.
A good photograph requires the photographer to control aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance.
A good photograph requires an understanding of composition and lighting.
Photography requires the photographer to have the essential editing skills of Photoshop/Lightroom and to be able to print his or her own images.
Knowledge of their cameras and the ability to manipulate their camera controls give each student a greater appreciation of God’s creation and the ability to create a beautiful image.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY II
10th–12th grade
Course Code: 0108320
Minimum Prerequisites: Photography I

Digital Photography II is designed to teach the students about all forms of light. The students are introduced to elements of design, natural lighting, and flash photography. Photography II students learn how to create and manipulate all sources of light through fun and creative assignments. The students shoot in RAW and streamline the Photoshop/Lightroom workflow.

Enduring Understandings

By learning the elements of design, the photography students are able to create powerful images.
Advancing photographers need an understanding of light and how to manipulate it in every situation.
Flash and natural light are used to create creative images.
By learning the impact of color, students are able to make visual statements about their images.
This advanced knowledge of their cameras and light gives photographers greater appreciation of God’s creation and the ability to express their unique vision through photography.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY III
11th–12th grade
Course Code: 0108330

This course continues to develop digital photography skills learned in Digital Photography I and II, driven by theme-based assignments, digital editing and production, and creating photographs that meet or exceed the criteria for magazine publication and commercial applications.

The students are introduced to lighting techniques and the vast possibilities of working within the photographic studio environment. They learn how to control light using strobes through demonstrations, lectures, and hands-on assignments. Standard studio practices and creative problem-solving are both emphasized throughout this course.

Enduring Understandings

Students are able to use studio lights and standard studio equipment to create a variety of visual effects.
Students are skilled in professional photographic lighting techniques, troubleshoot common lighting problems, and demonstrate an understanding of various qualities of light including hard/direct and soft/diffused light.
By using the creative controls on their cameras, students are able to create high-quality images.
Students apply craftsmanship and professionalism in creating photographic works of art.
Students reference a vocabulary of photographic terminology.
Students are adept in visual and technical problem-solving, both independently and in collaboration with others.

AP DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
12th grade
Course Code: 0109350
Minimum Prerequisites: Photography II / Photo II (B+), Cum GPA (3.0)

AP Digital Photography concentrates on discovering the photography student’s unique creative style. The student chooses one topic of interest to explore, develop, and experiment with throughout the year. The students spend the year experimenting with and expressing their own unique photographic visions. Through assignments, each student gives his vision a voice. AP Digital Photography is designed to teach the students a higher level of understanding with light, creativity, and exposure as it relates to photography. The students learn advanced Photoshop and Lightroom skills and difficult-to-shoot settings are mastered. AP Photo students have the opportunity to use their photography skills on an out-of-state 3–4-day field trip each year.

AP Digital Photography students submit their portfolio to the AP Board for scoring. The fifteen-image portfolio shows the growth and experimentation of their sustained investigation.

Enduring Understandings

By using the creative controls on their cameras, photography students are able to enjoy creating images that meet the standards of a professional photograph.
Advanced photographers need an understanding of light and how to manipulate it in every situation.
Advanced photographers have advanced editing skills using Photoshop/Lightroom.
This advanced knowledge of their cameras and ability to manipulate their cameras’ controls and light gives photographers greater appreciation of God’s creation and their unique vision of the world.

Rhetoric Academic Electives

PRACTICAL ENGINEERING & PRODUCTION
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (0.5 credit)

The purpose of this class is to design, build, and install a house leaderboard utilizing practical engineering design, development, and production processes. Students walk through all phases of project development, from requirements to delivery. They learn about working within a budget, dividing and scheduling work, electrical schematics and mechanical drawings, integrating software and hardware, and final installation and verification testing. Creative, technical, and artistic skills are all needed to make something special for Geneva!

Enduring Understandings

Engineering is more than just physics and applied mathematics.
Solving problems and making product(s) require creative thinking and an adventurous spirit.
Engineering design and production brings together important topics and demands that students engage with the real world “as-is” rather than in overly-idealized approximations.

AUDIOVISUAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (0.5 credit)

Audiovisual arts and sciences is the combination of art and science that delivers messaging, sound, lighting, graphic arts, and video presentation. The focus of this class is on working as a community: effectively and respectfully communicating, collaborating on, and realizing a mutual vision. This is a class of doing. The students learn the skills necessary to work in these capacities from the creation of content, its editing, and finally its presentation as its own art form or as support for other theatrical endeavors.

The students participate in the upper and lower school performances held in the black box theatre, as well as support other audiovisual needs, such as support for Lessons and Carols, chapel, and the music program. The goal is for the students to be capable and confident enough to realize many of their creative ideas.

Enduring Understandings

Cooperation and teamwork are essential for successful performances.
Criticism and praise must be given and accepted with grace if a student is to improve and grow as a professional.
Participation in the creative process can be frightening, but if students persevere, the reward is great.
Making mistakes is a necessary part of the creative process and should not be viewed as a negative outcome.
As Christians, it is very important to understand and respect these art forms and how they are used to shape the culture and to be able to discern whether the content and its application are consistent with the Christian worldview. As ambassadors of Christ, we are called to deliver the messages from the King while we are alive in this foreign land.

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF C. S. LEWIS
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (0.5 credit)

C. S. Lewis is arguably one of the most influential Christian voices of the contemporary church. Even though he died in 1963, all of his published works remain in print. But more remarkable than this, he is read and admired by Christians of every stripe—from Roman Catholics to Southern Baptists. Why is this so? What about the man and his writings makes him such an influence for so many? This course is designed to help students answer those questions. By exploring his life and a cross-section of his works, students gain an appreciation for this modern-day champion of mere Christianity.

Enduring Understandings

Students learn about Lewis’s life and the factors that led to his conversion to Christianity.
Students discover what individuals and books influenced Lewis as a scholar and a Christian.
Students gain an appreciation for Lewis as a literary scholar and as a popular defender of Christianity.
Students learn of Lewis’s ongoing influence and his legacy.

INTRODUCTORY SPEECH AND DEBATE
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (0.5 credit)

The Geneva School Speech and Debate Team seeks to develop wise students with sharp minds, effective tongues, and virtuous hearts for the glory of God and the good of others. This is admittedly an ambitious task. It cannot be done without the help of the Lord to soften hearts and tame tongues. The Proverbs have much to say on the stewardship of our speech, claiming that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (18:21) and “The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips” (16:23). Because of this, students are encouraged to approach the development of their tongues with humility and prayer.

The Speech and Debate course instructs students in the fundamentals of effective oratory, such as an in-depth study in the five canons of rhetoric, a working understanding of the Toulmin model of argumentation, extensive research methods, and proficiency in public speaking. The main model the class follows is Public Forum Debate, where students prepare for resolutions about one month in advance. The culmination of the skills students learn is realized in the attendance of local tournaments to compete with other schools. Because of this, students should think of the Speech and Debate elective as more of a team meeting for practice than students meeting for class. Like any team, the collective goal is to strengthen each other and compete with excellence. The nature of this class is highly participatory but well worth the work.

Enduring Understandings

People often claim that public speaking is one of their greatest fears. Students who take this course learn that public speaking, like any discipline or skill, can be improved through a combination of persistent effort and a willingness to learn from failure.
Research is one of the most transferable skills students can learn.
The ability to synthesize a breadth of information on a complicated topic and simplify it for the layman to understand is in high demand, and students are better off in both their private and public lives for having learned it.
Students who master the art of persuasion serve as remarkable apologists and evangelists for the kingdom of God.

INTRODUCTORY CARTOGRAPHY
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (0.5 credit)

Why spend precious time drawing, outlining, and labeling world maps when the perfect map is available in one’s back pocket? Undoubtedly, the mobile device is a valuable tool; however, Google’s vivid display cannot provide the context nor convey the relationship that observing and drawing a map create. Cartography benefits and profits students in unique ways: it ignites a love of learning, it enhances observational skills, and it illuminates geographical significance.

In this course, students attend to detail by slowing down and drawing maps that illuminate the geographical significance of battles and adventures. Intentional examination brings forth thoughts and deeper understanding of historical conflicts of countries and continents. These keen observational skills are useful in almost any endeavor the student pursues.

Enduring Understandings

Having a basic map in the mind forms accurate images of historical issues of war and strategic advantages of geographical features.
Understanding contemporary conflicts from the news becomes easier as students comprehend boundaries and topographies.
Students are more readily able to consider and compare the effects of physical features and disasters on impoverished nations.

FINANCIAL LITERACY
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (0.5 credit)

Personal finance is an important life-skill. This course teaches students both principles of personal finance as well application of those principles to real life. Students learn the history of acceptable money behaviors and how they have changed over time. They learn important principles of money management, goal-setting strategies, and how to develop and maintain a strong financial plan. Money principles include budgeting, credit and debt, college planning, insurance, income and taxes, and investing and retirement.

Enduring Understandings

Students learn basic principles of money management.
Students apply principles of money management to real life situations.
Students explore components of a strong financial plan.

BEST BOOK CLUB
9th–12th grade
Course Code: 9999999 (0.5 credit)

Leisure and school go together. One of the greatest ways to spend leisure time is reading. In this class, students read great books and discuss them. Thus, the course seeks through the reading, study, and discussion of great literature to fulfill part of the mission of The Geneva School, namely, to guide students in loving beauty, thinking deeply, and pursuing Christ’s calling.

Enduring Understandings

Students learn how to read with an active and inquisitive mind and a willingness to accept the text in the spirit in which it was offered.
Students discover that when reading great literature, we delight in both the creative use of language and in a work’s enduring themes.
Students gain an appreciation for reading in community.

Rhetoric School Curriculum

Mathematics

Science

English

History

Rhetoric and Theology

Foreign Languages

Fine and Performing Arts

Rhetoric Academic Electives

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