Open House - Classical Studies Course Descriptions
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Etiquette Studies
Behaving oneself in an orderly, polite, and socially acceptable fashion is a learned skill - a skill that will enhance a child’s life far into adulthood. Etiquette training - with an emphasis on cultural mores and manners - can open doors previously closed to a child and can translate into social, educational, and even financial success as he grows in both grace and knowledge. Our Etiquette Studies course will begin with teaching students to recognize the needs of others, extend common courtesies (such as helping the elderly to cross the street, allowing young ladies to enter a doorway or be seated first, not eating until all are seated, sending thank you notes, etc.), make proper introductions, and much more. As students progress, they will learn correct poster, the proper formal and informal table settings, appropriate behavior in varied professional and academic settings, the correct response to an insult, when an interjection is acceptable, and other important aspects of social protocol. The course - which will most certainly include ample opportunity for laughter - will culminate in a Five Star dining experience at one of Philadelphia’s most elite eateries - Le Bec-Fin.
Philosophy
It has been said that “Christianity can stand up to the rigors of philosophy, and should be seen as a philosophically valid worldview.” Consequently, concerned thinkers of our day (Norman Geisler and Paul Feinberg, among others), have written dynamic books demonstrating the value of philosophy. Believing that we are to take every thought captive to Christ, they have called us to investigate philosophy, refute its errors, and offer justification for the validity of the Christian worldview. We will begin our course in Philosophy by studying the history of philosophy and the lives and times of famous Greek philosophers. We will move on in following semester studies to the nature of philosophy, the nature of knowledge, the nature of reality, the nature of good, the nature of the ultimate God. There are a number of established societies dedicated to promoting philosophical study amongst the young, including: The Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children; The Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children, Kids Philosophy Slam (featured on NPR, and the NBC Today Show, and in The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor and Time Magazine for Kids).
Seven Wonders of the World
A wonderful way to introduce art in the Classical Curriculum, as the Wonders are not only aesthetically pleasing to students of all ages, but are - to this day - fascinating to study. Students will be introduced through literature, artwork , and text, to the: Temple of Artemis, Gardens of Babylon, Halicarnasus, Pharos Lighthouse, Great Pyramid, Colossus of Rhodes, and the Statue of Zeus.
Latin
Students with two or more years of Latin typically score 140-160 points higher on the SAT than students with little or no Latin training. Numerous studies have demonstrated a significant positive correlation between Latin study and improved scores on a variety of other tests as well. On an elementary level, Latin can be very helpful in improving reading skills. Because it is a phonetic language, its study, especially practice in reading aloud, often brings to students the basic understanding of the phonetic principles that they may never have mastered when first learning to read English. Because so much of the English language (and all Romantic languages) is based on Latin, a study of Latin naturally increase the capacity to recognize the meaning of unfamiliar English words.
Classical Music
A few of the innumerable benefits of studying classical music (From Classics for Kids):
- * The brain grows for many years after birth. Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually wire the brain's circuits in specific ways.
- * Recent studies show that students who study the arts are more successful on standardized tests such as the SAT. They also achieve higher grades in high school.
- * Students of music learn craftsmanship as they study how details are put together painstakingly and what constitutes good, as opposed to mediocre, work. These standards, when applied to a student's own work, demand a new level of excellence and require students to stretch their inner resources.
- * A study of the arts provides children with an internal glimpse of other cultures;
- * Some research seems to indicate that there is a causal link between music and spatial intelligence
- * Students of the arts learn to think creatively and to solve problems by imagining numerous and varied solutions to any given problem.