Level: Form III (7th–9th grades), Form IV (10th–12th grades)
Subject(s): English, History, Literature, Logic, Philosophy, Theology
Description:
In this tuition-free class led by Dr. Gary Hartenburg, students will develop critical thinking, listening, and discussion skills as they grapple with foundational questions of faith and existence. Students will read and discuss a variety of classic literature along with selected works of the writers known as the Inklings, such as C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as similar-minded contemporaries such as Dorothy Sayers and G. K. Chesterton. Students will be expected to complete reading assignments in preparation for class, and there may be optional writing assignments.
In 2024–25, the focus will be on the Inklings and great works of medieval & renaissance literature.
Materials:
2024–25: Families purchase the following required supplies: (Unless otherwise indicated, the listed ISBNs are required, and each sibling needs their own copy. Used books are fine as long as the ISBN matches. Some books will be used again throughout the Intro to Inklings/Inklings & Classics class cycles, and siblings in different classes may share copies.)
- Exodus, any Bible translation (not a paraphrase), NKJV preferred
- The Song of Roland, translated by Dorothy Sayers (ISBN: 0140440755)
- Hildegard von Bingen, Scivias (ISBN: 0809131307)
- Hildegard von Bingen, Canticles of Ecstasy, music album (Link)
- Hildegard von Bingen, music lyrics/sung texts PDF (download)
- Chretien De Troyes, Yvain, translated by Ruth Harwood Cline (ISBN: 0820307580)
- Thomas Aquinas (selections)* n/a
- Hafez & Jahan Malek Khatun, Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz, translated by Dick Davis (ISBN: 0143107283)
- Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote (ISBN: 0060934344)
- William Shakespeare, Complete Sonnets (ISBN: 0486266869)
- The Gospel of John, any Bible translation (not a paraphrase), NKJV preferred – n/a
- Ephesians, any Bible translation (not a paraphrase), NKJV preferred – n/a
- Martin Luther, “Freedom of a Christian” in Three Treatises (ISBN: 0800616391)
- George MacDonald, Phantastes (ISBN: 0802860605)
- G. K. Chesterton, Manalive (ISBN: 0486414051)
- Dorothy Sayers, Gaudy Night (ISBN: 0062196537)
- Dorothy Sayers, Letters to a Diminished Church, “Problem Picture” (ISBN: 0849945267)
- Charles Williams, Descent Into Hell (ISBN: 0802812201)
- C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, “Weight of Glory” & “Learning in War-Time” (ISBN: 0060653205)
- C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian, The Chronicles of Narnia boxed set, Collectors Edition (ISBN: 0064409392)
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Composition notebook and/or lined paper in a 3-ring notebook (or in a dedicated tabbed section in a multi-subject binder)
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Pens, black ink, 2 or more
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Pencils, 3 or more, pre-sharpened and ready to use
- Erasers
- Optional: Colored pencils, erasable, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, and brown
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Recommended: Dictionary—for home use. Consider an app such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
