Depending on their budget and/or skill level a family or private school may choose one of two options for the fee-based courses. Parents or private school teachers may choose to 1) teach the course themselves for $49 per trimester or 2) hire one of our distance learning professionals. In the latter case, some courses require a tutor ($199) and others require a monitor ($99). Tutor level courses (humanities courses) require a high level of synchronous interaction in a weekly "classroom". Our state-of-the-art, Web4m conferencing system combines voice and keyboard interaction in a stimulating On-line learning environment. Monitor level courses (math & science) are generally self-taught to a large degree, requiring much less student-teacher interaction. Monitors are available via asynchronous e-mail or b-board to answer questions or in some cases to grade papers.

Home Taught: The tuition-free, introductory (grammar) level course in every course sequence is self-taught, computer graded and archived with no Academy instructor provided. Parents or local TAs serve as tutors where necessary to facilitate learning, but the courses are designed to be self-taught for the most part. In many cases, students will choose to print out material to study off-line and then go back on-line for testing. These courses are self-paced and may be taken at any time. In some cases it will become necessary for parents to manually enter grades using the "details" button next to the course on the registration page, located on the right side of the screen.

Monitor Taught: Families may elect to upgrade the tuition-free, introductory level course to a monitor-level course for $99. In this case, the instructor monitors a bulletin board daily and responds to questions posted by students. This option is useful in cases where parents lack time or qualifications to answer student questions. Many feel that the monitor option does a better job of preparing students for the more rigorous upper-division classes in each course sequence. In addition, all science courses are taught using the monitor method.

Tutor Taught: All humanities courses above the introductory level require a high level of synchronous interaction in a weekly "classroom". Our state-of-the-art, Web4m conferencing system combines voice and keyboard interaction in a stimulating On-line learning environment. Students engage in lively discussion with a tutor and fellow students; this is the dialectic process so critical to the classical approach. These courses meet at the same time each week and have a fixed starting and ending date. All math courses have the option of all three methods: home taught, monitor or tutor.

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I. GREAT BOOKS HALL

GREAT BOOKS INTRODUCTION I through VI: (Grammar Level) Each course surveys 15-18 (100 total) of the Classical Authors and their most important works, from Homer to Van Til. Covers biography, historical context, summary of work, implications for subsequent history, Biblical analysis, and corrective or prescriptive actions for each author. Student emerges from these courses with an overview of world history and philosophy and a Biblical world view encompassing history, philosophy, science, economics, education, sociology, political science, and theology. Multi-discipline "time-machine" feature enables students to integate knowledge from all subject areas. Optional Textbooks: The Great Conversation I, Student and Teacher's Manual.

GREAT BOOKS COLLOQUIUM I through VI: (Prerequisite or concurrent: Great Books Introduction). Coursework integrates overview material by requiring student to read and interact with excerpts from the Great Books, most available on-line. Student approaches reading with the objective of writing a paragraph response to each of 10 discussion questions, which become part of the permanent portfolio. Seminar discussion with tutor or class. Student selects one author per course, for which he expands his written response into a 2000 word essay. Reading assignment ranges from 35 to 50 pages every two weeks for each classical author. Optional Textbooks: The Great Conversation I, Student and Teacher's Manual.

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AMERICAN GOVERNMENT & HISTORY I: Junior Year. Self-taught, tuition-free course surveys American government/history and Biblical law. The U.S. Constitution is analyzed from the anti-Federalist perspective of Patrick Henry and the covenantal perspective of the Bible. Lives and work of American founders are analyzed from Biblical perspective. Critique of contemporary political philosophies erroneously adopted by Christians. Biblical foundation, form and function of civil government is surveyed with practical application to the culture. An optimistic outlook for Christian cultural victory is presented.. The persistent drive for Hamiltonian mercantilism is contrasted with the resistance offered by Madisonian Federalism. Students are required to master key events in a timeline of American History and study literature representative of six eras of American history. Required Textbooks: Discipling the Nations, Covenant & Crisis in American History

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THE GREAT BOOK: BIBLE DOCTRINE I: This tuition-free offering is without apology a memory course. Students memorize On-line the 107 articles of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Concurrently, they memorize 107 Bible passages on which these important articles of doctrine are based. The Westminster Assembly was convened by the British Parliament in 1643 to produce the Longer and Shorter Catechisms. To quote the Encyclopedia Americana, the Westminster Confession of Faith is "the most widely influential Protestant theological formula in the English-speaking world." Required Textbooks: None. All On-line.

THE GREAT BOOK: BIBLE DOCTRINE II: The Reformation period of Christian history produced some of the greatest theologians and doctrinal studies the world has yet seen. One of the most pressing concerns of the Reformers was that the articles of the "Protestant Faith" should be passed on to the children of believers and new converts. Using a commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism as the main text, students will learn the classical outline of systematics in theology. A few of the main headings are: the Doctrine of God, the Doctrine of the Person and Work of Christ, and the Doctrine of the Application of the Work of Redemption. Required Textbooks: None. All On-line

THE GREAT BOOK: BIBLE DOCTRINE III: Throughout the course of church history, the evidential approach to apologetics has undermined God's Word by elevating the authority of external evidence. This course shows the Christian apologist how to put the unbeliever on trial, rather than God and His Word by utilizing the pre-suppositional and transcendental approach. Basic Bible study methods are examined as the foundation for effective apologetics. Students will learn to sort out doctrinal truth from error, giving them the ammunition to "take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ". Required Textbooks: Every thought captive.

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THE GREAT BOOK: BIBLE SURVEY: (tuition-free) Overview of Bible content, organization and message. Students memorize the 66 books of the Bible and their primary themes. Basic geography of the Old and New Testaments is covered, with key events occurring at each location. Students also memorize Bible structure and outline, basic Bible facts, and the story line of both Old and New Testaments. Emphasis is given to the central theme of the atonement of Christ woven into the entire Bible. Required Textbooks: None. All On-line

THE GREAT BOOK: BIBLE SURVEY II: Crucial to understanding the many details of the Bible is having the right framework to help those details make sense. This Old Testament survey course uses " A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament" by Dr. Peter Leithart to assist the student in gaining an appreciation and love for the "sweep and beauty" of the Old Testament Scriptures. A further benefit in this course is the emphasis on the continuity of God's revelation to man in both testaments. Required Textbooks: A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament

THE GREAT BOOK: BIBLE SURVEY III: Building on the foundation of the Bible survey courses preceding, this class concentrates on the fulfillment of the promises and shadows that are found in the New Testament as it reveals the Lord Jesus Christ. With Dr. J. Gresham Machen's "The New Testament: An Introduction to its Literature and History" as the text, the student learns the glorious conclusion to the outworking of God's covenant plan to redeem fallen mankind. From the birth of the Christ, His life, His death, His resurection and Ascension to His present reign at the right hand of the Father and finally, to the defeat of all Christ's enemies at the Resurrection, this course endeavors to encourage the student in the "Faith, once delivered to the saints." Required Textbooks: The New Testament: An Introduction to its Literature and History

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II. GRAMMAR HALL

LATIN I: Students will learn basic Latin grammar and syntax: noun declensions and case (the uses of nouns in a sentence); present tense of verbs; subject-verb and noun-adjective agreement; prepositional phrases; adverbs; and pronouns. Latin vocabulary and phrases will need to be learned in order to read and translate short Latin passages. The vocabulary and passages are related to ancient Roman daily life and stories. Students will practice vocabulary, grammar, and syntax by completing grammatical exercises, composing short Latin sentences, and taking quizzes and tests. Optional Textbooks: Latin Grammar I

LATIN II: Students will continue to learn Latin grammar and syntax: verb conjugation in all six tenses; active and passive voice of verbs; subordinate clauses; uses of the ablative case; present and past participles. Composition of Latin sentences and translation skills will be more heavily emphasized than they were in Latin I. The vocabulary learned will pertain to Roman government, law, and life in Republican times. Students will practice vocabulary, grammar, and syntax by completing grammatical exercises, composing short Latin sentences, and taking quizzes and tests. Required Textbooks: None. All On-line

LATIN III: Students will wrap up their study of Latin grammar with the some advanced grammatical concepts: the subjunctive mood and its applications; gerunds and gerundives; and the ablative absolute. Exercises and Latin composition will provide practice of these concepts. Thereafter in the course the focus will be in reading excerpts from original Latin texts, in particular Caesar and Cicero. Students will need to apply their knowledge of Latin grammar and syntax for literal translation of these excerpts. Quizzes and tests will serve to evaluate students' progress with the language. Required Textbooks: Contact instructor

NEW TESTAMENT GREEK: Students may elect to take New Testament Greek as an alternative to Latin. These are "pass-through" courses to the Arete On-line Academy of Mr. John Schwandt, the author and director of the National Biblical Greek Exam. Mr. Schwandt teaches two live On-line Greek tutorials for the Areté On-line Academy. Throughout the academic year, these tutorials meet once a week for a live two hour session. In the beginning course, students work through the Reviving Biblical Greek curriculum, which emphasizes conversational skills, and they work through many chapters in Machen's text, which emphasizes composition. The intermediate course is more of a directed reading group, which translates a gospel and two epistles each year. Both programs utilize an On-line forum or mutual assistance and encouragement. Required Textbooks: Contact instructor

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III. DIALECTIC HALL

LOGIC I: This logic tuition-free course is best categorized as "Practical." The focus is on logic in practice, or logic as we find and use it in the real world. This means starting with the messy, and at times convoluted, syllogisms of everyday speech and writing. If a course does not grapple with these difficulties there is a danger that the study of logic, rather than producing great thinkers, will produce those who think they know how to think, but don't. They will become experts at rarified reason, while a real concern for the meaning and subtleties of the argumentation they are analyzing remains completely beyond them. Practical logic is a challenge, but it is a necessary challenge if the study of logic is to be truly profitable.

Although traditional logic is of great value, there are certain deficiencies in the way it is sometimes taught at the junior-high and high school levels. The logic sequence incorporates two improvements over traditional logic courses. First, it includes the study of inductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning (or reasoning from the particular to the general) is at least as common as deductive reasoning, but it is often excluded in logic courses designed for junior-high and high school. Without studying induction, however, a student's view of logic will not be well-rounded. Optional Textbooks: Rhyme and Reason

LOGIC II: he second improvement introduced by the ClassicalFree logic sequence is also in the interest of turning logic into a tool that is practical for everyday use. Categorical and propositional logic (the usual topics of traditional logic at these grade levels) are primarily systems of representation and analysis; in other words, they turn language into symbols that can be analyzed according to certain set forms. While this kind of activity is an inescapable part of the study of logic, sometimes the jump from speech to symbol is made too quickly, and forces language into symbols that imperfectly reflect the actual meaning. This course presents a system for dealing with logic in language that tries, as much as possible, to leave the language as it appears naturally and still provide the student with a helpful and consistent analysis of the argumentation. It is a kind of in-between system--not the same as merely considering reasoning in language without any system or symbols, but not as rigid or extensive a system as those of categorical or propositional logic.

Far from despising traditional logic, we must study the systems set forth by the pagans and recognize anything in them that is true and good, taking it as gold from the Egyptians. On the other hand, this course sets forth a positive biblical perspective on reasoning, as contrasted with autonomous and pagan perspectives that turn human reason into an idol. We must take this discipline captive to Christ. That means keeping what is good, and yet remaining ready to change or reject anything that is contrary to Him. Required Textbooks: Rhyme and Reason

IV. RHETORIC HALL

RHETORIC I: Rhetoric I covers the history and basic principles of rhetoric, a brief review of logic, and the skill of determining the structure of spoken communication (speeches, debates, arguments) and of written works of all kinds, from the sentence level to paragraphs to entire books. This tuition-free course is designed to teach the student how to apply the principles of classical rhetoric to their own speech, writing, and communication. That includes the elements of the rhetorical situation and the available means of persuasion. The On-line text for this class was written by the instructor, Peter Roise, and is primarily based on classical rhetoric as represented in Aristotle's "Art of Rhetoric" and the "Ad Herenium." Optional Textbooks: Power of Persuasion

RHETORIC II: Rhetoric II is a review of Peter Roise's "The Power of Persuasion" with an emphasis on practical application. The three exercises for each chapter are respectively an exercise in Theory (reviewing the material of the chapter) an exercise in Imitation (reading rhetorically effective authors), and an exercise in Practice (practicing the principles learned in the chapter, usually in writing assignments). This class starts with the classical definition of rhetoric and progresses to a discussion of how rhetorical theory applies in our own day and age. Required Textbooks: Power of Persuasion

WRITING READINESS:An introduction to the skill of writing. This tuition-free course covers elementary principles of clarity, vigor, usage, punctuation, and structure. Addresses common abuses of words, phrases, and punctuation; the problem of wordiness; the necessity of supporting assertions; and the need for revision. Introduces the rudimentary importance of words for covenant children to understand, interpret, and enjoy the Word and the world He rules. 7th-8th grade. Required Textbooks: Elements of Style

ENGLISH COMPOSITION I: Students learn and apply the principles of effective writing using Strunk & White's classic Elements of Style. The art of writing is explored from basic building blocks through construction of effective sentences and paragraphs, matters of organization and form, and correction of common problems. Required Textbooks: Elements of Style

ENGLISH COMPOSITION II: This course builds on and expands the principles developed in Composition I in much greater depth. It includes individualized instruction in the elements of writing style with projects designed to assist the student in development of their unique style. Covers the Do's and Don'ts of effective writing. Required Textbooks: Elements of Style

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V. PERFORMING & FINE ARTS HALL

ART I: A knowledge of art is necessary to communication in the modern world. This tuition-free course covers art principles and techniques from the point of view of the Medieval/Renaissance period. An overview of the history of prominent artists of the period is presented with reference to corresponding trends in philosophy and music. An Art Gallery module links students to the works of the masters on line. The student is introduced to and gains facility reproducing basic shapes -- the "alphabet of art." A studio module contains exercises in visual perception, visual-spatial organization, and attention to detail which build confidence and fundamental skills. Concepts of space and perspective are mastered by practice, and will further enable the student to build upon the foundation of these fundamentals in Art II. Required Textbooks: None. On-line

ART II: Students practice and apply techniques learned in Art I under the tutelage of a professional artist. Subtleties of technique are explained. Student projects are mailed in weekly for email critique and returned at the end of term. Advanced techniques of color, light, shading, texture, volume and design are mastered. There is an introduction to representation of the human form and emotion. Required Textbooks: None. On-line

MUSIC THEORY I & II: Introductory Theory. TBA Fall 2005. Two introductory level courses covering the fundamentals of music theory featuring text fully illustrated with graphics and complemented with quizzes and review questions. The first course offers basic instruction in the foundational elements of music such as notation, intervals, and signs. This is a prerequisite to the second. The second course offers more in-depth instruction in advanced principles including keys, chord structure, and harmony as well as some history of the development of music theory. The courses are designed to complement each other. For students with previous musical training, the final exam of the first course will serve as a placement test into the second.Required Textbooks: None. All on-line.

MUSIC HISTORY I: Music Through the Ages. Colloquium level course offering an overview of western art music history and appreciation from ancient times to the present. Covers the six main musical periods: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern. Students will become familiar with many musical styles and common musical forms such as the symphony and the concerto. They will be introduced to over fifty influential composers and the cultures in which their music was written and performed. The class periods are designed to include large amounts of listening to and analyzing classical repertoire, additional instruction on topics relating to the weekly lesson, and a high level of student interaction. Optional Textbooks: Music through the Ages.

MUSIC HISTORY II: The Great Composers. TBA Fall 2005. Colloquium level course covering fifteen of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern periods of music history. The unique contributions of each composer are discussed together with the personal influences on their work. The influence of musical style is related to broader philosophical currents and historical trends. The music of each composer will be listened to and analyzed during the class period. Students' answers to essay questions will provide the basis for class discussion.

The logical progression for learning music is to first gain some understanding of the history of music, music terminology and appreciation for the development of musical styles since the Reformation. This course shows how each composer was both a product of and shaper of the history of his era. A biblical interpretation of the composer's life and work is the goal. Examples of the great composers are studied in detail in the context of historical and philosophical influences. Required Textbooks: None. On-line

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VI. NATURAL SCIENCES

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VII. MATHEMATICS HALL

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