Great Books 1 – Section A

**Great Books I** is a rigorous, weekly, two-hour online course designed for high school students, offering up to two credits depending on the state's requirements. This interdisciplinary course encompasses Literature, Composition, and History, with a primary focus on classical texts from ancient Greece.

In Literature, students explore major works like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Aeschylus' Oresteia, Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Euripides' Medea, and key historical texts by Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plutarch. They analyze themes, metaphors, and literary values, responding through essays, Socratic discussions, and written compositions called summae.

The Composition component teaches classical rhetoric, enabling students to determine structures of oral and written communications. They compose weekly summae, engage in rhetorical exercises, write literary analyses, and develop persuasive pieces. The course emphasizes the writing process, with individualized instructor feedback on spelling, grammar, MLA format, and 'academic style'.

History is explored through events, persons, and ideas of Greek antiquity, facilitated by debates and analyses of primary sources. The course begins with an assumption of ancient Greek religious beliefs, encouraging students to engage with texts through their personal beliefs in a moderated, open environment. Prerequisites include strong critical reading and writing skills.