Multi-Disciplinary
We cover a lot more than just literature in our Heroic U classes. Depending on the book, we pull in content from current events, US and world history, psychology, sociology, government, science, and theater and speech. We also explore literature through not just the written books, but also movies, theatrical performances, dance, sculpture and painting, and music from classical to rock to rap.
Every class has one or more "optional" days where we get together to watch a movie related to our studies or to take a field trip to a local museum or gallery. This allows students to apply the concepts we've covered in literature to content in, say, history or the arts. It also helps them to see how some novels, in turn, have influenced or been reinterpreted in different fields.
Then there is the technological component of the class. Over the course of a year, Heroic U students become familiar with posting on forums, converting file formats, uploading files, communicating by Skype or other technological means, using cell phone apps, and other such 21st century technical skills.
Finally, students are encouraged to use these courses as a way to achieve their own goals or hone their particularly gifts and passions. Students can earn points when they take on their own "heroic quest" on any life goal they have; it does not have to relate to literature, but they do have to record their heroic journey in some way. Also, while we encourage everyone to write some of their analyses as academic papers, since that is a skill they need to practice, we also recommend they do at least some in some different format. How can you analyze a book through a song? or through a piece of art? These assignments can help them think about books in an entirely different way. This freedom in analysis format also allows them to bring their particular gifts to use in interpreting novels. Some of the more creative ways students have done their analyses include: composed music (classical and rock); programmed their own video games; made movies; written skits, sonnets, and spoken word pieces; designed Minecraft games or environments; drawn cartoons or manga versions of the characters and/or stories; created various types of art; and make different art books of the novel. The sky is the limit when it comes to analyses in Heroic U!
See some student analyses here.
Every class has one or more "optional" days where we get together to watch a movie related to our studies or to take a field trip to a local museum or gallery. This allows students to apply the concepts we've covered in literature to content in, say, history or the arts. It also helps them to see how some novels, in turn, have influenced or been reinterpreted in different fields.
Then there is the technological component of the class. Over the course of a year, Heroic U students become familiar with posting on forums, converting file formats, uploading files, communicating by Skype or other technological means, using cell phone apps, and other such 21st century technical skills.
Finally, students are encouraged to use these courses as a way to achieve their own goals or hone their particularly gifts and passions. Students can earn points when they take on their own "heroic quest" on any life goal they have; it does not have to relate to literature, but they do have to record their heroic journey in some way. Also, while we encourage everyone to write some of their analyses as academic papers, since that is a skill they need to practice, we also recommend they do at least some in some different format. How can you analyze a book through a song? or through a piece of art? These assignments can help them think about books in an entirely different way. This freedom in analysis format also allows them to bring their particular gifts to use in interpreting novels. Some of the more creative ways students have done their analyses include: composed music (classical and rock); programmed their own video games; made movies; written skits, sonnets, and spoken word pieces; designed Minecraft games or environments; drawn cartoons or manga versions of the characters and/or stories; created various types of art; and make different art books of the novel. The sky is the limit when it comes to analyses in Heroic U!
See some student analyses here.
