For the 2024-25 academic year, we are currently accepting registrations in the following:
ANNOUNCING THE TRI-L CHALLENGE (LITERATURE, LANGUAGE ARTS, AND LIFE) 24-25: TRADITIONAL VERSION
Middle School Level Literature Class
Taught by Carol Cross, Headmaster, Heroic University
Wednesdays, 2:10 – 3:40 PM (1 hour, 30 minutes)
Hosted by the Shoham family in Chapel Hill (close to Southern Village and Fearrington Village)
32 weeks, August 26, 2024 – May 7, 2025 (see complete Academic Schedule below)
$27/week per student ($864 for the year)
Please note: Because this is a student discussion-based course that needs a number of different participants with their own perspectives, this class will be cancelled if we do not reach the minimum required number of students.
Description:
This class provides an introduction to Joseph Campbell’s theory of the Hero’s Journey as a tool for both literary analysis and facing our own life adventures. Students will learn to use the stages in the Hero’s Journey to better understand the plot and characters of a mixture of classic and contemporary novels. The focus is to explore the relevance of each novel, regardless of the time or setting, to the students’ actual lives. We also put an emphasis on including books with multicultural protagonists and/or settings, and with a mixture of different types of heroes, both male and female and both epic and “ordinary.”
Other traditional literary devices will also be covered, particularly through analyzing 1-3 poems per month. Students are expected to read a minimum of one book per month and to present to the class an analysis of that book, but the analysis can be in the format of their choosing (traditional essay, short video or animation, artwork, music composition or rap, creative writing or drama, Minecraft model, etc.) At least a few of the analyses should be in a traditional written format, and at least a few should be in some other multimedia or creative format, since both skills need to be developed for our current learning environment.
Due to the participating families’ educational philosophy, this class will differ from other Heroic University classes in two way:
- There will be no mandatory student use of computers, although students can choose to use a digital or electronic format for their analyses WITH their parent’s permission. Therefore, we are not incorporating the use of the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) in the Traditional Version of this class.
- Because the learning that had been done online via the Canvas LMS will be done through hands-on activities in person, the class will meet every week rather than the every other week format in other Heroic University classes. This means more in-person time for the students with each other and with the teacher! Please see the Academic Calendar below for specific information on class schedule and breaks.
Students should be able to read and analyze books at a middle school level (that is, have both the technical reading skills and the emotional maturity for young adolescent themes, such as bullying, social anxiety, mild political issues, family issues, and threats of danger).
About the Teacher:
A professional educator for over 30 years, Carol also homeschooled her son from birth through high school. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The College of William and Mary (majored in philosophy, minored in government), she also earned a Masters degree in Education from George Washington University. She has taught classes for ages from preschoolers through PhDs and in both formal and informal setting in academic and personal topics. This is her 13th year of teaching group classes in literature for homeschoolers. Click here to read testimonials about her previous classes.
ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2024-25
First Day of Classes:
August 26, 2024
Standard Class Schedule:
Every Wednesday except for the Break weeks listed below
Thanksgiving Break:
November 27, 2024
Winter Break:
December 25, 2024
January 1, 2025
January 8, 2025
Spring Break:
March 5, 2025
Last Day of Classes:
May 7, 2025
To enroll or to ask any questions, please contact Carol at ccross@mindspring.com .
