The Tri-L Challenge (Literature, Language Arts, and Life)  
NOW ENROLLING FOR SEPTEMBER 2023 – MAY 2024

The Tri-L Challenge (Literature, Language Arts, and Life)
Middle School (ages 10-15)

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.
     Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path.
     Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

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. A focus in all Heroic U classes 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.

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 analysis 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.

These classes are held live 2-3 times a month from September through April.  On the alternative months, students are expected to respond to posts on Canvas, our Learning Management System (LMS), in addition to reading the books and preparing their analyses.  Canvas is the most widely used LMS in colleges and universities, and the Wake County Public School System is switching to Canvas for the next academic year.  Therefore, this will develop another skill students need when they move into institutional education, while cutting down on parents’ need to transport their children to physical classes.  A win-win for all!

To enroll in the class, students must be willing to behave according to the Heroic University Honor Code and to agree to the Apprentice Agreement.  For more information on these documents, please see the Student Honor Code and Student Work Expectations pages.

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.

Tuition:

The cost for class is $600 paid in full.  There is also a nonrefundable registration/technology/supplies fee of $50.

We also have two payment plans.  In addition to the nonrefundable $50 deposit, families can choose to pay:

• Two semester payments of $325/semester (total of $650)
• Eight monthly payments of $85/month (total of $680)

Schedule:

For the 2023-24 academic year, there are one section of this class:

Thursday 9:15-11:15 in Cary

This class will be held at Young Writers Institute in downtown Cary, 312 West Chatham Street, Ste. 203, Cary, NC 27511

Click here to get the specific dates scheduled for in-person meeting and discussion.

NOTE:  Because classes are designed to include a lot of student discussion and interaction, they will be cancelled if they don’t meet a minimum enrollment.  Also, classes will move to an online format if weather or medical issues prevent meeting physically.

Live Classes  will be limited to 12 students per class in order to allow everyone to participate in the discussions and presentations.  Therefore, interested families are advised to register as soon as possible in order to reserve a spot.  To register, email Carol Cross at ccross@mindspring.com.