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Summer Continuing Education Courses

ByRyan Smith 





This summer, join New Aberdeen faculty members for lively discussions of great books and music!

Unless noted, courses will be held from 7:30 – 9:00 P.M. (ET).

Monday: Handel’s Messiah
Tuesday: American Short Stories
Wednesday: Academic Writing Bootcamp (*10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.)
Thursday: C. S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man

To register, click here.
Cost is $99 per course.
*College Writing is $149 and includes weekly feedback on writing assignments*

>>>>>COURSE DESCRIPTIONS<<<<<

C. S. LEWIS’ THE ABOLITION OF MAN (June 5 – July 17 [skips July 3])
Rev’d Matt Marino, Ph.D. (ABD)

C. S. Lewis’s prescient philosophical work The Abolition of Man remains as significant today as ever. Participants will read the primary text along with six supplemental articles, each of which makes commentary on Lewis’s thought to relevant areas such as subjectivism, moral relativism, scientism, and the more prophetic elements of Lewis’s thesis that are so applicable to our present day. Those essays along with the reading schedule will be provided via email to participants.
 
HANDEL’S MESSIAH (June 2-July 7)
Ryan F. Smith, D.M.A.

This masterpiece remains one of the greatest works in the repertory. What contributes to its timeless qualities? How could Handel compose this piece in such a short period of time? Why motivated the librettist choose these biblical texts? What are aesthetic principles guided Handel?

This course offers participants an overview to the Baroque period’s most famous work using Calvin Stapert’s book. Handel’s Messiah: Comfort for God’s People as a guide. While music literacy will enhance the course, it is not necessary. Our discussions will focus on Part I of the oratorio including the Sinfonia and beloved arias and choruses. The course will lead to a greater appreciation for Handel’s craft as a composer, specifically in his depiction of musical ideas.

AMERICAN SHORT STORIES (June 3-July 8)
Abigail Smith, Ph.D.

Even the briefest look at the relatively short history of American literature reveals a narrative wealth as vast as her terrain. The Romantics and the Realists. The Regionalists and the Naturalists. The Lost Generation and the Harlem Renaissance. And, of course, the Southerners. In each of these seasons and regions, American writers excelled with the short story. Beginning with Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” and ending with Berry’s “Pray Without Ceasing,” this course will trace a history of American identity through her short-storytelling. While the list of writers is full, we will focus our attention on only a few stories per class. This will enable us to “aim small, miss small” as we move through the course.

Thoughtful engagement with our texts requires reading them several times. The first reading is generally one focused on plot. It is only after knowing what happens that you can read for the “why.” Therefore, plan to read each story at least twice, each in a single setting.

ENTERING THE GREAT CONVERSATION: ACADEMIC WRITING BOOTCAMP (June 3-July 8 at 10:30 a.m.)
Abigail Smith, Ph.D.
Calling all rising high school seniors and college freshmen!

Worried that your writing isn’t up to par? Terrified at the thought of embarking on a year-long research project? Tempted by the siren song of an AI-generated essay?

It’s time to hone your writing skills and gather the tools you will need to excel in the art of rhetoric … and this course will help you do both.

We will spend 6 weeks developing your writing skills – first, by engaging with primary texts and then turning to consider secondary sources. Beginning with three American short stories as our foundation texts, we will practice reading carefully, annotating thoughtfully, asking good questions, and crafting a quality thesis (using Aristotle’s Common Topics of definition, comparison, circumstance, etc.). We will then turn to secondary sources on those texts – accessing academic articles, evaluating their argument and bias, writing a precis, and creating a bibliography. For the final two weeks, we will shift our focus to creating effective paragraphs that strengthen, rather than derail, arguments.

Students will complete weekly readings and assignments and participate in a weekly Zoom course which will include both instruction from the instructor and conversation with a cohort of peers.

REGISTER NOW!













	

	





			

			

				

					
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