Week 1 – August 29 – Hamlet
1. You will find the study guide here
2. Read the context, summary and things to think about for Hamlet on pages 26-30 in the study guide.
3. Watch Hamlet here while you read along in your text, take notes in the margins, underline important words and phrases, and write comments to
discuss in class.
4. Answer questions 2, 4, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 19, 20, 21, 25 in the study guide on pages 30-34.
Week 2 – September 5 – Macbeth
1. You will find the study guide here
2. Read the context, summary and things to think about for Macbeth on pages 48-52 in the study guide.
3. Watch Macbeth here while you read along in your text, take notes in the margins, underline important words and phrases, and write comments to
discuss in class.
4. Answer questions 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21, and 24 in the study guide on pages 52-57.
Week 3 – September 12 – King Lear
1. You will find the study guide here
2. Read the context, summary and things to think about for King Lear on pages 59-65 in the study guide.
3. Watch King Lear here while you read along in your text, take notes in the margins, underline important words and phrases, and write comments to
discuss in class.
4. Answer questions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 in the study guide on pages 65-67.
Week 4 – September 19 – The Tempest
1. You will find the study guide here
2. Read the context, summary and things to think about for The Tempest on pages 70-76 in the study guide.
3. Watch The Tempest here while you read along in your text, take notes in the margins, underline important words and phrases, and write comments to
discuss in class.
4. Answer questions 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 23 in the study guide on pages 76-80
September 26: No Class! Come see At Home In Mansfield at 5:00 on the square in Mansfield
Week 5 – October 3 – The Taming of The Shrew
1. You will find the study guide here
2. Read the context, summary and things to think about for The Taming of The Shrew on pages 55-58 in the study guide.
3. Watch The Taming of The Shrew here while you read along in your text, take notes in the margins, underline important words and phrases, and
write comments to discuss in class.
4. Answer questions 4, 5, 6. 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 24 in the study guide on pages 58-60
Week 6 – October 10 – Descartes
1. You will find the study guide here
2. Read pgs. 125-131 in the study guide
3. Read the introductory information and Meditations 1-4 here (pgs 1-top of 23)
4. Answer questions 4, 7, 8, 9, 10
Week 7 – October 17 – Review what you read in the Study guide and in Meditations from last week. We will continue this discussion this coming week.
Paper topic on Shakespeare (If your homeschooling parent requires it)
Expository paper: We talked about many themes common to most Shakespearian plays, such as political power, pride, family relationships, the influence of a spouse for good or evil, etc. Choose one of these themes common to all of the plays we read for class, and in 5-7 pages, explain how that theme is presented and exemplified by those plays. You must rely on quotes, specific examples of actions by characters in the plays, and monologues or other text from the plays with overt or implied discussion of the theme.
Due date: November 7
Please email as an editable Google Doc to heidi@heidiphelps.com
Week 8 – October 24 – Hobbes – Leviathan
1. Read Study Guide pgs. 117-122 here
2. Read selections from Leviathan here
3. Answer questions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 on page 122 in the study guide
Week 9 – October 31 – David Hume
1. Read the study guide pgs. 113-116 here
2. Read Section II, Section IV, Section V, Section VII, Section X, and Section XII from An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding here
3. Answer questions 1, 2, 3. 4. 5, 6, 7
4. Read the first 1/4 of Paradise Lost
Week 10 – November – 7 Paradise Lost – Milton
Week 11 – November 14 – Paradise Lost – Milton
1. Finish reading Paradise Lost
2. Read pages 133-140 in the study guide found here
3. Be prepared to discuss study questions 4, 6, and 12 in the study questions.
4. Consider the epic Paradise Lost and be prepared to discuss the following questions: How should we handle biblical fiction in our minds? What are some dangers of reading biblical fiction? What are some benefits? Did Jesus use fiction in His teachings, and how are those fictional accounts similar or different than Paradise Lost?
5. Write about an event in your life in the form of an epic poem. This does not need to be long, and should not be more than 3 pages long. Do your best to play with language and words to bring the scene to your reader’s imagination. Have fun with this, and be prepared to read it out loud in class.
Off week – Come see Treasure Island at the Owen Theater on November 21 at 6:00 pm or watch the Live Stream remotely
Off week – Thanksgiving break
Week 12 – December 5 – Rousseau
1. Read The Social Contract by Rousseau here from page 16-74. This is a bit of a transliteration, so is easier to read, but there are a few less important sentences left out.
2. Answer questions 3, 4, 8, and 12 and be prepared to discuss them in class. The study guide can be found here.
Week 13 – December 12 – Pride and Prejudice – Read the first half and prepare to discuss the following:
1. The books opens, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.”
In the first half of the book, how does this “truth” materialize with respect to Charlotte? Jane? Lydia? Elizabeth?
2. Throughout the book, we will learn philosophical theories by examining the personalities of each character. Make a list of character and behavioral traits for the following characters (Be as complete as possible):
Charlotte
Jane
Lydia
Elizabeth
Darcy
Bingly
Mary
Mrs. Bennet
Mr. Bennet
Mr. Wickham
Mr. Collins
Week 14 – December 19 – Pride and Prejudice
Christmas Break!!!!!! – Read Oliver Twist and begin Robinson Crusoe over break
Week 15 – January 16 – Kant – Critique of Pure Reason – Introduction only!
1. Read the study guide for Critique of Pure Reason here.
2. Read Critique of Pure Reason — ONLY parts I-VII of the Introduction! You can find it here.
3. If you can, think of a piece of a prior knowledge that you have. This is not an easy exercise, and perhaps you will not be able to think of any. Jot down your
process/experience thinking about a priori knowledge and come prepared to discuss in class.
Week 16 – January 23 – Kant – Re-read the reading and study guide from last week and if you can, watch the video on Kant here: https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/introduction-to-western-philosophy/lessons/kant-the-grand-modern-synthesis
1. To watch this link, you must create a free Hillsdale account here: https://online.hillsdale.edu/
2. Follow the instructions to create your account.
3. Once you have created an account for the free online courses, go to the catalogue link at the top left center of the page.
4. Search for Introduction to Western Philosophy. Follow the directions to sign up for the course.
5. Once you have signed up for the course, open the course and scroll down to Lesson 12: Kant: The Grand Modern Synthesis.
Week 17 – January 30 – Introduction to Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist ch. 1-18
1. Watch the introduction to Charles Dickens here.
2. Read chapters 1-18. You can find a digital version of the book here.
3. Name three themes that you find over and over again in these chapters. How do these themes relate to the plight of the lower and middle classes in Victorian England?
4. What role does the church take in promoting the mistreatment of children according to Dickens?
Week 18 – February 6 – Oliver Twist ch 19-36
Week 19 – February 13 – Oliver Twist ch 37-53
Week 20 – February 20 – Robinson Crusoe
Week 21 – February 27 – Robinson Crusoe
Week 22 – March 6 – Robinson Crusoe
Week 23 – March 13 – Off Week – Come See A Secret Garden at the Owen Theater on March 20 at 6:00 pm or March 21 at 11:00 am or 5:00 pm, or watch the Live Stream remotely
G.K. Chesterton – The Man Who Was Thursday
Week 24 – March 27 – ALL CLASSES VIA ZOOM TODAY! – The Man Who Was Thursday
Off Week – Holy Week
Week 25 – April 10 – Mere Christianity
Week 26 – April 17 – Mere Christianity
Week 27 – April 24 – The Abolition of Man
Week 28 – May 1 – The Abolition of Man
Week 29 – May 8 – The Abolition of Man