Curriculum
Gileskirk curriculum that features lectures in Humanities by Dr. George Grant
Process
The focus of this year’s study is the emergence of the civilization of Christendom, from the fall of Rome and the Patristic Age of the early church (around AD 300)through the time of the Reformation, finishing with the Enlightenment and the Puritans in the late 18th century. Thus, we will study the Barbarian migrations, national settlements, feudal social structure, monasticism, the rise of the Islamic threat, the Crusades, Gothic art and architecture, the rise of the divine right of kings, the relapse of the Renaissance, and the attempts to reform the church.
If the Lord wills and your students work very hard, they will gain a working knowledge of the timetables of history, a familiarity with aesthetic and cultural achievement, and will begin to view all of history and all of life from the perspective of God’s work in the earth. We will have plenty of lively interaction and discussion (that is after everyone warms up and is comfortable with the routine). We’ll even dabble a little in geography and play some music.
This is a demanding course, requiring much reading and frequent tests that usually include essays. We will also do projects of a creative nature. To make sure that no one gets in over their heads, I would like to see a writing sample before accepting students into the class. They don’t have to be skilled essay writers at this point. We will be working together to learn what makes a good essay test answer, however, they do need to be able to put a few sentences together in a short amount of time. The essay should be handwritten and approximately one page long. Parents, please allow only twenty-five minutes to complete this assignment. You may give them a little help to get started or answer questions, but please don’t correct it.
Essay Topic
" Those who don’t learn from the past are condemned to repeat it."
Give one reason why this is true and support your statement with two ot three examples from history, literature, or your own experience.