OMNIBUS Omnibus I instructor:  TBA Omnibus II instructor:  Deborah Brenton, paideiateach@comcast.net, (763) 607-5532 Omnibus III instructor:  Richard Gall, Rnagall@comcast.net, (651) 214-5761   Course Descriptions             Culture and worldviews are communicated through the arts, and most clearly so through the written and verbal arts. Arguments can be made logically that are rhetorically beautiful, but this is not a valid test for their veracity or determining whether such arguments are Biblically acceptable. This course is a means to take students beyond a mere introduction to critical and Christian thinking into practical application in several venues. We will look at past literary and philosophical worldviews and the impact they have made upon our own generation. In particular, we will focus on the Western Tradition, both secular and Christian. Along the way we hope to be able to separate the strands of each into distinct paths.             Completing these courses should grant the student three credits per course:  one in Bible, one in literature, and one in philosophy, history, or politics, whichever the parents choose.             We will use the Veritas Omnibus curriculum. Although the reading is set at the junior high level by Veritas, we will be looking at more advanced issues in class time.             Omnibus II course website:  http://bdbrenton.homeftp.net/Paideia/   Classes             All students will be required to attend the main class session, which will last 1½ hours and will take place weekly. In addition, there will be an optional 1-hour weekly recitation section. As a general rule, we will be following the lecture organization designed by Veritas to supplement the Omnibus. The class size will be a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 20.             In Omnibus II only, coursework for the recitation section will be graded separately from coursework for the main session. Thus, students enrolled in the recitation section will receive two course grades. Parents may choose to combine the grades or to apply them separately toward the separate material covered.   Tuition             The cost for each course is $150 per semester for students attending only the required class session, and $200 per semester for students attending the recitation section as well.  These rates do not include materials, textbooks, or supplemental readings.   Requirements             (Percentages listed are for recommended grading purposes only, as home-educating parents are responsible for determining grade.) Class assignments (50%). Paper (25%). Class Participation (25%).   Textbooks             Check your local libraries and abebooks.com, powells.com, and amazon.com (used book sections) for all books. Apart from being textbooks, these books are an excellent addition to any library and can frequently be purchased inexpensively online.             A number of the classroom materials are available from Veritas Press as either downloads or purchased books. The readings will be as follows:   Omnibus I             Textbook:  Omnibus I:  Biblical and Classical Civilizations, by Doug Wilson and Ty Fischer.             Primary books:  (Semester 1) Aeschylus I, Codes of Hammurabi and Moses, Gilgamesh, The Histories, Odyssey, Plutarch’s Lives I; (Semester 2) Aeneid, Early History of Rome, Julius Caesar, Last Days of Socrates, Sophocles I, Twelve Caesars.             Secondary books:  (Semester 1) Chosen by God, The Horse and his Boy, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Magician’s Nephew, Prince Caspian, Till We Have Faces, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; (Semester 2) The Best Things in Life, The Eagle of the Ninth, The Holiness of God, The Last Battle, The Screwtape Letters, The Silver Chair, The Unaborted Socrates.   Omnibus II             Textbook:  Omnibus II:  Church Fathers through the Reformation, by Doug Wilson and Ty Fischer.             Primary books:  (Semester 1) Beowulf, Confessions, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Eusebius:  The Church History, On the Incarnation of Our Lord, Rule of St. Benedict, The Song of Roland; (Semester 2) The Bondage of the Will, The Canterbury Tales, The Divine Comedy:  Inferno, History of the Kings of Britain, Macbeth, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.             Secondary books:  (Semester 1) The Dragon and the Raven, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Nine Tailors; (Semester 2) Henry V, Richard III, The Return of the King, The Two Towers, Winning His Spurs:  A Story of the Crusades.   Omnibus III             Textbook:  Omnibus III:  Reformation to the Present, by Doug Wilson and Ty Fischer.             Primary books:  (Semester 1) Anti-Federalist Papers, Federalist Papers, Of Plymouth Plantation, Pilgrim's Progress, The Social Contract, A Tale of Two Cities, Westminster Confession of Faith; (Semester 2) 1984, Abraham Lincoln:  Speeches and Writings, Communist Manifesto, The Great Gatsby, Mein Kampf, Reflections on the Revolution in France, Uncle Tom's Cabin.             Secondary books:  (Semester 1) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Autobiography of Charles G. Finney, Ben Franklin:  The Autobiography, Frankenstein, Gulliver’s Travels, The New Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Pride and Prejudice; (Semester 2) Animal Farm, Christianity and Liberalism, Death of a Salesman, How Should We Then Live?, The Killer Angels, Little Women, The Old Man and the Sea, Postmodern Times.   Instructors                 Deborah Brenton grew up in Illinois and split her schooling years there between nine years of home schooling and four years at a private school (Christian Liberty Academy).  She graduated from Northwestern College (Roseville, MN) with a B.A. in English Education in 2002.  She taught English and Speech to both middle school and high school classes for four years at Heritage Christian Academy in Maple Grove, MN.  This year marked the fifth year of marriage she has enjoyed with her husband, Bob.  Her summer was spent cooking, reading, and going to the park with her one-year-old, Amara. On her summer reading list were Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor and Hard Times by Charles Dickens.             Richard Gall is a graduate of New St. Andrews College and a member in good standing at Christ Church Twin Cities. He has taught at Paideia since 2004. He is the husband of Alaina Gall and the father of Alexander and Olivia. In his full-time job he sells insurance for the Christensen Group in Minnetonka.