Syllabus for Analyzing and Interpreting Media: A Literature and Worldview Course
As many of you know, this blog is hosting Analyzing and Interpreting Media: A Literature and Worldview Course. If you would like to respectfully discuss this topic, this is the place to be. If you are part of the bricks and mortar course, you can post/critique assignments here, ask questions, and discuss on topic. Please take off-topic comments or chit-chat to another forum.
Here are the course details, and the lesson plan for week one. We start on Monday, a week from today!
Age Level: Teen (advanced) to College Level
Time and Location: Anytime online and Mondays at 7:00 p.m., New Song Church
Facilitator: Melissa Morgan, Co-author, "Homeschooling on a Shoestring" and "Educational Travel on a Shoestring" (Shaw Books, Div. Random House)
Co-Facilitators/Coordinators/Guest Speakers: Positions OpenÂcan be parents or Teens
Course Objectives:
*Identifying, analyzing and interpreting types of literature and media from a Christian perspective *Using critical thinking to discern worldviews while reading, discussing, and writing about literature and media
*Learning to apply biblical worldview standards in secular environments, such as entertainment, college and work
*Developing college level vocabulary, writing and critiquing skills
*Studying as a group for the CLEP test, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, offered by the College Board. If parents wish, students may schedule (for details, contact the College Board) to take the CLEP test. If a passing score is achieved the student will receive 6 college credit hours, transferable to most accredited colleges/universities. If you are interested in pursuing this, check individual colleges to ensure they accept CLEPs. Most do, but there are exceptions.
Homeschooling college can help students avoid secular freshman courses that often target youth for indoctrination into secular worldviews. It can also potentially save thousands of dollars in college costs.
This course is not supported by or affiliated with the College Board, creators of the CLEP test. CLEP is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board, which does not endorse or sponsor this course. This is a family friendly course. Our goal is to support, not undermine, parental authority and family unity. So feel free to suggest/implement changes and improvements.
Please note: secular materials are a necessary component of this course. For instance, there are NO explicitly Christian CLEP resources that we are aware of. Some CLEP materials are more benign; others are strongly biased. We may wish to pick and choose the less biased, but part of the course is learning to discern the worldview of college level materials. With your permission, we'd like to share a few of the more outrageous examples, as well as some of the Christian grass roots organizations that are springing up to combat anti-Christian bias on campuses.
Active parental participation is desired and encouraged. We greatly desire that parents participate as course planners, testers, graders, resource providers, writing coaches, guest speakers, and any other areas. Parents of teens are NOT, however, required to attend the course.
Suggested Resources:
Starting Points chapter, Identifying Literature Based Upon the Biblical Worldview (Christian book, see below*)
The Deadliest Monster (Christian book, see below*) Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP Guide, by Sheryl Spencer and Ann Warren
Free College Board resources
Optional components from the Starting Points Worldview Curriculum, such as How to Read Slowly (James Sire), Answers for Difficult Days, Know What You Believe, by Paul Little. The Elements of Style, Strunk and White
Various classics, books and media sources, some Christian and some not. No sexual content, graphic violence. Again, parental standards must apply.
Suggested literature reading and media viewing (will be discussed in course):
Pilgrim's Progress
Shakespeare's Hamlet
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde,
Robert Louis Stevenson
The Magician's Nephew, Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
The Horse and His Boy, Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
In Identifying Literature Based Upon the Biblical Worldview, students will start by exploring the imaginary world of Narnia as seen in three of C.S. Lewis's books: The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. As students read they'll take notes on characters, plot, and worldview, then sum up their findings in a helpful chart which compares the nature of God, the universe, and evil in Narnia with the biblical view of these. Next you'll take a look at two movies, The Wizard of Oz and It's a Wonderful Life. Finally, you'll turn your attention to two horror classics in The Deadliest Monster. In this fascinating book, author Jeff Baldwin shows how 10 major worldviews from Islam to New Age religion fit the Frankenstein model, but the Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde model corresponds with the accurate picture of unredeemed man. Learn how your assumptions about man affect your beliefs about God, truth, morality, and even politics."-Spotlight Review, Ann Wegener, Practical Homeschooling magazine, September, 2005
Course Grade and Transcripts: Grade may be assigned at option of parents. If desired, a free worldview test is available for both parents and students, at Nehemiah Institute, http://www.nehemiahinstitute.com/ . One test to show proficiency and readiness for college level language arts material is the CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature. The test would need to be scheduled at a local college testing center (in our area, Columbus State has given the CLEP; other colleges may also offer it.) There are many other college credit tests available (CLEPs, APs, DANTES, Excelsior), and we will be glad to share resources regarding these if anyone is interested. Students who obtain College level credit along with superior high school class grades can end up with a greater than 4.0 weighted grade point average at high school graduation, which can be outstanding for scholarship and entrance evaluations. (Please note: this is for your information only, and can't be consider professional advice. We aren't authorities, and had to get help to do our homeschool graduate's grade point average; we suggest you seek expert advice for your transcripts.)
Melissa has wanted to explore these books with a group for a long time, and we are excited about having fun, growing both spiritually and academically, and learning to discern together. We want to help our Christians young people not just survive, but take back the media and higher education in this generation! Carpe Diem!
Borrow books from a friend, from your church library, or order from the library, if you don't have your own copy.
Note: If you own a copy of Starting Points, please note that the weeks that we will use on this Syllabus are different than what is used in Starting Points. We will also be covering additional material.
If possible, bring a notebook (and your copy of Starting Points, or other Christian worldview book) and/or a journal to every class. Your journal can be either electronic or hardcopy. You will be developing your own personal worldview, and writing notes in your notebook and your essay in your journal. Consider making your journal your very best work, suitable to pass on to future generations of your family. By the end of the course, you will have completed an essay describing your personal worldview, which you can, if you wish, share with the group or online. We will also consider publishing, as a group, an e-book documenting each completed student's work (allowing your work to be published is optional, and any completed work will be given away, not sold). Our intention is that our work will be a wake-up call to our culture's apathy, and answer the following questions:
"What is God like?What is the nature of the universe?What is the essential nature of man?What is the basis of morality and ethics?What is the cause of evil and suffering?What happens to man at death?What is the meaning of history?"-- Excerpt from Starting Points by David Quine
To explore these questions, and aid in discussion during the course, read books such as David Quine's Answers for Difficult Days, Know What You Believe, by Paul Little, and Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. Find many free online notes regarding Pilgrim's Progress and worldview at http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?sourceonly=true&currSection=sermonssource&keyword=mtolive&subsetcat=series&subsetitem=Pilgrim , A Christian Worldview of Fiction blog at http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/tag/craft/page/2/ and Pilgrim's Progress Today, Worldview Discussion Guide, http://www.laelarrington.com/WorldView.pdf#search=
Week 1
Orientation and discussing of worldview (Starting Points, page 90-92, Chapter 2 of How To Read Slowly), overview of credit by examination programs and options, analyzing and interpreting literature and media; Free resources, handouts, pretesting. How to begin outlining Your Personal Worldview. Snacks and excerpts from movie: Pilgrim's Progress. Online discussion question: How does the worldview in Pilgrim's Progress contrast with our modern western cultural norms? Click on the "Comment" button. Post what you think!
Here are the course details, and the lesson plan for week one. We start on Monday, a week from today!
Age Level: Teen (advanced) to College Level
Time and Location: Anytime online and Mondays at 7:00 p.m., New Song Church
Facilitator: Melissa Morgan, Co-author, "Homeschooling on a Shoestring" and "Educational Travel on a Shoestring" (Shaw Books, Div. Random House)
Co-Facilitators/Coordinators/Guest Speakers: Positions OpenÂcan be parents or Teens
Course Objectives:
*Identifying, analyzing and interpreting types of literature and media from a Christian perspective *Using critical thinking to discern worldviews while reading, discussing, and writing about literature and media
*Learning to apply biblical worldview standards in secular environments, such as entertainment, college and work
*Developing college level vocabulary, writing and critiquing skills
*Studying as a group for the CLEP test, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, offered by the College Board. If parents wish, students may schedule (for details, contact the College Board) to take the CLEP test. If a passing score is achieved the student will receive 6 college credit hours, transferable to most accredited colleges/universities. If you are interested in pursuing this, check individual colleges to ensure they accept CLEPs. Most do, but there are exceptions.
Homeschooling college can help students avoid secular freshman courses that often target youth for indoctrination into secular worldviews. It can also potentially save thousands of dollars in college costs.
This course is not supported by or affiliated with the College Board, creators of the CLEP test. CLEP is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board, which does not endorse or sponsor this course. This is a family friendly course. Our goal is to support, not undermine, parental authority and family unity. So feel free to suggest/implement changes and improvements.
Please note: secular materials are a necessary component of this course. For instance, there are NO explicitly Christian CLEP resources that we are aware of. Some CLEP materials are more benign; others are strongly biased. We may wish to pick and choose the less biased, but part of the course is learning to discern the worldview of college level materials. With your permission, we'd like to share a few of the more outrageous examples, as well as some of the Christian grass roots organizations that are springing up to combat anti-Christian bias on campuses.
Active parental participation is desired and encouraged. We greatly desire that parents participate as course planners, testers, graders, resource providers, writing coaches, guest speakers, and any other areas. Parents of teens are NOT, however, required to attend the course.
Suggested Resources:
Starting Points chapter, Identifying Literature Based Upon the Biblical Worldview (Christian book, see below*)
The Deadliest Monster (Christian book, see below*) Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP Guide, by Sheryl Spencer and Ann Warren
Free College Board resources
Optional components from the Starting Points Worldview Curriculum, such as How to Read Slowly (James Sire), Answers for Difficult Days, Know What You Believe, by Paul Little. The Elements of Style, Strunk and White
Various classics, books and media sources, some Christian and some not. No sexual content, graphic violence. Again, parental standards must apply.
Suggested literature reading and media viewing (will be discussed in course):
Pilgrim's Progress
Shakespeare's Hamlet
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde,
Robert Louis Stevenson
The Magician's Nephew, Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
The Horse and His Boy, Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
In Identifying Literature Based Upon the Biblical Worldview, students will start by exploring the imaginary world of Narnia as seen in three of C.S. Lewis's books: The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. As students read they'll take notes on characters, plot, and worldview, then sum up their findings in a helpful chart which compares the nature of God, the universe, and evil in Narnia with the biblical view of these. Next you'll take a look at two movies, The Wizard of Oz and It's a Wonderful Life. Finally, you'll turn your attention to two horror classics in The Deadliest Monster. In this fascinating book, author Jeff Baldwin shows how 10 major worldviews from Islam to New Age religion fit the Frankenstein model, but the Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde model corresponds with the accurate picture of unredeemed man. Learn how your assumptions about man affect your beliefs about God, truth, morality, and even politics."-Spotlight Review, Ann Wegener, Practical Homeschooling magazine, September, 2005
Course Grade and Transcripts: Grade may be assigned at option of parents. If desired, a free worldview test is available for both parents and students, at Nehemiah Institute, http://www.nehemiahinstitute.com/ . One test to show proficiency and readiness for college level language arts material is the CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature. The test would need to be scheduled at a local college testing center (in our area, Columbus State has given the CLEP; other colleges may also offer it.) There are many other college credit tests available (CLEPs, APs, DANTES, Excelsior), and we will be glad to share resources regarding these if anyone is interested. Students who obtain College level credit along with superior high school class grades can end up with a greater than 4.0 weighted grade point average at high school graduation, which can be outstanding for scholarship and entrance evaluations. (Please note: this is for your information only, and can't be consider professional advice. We aren't authorities, and had to get help to do our homeschool graduate's grade point average; we suggest you seek expert advice for your transcripts.)
Melissa has wanted to explore these books with a group for a long time, and we are excited about having fun, growing both spiritually and academically, and learning to discern together. We want to help our Christians young people not just survive, but take back the media and higher education in this generation! Carpe Diem!
Borrow books from a friend, from your church library, or order from the library, if you don't have your own copy.
Note: If you own a copy of Starting Points, please note that the weeks that we will use on this Syllabus are different than what is used in Starting Points. We will also be covering additional material.
If possible, bring a notebook (and your copy of Starting Points, or other Christian worldview book) and/or a journal to every class. Your journal can be either electronic or hardcopy. You will be developing your own personal worldview, and writing notes in your notebook and your essay in your journal. Consider making your journal your very best work, suitable to pass on to future generations of your family. By the end of the course, you will have completed an essay describing your personal worldview, which you can, if you wish, share with the group or online. We will also consider publishing, as a group, an e-book documenting each completed student's work (allowing your work to be published is optional, and any completed work will be given away, not sold). Our intention is that our work will be a wake-up call to our culture's apathy, and answer the following questions:
"What is God like?What is the nature of the universe?What is the essential nature of man?What is the basis of morality and ethics?What is the cause of evil and suffering?What happens to man at death?What is the meaning of history?"-- Excerpt from Starting Points by David Quine
To explore these questions, and aid in discussion during the course, read books such as David Quine's Answers for Difficult Days, Know What You Believe, by Paul Little, and Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. Find many free online notes regarding Pilgrim's Progress and worldview at http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?sourceonly=true&currSection=sermonssource&keyword=mtolive&subsetcat=series&subsetitem=Pilgrim , A Christian Worldview of Fiction blog at http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/tag/craft/page/2/ and Pilgrim's Progress Today, Worldview Discussion Guide, http://www.laelarrington.com/WorldView.pdf#search=
Week 1
Orientation and discussing of worldview (Starting Points, page 90-92, Chapter 2 of How To Read Slowly), overview of credit by examination programs and options, analyzing and interpreting literature and media; Free resources, handouts, pretesting. How to begin outlining Your Personal Worldview. Snacks and excerpts from movie: Pilgrim's Progress. Online discussion question: How does the worldview in Pilgrim's Progress contrast with our modern western cultural norms? Click on the "Comment" button. Post what you think!
posted by Melissa Morgan, eaglesnesthome.com @ Monday, September 18, 2006
5 Comments:
At 12:58 PM,
Anonymous said…
How will you treat discussions of values that may be different from yours and are the honest beliefs or feelings of the student? How will you respond to variations in Christian world view? I tried to sign in with my Blogger account but it isn't recognizing it.
At 6:17 PM,
Melissa Morgan, eaglesnesthome.com said…
Hi, welcome Anonymous. I don't know why you couldn't log in with your blogger password (you might contact blogger tech support about that--unfortunately, I have no control over it, and I am not a techie) but everyone is welcome here, as long as discussion is civil, on topic, and we treat one another as we would like to be treated. If you like, take a look at more recent posts at http://www.eaglesnesthome.blogspot.com/, and view our guidelines, at http://www.eaglesnesthome.com/10comm.htm. I hope you find what you need.
At 7:25 PM,
Anonymous said…
Thank you, Melissa. I'm happy to hear from you. I'm a member of a small Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. I have been a college professor for 25 years, first in nursing and later anthropology and then nursing again. My early education was at Catholic College, Immaculate Heart and Mundelein College in Chicago. I was delighted and intrigued by your discussion of literature. I have been distressed that what we are not teaching in college is how to evaluate positions in terms of the validity of the argument. Students today learn to argue by listening to sound bytes on TV where supposed experts from supposedly opposing sides of an issue hurl fallacious arguments at each other. The more outrageous the claim the more likely it is to survive the cutting room floor. Consequently students don't learn to seek common ground to actually listen to those who hold positions different from our own and they learn that if you think you have the truth you take off the gloves and can say anything to support your position. So I didnot know how to reconcile your considered approach to analyzing literature and interpreting media with the tone and lack of reason in some of the material on The Eagle's Nest.
So I was curious as to how a student would be treated who questions the premises that supported a particular argument. How can one teach when they believe that they actually have complete and absolute knowledge of the truth. I'm asking because it is so critical that we who call ourselves Christian begin to talk with each other and hold each other accountable for our actions and their effect upon the next 7 generations.
A short story from my life. I was raised Catholic, and was raised to completely believe what the Church taught about birth control, communism, the war, the role of women in the Church, and the nature of God. I even entered a Catholic religious community and taught Catholic Elementary School for 10 years. I was completely indoctrinated in the Catholic worldview. I never questioned it until I had left the convent and was on my own. When I encountered people who I grew to love and respect who held beliefs that were counter to the those of the Catholic Church. I was confronted with realizing that everything that I had been taught was not necessarily truth. That it was a matter of belief and interpretation and some of it was in fact a misrepresentation and a misinterpretation of facts. I was extremely angry by the betrayal I experienced when I realized that the people whom I loved and cared for the most were not being honest about the way things are in the world. By this I mean that they were not honest about the fact that I was going to meet good people, very good people who didn't believe as I did. This coupled with stories of a political nature that proved to be half-truths. I learned about the torture inflicted upon Christians by the communists but I never learned about the torture that the American/Christians inflicted upon the "communists" the North Vietnamese. Had my teachers mentors and counselors been honest about the fact that their are multiple interpretations of the Bible, of history, of ethics, and that these have merit but they just aren't what we believe, I would have been better prepared for my confrontation of those differences when I becaome a young adult. That is why I am so passionate about looking at multiple interpretations of reality. Because our students are growing up in a pluralistic society and they will meet people that they love and care about who whold positions different from theirs and will have to confront this conflict and realize that our tradition has been horribly violent in the name of God just as others have in the name of God or whatever belief they hold to be infallibly true.
Let me be clear that I am NOT saying that all opinions, beliefs, and interpretations are equally valid, but I am saying that reasonable, good, thoughtful people, people of faith, can hold reasoned justifiable valid, evidence-based interpretations of events, ethical issues, and political priorities, and interpretatios of Scripture. That these people can come to conclusions that we do not hold. In my considered opinion, this is the only way we will be able to survive in a pluralistic society. Thanks for considering my point of view. Dr. Eileen Jackson emjackso@aol.com
At 5:08 PM,
Melissa Morgan, eaglesnesthome.com said…
Dr. Jackson,
Thanks for writing back. I certainly feel we can agree that, in your words, although not "all opinions, beliefs, and interpretations are equally valid, but I am saying that reasonable, good, thoughtful people, people of faith, can hold reasoned justifiable valid, evidence-based interpretations of events, ethical issues, and political priorities, and interpretatios of Scripture. That these people can come to conclusions that we do not hold." This is true, but also, I think, somewhat obvious--that doesn't mean that people should be afraid to speak their views. Even those people like me, who are still a work in progress. My husband is from Greensboro, so we have something else in common.
"Tone and lack of reason..."--perhaps a judgement call (especially in a format that includes commentary), but please e-mail (school at eaglesnesthome.com ) with details (the specific web page/s and paragraph/s) where the tone or lack of reason does not match our stated guidelines. I would like to know about it. I would prefer to be at peace with all, as much as it depends on me.
However, I also realize that it is probably impossible to please everyone, and if you speak the truth--even in love (which I try to do, to the best of my ability)--you are still bound to offend someone--especially if they are uncomfortable with the issues involved. We may think that we are sparing someone's feelings by "not hurting their feelings with a harsh tone"--but in an issue of importance, even of life or death, you can easily kill someone with kindness. The airline steward who explains what to do in an emergency may be frightening, boring, or offending passengers, but she is speaking the truth in love. If I am wearing an ugly dress, it may (or maybe not) be kind not to tell me. However, if my house is on fire, but I can't see it, I might think you are using an unreasonable, unpleasant tone, but you are still doing the right thing to tell me.
I am getting way off topic, however. If you will allow me, I will refer you to one of the recommended texts for the course:
"Answers for Difficult Days: Surviving the Storm of Secularism," by David Quine. If you can get a copy of the book, I would appreciate your imput.
In the book, Quine quotes from Dr. Francis Shaeffer, " As the word "salvation" is used here and throughout the New Testament, it has a mch wider meaning than is usually given to it today. Today it is often limited to becoming a Christian. The scriptural use of the term includes all those things in the past, presnet, and future that will come to the man or woman who has accepted Christ as his or her savior."
Also, if you could return to http://www.eaglesnesthome.blogspot.com and put your (on-topic) comments at a more recent post, you will be more likely to get discussion, as this thread is pretty old, and is not in the archived posts. Also, you can Click on "Other" if you are having trouble posting as Blogger. That way you can put in a name other than Anonymous if you wish. Again, I hope to hear more of your interesting comments.
At 12:41 PM,
eaglesnesthome said…
Thanks--I"ll check it out.
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