This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Learn how to reason and understand Thomistic philosophy in this relatable course that simplifies the complex for your student. Learn how to think intelligently about God and the world He made — and how to exercise reason in its highest form. Get easy-to-understand philosophy — and complete your understanding with Part Two!
Total classes: 12
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade. Mature middle school students are welcomed.
Suggested credit: One full semester Philosophy
Description
Every Christian should be grounded in an understanding of solid principles of Christian philosophy, and Dave Palmer believes the younger a person learns them, the better he or she will be equipped to live an authentically Christian life in the midst of our challenging culture. The Catholic Church’s understanding of philosophy is based on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and his classic, The Summa Theologica. This class is designed to provide students with an overview of the main themes and teachings of The Summa Theologica over the course of two semesters. The focus of the class is on Thomas’ teaching on the end and purpose of the human person, which is to spend eternity with God, and how one best accomplishes this goal through a life of virtue, holiness, and awareness of the presence of God in our everyday experiences.
Outline
Class 1 – The Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love
Class 2 – The Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Fortitude, and Temperance
Class 3 – The Cardinal Virtue of Justice?
Class 4 – The Incarnation of Jesus Christ
Class 5 – Jesus Christ: True God and True Man
Class 6 – The Blessed Virgin Mary & the Life of Jesus Christ
Class 7 – The Passion, Death & Resurrection of Christ
Class 8 – The Sacraments of Baptism & Confirmation
Class 9 – The Sacrament of the Eucharist
Class 10 – The Sacraments of Penance, Anointing, the Priesthood, & Marriage
Class 11 – The Resurrection of the Body
Class 12 – The Last Things: Heaven, Hell, & Purgatory
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: The Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas, which can be found free online.
Homework: Homework will consist of taking a weekly quiz and answering short essay questions based on class material most weeks. Other assignments will include taking pictures of interesting creatures and making a connection between the creatures and God as their creator. Students will also be asked several times each semester to use a particular God-given talent that they have (writing stories, making slideshows, videos, etc.) to create a project to best explain the subject matter of that week’s lesson. Estimated two hours per week spent on reading and assignments outside of the classroom.
Important Dates
Class Dates: Thursdays, January 11 to April 11 (No classes February 15 or March 28.)
Starting Time: 2:30 PM Eastern (1:30 Central; 12:30 Mountain; 11:30 Pacific)
Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Registration link
