Romeo and Juliet with Joseph Pearce

We are very happy to announce that Joseph Pearce will be teaching for Homeschool Connections. He will begin with a high school course on Romeo and Juliet in April. Below are all of the details.

Literature: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

(click on the course title to register)

Class dates: Wednesdays, April 11 to May 16, 2012
Total classes: 6
Starting time: 2:00 pm Eastern
Duration: 1 hour
Prerequisite: The ability to read and enjoy the play.
Suggested grade level: 9th to 11th grade (advanced 8th graders can be accepted.)
Fee: $120 for all 6 classes
Course description: Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most famous love story ever written. Its cultural influence is so profound that Shakespeare’s “star cross’d” lovers have become synonymous with the very meaning of romantic love. But what exactly does the world’s greatest playwright have to say about the world’s greatest lovers? Does he sympathize with their plight? Does he consider them blameless, or are they largely responsible for the tragedy that awaits them? Is it a story about fatalistic forces beyond the control of the lovers, or is it a cautionary tale warning of the dangers of unbridled erotic passion? In this course, Joseph Pearce, editor of the Ignatius Critical Edition of Romeo and Juliet, asks and answers these questions as he invites students to see the play through Shakespeare’s Catholic eyes.

Course outline:
Week One: An Introduction to Shakespeare
Week Two: Act One
Week Three: Act Two
Week Four: Act Three
Week Five: Act Four
Week Six: Act Five and concluding comments

Required reading: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (Ignatius Critical Edition, edited by Joseph Pearce)
Suggested reading: The Quest for Shakespeare by Joseph Pearce (Ignatius Press)
(Please click on book titles for ordering information.)

Homework: Quizzes, essay prompts and answer keys will be provided each week.

Instructor biography: Joseph Pearce is the editor of the Ignatius Critical Edition of Romeo and Juliet and author of the forthcoming book, Shakespeare on Love: Seeing the Catholic Presence in Romeo and Juliet (publication by Ignatius Press in Fall 2012). He is also the author of The Quest for Shakespeare: The Bard of Avon and the Church of Rome and Through Shakespeare’s Eyes: Seeing the Catholic Presence in the Plays, both published by Ignatius Press. He has hosted two 13-part seasons of “The Quest for Shakespeare” for EWTN and has also edited the Ignatius Critical Editions of The Merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth. Writer in residence and associate professor of literature at Ave Maria University in Florida, Pearce has also authored books on great Christian writers such as G. K. Chesterton, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

Equipment requirements: Classes are online, live and interactive. Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.
Misc:
Professor Pearce will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services at this time.

Literature: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

(click on the course title to register)