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Sunday, July 10, 2016

Homeschool Philosophy High School

"Aristotle once observed that philosophy is inevitable. Absent a conscious and deliberate reflection upon the larger questions in life, one will invariably come to some sort of conclusion about them. A sound conclusion? Nothing guarantees that, and much harm has come from bad philosophizing; the point is that, unless we take it upon ourselves to philosophize well, we will definitely end up doing it poorly."
Dr. Jean Rioux, excerpt from Why Should I Learn Philosophy 

This quote demonstrates why Homeschool Connections is dedicated to providing the best philosophy professors for your and your family.

Dr. Jean Rioux, Chair of Philosophy at Benedictine College, will be teaching the Thomistic philosophy course in the fall. It is highly recommended for every high school student. See below for all the details.



REGISTRATION PAGE
WEBSITE
St. Thomas on the Human Person *New
Total classes: 12
Class dates: Thursdays, 8 September to 15 December, no class 13 October, 24 November, or December 8.
Starting time: 4:00 PM Eastern (3:00 Central; 2:00 Mountain; 1:00 Pacific)

Duration: 55 minutes
Prerequisite
: none
Suggested grade level
: 11th to 12th grade.
Suggested credit
: 1 full semester Philosophy
Fee
: $175 if you register on or before July 15, 2016. $195 after July 15 for all 12 classes. ($215 after Aug. 31)
Instructor: 
Jean Rioux, Ph.D.
Course description
: St. Thomas' account of the human person expounds upon what philosophers and theologians from ancient times to his day have said about ourselves and our unique place in God's universe. While Thomas discusses and references his views on human nature in nearly all his works, his ex professo treatment of the question can be found in questions 75 through 89 of the first part of his Summa Theologiae. While the context of this treatise is theological, Thomas' consideration includes an extended and integrated philosophical account of what we are, what we can expect of life, and why. Addressing issues as wide-ranging as whether and to what degree we can really know the world about us, upon what basis we can stake our claim to free action, and whether we can certainly know, as Socrates is to have said, that "our souls will truly exist in another world!", Thomas brings his brilliance to bear upon a discussion and resolution of life's most important questions.
Course materials
: Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Prima Pars, questions 75-89 (selections) | materials will be provided by the instructor as a freely-downloadable PDF file.
Homework: Homework for each session will consist, first, of a close reading of the assigned materials, using online class preparation software designed by Dr. Rioux. Written assignments will consist of students' careful, short-essay responses to two or three prompts covering the last class' material, graded by Dr. Rioux. Students should expect to spend 3 to 4 hours outside of class time on the reading and assignments each week.

About the Instructor
Dr. Rioux is an award-winning professor and chair of the philosophy department at Benedictine College, where he has taught for almost 30 years. A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College, he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from the Center for Thomistic Studies in Houston. Specializing in the thought of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, he has published textbooks in logic and natural philosophy, and articles in the philosophy of mathematics; a book on Thomas Aquinas' philosophy of mathematics is in the works. He and Benedictine's chair of theology regularly offer great books classes in philosophy and theology. Dr. Rioux and his wife, Maria, raise their children in a farmhouse in rural Kansas. They have been designing their own curricula and educating their children at home for over 25 years.

Student testimonials: 
"Dr. Rioux is a great teacher." 
"Dr Rioux presented the subject matter with great intensity and joy. These qualities were contagious and I even looked forward to doing the homework" 
"Thank you so much for offering this course it was a great opportunity for me as I prepare for college this fall."


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