Catholic Scripture Study: Online High School Classes

Homeschool Connections, THE Catholic online curriculum provider, offers a wide variety of excellent theology courses. These courses can be taken as live, interactive courses or as recorded, independent-study courses. We offer apologetics, Thomistic philosophy, moral theology, Theology of the Body, and so, so much more.

Here are just two of our live, interactive courses coming up for the 2014/2015 school year. These courses give high school students an excellent working knowledge of Scripture so that they can know, love, and defend their Catholic faith:

Reading the Old Testament

(click on title to register)

Class dates: Mondays, October 6 to December 1, 2014.
Total classes: 9
Starting time: 2:30 pm Eastern (1:30 Central; 12:30 Mountain; 11:30 Pacific)
Duration: 1 hour per class
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 10th to 12th grade
Suggested high school credit: ½ semester Theology. For a full credit, add another theology course.
Fee: $105 if you register on or before August 1, 2014. $120 after Aug. 1st for all 8 classes.
Instructor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
Course description: The Old Testament is the record of God’s initial interaction with His Creation and the human race and His preparation the People of God for the coming of the Messiah. This course will focus on the historical development of Israel from the patriarchs to the Maccabees. We will emphasize methods for reading a passage so as to more fully grasp God’s message for us.
Course outline:
Class 1: Overview
Class 2: OT understanding of God
Class 3: OT understanding of man
Class 4: OT understanding of cosmology (nature)
Class 5: Common words in the OT
Class 6: Marriage and family in the OT
Class 7: History of Israel from creation to the Roman occupation
Class 8: Christ in the OT
Class 9: Review
Course materials: Catholic Bible
Homework: Online readings from Bible. There will be a short online quiz after each class period based on reading and class material. Final exam graded by the instructor.

Reading the New Testament

(click on title to register)

Class dates: Mondays, March 2 to May 4, 2015. No class April 6.
Total classes: 9
Starting time: 2:30 Eastern (1:30 Central; 12:30 Mountain; 11:30 Pacific)
Duration: 1 hour
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 10th to 12th grade
Suggested high school credit: ½ semester Theology
Fee: $105 if you register on or before November 15, 2014. $120 after Nov. 15th for all 8 classes.
Instructor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
Course description:
Course outline:
Class 1 What is the NT?
Class 2 Studying and praying with the NT
Class 3 Genres of NT books, Gospel, gesta, letters, apocalypse
Class 4 Common terms in the NT
Class 5 More terms
Class 6 NT geography
Class 7 NT culture
Class 8 NT history
Class 9 The writing of the NT
Course materials: Catholic Bible
Homework: Quiz after each session. Write a final paper about a passage from the NT. All homework graded by the instructor.

These two courses are also available recorded through our Unlimited Access program.

Instructor biography: Dr. Robert Gotcher is an independent educator and scholar. He has taught at a major seminary, graduate and undergraduate students, lay ministry students, diaconal candidates, and high school students, both online and in the classroom. He and his wife, Kathy, are raising their seven children in Franklin, Wisconsin. Dr. Gotcher has been actively involved in the homeschooling of his children, especially in junior and high school. He has taught Latin, literature, physics, astronomy, and religion to homeschooled students. He has a special devotion to the classical trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, especially as they pertain to the written arts. Dr. Gotcher graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in the Program of Liberal Studies. He received his M.A. in Theology of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and his Ph.D. from Marquette University.
          Dr. Gotcher teaches literature, theology, and formal logic for Homeschool Connections.