Online Literature Classes

Our Fall 2009 literature courses:

• Tolkien & Fairy Stories
• Gawain and the Green Knight -- Chivalry, Courtesy and Chastity
  
• Christ and King Arthur -- Heroism and Holiness
  
• The Orthodox Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer -- Trust God and Tradition
  
• Catholic Spiritual Writers

Update: These live courses have all concluded and all are now available as recorded courses through our Subscription Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows.To subscribe or learn more: Online Catholic Courses

Meet and Greet the Economics Professor

ADDENDUM: The Meet and Greet webinar went wonderfully well. If you missed it and would like to watch the recording at your leisure, just go to: Economics 101 -- Meet and Greet the Professor.

Come and meet our economics professor! Sit in on a sample class, play with the technology, see Dr. Harris in action, and learn what we have planned for the upcoming year for high school economics.

Dr. David Harris, economics professor at Benedictine College, will be teaching an introductory economics course for high school students. I am particularly excited about this course as Dr. Harris will be bringing in papal encyclicals on social justice to the last 2 classes of the course. I don't know of any other course like this for high school students.

Both you and your children are invited to join Dr. Harris on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 for Economics: Meet and Greet the Professor.

Online Classes: Advantages

Advantages of Homeschool Connections online courses:

• No driving; saving time and gas
  
• No need to pack lunch.
• You can stay in your pajamas.
• Parents can attend classes alongside you.
• No need to organize carpooling.
• You can participate in class even when on vacation.
• Classes are recorded and available to review for 6 months.
• Instant feedback from your instructor.
• The technology is fun -- video, chat, and more.
• Documents can be printed or downloaded from your computer.
• Access to the best instructors and professors from around the United States.
  
• Gain friends from all over the country and the world.

Evening Online Classes for Catholic High School Students

Here at Homeschool Connections we are sensitive to the needs of our students and their families. So, we have completed a variety polls over the past months. One thing we've discovered is that teens would like evening classes. How could we not comply with their request?

Here are three evening classes for the 2009 fall semester:

• Literature: Tolkien & Fairy Stories
• Theology: The Mass Explained
• Theology: Catholic Spiritual Writers

All will be taught by Robert Gotcher, Ph.D. Dr. Gotcher has been teaching summer school classes for Homeschool Connections which have been going great. We're very excited to have Dr. Gotcher teaching for us again in the fall!

(Click on the links above to learn more about the courses. Scroll down to register.)

Theology 101: Meet and Greet the Instructor

Addendum: The Theology 101 went wonderfully. You can watch the free recorded webinar at your convenience HERE.

The meet and greet webinar with Dr. Rioux was fantastic. So, we've decided to continue with the series and will have a similar free webinar with the famed Monica Ashour. Come join us and learn a little bit about Catholic theology while also learning what to expect when enrolling in a Homeschool Connections course. There'll be opportunity aplenty to try out the technology as well as ask Miss Ashour lots of questions about her course and her background.

Theology 101: Meet and Greet the Instructor

This is a free webinar for parents and teens to introduce them to theology and to the three fall 2009 courses: Christian Anthropology, Moral Theology, and

Monica Ashour will introduce us to the study of theology and why it is important to us and our high school students.

Agenda:
--Overview of course content and homework.
--Introduction to theology and the structure necessary to build sound theological arguments.
--Q&A from parents and students.

Having had 20 years of experience in the classroom, 3 years of experience working at St. Mary's Catholic Church at Texas A&M University as one of the Campus Ministers, and Master Degrees in Humanities and Theological Studies from the University of Dallas, Monica Ashour comes to us with a breadth and depth of vision that will solidify and electrify high school students. Orthodox, passionate, and pedogogically adept, Miss Ashour reaches youth especially in the areas of Christian Anthropology, Moral Theology, and Social Ethics.

Homeschooling High School Theology

Update: This live course has concluded and is now available as a recorded course through our Subscription Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows.To subscribe or learn more: Online Catholic Courses

Homeschool Connections is thrilled to announce a series of theology courses for the fall. The first offering is Christian Anthropology. These courses can be taken individually or concurrently.

Instructor's Biography
Having had 20 years of experience in the classroom, 3 years of experience working at St. Mary's Catholic Church at Texas A&M University as one of the Campus Ministers, and Master Degrees in Humanities and Theological Studies from the University of Dallas, Monica Ashour comes to us with a breadth and depth of vision that will solidify and electrify high school students. Orthodox, passionate, and pedogogically adept, Miss Ashour reaches youth especially in the areas of Christian Anthropology, Moral Theology, and Social Ethics. Her former students come to her often with gratitude in preparing them for the various experiences that they faced in college. Here is a direct quotation from one of her former students who was a junior at the time of writing:

Miss Ashour, I wanted to thank you for preparing me in class for Shakespeare in Italy. I got so much more out of Rome because of my education (you!) prepared me for the wealth of culture and religion it offers. All I have learned in your class about Catholicism and truth made The Vatican and the major basilicas come alive for me.
--Mary M.

Theology: Christian Anthropology
Course Description
“The eternal Father, in accordance with the utterly gratuitous and mysterious design of his wisdom and goodness, created the whole universe, and chose to raise up men to share in his own divine life; and when they had fallen in Adam, he did not abandon them, but at all times held out to them the means of salvation, bestowed in consideration of Christ, the Redeemer, ‘who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature…’” (Lumen Gentium 2). As such, all humans who live according to their nature and elevated in Christ Jesus will find fulfillment and joy in life. This course seeks, then, to identify and explain aspects of human nature to which the human person is to submit so as to live the fullness of life in true freedom, for “man fully alive is the glory of God” (St. Irenaeus).

Goal: Each student, challenged and emboldened to think deeply, will receive skills to meet the challenges of living “in the world but not of the world.”

Session 1: God and man made in His image: Trinitarian Theology; Christian Anthropology based on Pope John Paul’s Theology of the Body, “the most suitable education about man” (Pope John Paul II); preternatural gifts, the Fall, soteriology (redemption).

Session 2: Freedom, conscience, Natural Law, “What We Can’t Not Know” (Dr. Budziszewski), secularist relativism (the “worst evil of our times”-Pope Benedict) brought on by Enlightenment thinkers such as Francis Bacon and his “man’s conquest of nature,” and recognizing such aberrations in the culture.

Session 3: Grace and justification—Catholic and Protestant perspectives, sanctification, Sacramental theology and the Mass, “the source and summit of our lives.” (Sacrosanctum Concilium).

Session 4: Maleness and femaleness, radical femininism, the Church’s teaching regarding homosexuality, egalitarianism, “givenness” (Dr. Joyce Little, The Catholic Church and the Culture War), the theological bases explaining why we have an all-male priesthood.

Fee:
The regular price is $60. However, there is a discount for early registration. Register by July 30, 2009 and receive a discount of $10.

Dates and Time:
This is a four-week course. Classes will begin Tuesday, September 8, 2009 and meet every Tuesday through September 29, 2009. The classes will begin 1:00 PM Eastern Time (noon Central) and are one hour long.

Enrollment Period:
Enrollment is currently open and will close on September 8, 2009 or until the class is filled. Maximum enrollment: 25.

Misc. Details:
Miss Ashour will be available via email in between classes to answer questions and take comments. Recordings of the classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.

Equipment Requirements:
Students are required to have high-speed internet. A headset with microphone is required. You can find them reasonably price at Amazon. To check your connection with the online classes visit: http://www.webex.com/lp/jointest/.

Next in the series: Moral Theology

Click here to learn about other homeschool online classes.

Homeschooling Medieval Literature

Update: These live courses have concluded and are now available as recorded courses through our Subscription Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows.To subscribe or learn more: Online Catholic Courses

Dr. Henry Russell is scheduled to teach a series of literature courses for the Fall 2009 semester: Medieval Lessons for Modern Catholics. Each course in the series can be taken alone or consecutively.

Dr. Russell taught Beowulf and MacBeth this summer and his students loved it as well as learned a great deal. In fact, the email box is bulging with notes from students:

It was a great class, I loved having Dr. Russell as a teacher-also a huge thank you to Mrs. Wittmann :)

I have never really been interested in literature, but Dr.Russell has really helped me appreciate it a lot more.

It was a great course!

Dr. Russell had very interesting and insightful comments. I enjoyed the class very much.

I enjoyed the class very much! I also liked meeting other kids that might be going to the same college as me.

Excellent explanations and insights.

So, what are the fall classes Dr. Russell will be teaching? I'm so glad you asked because they are fabulous:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -- Chivalry, Courtesy and Chastity

Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the most elegant and merry tales of a heroic Catholic age. The fate of Gawain hangs upon his courtesy and his faithfulness to his word, even in the face of the immortal Green Knight who picks up his own head after Gawain has smitten it off. But what does the Green Knight stand for? Why is he so beautiful and happy and yet so fearsome to all? How can he be allowed in King Arthur’s court and in God’s Chapel? And why must the tale begin at Christmas but end on New Year’s Day?

The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer -- Trust God and Tradition

Chaucer was the master at making Catholic nobles laugh at the failings of others until they realized those characters were a bit too much like themselves. This great moralist, like a comic Dante, lets his characters boast and strut until they have convicted themselves out of their own mouths. Let him introduce you to the virtues and vices of his Canterbury Pilgrims and then see how Chaunticleer the Rooster teaches us about predestination and the Church of God. To read Chaucer well is to see how subtly the typological allegory can be constructed.

King Arthur and Christ -- Heroism and Holiness

King Arthur attempts to build the City of God on earth, as we all must. His noble and sinful knights rise far above themselves under his Catholic kingdom’s rule of chivalry. Their fall is also our fall. In Lancelot we will see the crucial role that holiness must play in any heroism, and find that holiness--both personal and of the nation--is the purpose for which heroism is made. Most editions of this tale have been drastically whitewashed by their modernizers to make it a tale of merely cardinal virtues or generic Christian sentiment. Some have gone so far as to warp it into the service of paganism and witchcraft. Yet the greatest knight in the world sees Jesus and ends as a monk.

To learn more, just click on the hyperlinks above. To register for a class, just scroll down and click on the Register button. Homeschool Connections takes Master Card and Visa. If you'd like to pay via check or Paypal please email Maureen Wittmann.

Meet and Greet the Philosophy Professor

ADDENDUM: The Meet and Greet webinar went wonderfully well. If you missed it and would like to watch the recording at your leisure, just go to: Philosophy 101 -- Meet and Greet the Professor.

Come and meet our philosophy professor! Sit in on a sample class, play with the technology, see Dr. Rioux in action, and learn what we have planned for the upcoming year for high school philosophy.

Dr. Jean Rioux, chair of the philosophy department at Benedictine College, will be teaching an introductory philosophy course for high school students. If there is a good response to this offering, he has a whole series planned.

Both you and your children are invited to join Dr. Rioux on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 for Philosophy 101: Meet and Greet the Professor.

Online Class for Homeschool Science

Update: This live course has concluded and is now available as a recorded course through our Subscription Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows.To subscribe or learn more: Online Catholic Courses

Kris Correira, PA is going to be teaching a 6-week online class called Blood in Sickness and in Health that is about blood physiology and pathophysiology. This is an awesome opportunity for high school students to learn directly from a physician's assistant who also teaches paramedics at community college.

Kris is planning a whole physiology series, so this is only beginning. This course is very inexpensive at only $75 for 6 weeks plus graded homework.

Course Description:
You won't faint at the sight of blood in this virtual class! We'll explore what blood is and does, how it is made, how it clots, and blood typing. We'll also look at how blood is tested in a medical laboratory, what the results are when a person is healthy and how it changes in illness. Each student will present their own research into a specific blood disorder of his or her choosing.

This course is designed for high school students. If your student is younger than high school age and would like to participate please contact homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

Fee: $75.

Registration:
Go to Science: Blood in Sickness and In Health. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Register button and then follow the instructions. We take Visa and Master Card. If you prefer to pay by check, or have any questions, please don't hesitate to email Maureen Wittmann.

Materials Needed:
The course includes a blood typing and microscope lab for which you will need to order supplies. Ordering information will be provided and will cost around $20.

All other materials will be made available free online.

Dates and Time:
This is a six-week course. Classes will begin Friday, September 18, 2009 and meet every Friday through October 23, 2009. The time will begin 3:00 PM Eastern Time and end at 4:15 PM.

Enrollment Period:
Enrollment is currently open and will close on September 11, 2009. This will provide students time to learn about the educational software Moodle and the instructor time to provide a syllabus and welcome letter.

Homework:
1) Read the material listed each week.
2) Two labs, one where the students determine their blood types one week and another where they examine slides another week.
3) They will give a final paper and presentation.

Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping. It is up to the parent to record the grade in their child's transcript.

Misc. Details:
Mrs. Corriera will be available via email in between classes to answer questions and take comments.

Recordings of the classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.

Equipment Requirements:
Students are required to have high-speed internet. A headset with microphone is required. You can find them reasonably price at Amazon. To check your connection with the online classes visit: http://www.webex.com/lp/jointest/.

Instructor's Biography:
Kris Correira is a homeschooling mom to 3 boys. She works part time as a physician assistant in an busy emergency department and a paramedic instructor at a community college; she is also a volunteer science teacher for her local homeschool co-op. She has inspired a love of science in her children through lots of hands-on learning and science books without any textbook or curriculum. See what experiments she has for fun hands-on science homeschooling.

Registration:
Go to: Science: Blood in Sickness and In Health. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Register button and then follow the instructions. We take Visa and Master Card. If you prefer to pay by check, or have any questions, please don't hesitate to email Maureen Wittmann.

Click here to learn about other homeschool online classes.

Homeschool Plan for Upcoming School Year

Have you been putting off planning for the upcoming school year? Is it on you're to-do list? Have you already done the footwork but having doubts? Well. Jenny Bales has graciously offered to help us all with this task that some of us love and others of us loathe.

Jenny's homeschool group holds a Day of Reflection for moms in preparation for planning the next school year. They developed a self-evaluation survey for the mothers to complete with questions covering personal spirituality, successes and struggles from this year, and goals for the next year.

Now Jenny is bringing that experience to the entire Catholic homeschool community via two free webinars. These are ones well worth your time. Make sure to mark the date on your planner so you don't miss it.

Prayerfully Reflecting on Last Year
(ADDENDUM: The live event was fabulous! I could not believe all the positive responses. I've corrected the link above to take you to the recorded event.)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009
8:30 PM Eastern (7:30 Central)
Here is a chance to really step back from the busy-ness of family life and pause to reflect on the previous academic year's highs and lows. The focus will be to take some time to ponder our personal spiritual growth and our successes and challenges from the past year of homeschooling with a goal to prayerfully discern what, if anything, needs to change for next year. Participants will be provided with a thorough self-evaluation survey at the close of the webinar to complete on their own time, which has been an inspiring process for all who have done it, so far! This webinar is part one of a two part series, continuing with Prayerfully Planning for Next Year on July 15 but one can be attended without the other, if desired.

Prayerfully Planning for Next Year
(ADDENDUM: The live event was fabulous! I could not believe all the positive responses. I've corrected the link above to take you to the recorded event.)

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
8:30 PM Eastern (7:30 Central)
Regardless of what stage of planning for next year moms have completed, this will be an opportunity to consider our plans in light of God's will through prayerful discernment. Having evaluated the previous academic year in the webinar Prayerfully Reflecting on Last Year on July 7, our goals for this discussion will be asking the Lord for guidance in choosing materials and preparing lessons for next year and setting some goals for ourselves, our family, and each individual child that truly reflect our priorities. This webinar is part two of a two part series but one can be attended without the other, if desired.

Presenter's Biography
Jenny is a richly blessed homeschooling mother of two children, so far, a daughter entering second grade and a son entering pre-Kindergarten. Previously a middle school and high school English/Language Arts teacher, youth retreat director, and strategic planning consultant (among other things), her enthusiasm for and experience with personal and curriculum planning has been a great asset to her own homeschooling way of life. She cannot wait to share with you the process she developed with her local homeschooling group to evaluate each homeschooling year and make plans for the next year all focusing on God's will for our families and raising holy children in Christ-centered homes!

How To Make the Pro-Life Case

John Jansen's webinar Making the Case for Life went fantastic. He really gave all of us the tools we need to go out into the world and defend the unborn. How many times have we all been confronted in the work place, at family gatherings, even at church with comments such as:

• I'm personally opposed to abortion but I have no right to tell someone else what to do with her body.
• Pro-lifers only care about babies in the womb. They don't care once they're born.
• What about rape or incest?
• If you make abortion illegal women will die from back alley abortions
• Don't like abortion, then don't have one!
  

And so on. This free webinar will help approach these people and their objections with charity as well as wisdom:

• Tips for Effective Communication
• How to Explain Our Pro-Life Beliefs
• Looking to the Holy Spirit
• Speak the Truth with Love
• Attitude
• Know your facts
• Understanding the other person's point of view

And more.

Free Webinar: Insights From a NASA Engineer

Addendum: The live webinar was fantastic! To view the recording go HERE.

This is going to be one awesome webinar!

Webinar Description:
One Small Step for Parents, One Giant Leap for Homeschool Kids: Insights from a NASA Engineer

For over 50 years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has inspired generations of people. Domenico Ruggiero is one of those inspired individuals. He will seek to convey some of the same enthusiasm and interest in science-related topics he has carried within himself since childhood. He will also share some of his experiences of working for NASA’s space programs and what children can do to increase their chances for a similar career path. Parents will take away from this webinar a greater appreciation for a variety of NASA-related topics that they can share with their children in an effort to further their interests in science fields of study.

Presenter's Biography:
Domenico Ruggiero, age 32, and his wife are the parents of two young boys with, God-willing, more blessings to come. Domenico is employed at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida where he has worked for most of his professional career. He presently serves the NASA Constellation Program as a Systems Engineer for Booz Allen Hamilton. Prior to this role, he served the Space Shuttle Program as a Orbiter Structures Engineer for United Space Alliance. Although his childhood passion has always been aviation and space, working for NASA has contributed to his expanded science interests.

Online College Degrees

Online college degrees were once considered to be iffy at best, right up there with mail-order degrees. With major advancements in technology (such as we use at Homeschool Connections) that is all changing. Dramatically.

Jack Welch, retired CEO of General Electric, is investing his time and money in online education. Mr. Welch sees the future. He also sees the present. Between the flailing economy and the baby bust, universities are struggling financially. Why not take bankrupt colleges and give them new life online?

Online Course: Economics

Update: This live course has concluded and is now available as a recorded course through our Subscription Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows.To subscribe or learn more: Online Catholic Courses

I have more exciting news for you all as I pull together the fall courses. Another Benedictine professor will be teaching a course for Homeschool Connections. Dr. Harris is wonderful, young associate professor with a love for economics as well as a love for the Catholic Church. This beautiful combination provides for an exciting and educational experience for his students.

The course is Principles of Economics and Catholic Perspectives. The regular price is $160 and there is a discount for early registration. Register by by August 10 and the price is only $135.

Course Description:
This course is intended to introduce students to fundamental concepts of economics. We will develop the use of economic reasoning to answer basic economic questions in a rational manner. It also aims to provide a thorough understanding of many economic concepts, including marginal analysis, demand and supply, and market equilibrium analysis. The class is intended to assist students in using critical thinking to solve problems. A series of applications will often accompany the course material. In addition, the class will include a brief review of Catholic Social Teaching and its role within the economic realm.

Course Outline:
Session 1: Introduction and marginal analysis
Session 2: Market demand analysis
Session 3: Market supply analysis
Session 4: Market equilibrium
Session 5: The market system and the role of government
Session 6: Utility and consumer behavior
Session 7: Catholic Social Teaching
Session 8: Catholic Social Teaching

Dates and Time:
This is a eight-week course. Classes will begin Tuesday, September 08, 2009 and meet every Tuesday through October 27, 2009. The time will begin 3:00 PM Eastern Time and end at 4:15 PM.

Enrollment Period:
Enrollment is currently open and will close on September 3, 2009. This will provide students time to learn about the educational software Moodle and the instructor time to provide a syllabus and welcome letter.


Materials:
Microeconomics by McConnell and Brue, 15th edition (ISBN 0072340371)
This is an older edition that is fairly cheap bought used and easy to locate online.
We'll also use one or two papal encyclicals toward the end of class, most notably Centesimus Annus by Pope John Paul II. Encyclicals can be found online for free.

Homework:
Homework will be assigned and graded. However Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping. It is up to the parent to record the grade in their child's transcript.

Professor's Biography:
Dr. Harris is an Associate Professor in the Economics Department at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. After obtaining his undergraduate degree from Benedictine College in 1997, he earned his M.S. from Iowa State University in 1999 and his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2008.

His areas of research interest Catholic Social Teaching, the history of economic thought, and social economics. After spending time as a full-time volunteer working with the poor and under served population of Milwaukee, he taught personal finance classes before coming to Benedictine.

He and his wife, Jackie, live in Atchison with their three children, Helen, Clare, and Luke.

Misc. Details:
Dr. Harris will be available via email in between classes to answer questions and take comments.

Recordings of the classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.

Equipment Requirements:
Students are required to have high-speed internet. A headset with microphone is required. You can find them reasonably price at Amazon.

To check your connection with the online classes visit: http://www.webex.com/lp/jointest/.

Registration:
Go to: Principles of Economics and Catholic Perspectives. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Register button and then follow the instructions. We take Visa and Master Card. If you prefer to pay by check, or have any questions, please don't hesitate to email Maureen Wittmann.

In doing our polling, a lot of students asked for an economics course. In fact, here in Michigan and several other states a semester of economics is required for graduation. So, I suggest enrolling early in case the course fills up.

Homeschool Science: Cohesion and Adhesion

Update: Kris' webinar went great! You can watch and listen to the recorded webinar at: Science at Home: Adhesion & Cohesion. Make sure to click on the video and chat icons at the top right to get the full effect.

Kris Correira's second free webinar in her At-Home Science series is scheduled and ready for you to register. And it's a pretty exciting subject too:

Cohesion, adhesion, surface tension, capillary action--this webinar will explore them all through a variety of experiments put together with whatever I can manage to find around the house.

Homeschool Connections is able to bring these webinars to you free of charge thanks to the generosity of our sponsors.

So who is this Kris Correira you ask? Oh my, how could you not know Kris! Well, here's your opportunity to meet a lovely as well as dedicated homeschool mom:

Kris Correira is a homeschooling mom to 3 boys. She works part time as a physician assistant in an busy emergency department and a paramedic instructor at a community college; she is also a volunteer science teacher for her local homeschool co-op. She has inspired a love of science in her children through lots of hands-on learning and science books without any textbook or curriculum. See what experiments she has for fun hands-on science homeschooling.

Kris also has a great blog you really should check out: Science At Home.

Homeschool Connections is able to bring this webinar to you for free thanks to our oh-so-generous sponsors:

Emmanuel Books

Love 2 Learn

Make sure to visit their websites and thank them for their sponsorship.

I look forward to see ya'all on Tuesday, June 30th at 8:30 PM Eastern time. And, hey, bring the kids. We had fun at Kris' last webinar watching the live static experiments so I'm looking forward to seeing what cool experiments Kris does for my family on cohesion and adhesion.

Choosing Homeschool Curriculum

Alicia VanHecke's webinar last week was great. She used Catholic teaching to guide us through the process of how to choose worthwhile curriculum for our homeschools. I loved it -- it was one of the best webinars yet!

If you'd like to watch a recording of the event just go to: Choosing Worthwhile Homeschool Curriculum. Scroll down and click on View. Once the recording comes up, make sure to look for the chat and video icons in the top right hand corner. Click on those to get the full effect.

And it's FREE!!!

Oh, yes, I should let you know that we are able to bring these webinars to you free thanks to our very generous sponsors:
Love2Learn
Emmanuel Books
Please make sure to visit their websites and thank them for bringing this valuable resource to you.

Free Webinar: Pro-Life Apologetics

Addendum: The live webinar went great! You can watch and listen to the recorded event HERE.

Some months ago, John Jansen of Generations for Life traveled to Lansing and gave a great presentation for our high school club Homeschoolers 4 Life. He taught the teens how to present the pro-life position in a way that is both charitable and convincing to pro-choice advocates. The teens loved it. The parents loved it.

I am so excited to announce that John will now be taking that same presentation to teens and parents across the country via an online seminar (webinar). You can attend the webinar for free through Homeschool Connections on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 8:30 PM Eastern time.

If you have not yet experienced a webinar, you've got to give it a try. You'll be able to hear and see John live as well as his presentation. You'll also be able to communicate with him and other attendees via an organized chat. It's much like attending a live conference only you'll be in the comfort of your own home. No gas tank to fill, no parking space to find and you don't even have to dress up! So simple, yet so rewarding.

John's talk is titled: Making the Case for Life:

Have you ever been in a conversation about abortion and found yourself struggling to defend your pro-life beliefs?

"Making the Case for Life" looks at the most common arguments used by abortion advocates use and explains how to respond from a pro-life point of view.

This presentation is geared toward teenagers and adults.

This webinar is brought to you at no charge thanks to the sponsorship of Generations for Life and Pro-life Action League.

Online Course: Philosophy

Update: These live courses have concluded and are available now as a recorded courses through our Unlimited Access! Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows. To subscribe or learn more, click here now: Catholic Homeschooling

I am so very excited to announce that Dr. Jean Rioux, professor and chair of the philosophy department at Benedictine College, will be teaching a course for Homeschool Connections. This is wonderful news for homeschooled students and parents!

The course is What Do Philosophers Do and How Do They Do It? The regular price is $160 and there is a discount for early registration. Register by by August 10 and the price is only $135.

Course Description:
Aristotle famously said, "all men by nature desire to know". For over 2600 years philosophers have grappled with life's profound questions. Seeking answers, they left their conclusions behind, along with the arguments supporting them. In this course we will be studying some of the better-known philosophical arguments in light of the issues they have addressed. From the allegory of the cave to the 5 ways of St. Thomas Aquinas to Pascal's wager, these arguments can serve as a brief introduction to the life and work of philosophers to anyone who would like to discover more about the "examined life".

Dates and Time:
This is a eight-week course. Classes will begin Thursday, September 10, 2009 and meet every Thursday through November 5, 2009. There will be no class on October 15. The time will begin 3:00 PM Eastern Time and end at 4:15 PM.

Enrollment Period:
Enrollment is currently open and will close on September 5, 2009. This will provide students time to learn about the educational software Moodle and the instructor time to provide a syllabus and welcome letter.

Course Outline:
The selections we'll read are:
Class 1: Plato's "allegory of the cave", from the Republic
Class 2: Aristotle on happiness and moral virtue, from the Nicomachean Ethics
Session 3: St. Augustine on choosing evil, from the Confessions
Class 4: St. Anselm of Canterbury's and René Descartes' "ontological" arguments, from the Proslogion and the Meditations, respectively
Class 5: René Descartes on how I may know of my own existence, from the Meditations
Class 6: Blaise Pascal on the "wager" argument, from the Pensées
Class 7: St. Thomas Aquinas on the possibility of proving God's existence, from the Summa Theologiae
Class 8: St. Thomas Aquinas' "five ways", from the Summa Theologiae

Course Materials:
Reading materials will be provided at no additional charge in the form of a pdf file. References to the readings made during the course will be to this version. Students are expected to read the short selections (about 2 pages, on avg.) carefully before each session.

Homework:
Apart the reading for an upcoming session, students are expected to respond to a few questions from the previous one. The questions will be made available following each session, and responses will be due before the start of the next session (or within the week following the final session). Homework will be graded. However we do not provide record keeping. Iit is up to the parent to record the grade in their child's transcript.

Professor's Biography:
Dr. Rioux is a professor and chair of the philosophy department at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where he has taught for 23 years.

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College, he completed his graduate work in philosophy at the Center for Thomistic Studies in Houston, earning the M.A. in 1984 and the Ph.D. in 1990.

Specializing in the thought of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, Dr. Rioux has published textbooks in logic and natural philosophy, as well as articles on the philosophy of mathematics in the Thomist and the Aquinas Review.

He came to Benedictine with a love for the study of primary texts, as well as a keen interest in what computers might bring to that study. His contributions to the philosophical life of Benedictine College range from Great Books Sequences in philosophy and theology to 3D software for students of logic. He and his wife, Maria, raise their nine children in a farmhouse in rural Kansas. They have been designing their own curricula and educating their children at home for over 20 years.

Misc. Details:
Dr. Rioux will be available via email in between classes to answer questions and take comments.

Recordings of the classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.

Equipment Requirements:
Students are required to have high-speed internet. A headset with microphone is required. You can find them reasonably price at Amazon.

To check your connection with the online classes visit: http://www.webex.com/lp/jointest/.

Registration:
Go to: What Philosophers Do and How They Do It. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Register button and then follow the instructions. We take Visa and Master Card. If you prefer to pay by check, or have any questions, please don't hesitate to email Maureen Wittmann.

Choosing Worthwhile Materials for your Homeschool

Update: You may watch the recording of this excellent webinar at Choosing Worthwhile Materials.

Alicia Van Hecke of Love2Learn fame is giving a free webinar on choosing curriculum on Wednesday. There are still a few seats left, so if you're available that evening head on over there to register. If you're busy during that time (8:30 PM Eastern), it's okay as all live webinars are recorded so you'll be able to watch it after the fact. Either way, Alicia will share with you loads of wonderful ideas, tips, and wisdom.

We are able to bring this webinar to you for free thanks to the generosity of Emmanuel Books. Please visit their website and let them know you appreciate their sponsorship of Homeschool Connections webinars.

Online Course: American Government

Update: These live courses have concluded and are available now as a recorded courses through our Unlimited Access! Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows. To subscribe or learn more, click here now: Catholic Homeschooling

Here at Homeschool Connections we're getting the fall schedule on the calendar. First up is our course Democracy, Government & Citizenship.

Here's the rest of the scoop:

Course Description:
American government has been called the most radical experiment in self-governing in human history based on its unique system of democracy and citizen involvement. Learn how the fundamental elements of American government are supposed to work, how they actually work, and the role and responsibility each citizen has in our government and our future."

Instructor's Biography:
Ed Rivet has a B.S. in Pre-Law and Public Policy and a Master's in Public Administration both from Michigan State University. He served three years as a legislative aide in the Michigan House of Representatives. For 21 years Ed has served as the Right to Life of Michigan's Legislative Director. He has written and helped enact dozens of laws, including the nation's first complete ban on human cloning, and banning assisted suicide in the face of the assault on human life by Jack Kevorkian and Geoffrey Fieger. Ed was the director of the state of Michigan's largest all-volunteer citizen petition drive which also was the state's most accurate petition drive ever, 97.3% valid signatures. Ed has done countless media interviews, appearing in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, plus live interviews on CNN and Good Morning America.

Price: $135

Dates and Time:
This is a nine-week course. Classes will begin Friday, September , 2009 and meet every Friday through November 6, 2009. The time will begin 12:00 PM Eastern Time and end at 1:15 PM.

Enrollment Period:
Enrollment is currently open and will close on September 6, 2009. This will provide students time to learn about the educational software Moodle and the instructor time to provide a syllabus and welcome letter.

Misc. Details:
All coursework will be provided by the instructor or available online for free. Homework and research projects will be given and graded. (Though Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.) Mr. Rivet will be available via email in between classes to answer questions and take comments.

Equipment requirements:
Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone is recommended. If you do not own a headset, you can find them for a reasonable price at Amazon. A web cam is NOT required.

Comments from Mr. Rivet's Past Students:

"The class was fantastic! I really enjoyed it!"

"Thanks for teaching this class ... I really enjoyed it and I felt like it gave me a better understanding of my government."

"I loved this class!"

"NICE JOB!!!!! I really enjoyed the class and I am thankful I did it. The course gave me a basic yet essential understanding of how our government works that I never had before. Thanks a bunch!"

To Register, go to: Democracy, Government, and Citizenship. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Register button and then follow the instructions. We take Visa and Master Card. If you prefer to pay by check, please don't hesitate to email me.