For my sophomore year english and lit, I took a biweekly OHG class taught by Teresa Gordon. The theme for the class was ancient literature. The book list for the year is included below.
Ancient Literature: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Greek Mythology, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone by Sophocles.
Ancient Literature 2nd Semester: the book of Job from the bible, Beowulf, La Vita Nuova by Dante, the Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, the Once and Future King by T. H. White.
In Teresa’s class we focused on the cultural and historical significance of the books. At each class she would begin by telling us extensively about the the author’s life in context of the their time period. During the second half of class we would have a discussion about what we could learn about history and culture from the text. After we finished each book Teresa would give us a comprehension test. Once we scored the tests the class would discuss what we thought was the most difficult aspect of the text to understand. We also worked on out critical reading and writing skills by writing essays. I found Beowulf and La Vita Nuova particularly interesting and informative about their time periods. I also increased my writing skills and general essay structure by writing four essays and receiving feedback from Teresa and my parents about them.
I have included two of my essays below.