"Whenever truth comes to man by way of beauty, it necessarily transforms his character and ennobles his behavior."
David Hicks, Norms & Nobility
Explore the Foundations of Classical Education with a Dynamic Online Community
A one-year program, the CiRCE Atrium program explores the foundations of Christian classical education with online classes and discussions. The atrium now features four courses. Participants can choose any one course or sign up for multiple courses! Courses include Heidi White on Shakespeare, Norms and Nobility with Tonya Rozelle, Plato’s Dialogues with Dr. Matthew Bianco, and The Divine Comedy with Kristen Rudd.
Through exclusive live webinars (two to three each month) and an online discussion forum, the Atrium offers a forum for contemplation and collaboration: a place to linger (and take pleasure) in the depths of the Christian classical tradition alongside like-minded fellow educators. We provide the digital platform; you bring the desire for wisdom and virtue. Together we make the community.
Norms and Nobility with Tonya Rozelle
In this Atrium course, CiRCE Online Instructor, CiRCE Workshop Leader, and Certified Master Teacher, Tonya Rozelle will lead us through David Hicks’ seminal work on classical education. We will engage in a close read of Norms & Nobility and discuss what it means for us as classical educators. If you have not yet read this text, you should. If you have already read this text, you can attest to the fact one read is not enough. This profound work helps us better understand why pursuing a classical education is worth the effort, both for ourselves and for our students. It helps us identify and comprehend that ache in our souls, that burning need pushing us to do the hard work.
Read About Tonya's Class
“[T]he supreme task of education [is] the cultivation of the human spirit: to teach the young to know what is good, to serve it above self, to reproduce it, and to recognize that in knowledge lies this responsibility.” (Norms, p. 13)
Norms & Nobility is considered by many to be one of the foundational texts in the classical education renewal. Educator and author David Hicks states the question shaping today’s education system is, “What can be done?” when it should instead be, “What ought to be done?” But what specifically does this mean and how can we effectively teach in light of this? Other such questions prompted by this book include: Does this impact the curriculum I use? If so, how? What “ideal type” should be our focus? Why do we even need an ideal type? This book helps us understand the difference between knowing and doing while also explaining why one cannot be taught without the other.
Our Focus – Dig into the Text
In this Atrium course, CiRCE Online Instructor, CiRCE Workshop Leader, and Certified Master Teacher, Tonya Rozelle will lead us through David Hicks’ seminal work on classical education. We will engage in a close read of Norms & Nobility and discuss what it means for us as classical educators. If you have not yet read this text, you should. If you have already read this text, you can attest to the fact one read is not enough. This profound work helps us better understand why pursuing a classical education is worth the effort, both for ourselves and for our students. It helps us identify and comprehend that ache in our souls, that burning need pushing us to do the hard work.
The Format – Understanding then Application
We will meet twice a month to discuss each chapter. The first time we meet on a specific chapter, we will focus on understanding what Hicks is saying to us. The second time will be geared toward the more practical aspects of the material, in other words, what it looks like in practice. While examining Norms, students will also further their understanding of classical pedagogy. Instructor Tonya Rozelle will lead each session modeling both mimetic and Socratic instruction in order to facilitate robust discussions on this rich material.
Intended Audience - You
Whether you are a teacher in a traditional school setting or a homeschooling parent, if you are trying to lead your students in a classical education, this course is for you. If you just love this text and are always looking for others eager to discuss its finer points, this course is for you. If you are completely new to classical education, and are not really sure what it all means, this course is for you. If you want to better understand how to develop a classical curriculum, this course is for you. If you wish to better understand the benefits of classical education for all levels of society, this course is for you.
Required Text - Norms & Nobility
To participate in this course, you will need a copy of Norms & Nobility by David V. Hicks. There is a preface written for the 1990 edition that is excellent and worthy of much marginalia in its own right. Since we will dedicate time to this preface, I strongly suggest you purchase a copy that includes it. Do not be put off by the price of the book. It is worth its weight in gold. Join us in the 2022-2023 Atrium year, and together we learn why, "[t]he sublime premise of a classical education asserts that right thinking will lead to right, if not righteous, acting." (Norms, Preface,p. vi)
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Plato's Dialogues with Dr. Matthew Bianco
In this brand new Atrium offering, CiRCE Head Mentor Dr. Matthew Bianco will lead us through an overview of Plato and a close read of his most foundational dialogues: Alcibiades I, Gorgias, Phaedo, Cratylus, Theaetetus, Sophist, Statesman, Phaedrus, Symposium, and Philebus. It is this course that was used by the ancients and the early medievals as the course of understanding required to read and understand the rest of Plato’s dialogues, but more importantly, to know and understand ourselves and the world we live in.
Read More About Matthew's Class
"The arts have the power to awaken the best part of the soul and lead it upward to the study of the best among the things that are” (Republic, VII.532c).
The great Greek philosopher, Plato, has been one of the biggest influences on classical education, even Christian classical education. Many have wondered what makes him so special, so influential. To understand Plato, people have turned to specific dialogues to try to get a grasp of what his project really was. In some cases, they have turned to a specific dialogue, like the Republic. In other cases, they have turned to a few shorter dialogues, like the Apology, Crito, and Phaedo. The CiRCE Institute’s Master Teacher Apprenticeship program uses Gorgias, Meno, and Phaedrus.
What We Will Do – Follow the ancient course
In this brand new Atrium offering, CiRCE Head Mentor Dr. Matthew Bianco will lead us through an overview of Plato and a close read of his most foundational dialogues: Alcibiades I, Gorgias, Phaedo, Cratylus, Theaetetus, Sophist, Statesman, Phaedrus, Symposium, and Philebus. It is this course that was used by the ancients and the early medievals as the course of understanding required to read and understand the rest of Plato’s dialogues, but more importantly, to know and understand ourselves and the world we live in.
Each dialogue is linked to a realm of understanding. In order, Plato, in these dialogues, is trying to help us understand the self, justice and the use of rhetoric, the soul, the nature of language, the nature of knowledge, the false pursuit of knowledge, leadership, love and beauty in the physical realm, love and beauty in the spiritual realm, and the nature of the Good, respectively.
How We Will Do It – For understanding then evaluation
We will consider each of the dialogues in themselves, and each of them as they pertain to how we understand ourselves and the world we live in, physically and theologically. Each month, we will discuss the entirety of the dialogue, trying to understand what Plato is saying, in the first call. The second call for each dialogue will be a follow-up evaluative discussion. Having committed to trying to understand the text in the first call, we can allow ourselves to consider whether we agree with it, what it means for us, whether we it’s right or not.
Who Should Do It - You
If you are a homeschooling parent or a brick-and-mortar school teacher that is teaching or will be teaching Plato, this is the perfect course for you. If you are the kind of person that just loves philosophy or the ancient world or Socrates and Plato, then this is the perfect course for you. If you are completely new to the ancients or philosophy or theology and just know that Plato is important but don't know why, then this is the perfect course for you. If you're not sure why you are reading this description right now, then this is the perfect course for you.
What You Will Need - Plato
To make sure you get all of the dialogues, and if you want the same translations with the same section numbering, it is recommended that you purchase Plato: Complete Works edited by John M. Cooper.
Join us in the 2022-2023 Atrium year, and together we can try to understand what being educated "in this way" means so that we too can welcome the truth when it comes.
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Shakespeare with Heidi White
In this Atrium course, teacher and podcaster Heidi White provides an engaging classical experience with Shakespeare’s rich and varied body of work. Over the course of nine months, class participants will read and discuss three representative plays and nine influential sonnets, cultivating both a broad understanding and a concentrated insight into Shakespeare’s poetry and plays. Throughout the course, Heidi provides guidance and modeling of classical pedagogy, providing a practical and accessible roadmap for teaching Shakespeare with confidence and excellence.
Read More About Heidi's Class
Universally regarded as one of the premier contributors to world literature and culture, Shakespeare was a prolific and versatile playwright, poet, actor, and entrepreneur. Over the course of 20 years, Shakespeare wrote an astounding 38 plays and 150 sonnets, most of which are literary masterpieces. Shakespeare’s canon is vast and his influence unparalleled. Classical educators want to do Shakespeare justice in our homes and classrooms, but how? In this Atrium course, teacher and podcaster Heidi White provides an engaging classical experience with Shakespeare’s rich and varied body of work. Over the course of nine months, class participants will read and discuss three representative plays and nine influential sonnets, cultivating both a broad understanding and a concentrated insight into Shakespeare’s poetry and plays. Throughout the course, Heidi provides guidance and modeling of classical pedagogy, providing a practical and accessible roadmap for teaching Shakespeare with confidence and excellence.
This class is for:
●Homeschoolers and classroom teachers developing skills for Shakespeare classically.
●Classical education professionals and/or enthusiasts who are increasing their familiarity with Shakespeare.
●Thoughtful readers who are interested in reading and discussing Shakespeare in a community of enthusiastic learners.
Course Specifics:
This course provides an immersive classical learning experience with Shakespeare’s poetry and plays, including:
1.Direct instruction on literary, historical, and performance elements of Shakespearean poetry and plays.
2.Interactive Socratic discussion on nine sonnets and three representative plays - one comedy, one tragedy, and one history,
3.Guidance/modeling of classical pedagogy for teaching Shakespeare at home and in the classroom.
In each class, we will read and discuss an important Shakespearean sonnet. Additionally, the course is divided into three units of six classes each. Over the course of each unit, class participants learn historical, literary, and performance characteristics of Shakespearean comedy, tragedy, and history as they read, watch, study, and discuss one representative play from each genre. The instructor intentionally models and teaches classical pedagogy through Socratic discussion, mimetic teaching, and direct instruction.
Fall Block - Sept, Oct, Nov - Comedy - Much Ado About Nothing
Winter Block - Dec, Jan, Feb - History - Richard II
Spring Block - March, April, May - Tragedy - Macbeth
Required class materials:
(1) Norton or Riverside Shakespeare OR Folgers Much Ado, Richard II, Macbeth, Complete Sonnets
(2) Notebook and writing utensil
(3) Internet Access
Suggested Participation: Read one play every three months, Watch at least one performance of each assigned play, Attend class live or access class recordings
About the Instructor:
Heidi White, M.A., is a teacher, editor, podcaster, and author. She teaches Humanities at St. Hild School in Colorado Springs and is the author of the forthcoming The Divided Soul: Reuniting Duty and Desire in Literature and Life. She is a contributing author, speaker, consultant, and Atrium instructor at the Circe Institute and a weekly contributor on fiction, poetry, and Shakespeare on the Close Reads Podcast Network. She serves on the Board of Directors of The Anselm Society and the Academic Advisory Board for the Classical Learning Test. She writes fiction, poetry, and essays, and she speaks about literature, education, and the Christian imagination. She lives in Black Forest, Colorado with her husband and children.
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The Divine Comedy with Kristen Rudd
In this Atrium, CiRCE-certified Master Teacher Kristen Rudd will serve to also guide us through the entire Comedy, beginning with pilgrim Dante’s descent into Hell to his eventual ascent into the highest Heaven. Students will learn about classical virtue ethics, the seven deadly sins (and their corresponding virtues), and get an introduction to the Medieval view of the cosmos.
Read More About Kristen's Class
Dante’s Divine Comedy is arguably the greatest epic poem ever written. Taking its reader on a journey through the circles of Hell, through the terraces of the Mountain of Purgatory, and through the celestial spheres of Heaven, Dante’s groundbreaking work displays an unparalleled imaginative vision of the Christian afterlife and the human soul.
What We Will Do:
Dante did not travel through the afterlife alone—he always had a guide. In this Atrium, CiRCE-certified Master Teacher Kristen Rudd will serve to also guide us through the entire Comedy, beginning with pilgrim Dante’s descent into Hell to his eventual ascent into the highest Heaven. Students will learn about classical virtue ethics, the seven deadly sins (and their corresponding virtues), and get an introduction to the Medieval view of the cosmos.
Dante did not write his astounding work in a vacuum, and we will not read it in one, either. We will also read selections from the Holy Bible and from Ovid’s Metamorphoses to help further our understanding of the Comedy.
How We Will Do It:
We will read the Comedy straight through from beginning to end. Before each of our eighteen sessions, students will read cantos from the Comedy as well as any related stories from The Bible and from Metamorphoses. Class, held on the first and third Tuesday of the month, will be a combination of both lecture and Socratic discussion. Between sessions, students will continue the conversation with each other through guided online discussion board posting.
Who Should Do It:
This class is for those who have read Dante countless times, for those who only read Inferno that one time in college, and for those who have never had Dante waved in their direction. This class is for those who love Dante, who hate Dante, who are meh about Dante, and especially for those who are absolutely terrified of reading Dante. I see you. This class is for teachers, for homeschooling parents, for students, for all you academic types, and for all you non-academics out there. In short? This class is for you. Classics are better when they’re read in community. What are you waiting for?
What You Will Need:
We will read from the following texts:
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Inferno by Dante Alighieri (trans. Anthony Esolen)
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Purgatorio by Dante Alighieri (trans. Anthony Esolen)
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Paradiso by Dante Alighieri (trans. Anthony Esolen)
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Metamorphoses by Ovid (trans. Rolfe Humphries)
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The Holy Bible (any edition)
(Links and ISBN numbers to specific editions of the preferred translations will be provided after registration.)
About Kristen Rudd:
Kristen Rudd successfully homeschooled her two children for 14 years. She is a CiRCE-certified master teacher and teaches online literature and writing classes for both high schoolers and adults. Kristen has written articles for the CiRCE Institute, for the Center for Lit, and for Fathom Mag, and she runs the Classical Educator Fellowship, a convivial group for entrepreneuring classical teachers. She is currently writing her thesis on the Divine Comedy to complete a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Classical Education through the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University.
In her spare time (ha!), Kristen writes fiction and poetry, lifts heavy weights, eats tacos, and defends Dido, Queen of Carthage, to anyone who dares smack-talk her, may her memory be eternal. She lives in Cary, North Carolina.
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Participants can expect to grow in knowledge of classical education throughout the year, be inspired and energized by peer discussion and collaboration, and understand the fundamentals of Christian classical education.
* The Atrium works in partnership with the CiRCE Apprenticeship Program and thus is especially well-suited for those who are preparing to enter the Apprenticeship. Participants who complete one year in the Atrium are eligible to receive a $250 credit toward Apprenticeship tuition.
Common Questions
The Atrium requires a $50 application fee. Tuition is $750 for the year. To see the books listed below and purchase, Bookshop.org (https://bookshop.org/shop/CiRCE). You are welcome to purchase books from your chosen book store as well.
Participants may pay via a single payment of $750 (our annual payment plan) or in ten monthly installments of $50 from the tenth of July through the tenth of April. Please note: All accounts must remain in good standing to be eligible for the Apprenticeship tuition credit. If joining the class in September, then the tuition can be divided across remaining months.
Tonya Rozelle’s class will read David Hicks’ educational treatise Norms and Nobility. The class will meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month, beginning on September 13, from 7:00-8:30pm Eastern time.
Dr. Matthew Bianco’s participants will read and contemplate Plato: Complete Works edited by John M. Cooper. His class will meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays from 4-5:30 ET, beginning on August 23 (with some shifts for travel needs or holidays, TBD).
Heidi White’s class reads a variety of Shakespeare’s plays ranging from his Comedies to his Histories and has the opportunity to attend live or watch the recording of the webinars. The class will meet on the first and third Tuesdays of every month, beginning on September 2, from 8:00-9:30pm Eastern time.
Kristen Rudd’s Dante class will read and discuss Anthony Esolen’s translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy. The three individual volumes of Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise are available in paperback and hardback. The class will meet on the first and third Tuesdays of every month, beginning on August 23, from 7:00-8:30pm Eastern time (with a break for Christmas). There will be eighteen sessions total.
In the Atrium all activities are online, travel is not necessary, the level of participation is determined by the participant, and there is no certification associated with the Atrium. In the Apprenticeship, in addition to online interaction, apprentices travel to retreats twice each year; Apprentices are required to complete various reading, writing, and teaching assignments and are formally evaluated each semester; and Apprentices who complete the 3-year course of study and associated requirements become CiRCE Certified Classical Teachers.
New Atrium communities begin in September. All webinars are recorded and available to participants. After September 30th, new applicants may apply to be part of the group for the following year.
All webinars will be recorded. Atrium participants will have access to recorded webinars to view at their leisure.
The application fee is non-refundable.
Participants who decide to withdraw from the Atrium will be refunded 100% of the tuition if they withdraw prior to August 1st. After August 1st no refunds are available.