Here Be Dragons: A Literary Adventure

Out of the mists that shroud the earliest days of creation and from the pages of many of our most beloved books, one creature stares with piercing eyes as the chiefest and greatest of calamities: the dragon. Human fascination with dragons is near universal, and so to encounter them in the pages of literature is a terror and a delight.

But what is one, after all to do with a dragon? Befriend it or attack it? Hide it or reveal it? Can it be trusted? Is it the source of ancient and profound wisdom, or the greatest deceiver of them all? What, fundamentally, do dragons teach us about our world and ourselves?

This 10 week course for students ages 12-18 is as much about philosophy as it is about literature. We will read delightful books, some of which have been dear to generations, some of which are delighting their first generation. As we quest along with Bilbo, the Pevensies, and more, we will also have occasion to ask questions about courage, true friendship, duty, honor, and sacrifice.

To learn more about these dragons courses, watch this video

Note: The .5 credit for this course is optional.

Course Objectives:

1. To nurture the sense of delight in well-crafted stories
2. To develop the ability to think and reason deeply using stories as a starting point
3. To strengthen textual analysis skills through close reading
4. To marvel at the mystery of the world God has made by engaging the imagination

Texts:

• Rebecca Rupp, The Dragon of Lonely Island
• Michael Ende, The Neverending Story
• C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

For the adult companion course, visit our site