That Hideous Canticle: Science, Technology, and the Human Soul

Summer 2025: 8 Weeks | Jun 9 - Aug 1 | Tuesdays & Thursdays | 10:00am-10:45am CST | 0.5 Credits | Grades 9-12
Description: C.S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength is the third book of his Space Trilogy (more properly called The Ransom Trilogy!) and delves into a cosmic struggle between demonic ideology and celestial powers. Walter Miller's classic A Canticle for Leibowitzfollows a group of post-apocolyptic monks through a Neo-Dark Age, Renaissance, and 20th Century analogue, as they wrestle with questions related to the ethics of technology and power. Together, they are fantastic adventures from two of the 20th Century's imaginative minds.
Objectives: Students will practice art of reading well. Students will practice interacting with the text by taking notes, including narrative summaries, noting questions, and other interesting details. Students will practice speaking and listening through class discussion of the reading. Students will practice thinking and writingthrough writing a 500-word essay prompted by the readings and class discussion.
Required Texts:
That Hideous Strengthby C.S. Lewis
A Canticle for Leibowitzby Walter Miller