History of Classical Christian Education
A graduate-level course for educators
Join Educators In Pursuit of Knowledge
Take Up The Mantle
Welcome Educators,
If you are committed to classical and Christian education, you identify with a glorious tradition. This tradition traces its beginnings back to classical antiquity and flourished with the rise of Christianity in the West. Have you studied the landmark writings that shaped this tradition?
These writings are challenging, as all great texts are. Now, you have the opportunity to study these works together with other like-minded educators and under the guidance of one of our movement’s leading scholars. This is a rigorous graduate-level course offered for credit and open to qualified individuals who desire to explore the educational roots of the Christian West from a Protestant perspective. Because it is a graduate course, we will ask prospective students to document their academic backgrounds.
While ACCS recommends this course for any ACCS school board member, administrator, or ACCS-certified teacher, it especially recommends the course for those seeking a Master's level of teacher certification.
ACCS President David Goodwin
An Online Experience
Instructional Format & Assignments
The instructor will provide orientation for each reading. He will also meet with students in discussion seminars via video conference once every two weeks. In addition, students shall participate in online discussion threads and complete two graded writing assignments. The course culminates in an oral examination conducted one-on-one with the instructor via video conference. For the College's commitment to sound pedagogy for all online instruction, see our official position here.
Meet Your Instructor
About the Instructor
Christopher Schlect, PhD, has worked in classical and Christian education for over 30 years. Director of the Classical and Christian Studies program at New Saint Andrews College, where he also serves on the faculty as a Senior Fellow of History and teaches courses in classical rhetoric, education, and history. For many years, Dr. Schlect taught history, theology, and rhetoric at Logos School in Moscow, Idaho, where he also coached Logos’s Mock Trial team to seventeen state championships. He serves classical and Christian schools around the country through his consulting and teacher training activities.
Course Readings
Students will be expected to complete the readings on schedule. Readings will include the following texts:
- Alcuin, De Grammatica
- Alcuin, Disputatio Pippini
- Augustine, On the Catechizing of the Uninstructed (selections)
- Augustine, On Christian Teaching
- Basil the Great, Address to Young Men on the Right Use of Greek Literature
- Leonardo Bruni, The Study of Literature
- Cassiodorus Senator, Institutes of Divine and Secular Readings
- John Amos Comenius, The Great Didactic
- Battista Guarino, A Program of Teaching and Learning
- Hugh of St. Victor, Didascalicon
- Martianus Capella, The Marriage of Philology and Mercury
- John Milton, Of Education
- Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, The Education of Boys
- Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria (selections)
- Pier Paolo Vergerio, The Character and Studies Befitting a Free-Born Youth
We will also read some of the key writings from the contemporary movement.
Ready for the next step?
Cost and Credit
Enroll in this comprehensive graduate-level course for only $2,100 for the entire program.
Course schedule & Syllabus
• August 1, 2024 – App Deadline for Fall '24 Term
• September 16, 2024 – Fall Term Begins
• December 20, 2024 – Fall Term Ends
• January 6, 2025 – Spring Term Begins
• April 11, 2025 – Spring Term Ends
For a full course description – including objectives, readings, major assignments, and a detailed schedule, see the course syllabus (draft) below.
Administrators & Board Members Welcome
Explore the wisdom of centuries with our graduate-level online course on the History of Classical Christian Education, endorsed by ACCS President David Goodwin. This course delves deep into Western Christian paideia, examining the profound narrative that has shaped classical Christian education for millennia. As a leader or board member in this unique field, gain the visionary insight needed to effectively guide your institution.
Study the historical texts from authors such as Alcuin, Hugh of St. Victor, and Augustine. Gain a deeper understanding of their educational philosophies from the course instructor, Dr. Chris Schlect. Transform your leadership and enrich your understanding with the knowledge of history's greatest thinkers.
Application & Admissions
Eligibility Requirement
Applicants must document both their Christian commitment and sufficient academic preparation for graduate-level courses. This includes the following:
- Letter summarizing applicant’s interest and educational goals;
- Pastoral evaluation is to be completed by the applicant’s pastor or church elder; and
- EITHER college transcript verifying the applicant’s completion of a college degree OR a letter from the applicant’s employer testifying to his or her academic fitness for graduate-level study.
Deadline and Application Process
Applications must be complete before they will be considered and will be reviewed in the order in which they are received. The college will promptly notify applicants of its acceptance decision and provide further instructions about enrollment and payment. Accepted applicants will secure their enrollment when the college receives their tuition payment.
The college will continue to accept applications until August 1, 2024.
