"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
Registration for the 2022-2023 Atrium is now open!
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 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.
Plato's Dialogues with Dr. Matthew Bianco
Begins August 23rd.
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 Divine Comedy with Kristen Rudd
Begins August 23rd.
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 >
Shakespeare with Heidi White
Begins September 6th.
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 >
Norms and Nobility with Tonya Rozelle
Begins September 13th.
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 More About Tonya's Class >
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
WHAT DOES THE ATRIUM COST?
The Atrium requires a $50 application fee. Tution 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.
DO YOU OFFER PAYMENT PLANS?
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.
WHAT IS THE CURRICULUM FOR EACH GROUP?
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 6, 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 some shifts for travel needs or holidays, TBD). There will be eighteen sessions total.
HOW IS THE ATRIUM DIFFERENT FROM THE APPRENTICESHIP?
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.
WHEN CAN I START IN THE ATRIUM?
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.
WHAT IF I CAN'T MAKE A LIVE WEBINAR AT THE SCHEDULED TIME?
All webinars will be recorded. Atrium participants will have access to recorded webinars to view at their leisure.
WHAT IS YOUR REFUND POLICY?
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.
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