CenterForLit instructors use the Socratic method, as it is modeled in our basic seminar Teaching the Classics, to conduct online discussions of classic books. This method involves asking questions that force students to think carefully about their reading, and then to think carefully about their thinking. Using the author’s theme as the goal of the discussion, instructors encourage students to engage with the author’s ideas by discussing the structural and stylistic components that comprise his story. Once students have heard and understood the author, they are encouraged with further questions to critically examine their own assumptions about the author’s theme. As a result, students gain a deeper understanding of the book, and also of themselves as readers and thinkers.
Course Details
Instructors: Adam and Missy Andrews
Schedule: Monthly 2-hour Socratic discussions with optional bi-weekly writing classes (see full schedule and titles below) are held at 11:00 AM Eastern Time (8:00 AM Pacific) on Tuesdays.
Live webinars: Online meeting software (included in tuition) provides screen sharing and live audio with chat. Students raise hands to participate aloud, chat with instructors, and see instructors via live video.
Discussion Boards: Each month, students make regular contributions to a threaded conversation about the last book discussed. Posts are monitored by course instructors.
Recordings: High quality video recordings of each class (with discussion notes in PDF format) allow students to participate at their own pace if desired. Students receive an email invitation to join the student database, where they have access to recordings and notes from each discussion.
Grades and Credits (optional): Writing students receive regular report cards and earn one High School credit in composition. Upon request, discussion students receive regular report cards based on their participation in the conversation board and earn one High School credit in English.
Tuition: $475 annually for the discussion-only class; an additional $300 for the optional writing section.
Optional Writing Section
Availability: Open to students enrolled in the discussion course.
Instructor: Adam Andrews
Schedule: Pre-recorded 45-minute lessons are uploaded to the student database bi-weekly on Tuesdays at 12:00pm Pacific time (3:00pm Eastern time). Each lesson is accompanied by a formal written assignment, which is due the following Tuesday. Assignments are graded and returned to the student in time for the next class.
Assignments: 13 bi-weekly assignments proceed step-by-step through every aspect of writing from literature (thesis statement formation, source development, outlining, mechanics and style) and result in three full-length interpretive essays. Students submit assignments via the student database and receive line-by-line comments and grades on each draft.
Grading and Credits: Assignments are evaluated against a five-fold rubric that pinpoints areas for improvement (see sample rubric below). Periodic report cards summarize progress, and combine grades from the writing and discussion portions of the class.
Teacher access: Instructors and tutors are always available via email to answer specific questions. Emails are generally returned within 24 hours.
Click here to download a sample essay prompt
Click here to download a sample writing lesson
Click here to download a sample graded assignment
Click here to download the grading rubric
Click here to download a sample report card
Sample Writing Lesson:
Discussion Schedule
All discussion classes meet once per month at 11:00 AM Eastern time (8:00 AM Pacific) on the following dates:
*CenterForLit requires that students come to class having read (or listened to) an unabridged edition of the assigned title. Obtaining the exact ISBN listed is not mandatory.
Writing Class Schedule
The optional American Literature writing class is available to students enrolled in the Socratic discussion course. Class dates indicate when pre-recorded lessons are uploaded to the database, and when assignments are distributed.
Tuition, Discounts, and Enrollment
Tuition is $475 annually for the discussion-only class, with an additional $300 for the optional writing section.
Early Bird Registration: Students enrolling before June 1, 2025, receive a 10% discount on all tuition fees for every course.
Pelican Society Discount: Pelican Society members receive 10% off of all tuition fees for every academy course in addition to all other applicable discounts. Enrollment must originate while logged into the Pelican Society. Log in now or click here to join!
Sibling Discount: If you are enrolling more than one student from the same family, our system will automatically apply a sibling discount in addition to any other discounts or coupons. Simply make sure all registrations appear in the same shopping cart. You’ll receive a discount on each registration based on how many students are enrolling. Please note that our sibling discount structure amounts to a 100% tuition waiver for student number four!
Upon enrollment, the student will download a registration packet with complete instructions for joining each online discussion and participating in the discussion board. For more information, please email Megan Andrews at m.andrews@centerforlit.com.
Please consider purchasing your books for this course through one of our affiliate programs. CenterForLit earns a small profit from qualifying purchases with no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support! (See our official disclosure statement.)
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We appreciate the responsibility involved in choosing curriculum materials for your students, and we ask you to make this decision carefully. If your plans change and your student must withdraw from a class, CenterForLit can transfer your registration to a different class or to a future term; however, THERE ARE NO REFUNDS FOR ONLINE CLASS REGISTRATIONS.
Mindy –
My daughter greatly enjoyed this course. The selected books were amazing, and the course discussions greatly increased her ability to confidently analyze literature.