For each class listed below, students must meet the prerequisites to enroll in the class. Note that not every class is offered every year; see the schedule for specific offerings each year. If you have questions about prerequisites or placement, please contact us before enrolling. Once students are enrolled, instructors will send information about textbooks and material fees.

Please note that a minimum of three students is required for a class to be held, so courses will only be offered if enough students enroll before July 1st. Maximum class size is determined by space but normally will not exceed twelve students.

For tuition information, please see our tuition page.

Rhetoric Core Courses:

A note on Western Civilization courses: The Rhetoric Western Civilization course is a 2-year program that accepts new students at the beginning of each cycle. If a 10th-12th grade student is entering mid-cycle, he should register for the Dialectic level course Omnibus 2 or 3 that year. Our Dialectic level courses are appropriate for high school students. For placement questions, contact us.

Western Civilization 1: The Ancient Greeks
This is an entry level course for the well-prepared high school student. In this first of a three year Great Books course students will study and discuss some of the most important works of Antiquity and Early Christendom as they examine the philosophical impact these works have had on our culture. This unique course is a blend of history, literature, theology, apologetics and philosophy. Students will be required to read, discuss and write extensively. Those who complete this rigorous course are well-prepared to face the challenges to their faith they will find in college.

Prerequisites: Class is open to students 9th grade and older. Students should have excellent reading, listening, note-taking and writing skills. Concurrent enrollment in Classical Writing Advanced or Classical Rhetoric courses may be required. Concurrent enrollment in Arts & Culture 1 may also be required.
Home study expectations: a minimum of 7 hours outside of class will be required
High School credit value: 1 honors history, 1 honors literature
Dual credit available through Colorado Christian University

Western Civilization 2: Medieval through Modernity (not offered 2019-20)
In this second of a three year Great Books course students will study and discuss some of the most important works of Medieval, Renaissance and Reformation, Enlightenment and Modern eras as they examine the philosophical impact these works have had on our culture. This unique course is a blend of history, literature, theology, apologetics and philosophy. Students will be required to read, discuss and write extensively. Those who complete this rigorous course are well-prepared to face the challenges to their faith they will find in college.

Prerequisites: Open only to returning students who have successfully completed Western Civilization 1. Concurrent enrollment in Classical Writing Advanced or Classical Rhetoric courses may be required. Concurrent enrollment in Arts & Culture may also be required.
Home study expectations: a minimum of 7 hours outside of class will be required
High School credit value: 1 honors history, 1 honors literature
Dual credit available through Colorado Christian University

Western Civilization 3: Enlightenment through Modernity (not offered 2019-20)
This is the third of a three year Great Books course for the rhetoric level student. Students will study and discuss some of the most important works from the Enlightenment and Modern eras as they examine the philosophical impact these works have had on our culture. Students will be required to read, discuss, and write extensively in this advanced course. Students who complete this rigorous course are well-prepared to face the challenges to their faith they will find in college.

Prerequisites: Open only to returning students who have successfully completed Western Civilization 2.
Home study expectations: a minimum of 7 hours outside of class
High School credit: 1 honors history, 1 honors literature
Dual credit available through Colorado Christian University

American History (not offered 2019-20)
This course will deal with the American Project as a critical aspect of Western Civilization. We will study the political history in its cultural and literary manifestations, focusing on what the Founders considered to be the ‘new’ in the Novus Ordo Seclorum and what this was to mean for the West in general.

We will begin with the colonial era to begin to identify who settled the new land and to what end, and what kind of cultural or political forms began to take shape. And in the Founding we will study just what was the source and means of a coming revolution, and what kind of culture was to ensue from it. This, and the years of the early Republic will form the basis of the US system, and will be examined as it was formed, and how change was addressed. We will use both original source documentation and the formal and informal literature of the era to see what an original intent might have been.

The nineteenth century will provide a testing ground for the early beginnings with both a Civil War and an emerging industrial society to be dealt with, all in the contest of Westward expansion. How and when the Founding documents were relevant to these major issues will show us what internal and external influences were being addressed. After such key turning points, we will see how, in the twentieth century, major decisions were made in terms of how man and society were to be related, stemming from the first decades to the New Deal, and then the later inversions of the older concept of liberalism itself. Throughout we will find the effects of both science and scientism on the American experience, for both in popular culture and in elite perspectives the earlier foundations were to be re-imagined in new and different forms. Yet for all this there will be perceived a certain continuity in terms of American roots and in understanding of how the nature of man and God is related to social forms. The present will provide us with an illustrative case study in how Anglo-Saxon culture remains able to adapt to the forces of modernity in terms of historic groundings in Greco-Roman and Christian views of reality.

Texts will include original sources such as The American Republic: Primary Sources, ed. Frohnen, and The Sacred Rights of Conscience, ed. Dreisbach, and of course commentary such as Tocqueville’ Democracy in America. Paul Johnson’s history will provide an overview text. We will then, just as in the case of our course in Western Civilization itself, examine the literature and philosophy and the arts of the times for indications of meanings and tendencies of development or rejection of original principles.

Classical Writing: Advanced Level 2
This is the second level of a course in persuasive writing. As with all of our writing courses, propriety is our goal as we learn to communicate effectively in English. Using the ancient approach of analysis and imitation, students will learn a variety of new essay forms including the judicial essay, the descriptive essay, the narrative essay, and the comparative essay. Additionally, students will add several new tools to their toolbox to help with the invention and elocution phases of their writing. These include new special topic questions, and several new schemes and tropes.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Classical Writing Advanced Level 1
Home study expectations: Approximately 3 hours per week
High School credit: 1 English composition credit

Advanced Composition
The purpose of this Advanced English Composition course is to teach students techniques and skills necessary to write academic essays at the college level. This course is a companion course to the Western Civilization or American History course with a focus on developing writing skills for that course.

High School credit: 1 English composition credit

Rhetoric Level Trivium Electives:

Latin 1

Latin, traditionally, has been at the heart of classical Christian studies, and even though many have abandoned it as irrelevant for modern people, we see great value in maintaining this tradition. Latin studies are essentially about language study, and while other languages might work as well, they cannot connect us to our past the way Latin can. Latin is also difficult, and like all worthwhile things, it comes to us only with great labor. That hard work sharpens our learning skills in the process. We learn from that experience, not just Latin itself, but what we’re made of. If we conquer it, we know we can learn difficult things; if we fail, we know we can survive defeat and keep learning. This is what the tools of learning are all about: learning how to learn anything.

This course can either be a more rigorous continuation of the Latin for Children series, or a first course in classical language study for the dialectic level or older student. Latin history, myth and language acquisition are the focus as students master the first four conjugations of verbs and five declensions of nouns.

Course is required for all Dialectic level students enrolled in Omnibus
Prerequisite: Basic understanding of the parts of speech is necessary.
Home study expectations: 3-4 hours per week
High school credit: 1 foreign language credit

Latin 2

This level Latin continues and builds on the first year. For all the excellent reasons to take Latin, see the description above.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin 1 or instructor permission
Home study expectations: 3-4 hours per week
High school credit: 1 foreign language credit

Latin 3

This is third year of Latin completes the basic skills in Latin. For all the excellent reasons to take Latin, see the description above.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Latin 2 or instructor permission
Home study expectations: 3-4 hours per week
High school credit: 1 foreign language credit

Latin 4

This fourth year of Latin is for the accomplished Latin student who is ready to move on to reading basic Latin texts. Focus will be on developing reading fluency.
Details tbd

Art of Argument

Logic is at the heart of classical Christian dialectic studies and this first logic course gives students a great start by focusing on informal fallacies and faulty reasoning. Skill in logic is an essential tool to equip students to analyze the world views around them and to hone their own communication skills.

Prerequisites: none for dialectic level students or older
Home study expectations: 2-3 hours per week
High School credit: 1 credit

Traditional Logic 1

This course is an introduction to formal logic, dealing with the form or structure of arguments, and an in-depth study of the categorical syllogism. It covers the theory of knowledge, logical statements, equivalent propositions, and the validity of syllogisms. Recommended for 9th grade dialectic students.

Prerequisite: Although there are no prerequisites for this course, it is recommended that the student be working at least at the Algebra I level in math.
Home study expectations: 2-3 hours per week
High school credit: 1/2 credit
Text: Memoria Press Traditional Logic 1: An Introduction to Formal Logic

Traditional Logic 2

In this course students continue their study of formal logic by examining the valid forms of categorical and conditional syllogisms, polysyllogisms, sorites, epicheirema, dilemmas and oblique syllogisms. Recommended for 9th grade dialectic students.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Traditional Logic 1
Home study expectations: 2-3 hours per week
High school credit: 1/2 credit
Text: Memoria Press Traditional Logic II: Advanced Formal Logic

Rhetoric – Thesis Project

This course gives the student research opportunities to uncover answers to his own specific controversial question such as: Should we be fighting the war on terror? If so, how do we win it? Is it right for a Christian to kill in war-time? Is Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) a result of the guilt in killing? Each student will learn step-by-step how to research, write and defend his thesis before an audience. Writing a 10-20 page paper following Cicero’s arrangement, the student will discover and master what every college student wished he knew.

Prerequisites: Classical Writing Advanced Level 1
Home study expectations: 3-4 hours per week
High School credits: 1 English Composition credit or 1 Speech Communication credit
Textbok: Collegium Study Center Thesis Project Manual – $40
Materials Fee: $15 per semester

Debate

Do you know how to discuss your viewpoints intelligently? Do you know how to question someone’s implied assumptions? Do you know how to advance and defend your position? This course teaches the student how to debate in two different types of debate formats: Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas Value. Public Forum is an excellent model to learn which will prepare the student to stand in front of City Council or any business meeting to argue his position. Additionally, Lincoln-Douglas debate teaches how to debate values — what every Christian should understand how to do. Each student will debate his classmates in-class and will compete in a tournament once each semester with the full-time students of Evangelical Christian Academy.

Prerequisites: Classical Writing Advanced Level 1
Home study expectations: 3-4 hours per week
High School credits: 1 English Composition credit or 1 Speech Communication credit
Textbook: Research files on resolution approximately $25, plus printing cost

Materials Fee: $15 per semester

Quadrivium Courses:

Geometry

Using Euclidean Geometry, we will review and classify all the geometry vocabulary, figures and shapes learned in the grammar years, as well as expand your geometry vocabulary. Using your understanding of valid argument from logic, we will state and prove geometric theorems that formalize the principles of the math dialect, geometry. We will understand and apply geometric math models to real world phenomenon. Key concepts studied in this course include: deductive reasoning as demonstrated by formal proofs, congruent and similar polygons, right triangles as math models, basic trigonometry, area of plane figures, and the area and volume of geometric solids.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 1 at Collegium or entrance exam.
Home study expectations: 3-4 hours per week
High school credit: 1 math credit

Algebra 2

This course will review and expand the basic vocabulary and methods learned in Algebra 1 with the goal of understanding how math models the world around us. We will review solving and graphing linear functions as math models and expand your understanding of quadratic functions. Additionally, we will introduce a new set of numbers, the complex numbers, to our math language and define, and begin to solve and graph the following new math models/functions: higher order polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and matrices.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 1 and Geometry at Collegium or entrance exam.
Home study expectations: 3-4 hours per week
High School credit: 1 math credit

Pre-Calculus

In this course we will continue our study of functions and introduce the study of trigonometry. We will examine linear, quadratic, and polynomial functions, as well as other elementary functions such as logarithmic and exponential functions in detail through graphing, identifying their domains and ranges, finding roots, and applying the functions to practical problems. The course also emphasizes modeling, showing how each functions is used to model real-life problems. We will also examine trigonometric functions in detail. Pre-Calculus is a fast-paced course, providing an excellent background for those wishing to take calculus and those who want use mathematics as a problem solving tool.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 2 at Collegium or instructor permission.
Home study expectations: 3-4 hours per week
High School credit: 1 math credit

Calculus

This course, while maintaining traditional mathematical content, will incorporate technology to study limits, derivatives, integrals, and applications.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Pre-Calculus
Home study expectations: 3-4 hours per week
High school credit: 1 math credit

Biology

This course is designed to be the student’s first high school science lab course and is a college-prep biology course that provides a detailed introduction to the methods and concepts of general biology. Heavily emphasizing the vocabulary of biology, it provides the student with a strong background in the scientific method, the five-kingdom classification scheme, microscopy, biochemistry, cellular biology, molecular and Mendelian genetics, evolution, dissection, and ecosystems. Hands-on labs will be facilitated to reinforce content learned at home. Students will gain valuable experience and skills related to a variety of life science fields through microscopic and macroscopic investigative studies.

Class is open to students 9th grade and older
Home study cxpectations: 2-2.5 hours per week
High School credit: 1 science/lab credit
Textbook: Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology

Chemistry

This first semester of a two-semester sequence in first year high school chemistry gives the student the first half of a rigorous foundation in chemistry, in order to prepare him or her for a college-level course. The course covers topics including significant figures, units, classification of matter, the mole concept, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, atomic structure, Lewis structures, and molecular structure. Students will perform labs from the Apologia text and some additional labs of the instructor’s choice.

Nota bene: Students may enroll in the lecture without enrolling in the lab, but all students enrolled in the lab must also take the lecture.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Algebra I (student must be able to algebraically rearrange equations to solve for unknowns.)
Home study expectations: 2-3 hours per week
High School credit: 1 science credit, 1 lab credit

Physics

This two semester sequence in college-prep physics provides a detailed introduction to the methods and concepts of general physics, heavily emphasizing vector analysis. Topics covered include one-dimensional and two-dimensional motion, Newton’s laws and their application, gravity, work, and energy.

Prerequisites: Algebra I, basic Geometry and basic trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, tangent).
Home study expectations: 3 hours per week
High School credit: 1 science credit, 1 lab credit

Advanced Physics

In this two-semester sequence, students will study detailed descriptions of kinematics, dynamics, rotational motion, gravity, oscillations, waves, optics, thermal physics, electrical forces, electrical potential, DC circuits, magnetic forces, atomic physics, and nuclear physics. The student is also given an introduction to the fascinating topics of special relativity and general relativity. When added to the first-year course, this course “fills in the gaps” and gives the student the equivalent of one year of university-level physics.

Prerequisites: Trigonometry
Home study expectation: 4-5 hours per week
High School credit: 1 science credit

Anatomy & Physiology

This advanced course covers both the anatomy and the physiology of the human body’s eleven organ systems in detail. This course reviews the organizational overview of the human body, cell structure, protein synthesis, and cellular mitosis. In addition, the course covers histology (study of tissues), integumentary and skeletal systems (skeletal system histology and movement, muscle histology and physiology, skeletal muscle system), nervous system (neurons and neuroglia, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system), endocrine system, circulatory system, lymphatic system, digestive system, respiratory system, urinary system, and reproductive system. Hands-on labs will be facilitated to reinforce content learned at home.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of high school level biology course.
Home study expectations: 4-6 hours per week
High School credit: 1 science credit
Textbook: Apologia The Human Body: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

General Elective Courses:

Spanish 1

Spanish 1 presents the basics of the Spanish language as spoken in Latin America. Students learn greetings, verb conjugations, basic vocabulary, pronunciation and grammatical structures. Students develop a beginning reading and conversational ability. The material emphasizes understanding and practical application.

Home study expectations: 3 hours per week
High School credit: 1 foreign language credit
Textbook: BJU Spanish 1

Spanish 2

Students learn to communicate comfortably at an intermediate level with Spanish-speaking people in a variety of settings: a store, a bank, an airport, a hotel, a doctor’s office, an auto shop, and on the mission field. Grammar, pronunciation, writing, listening, verb tenses, and moods are emphasized in the contexts of exercises and dialogues.

Home study expectation: 3-5 hours per week
High School credit: 1 foreign language credit
Textbook: BJU Spanish 2

Spanish 3
(not offered 2018-19)

Spanish 3 builds on the grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation skill achieved in the second level of study. Students continue to develop proficiency in speaking and understanding conversational Spanish as they cultivate an appreciation for the various Latin cultures.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Spanish 2 or instructor permission
Home study expectations: 3-5 hrs per week
High School credit: 1 foreign language credit

Economics 1

Learn the underlying principles to practical economic questions such as, “Why did unemployment reach 25 percent and American corporations, as a whole, operate in the red for two years in a row during the Great Depression of the 1930’s?” or “Why did Russia have to import food to feed its people in Moscow, when some of the richest farmlands in the country were within easy driving distance?”

Taking complex principles and speaking in plain language, this basic economics class will explore economic theories of capitalism, socialism, feudalism, and their effects and cover such topics as money, the Fed, banking systems, price controls, national debt, and international economies. Expect lively discussions on current events.

Home study expectations: 1 hour per week
High School credit: 1/2 social studies elective credit

Personal Finance

Dave Ramsey’s high school curriculum covers the essentials of debt-free living to include the benefits of savings and investments (and their nuances), myths of credit and debt, budgeting and check book balancing, career assessment, insurance basics, real estate financing, and giving. This course will entail viewing the course DVD weekly, engaging in discussion, and completing workbook assignments.

Home study expectations: 3-4 hours per week
High School credit: 1/2 credit elective

Intro to Acting and Shakespeare

Do you like to act, or think you would like to give it a try? There is nothing like being in a play! In a supportive and fun atmosphere you will develop your repertoire of acting skills, and become part of a theatre ensemble with your fellow classmates. We will dive into the amazing language of William Shakespeare, the world’s most famous playwright, with all kinds of theatre games and rehearsal techniques direct from the Royal Shakespeare Company in England. Our exploration of Shakespeare will include speeches and scenes from several of his best-known works – Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and The Tempest – and then we’ll work together to put on our own shortened performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “The play’s the thing!”

ECA High School Choir

This course explores a wide range of choral music in varying degrees of difficulty. Students may expect fun and excellence as they perfect and perform Sacred, Pop, Musical Theater, Classical, and Modern repertoire. Basic Music Theory and early Music History are also introduced, and students can expect 30-60 minutes of homework in preparation for class each week. Performance opportunities include ECA seasonal concerts, local choir festivals, All-State Choir (by audition only), and the Colorado University at Pueblo High School Honor Choir Festival (by audition only).

Materials: Black 1-inch 3-ring binder, pencils, notebook paper
Audition: Not required
Home study expectations: 30-60 minutes per week

Foundational Drawing

God-honoring painting, and artwork, from antiquity to the present has been marked by the artists’ desire and ability to accurately draw his subject matter. While there remains today artists who can draw or paint well, their world view precludes doing work that is pleasing to the Lord.

In this course, students will be exhorted to pursue subject matter that reflects the God of Scripture, and to learn the skills necessary to depict those subjects beautifully.

Worldview: Media

Civics

Study Hall:
Required for any break between classes. Please be sure to register your student for the appropriate hours.