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Class Overview
Class Overview
The Junior Seminar is an opportunity for a fresh start. It takes the reading, writing, and discussion skills that you have been cultivating the last two years and turns them directly on some of the most important questions that we can ask in this life. What does it mean to be human? How do we craft a beautiful life for ourselves? How do we achieve happiness for ourselves and for those we love? How ought we to treat those who are not our friends and family if they get in the way of our goals? In order to dig into these questions, we will dive into texts from the Greek, Roman, and Hebrew traditions that gave rise to many of the ideas that we discussed in the 9th and 10th grades. Their insights are invaluable, both for the clarity with which the ancients saw into the questions surrounding our understanding of Justice, Beauty, and Goodness, as well as for the profound way in which they framed those questions for us.
About Mr. Jordan
Tutoring Hours: Tues/Thurs, Lyceum in Rm 200
Mr. Jordan realized during his first year at North Central College that a great injustice was being asked of him – despite his love of history, literature, philosophy, and theology, he would have to choose just one for his major in order to graduate. As a result of this impossible decision, he dodged the problem altogether by studying East Asian Studies and Japanese, which let him do all at once. Still not satisfied, he also received a minor in History of Ideas, which let seminar on the Great Books of the West, and he later went on to receive his Masters degree in the Eastern Classics at St. Johns and take a summer-long intensive program there on the Islamic Classics. This last summer, he returned to St John's for a second masters degree in the Liberal Arts, so that he can step back into the role of his students. Since 2008 Mr. Jordan has joyfully taught all of the courses in the Lit/Comp, History, and Humane Letters sequence at Arete Prep. In his leisure, he enjoys hiking in nature, reading books that challenge him, drinking good tea, and practicing meditation.
About Mr. Vaughan
Tutoring Hours: Tues/Thurs, Lyceum, in Rm 203
This will be Mr. Vaughan's 14th year at Arete. He moved to Arizona from Texas with his amazing wife and two wonderful daughters, who are both current students at Arete Prep. He earned his Bachelors from Criswell College and then his Masters from the University of Dallas. He began as an 8th grade Medieval History teacher and then transitioned into the Humane Letters courses. He also taught ESS for several years and has served as Dean of Students. Currently Mr. Vaughan is teaching 11th grade Humane Letters and 6th grade Lit/Comp.
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