Heroic Journeys & Human Hearts
A Monthly Seminar Series in the Great Books

Discover the adventure of the humanities (*and earn credit*). At Après Academy, students trace one living story through Homer’s seas, Augustine’s prayers, and Bradbury’s Midwestern carnival—learning that sorrow and joy, law and gospel, finally converge in the gracious Word that makes hearts new.

Twelve books, twelve months, one transforming conversation. Each work is read in full, discussed in weekly Socratic seminars with a small group, and woven into a four‑season arc that mirrors the soul’s pilgrimage from restless longing to the freedom of faith.

Year at a Glance

🌊 Season I – Longing  &  Ascent (Sept – Oct)
Desire awakens; the soul sets out toward beauty.

⚖ Season II – Judgment  &  Grace (Nov – Feb)
Guilt and suffering meet a mercy that breaks in.

☿ Season III – Disillusionment  &  Death (Mar – Apr)
Falsehood is unmasked; mortality is faced.

✦ Season IV – Gift  &  Return (May – Aug)
The Word is received; the pilgrim learns to love what lasts.

Curriculum

🌊 Season I — Longing & Ascent

September · The Odyssey — "The Call and the Sea"
Homecoming becomes the archetype of every exile’s hope.

October · Symposium — "The Soul in Love"
Desire discovers beauty and begins its upward climb.

⚖ Season II — Judgment & Grace

November · The Oresteia — "Blood and the Gods"
Justice rises from chaos; divine silence gives way to speech.

December · The Gospel According to Luke — "Light in the Darkness"
Incarnate mercy steps into empire‑worn streets.

January · The Consolation of Philosophy — "Wisdom in Chains"
Fortune fails; the soul learns to love what cannot be taken.

February · Confessions — "The Restless Heart"
Memory and grace meet; desire remembers its true home.

☿ Season III — Disillusionment & Death

March · The Death of the Heart — "The Wound of Innocence"
Betrayal teaches the cost of seeing clearly.

April · The Death of Ivan Ilyich — "False Lives and Final Truths"
Death unmasks the lie of a well‑lived life—and points to truth.

✦ Season IV — Gift & Return

May · Faith Alone — "The Word that Saves"
At the edge of frailty, Bo Giertz proclaims Christ’s free gift.

June · Something Wicked This Way Comes — "The Temptation of Shadows"
A traveling carnival tests desire and courage.

July · My Ántonia — "Memory and the Prairie"
The land teaches beauty, belonging, and gratitude.

August · Jayber Crow — "Return and the Hidden Good"
A barber’s life of quiet love and renunciation becomes a parable of grace.

Weekly Rhythm

Read. Students complete the month’s selection (~200–350 pp) using a concise reading guide.

Reflect. Guiding questions invite annotation, journaling, or sketched responses.

Discuss. One 90‑120 min Zoom seminar each week: opening question · close reading · thematic synthesis.

Write (optional, high school credits may be earned).

Tuition & Registration

Audit the course : $99

No essay grading, seminar discussion participation only

Full course (recommended) : $149

Grading + high school credits (if desired).

All plans include digital reading guides.

Cohort A — High-School Seminar (grades 10-12, ages 15-18)
Meets Tuesdays or Thursdays 6 pm CT.

Cohort B — Gap-Year & Early-College Seminar (ages 18-24)
Meets Saturdays or Sundays 4 pm CT.

When you register you’ll pick a cohort; if demand outstrips the 10-seat cap we open a second section at the same level.

Email with any questions : info@apreslecoleacademy.com