NOTE:  You can find current classes here as noted, but most of the descriptions and detailed information are available via email, or through NYCHEA, Chialist, and HomeschoolNY lists.  This is to protect the privacy of our students, as we are not a school

Fall 2023 is here!

MYTHOLOGIES (Myth and Society) – In person at Museums (Mondays)

12-1:30 PM 12 sessions, Fall session beginning September 11 and ending December 11

Welcome to the world of mythologies from around the world, but through mature perspectives. We learn about the myths and their sources, but also the function of myth in religion, such as ritual practice. We also look at how myth plays a bigger role in explaining societal roles, psychological interpretations, history, and science. The various collections of our NYC museums help to show how myth plays a vital role in the arts, from ancient to present.

AP STYLE AFRICANA STUDIES Uncensored – Online with some days meeting in person  (Tuesdays)

10:30-12 PM 12 sessions, Fall session beginning September 12 and ending December 12

Africana Studies is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field, focusing on the history of African and African descended peoples from around the world. Our class looks more closely at the experiences and events that shaped Black society today, mainly in the US and Caribbean, through primary source historical documents, narratives, art, and artifacts. We study the history from pre- Colonial Africa to the present throughout the year, with the fall session dedicated to the African kingdoms, the slave trade, colonialism, rebellion, and antebellum periods. The class is based on the original AP African American/Africana Studies framework. Our course will not be edited for political reasons, thus it will include discussions of slavery, reparations, Black Lives Matter, conservatism, the prison system, critical race theory, and Black LGBTQ individuals and movements. Black authors comprise our reading material.

US HISTORY from the NATIVE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE – In person at Museums (Tuesdays) 3-4:30 PM 12 sessions, Fall session beginning September 12 and ending December 12

JUSTICE and INJUSTICE – In person/Zoom option (Wednesdays)

11-12:30 PM 13 sessions, Fall session beginning September 13 and ending December 13

What is justice? How do societies attempt to administer justice? In this class, we study philosophy, law codes, and key legal decisions, and focus on how this shaped history and society. For the fall semester, we dive into philosophical questioning and ancient law codes, then move to the trial of Socrates, the trial of Thomas More, the Zenger trial, and others. We also consider the role of the judicial branch in government, with sessions on the United States and the Supreme Court decisions.

CRIMINOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, and SOCIETY – In person/Zoom option (Wednesdays)

1:30-3 PM 13 sessions, Fall session beginning September 13 and ending December 13

Why are some people just bad…or are they? The study of criminology examines the criminal through social and behavioral sciences. We walk through history to find some of the most notorious criminals, and question the root cause of their actions (Biological? Psychological? Sociological? Economic? Political? Or misrepresentation?). Our Fall semester begins with the definitions of terms we will be using, a grounding in different types of personality disorders, an overview of the field of criminology, and an examination of some of the oldest examples of deviant behaviors reflected in myth and history. We will meet individuals such as the ancient Assyrians, Liu Pengli, Vlad Tepes, Elizabeth Bathory, Jack the Ripper, and more.

Tween Teen Medieval at the MUSEUMS – NOW FULL, WAITLIST AVAILABLE (Thursdays)

10-11:30 PM 13 sessions, beginning September 15 and ending December 15

The Metropolitan Museum of Art-based four-year cycle history classes were the first classes I offered to homeschoolers in 2010. The cycle moves to the Medieval World now, with the fall focus on the Medieval world in the West. Our topics include the transition from Rome to Medieval, fights between the Church and State, Crusades, kingship and queenship, early periods of Renaissance, the arts, and interconnections with non-European cultures. The Winter Term will follow with the Medieval world in the East (China, India, Seljuk Turks, Japan, Korea), and the Spring term focuses on Renaissance. The class meets mostly at the Met, but visits also include the Cloisters, AMNH, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and more.

WORLD LITERATURE in person, Various locations  (Thursdays)

12-1 PM 13 sessions, Fall session beginning September 13 and ending December 13

World Literature offers students a seminar style class on books usually read in high school or college. Students choose the titles based on various lists, and students choose the pace. We also include art, history, and other interconnected themes. We will start the term with Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street. Past books include Candide, In Cold Blood, The Devil’s Arithmetic, Frankenstein, Lord of the Flies, Turn of the Screw, Americanah, Song of Solomon, and more.

ART AND SOCIETY– at the MUSEUMS  (Thursdays)

3-4:30 PM 13 sessions, Fall session beginning September 13 and ending December 13

What role does art play in history, politics, religion, sociology, psychology, media, urban studies, race, gender, and ethnicity? This is a seminar-style class that explains some of the basics of art history, while applying art to a broader context. Themes for the fall include expressions of power, the human form, transformations, colonialism, We focus on key artworks in a global context, from prehistory to modern. Students work collaboratively on designing the syllabus. Museums include the Met, the Guggenheim, the Frick, the Whitney, the Brooklyn Museum and more.

MEDIEVAL HISTORY Middle School At the Museums  (Fridays)

10:30- 12 PM. 12 sessions, beginning September 16 and ending December 16

The Metropolitan Museum of Art-based four-year cycle history classes were the first classes I offered to homeschoolers in 2010. The cycle moves to the Medieval World now, with the fall focus on the Medieval world in the West. Our topics include the transition from Rome to Medieval, fights between the Church and State, Crusades, kingship and queenship, early periods of Renaissance, the arts, and interconnections with non-European cultures. The Winter Term will follow with the Medieval world in the East (China, India, Seljuk Turks, Japan, Korea), and the Spring term focuses on Renaissance. The class meets mostly at the Met, but visits also include the Cloisters, AMNH, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and more.

MEDIEVAL HISTORY High School at the Museums:  NOW FULL, WAITLIST AVAILABLE (Fridays)

5:30-7 PM 12 sessions, beginning September 16 and ending December 16

The Metropolitan Museum of Art-based four-year cycle history classes were the first classes I offered to homeschoolers in 2010. The cycle moves to the Medieval World now, with the fall focus on the Medieval world in the West. Our topics include the transition from Rome to Medieval, fights between the Church and State, Crusades, kingship and queenship, early periods of Renaissance, the arts, and interconnections with non-European cultures. The Winter Term will follow with the Medieval world in the East (China, India, Seljuk Turks, Japan, Korea), and the Spring term focuses on Renaissance. The class meets mostly at the Met, but one class may need to meet earlier to accommodate the Cathedral of St. John the Divine tour.

Current Classes (Spring 2023)

• Program in History, Languages and the Arts

A four year cycle of museum based classes:

Year One:  Ancient Civilizations, Late Ancient Empires, Ancient Americas

Year Two:  Greece, Rome, Pre-Christian Europe  WE ARE HERE, 2022-23

The Fall semester focused on Greeks, the Winter session will focus on Rome and SPRING on Ancient Europe Beyond Greeks and Romans

Year Three:  Medieval History from the Western Perspective, Medieval History from the Eastern Perspective,  Renaissance

Year Four:  Early Modern and Age of Revolutions, Modern World

Classes can be taken at any time in the cycle.

• Art and Society. Continuing Spring 2023

A year long survey of art from specific themes, such as identity, belonging, political issues, gender, psychological issues, power, and more.  Students help construct the syllabus from their interests and needs.

• Women and History  Continuing Spring 2023

A year long survey class on women in history and anthropology, from ancient history to present issues

• Paranormal and History Continuing Spring 2023

A year long world history class focusing on paranormal events and how they relate to history.  Topics include ancient religions and the paranormal, haunted castles (and what caused them to be “haunted”), battlefields, aliens and Cold War paranoia, etc.

• Espionage and History  Continuing Spring 2023

A year long world history class built around the use of espionage

• World Wars Continuing Spring 2023

Beginning with World War I, a history of the events and repercussions of the World Wars

• GOVERNMENTS -Current Events for Spring 2023

An AP Comparative Governments style class that focuses on current events in the spring

• Banned Books – Continuing Spring 2023

Literature based class with titles such as Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, Toni Morrison’s Bluest Eye, etc.

Taught before or will be taught in the future…

• Environmental World History

Coming Fall 2023:  A year long class on the effects of the environment on world historical events

• Peopling the US 

Coming Fall 2023:  A year long US history class focused on the various groups comprising North America.

• Honors AP Style classes in US, EUROPE and WORLD HISTORY, COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENTS, and ART HISTORY

AP Honors style classes based on the curricula, but with adaptations to meet the interests of students — we cover the test but don’t teach to the test

Coming soon:  AP African American Studies INCLUDING the material Florida excluded

• Facing History and Ourselves

A year long class focusing on genocide and human rights.

• Losers of History

A world history survey class focused on the losers, rather than the winners, of history

• Geology and History

We focus on the history of Planet Earth, but also the importance of rocks and minerals in human society: tools, statuary, architecture, industry, status objects, and ways in which humans have changed the record.  We cover the basics of geology, as well as world history and the effects of mining, quarrying, and natural disasters

• History and Science Interconnections

A year long class on history and science: the role of cultivation, drug use in religious societies, dendrochronology, genetics, and more.

• Issues in Social Studies

with focuses in Europe, Pacific, Africa, North America, South America, and Asia.  Physical geography, human geography, politics, economics, environmentalism, mapping and statistics

• Greek and Latin Roots of English and BEYOND

The origins of the English language through its Greek and Latin roots, as well as Germanic, Hebrew-Yiddish, Bantu and non-Bantu

• United States History from the Native American Experience

A year long class focusing on the history of the United States, from the earliest Native American migrations to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

• World History Through the African Perspective

A year long class moving through world history, but from the perspective of Africa.  We start with the earliest African civilizations, and move through Africa historically and geographically while keeping in mind what is happening outside the continent.  Special focus on ancient societies, Medieval and early modern period interconnections, resistance to colonialism, and Pan Africanism.

• Holocaust and Human History

A year long class based on the Facing History and Ourselves curriculum, tightly focused on what happened during the Holocaust, the before and after, World War II, issues of belonging, and human rights.

• Secular Bible

A year long class reading Bible from perspectives of history, anthropology, literature, and ethics.  Absolutely no religious background required or expected – this is strongly secular

• Justice and Injustice

A year long class exploring issues in justice and injustice, through history, philosophy, law codes, international law cases, Supreme Court cases, and current events.

• Anthropology and History of Magic

A museum based class on the various interpretations of magic:  divination, alchemy, transformation, spells and more

• History of Weapons and Warfare

A year long world and US history class using warfare and weapons as a focus point.

• World Cultures

Elementary level class on anthropology and sociology based at the American Museum of Natural History

• Lord of the Rings in History and Literature

An in depth study of the trilogy as well as Silmarillion, with links to the Volsung Saga, Kalevala, Tolkien’s experience in World War I and II, and more.

• The Hunger Games and History

Four classes devoted to specific themes in the Hunger Games and how they relate to world history.

• Film and History

Analysis of contemporary film and the history it represents.  Films have included Apocalypse Now, Life of Brian, Night and Fog, Hotel Rwanda, The Help, Pirates of the Caribbean, Inglorious Basterds

• Game of Thrones and History

Museum based one off classes focusing on the history that inspired the books and television shows

• Doctor Who and History

Museum based one off classes focusing on the history surrounding specific Doctor Who episodes.

• Rick Riordan at the Met!  Rick Riordan at the Brooklyn Museum! 

Museum based one off classes focusing on the history and mythology of the Rick Riordan worlds

• Marvel, Mythology, History and More

Museum based one off classes focusing on Marvel characters and themes.

• Star Wars at the Museum

One day classes which focus on the inspiration behind Star Wars, from the anthropology of Wookies to the Third Reich.

• The Civil War and History

A series of museum based classes focused on the American Civil War