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- Course name
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Philosophy of the Human Person, Part One (Eligible for College Credit)
- Summary
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Enroll now to embark on a transformative journey of intellectual exploration and discovery.
Together, we will dive deep into the timeless questions of human nature and existence through the lens of our Catholic faith. Spanning from the ancient world to the present, students will explore canonical philosophical texts, from Plato's "Republic" to St. Thomas Aquinas's "Summa Theologica." Our goal is to cultivate critical thinking skills and foster philosophical literacy, empowering students to rationally evaluate competing claims about the human good.
Instructor: Sam Nicholson, PhD
Course Description: This two-semester course is a college-preparatory introduction to Philosophy offered in tandem with Franciscan University’s Advantage program. Our goal is to introduce students to the most fundamental questions about human nature, knowledge, and value. This introductory course will acquaint them with some of the canonical philosophical texts in the Western Tradition, spanning from the ancient world to the present. Our goal is to cultivate a sense of basic philosophical literacy and to learn how to think critically so that we can rationally evaluate competing claims about the human good.
- Course name
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Philosophy of the Human Person, Part One (Eligible for College Credit)
- Instructor
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Sam Nicholson
- Semester
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Fall 2025
- Category
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Philosophy ➤ Fundamentals of Philosophy
- Grade levels
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High School
- Monitor
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William Mayberry
- Start time
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August 29th, 2025 at 2:30 PM ET
- Course type
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Live
- Price
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$309
- Seats available
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25 seats available
- Seats remaining
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11 seats remaining
- Relative due dates
- Enhanced quiz security
- Enhanced assignment security
Basic Symbolic Logic (Comprehensive Courses in Logic)
Basics of Inductive Reasoning (Comprehensive Courses in Logic)
How to Battle Relativism, Nihilism, and Other Errors
Rhetoric and Reasoning (Comprehensive Courses in Logic)
Modern Symbolic Logic (Comprehensive Courses in Logic)
Classical Syllogistic Logic
Theories of Knowledge
Virtue and Vice: Ancient Philosophy for Modern Catholics
Philosophy: Mind, Body, and Soul
Great Philosophers: Meet Plato
Great Philosophers: Meet Aristotle
Hellenistic Philosophy
The Human Person (Franciscan Advantage Program)
- This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections or purchasers of the course. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment, and in violation of US and International copyright laws.
- You may print or download to your own storage extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.
- Upon completion of the course, you must delete all copies of course materials from any storage on which you saved permissible extracts.
Special notes
Special notes: This is Part One of a two-part course. Students must register separately for Part Two, offered in the spring semester.
Parts One and Two of this course are part of the Franciscan University Advantage Program for college credit. They align with Franciscan’s PHL 113 for 3 credit hours. For more information on the optional college credit program and to see if your student is eligible, visit https://homeschoolconnections.com/resources/college-credit/
This course starts before Labor Day.
Total classes
Class dates
Starting time
Duration
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites, but it is recommended for advanced high-school students.
Suggested grade level
Suggested credit
Outline
Course Outline: The Ancient and Medieval World
Week 1: Introduction, The Pre-Socratics
Read: “Pre-Socratics” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Week 2: Plato, Introduction Biographical Background
Read: “Apology”, “Phaedo” (excerpts)
Week 3: Plato (continued)
Read: “Symposium”, “Euthyphro” (excerpts)
Week 4: Plato (continued)
Read: “Gorgias”, “Phaedrus” (excerpts)
Week 5: Plato (continued)
Read: “Republic” (excerpts)
Week 6: Aristotle - Logic
Read: “Prior Analytics” (excerpts)
Week 7: Aristotle – Metaphysics
Read: “De Anima” (excerpts); “Metaphysics”
Week 8: Aristotle – Metaphysics
Read: “Metaphysics”
Week 9: Aristotle – Ethics & Politics
Read: “Nicomachean Ethics” (excerpts)
Week 10: Hellenistic Philosophy I
Read: Epicurus “basic doctrines”
Week 11: Hellenistic Philosophy II
Read: Epictetus “Enchiridion”
Week 12: St. Augustine
Read: “Confessions” (excerpts)
Week 13: Boethius
Read: “Consolations of Philosophy” (excerpts)
Week 14: St. Thomas Aquinas
Read: “Summa Theologica” (excerpts)
Week 15: St. Thomas Aquinas (continued)
Read: “Summa Theologica” (excerpts)
Materials
Socrates’ Children: An Introduction to Philosophy from the 100 Greatest Philosophers will be used in both semesters. Also available from Amazon https://amzn.to/43XRSaO.
Homework
There will be three quizzes, a mid-term examination, and a cumulative final exam. These will make up 45%, 25%, and 25% of your grade, respectively. The quizzes will be fully automated, but the midterm and final will include short answer questions graded by the instructor. The remaining 5% of your grade will be assigned on the basis of attendance and participation.
For students who opt into the dual-enrollment program, Franciscan University will offer additional testing to determine eligibility for college-level credit. This additional testing will comprise a midterm and a final exam.
Fees
Fee: For all 15 classes: $289 if you register on or before July 15; $309 if you register after July 15. (Registration closes one week before the first day of class. After that date, registrations are not guaranteed. There is a $25 surcharge for late enrollments after the course is closed.)
Sam Nicholson
scn8v@virginia.edu
About Sam Nicholson
Sam Nicholson earned his PhD from the University of Virginia in 2011. He has published in peer-reviewed academic journals, and he taught at the University level for nearly 10 years. He has taught philosophy and logic at the high school level since 2016. He is an analytically trained Thomist with special interests in the Philosophy of Mind, the Philosophy of Science, and the Theory of Knowledge.
Dr. Nicholson is married to Homeschool Connections’ Victorian literature instructor Eleanor Nicholson. The Nicholsons homeschool their five children. By day, he is the Facilities Supervisor at St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Charlottesville, VA.
Click here for more info about Sam Nicholson!
Courses
William Mayberry
William is the middle child of 3 in a small village in Illinois. He grew up in the country and began homeschooling in his middle school years. He homeschooled with Homeschool Connections until he graduated. He can mostly be found drawing, watching the dirt track races, solving the Rubik’s cube (12 seconds best), or riding ATV’s. In addition to monitoring, he helps out with a small mowing company.
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