Discover the meaning of life and the afterlife via great literature with Tolkien and Lewis expert Professor Joseph Pearce.

Instructor Access (Optional grading support) is available for this course. Please note: this is ONLY recommended if you wish to write the optional paper. All quizzes are internally graded in this course. Optional papers will be completed via this page (click here) for an Instructor Access fee of $75.

How to get the most out of Tolkien & Lewis on the After-Life: Leaf by Niggle, The Great Divorce  & The Last Battle with Joseph Pearce:

• First, read the course materials below before watching the first class recording.

• Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes.

• Read assignments before watching the recordings.

• Watch the recording
  
  

• Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that class.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total classes: 6

Duration: 55 minutes

Prerequisite: The ability to read and enjoy the works.

Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade

Suggested credit: 1/2 semester Literature or Theology

Instructor: Joseph Pearce

Course description: Focusing on three works by J.R. R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, this course will examine the insights into the after-life that these great Christian writers offer. Students will gain a deeper theological understanding of sin and virtue, faith and reason, and justice and mercy, gained through Tolkien's and Lewis's visions of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven.

Course outline:

Class One: The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis, Chapters 1-8

Class Two: The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis, Chapters 9-14

Class Three: The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis, Chapters 12-14

Class Four: The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis, Chapters 15-16

Class Five: Leaf by Niggle by J. R. R. Tolkien, Part One

Class Six: Leaf by Niggle by J. R. R. Tolkien, Part Two

Course materials: C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce, ISBN: 978-0-06-065295-1

C. S. Lewis, The Last Battle, ISBN: 0-06-447108-X

J. R. R. Tolkien, Tree and Leaf, ISBN: 978-0-00-710504-5

Homework: Reading Assignment: approximately 40 pages per class recording. Daily quizzes are automated and graded by the computer for immediate feedback.

If you have any questions please contact us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2020 Homeschool Connections and Joseph Pearce. All rights reserved. This course is designed by Joseph Pearce.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk 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.