Learn about Dante’s trilogy masterpiece in this 6-week overview course with selections in reading -- and immediately follow the six weeks with Kevin O’Brien’s Dante course, to complete your full semester in literature as you grow your cultural literacy (and gain British Literature credit).

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 An Introduction to Dante’s Divine Comedy with Joseph Pearce:

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

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

• Read assignments before class meetings

• Watch that week’s recording.

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

• 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 Dante’s Divine Comedy

Suggested Grade Level: 9th to 12th Grade

Suggested Credit: ½ semester Medieval Literature or Literature

Instructor: Joseph Pearce

Course Description: Students will be introduced to Dante’s literary masterpiece through a selective reading of cantos from each of the three books of the Comedy (Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise), focusing on the moral theology that informs the work.

Course Outline:

• Week 1: Introducing Dante & The Divine Comedy; Inferno, Cantos 1, 3, 5,

• Week 2: Inferno, Cantos 23, 25, 34

• Week 3: Purgatory, Cantos 1, 3, 9, 11

• Week 4: Purgatory, Cantos 28, 29, 30, 33

• Week 5: Paradise, Cantos 10, 11, 12, 13, 19

• Week 6: Paradise, Cantos 24, 26, 31, 33

Course Materials: We will read selections from Dorothy L. Sayers’ translations. Professor Pearce will refer to her notes and commentaries, so students must purchase or borrow these specific editions:

• Dante, The Divine Comedy, Part 1: Hell (Penguin Classics: ISBN #0140440062)

• Dante, The Divine Comedy, Part 2: Purgatory (Penguin Classics: ISBN #0140440461)

• Dante, The Divine Comedy, Part 3: Paradise (Penguin Classics: ISBN #0140441050)

Homework: The homework for each class will include the reading assignment for the week (approximately 1 hour) and then reviewing for, and taking, the weekly quiz (approximately 1 hour).

Technical Help: If you have any technical trouble or questions about course content, please email 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.