Torrey Academy
Shakespeare
Course Objectives
 Familiarity with 4 genres and 13 major plays of
William Shakespeare
 Exploration of Elizabethan and Aristotelian Dramatic
theory
 Aesthetic experience of practicing and performing
Shakespearean theatre
 Familiarity with the critical environment of
Shakespeare studies
 Education through dialectical interaction with the
vital themes, characters, and plots of the greatest
English playwright
Distinctives from TA Core Classes
 No précis, writing labs, or formal presentations
 Pull questions
 Only 4 reflection essays per semester
 Only 1 term paper per year
 Mid or Don Rags each quarter
 Quarter 4 play/Readers Theatre
 1-hour long classes
 Between 2 and 6 hours of course work per week,
including class time
Pull Questions
 1-page answer to a question provided by tutor (similar
to reflection essay, but they can be hand written, and
you can use first person)
 Goal is to “pull together” your thoughts after class
discussions
 Kept in notebook, not turned in weekly (collected at
the end of each quarter)
 1 pull question per week
Pull Questions
 From the TA Handbook, page 62:
“Pull questions should answer the question fully,
demonstrate an understanding of the text and the
importance of the question, and should include textual
citations and quotations.”
Reflection Essays
 750-1000 words
 Formal, argumentative essay answering a chosen
question
 Synthesizes and critiques major themes, characters,
or other critical issues in one or more plays.
 4 per semester
Term Paper
 Similar to Faith term paper:
 2000-3000 words
 Interacts with at least 2 secondary sources
 Uses an annotated bibliography
 1 per year, due at the beginning of the 4th
quarter
Mid Rags and Don Rags
 Based on the Oxford model
 One-on-one meeting
 Tutor looks over notebook and collects all pull
questions
 Discussion and assessment of student’s class
participation, reflection essays, progress on term
paper, and ability to discuss the quarter or semester’s
plays
Readers Theatre
 Select one text during 3rd quarter
 Practice major scenes throughout 4th quarter
 Perform major scenes in readers theatre at the end of
the 4th quarter
 All practice will take place in class.
Questions
?
Email us at torrey.academy@biola.edu
Welcome to the
Faith of Our Fathers
Orientation
Get your pen and paper ready!
Faith of Our Fathers
~ There and Back Again ~
From Luke to Spenser
Ye Olde Important Reminder
 Creeds of the Churches
Ye Olde Important Reminder
 Creeds of the Churches
 If you are ordering/have already ordered your books
through Follett (through the link on our Booklists page),
you will need to purchase Creeds of the Churches
separately through another book provider (Amazon,
Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, etc.). Follett is not
able to supply this book, so you will need to order it from
a different book seller.
Ye Olde Stuff We’ll Cover Tonight
 Tutors
 Faith-specific course objectives
 Faith-specific course components:
 Writing Assignments
 Presentations
 Secondary sources research
 Context Lectures
 History Tutorials Series
 Extra Credit
Ye Olde Stuff We’ll Cover Tonight
 Tutors
 Faith-specific course objectives
 Course components
Faith Tutors
 Mrs. Leilani Mueller – La Mirada
 Mr. Stewart Riley – Online, Temecula Valley
 Mr. Brian Walton – Simi Valley
 Miss Jessica McBride – Yorba Linda
Faith Objectives
Faith Objectives
Many of the specific objectives listed in the handbook
are continuations of objectives of your previous Torrey
Academy classes. However, there are a few objectives
that are new. Please make sure you read this page
carefully to understand the major goals of the Faith of
Our Fathers class.
Faith Objectives
1. Characterize the different genres of allegory, epic poem,
essay, and homily.
 Faith students read allegories and epic poetry, which you
have not been introduced to thus far in Torrey Academy. The
poetic/literary books that we read are: The Consolation of
Philosophy, Celtic Spirituality, The Poem of the Cid, The Song
of Roland, The Canterbury Tales, Pearl, Petrarch’s Canzoniere,
The Divine Comedy, and The Faerie Queene.
Faith Objectives
2. Students will develop an understanding of World and
Church history.
 Some of the texts that students read are historical
accounts, such as Eusebius’s History of the Christian
Church and Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English
People, and these texts provide a direct historical
perspective of key regions and cultural developments.
 Students also read historically important documents like
Church creeds.
Faith Objectives
2. Students will develop an understanding of World and
Church history.
 To supplement their reading, Faith students are also
required to complete the History Tutorial series, which
provides students with historical context for each text
that they read.

The first History Tutorial Lecture is about 45 minutes long, but
after that, lectures average 10-20 minutes each.

You are not required to summarize these lectures, but we do
strongly encourage you to take notes on your Accountability
Sheets or elsewhere to encourage greater retention of the
material.
Faith Objectives
3. Understand the historical development of major
doctrines of Christian theology.
 As in all Torrey Academy classes, our goal in studying
theology is not simply to acquire a certain amount of mental
data of who thought what and when, although you will
acquire this.
 Our goal in Faith is to understand, as far as our minds can
reach, the Triune God and our relationship to Him as
communicated to us through Scripture and creation.
Faith Objectives
4. Apply a historical perspective to Christianity, Christian
doctrine, and the contemporary church.
 From our intellectual adventures into the mind and heart of
God and His Church, we will hopefully view our churches,
our reading of Scripture, and our daily choices and actions in
light of His truth.
Writing Assignments
Writing Assignments
Synopsis
 Faith students write synopses instead of précis.
 Like the précis, the synopsis is usually due on the day of
the first discussion of the text.
 Only one synopsis is due for each text that we read.
Make sure to consult your reading schedule as
some readings only require you to synopsize
certain sections of a text, or may include special
instructions for synopsizing.
Writing Assignments
 There are two parts to the synopsis. First, there is the fivesentence summary. Unlike a précis, which requires a detailed
summary, the summary of the synopsis is brief (exactly five
sentences: no more and no fewer) and should encapsulate
the main plot/point of the entire text.
 The second part of the synopsis is a theme explication
expanded in two paragraphs. In this section, students should
identify and show the development and implications of one
major theme of the text with an aim of understanding the
text as a whole. The theme explication must be supported by
citations and quotations.
Writing Assignments
Reflection Essay
 The reflection essay for Faith is the same as the
reflection essay for Inklings and Foundations (300-500
words).
 The reflection essay is usually due on the day of the last
discussion of a text.
 Please consult the TA Handbook for the specific
requirements.
Writing Assignments
Critical Questions
 For the Dante and Petrarch readings, instead of writing a synopsis,
each student will write critical questions about the poems,
including a four-sentence paragraph accompanying each question
that explains the importance and significance of each question.
 Please see the TA Handbook description of this assignment and the
assignment evaluation rubric in the appendix for more details.
Tutors usually review the details of this type of assignment in the
weeks before these assignments are due.
Context Lectures
 Faith students are required to listen to and summarize context
lectures like the Inklings and Foundations students.
Context Lectures
 Faith students must listen to the four-part St. Augustine
Hermeneutics Lecture series before their first class.
 During the first semester, Faith students are required to listen to
and summarize the three-part series on Christology and the Early
Church Councils given by Dr. Fred Sanders of the Torrey Honors
Institute, Biola University. Your syllabus will tell you when each
lecture is due.
 Listening to and summarizing these three lectures will meet the
first semester context lecture requirements.
 In the second semester, Faith students are free to choose any
lectures from their class list in the toolbox (except those marked
with an asterisk).
Writing Assignments
Term Papers
 Unlike the Inklings and Foundations classes, which require two
term papers per semester, Faith only requires one term paper per
semester.
 The Faith term papers have the same general requirements for
thesis statements, drafts, and final drafts as the other TA classes.
Writing Assignments
 However, there are a few differences for Faith
papers:
 1. Faith papers have a 2000-2500 word limit.
 2. Faith papers are argumentative research papers
 3. Faith papers require an annotated bibliography instead of a
works cited page.
 4. Faith papers require the integration of at least two secondary
sources.
 5. Your Faith papers will be revised and refined versions of the
presentation that you will give each semester in class.
FYI
 There are four basic types of theses you can write:

1. Theological – an argument about how different Biblical principles fit
together, the proper interpretation of specific biblical passages, and/or
the proper application of specific passages or theological concepts.

2. Philosophical – an argument about how we should understand the
world in general and/or mankind.

3. Historical – an argument about the significance of a historical event,
person, or idea.

4. Literary – an argument about the significance of characters, themes,
literary devices, and/or imagery employed by an author.
Presentations
{Don’t be scared!}
Presentations
There is a long history of oral presentations in academia.
The purpose of these presentations is to convey new
information discovered through research to others
within the field of study. Some presenters go on to
publish their findings in scholastic journals to reach an
even wider audience.
Our goal for student presentations is to introduce you to
this tradition. We want you to research and develop a
thesis, argue for your thesis with sound logic and textual
support, and to present your findings in a winsome and
convincing way.
Presentations
In short, we want you to begin to see yourself as a scholar.
We want you to feel capable of engaging with other
scholars for the sake of discovering truth that will
enlighten our minds and enrich our lives. We want to
help you begin to contribute to the great conversations
about theology, morality, history, and great literature
that have been going on for centuries.
Presentations
We also want you to begin to focus on developing your
rhetorical skills.
 Remember Dorothy Sayers’ discussion of the Trivium
and the Quadrivium in “The Lost Tools of Learning”:
Presentations
We also want you to begin to focus on developing your
rhetorical skills.
 Remember Dorothy Sayers’ discussion of the Trivium
and the Quadrivium in “The Lost Tools of Learning”:
The Trivium of the Medieval syllabus “consisted of
three parts: Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric, in
that order…The whole of the Trivium was, in fact,
intended to teach the pupil the proper use of the
tools of learning.”
Presentations
 Grammar: developing a firm grasp of language, “the
medium in which thought is expressed.”
 Dialectic: “Secondly, [the student] learned how to use
language: how to define his terms and make accurate
statements; how to construct an argument and how to
detect fallacies in argument (his own arguments and
other people’s). Dialectic, that is to say, embraced Logic
and Disputation.”
Presentations
 Rhetoric: “Thirdly, [the student] learned to express
himself in language; how to say what he had to say
elegantly and persuasively. At this point, any tendency
to express himself windily or to use his eloquence so as
to make the worse appear the better reason would, no
doubt, be restrained by his previous teaching in
dialectic. If not, his teacher and his fellow pupils,
trained along the same lines, would be quick to point
out where he was wrong; for it was they whom he had to
seek to persuade. At the end of his course, he was
required to propose a thesis upon some theme set by his
masters or chosen by himself, and afterwards, to defend
his thesis against the criticism of the faculty…”
Presentations
 Rhetoric: “…By this time, he would have learned—or
woe betide him—not merely to write an essay on paper,
but to speak audibly and intelligently from a platform,
and to use his wits quickly when heckled. The heckling,
moreover, would not consist solely of offensive
personalities or of irrelevant inquiries about what Julius
Caesar said in 55 B.C.—though no doubt medieval
dialectic was enlivened in practice by plenty of such
primitive repartee. But there would also be questions,
cogent and shrewd, from those who had already run the
gauntlet of debate, or were making ready to run it.”
Presentations
So what does all of this mean for you?
Presentation Logistics:
 The Faith presentation is a 15-20 minute explanation in
front of your class of a formal outline that includes an
argumentative thesis, supporting arguments, and
secondary research.
Presentations
Logistics:
 After the presentation is finished, you will answer
questions from your tutor and fellow students regarding
your subject.
 After answering questions, you will then ask your own
questions, leading the class in at least a twenty-minute
discussion of the text.
Presentations
Requirements
 Thesis

While the thrust of your argumentative thesis can be historical, literary,
philosophical, or theological, your thesis must primarily deal with one of
the Faith class texts.

At campus orientation, you will sign up to do your presentation on one of
the assigned first-semester readings, usually excluding the first and last
readings of the semester.

It is your responsibility to independently read your text, choose and
research a related topic, and develop an argument based on your chosen
text.
Presentations
 Outline
 You will expound on your thesis in a formal outline (using MLA
formatting—sample outlines are available in the Resources section
of your TA Toolbox).
 This formal outline will give at least three major arguments in
support of your thesis and/or in defense of your thesis from
opponents.
Presentations
 This formal outline will incorporate your reading of at least two
scholarly secondary sources that discuss your topic.
 Your tutor will provide you with a list of pre-approved
secondary sources from which you will choose at least two
sources for your presentation. (Check Google Groups.) If you
want to use a secondary source that is not pre-approved, you
must bring it to your tutor for approval before your two-weekprior thesis meeting.
 Both your primary text and your secondary sources must
be read by your two-week-prior thesis meeting. (Note: DO
NOT wait until the week prior to your first meeting to read all
of your texts.)
Secondary Sources

Your formal outline will incorporate your reading of at least two scholarly
secondary sources that discuss your topic.

A primary source is a text that is considered expert or definitive and
has endured as such through out history. All the texts we read in Faith
are primary sources.

A secondary source is a scholarly text that comments upon a primary
text.

A tertiary source is a collection, condensation, or distillation of
primary and secondary sources, like an almanac, encyclopedia,
textbook, or bibliography.
Note: do not confuse “secondary source” with the generic designation
“outside source.” An outside source is any book, essay, article, etc. that is not
your primary source. A secondary source deals specifically with the ideas,
words, and arguments of a specific author or text.
Secondary Sources

This is a primary source:
Secondary Sources

This is a secondary source:
[an academic
work that
proposes a thesis
or interpretation
of another
source: “The
Narnia series is
ordered around
an understanding
of the medieval
conception of the
cosmos.”]
Secondary Sources

This is also a secondary source:
[a scholarly essay
contrasting the
role of obedience
in Lewis’s Narnia
series and
Pullman’s His
Dark Materials
series.]
From:
Secondary Sources

When wondering whether a source counts as “primary” or “secondary,” ask
yourself these questions:

Do we read it for Torrey Academy? If so, it is a primary source.

What is the text about? If a source is written about another work,
whether for the purpose of explicating the work’s content, arguing for
an interpretation of it, or providing contextual information to deepen
one’s understanding of it, then the source is generally going to be a
secondary in nature. If not, it is a primary source.

Is it on the list of approved secondary sources?

What does your tutor think?
Secondary Sources
 How does one locate secondary sources?
 Libraries!

The Biola Library is an excellent resource for secondary sources.
All sources listed on the approved secondary sources list are
available at the Biola Library, and a provisional membership is
available to you as a Torrey Academy student.

Lending Libraries: Many library systems have interlibrary loaning
privileges. If your local library or other libraries in your county
don’t have a book you need, another library in their system might,
and they can obtain it for you. Some libraries may charge a small
fee (typically less than $5 per item) for interlibrary loans, and
items may take a few weeks to arrive, so plan accordingly.
Secondary Sources
 How does one locate secondary sources?
 Online!

Google Books (books.google.com) is an essential tool for locating
sources electronically. Use Google books to search for books written
about your primary text or author, to gain author information, and to
read free books and articles written about your text and topic.

Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) operates similarly to Google
Books to help you locate books, articles, and essays on your selected
topic. It will link you to sites such as JSTOR and Wiley Online Library
to help you locate articles written about your text and topic. (Note:
While some journal databases such as JSTOR require a subscription
to utilize, operation of said databases is free at the Biola Library, and
pdfs can be saved and sent via email to be read and/or printed from
home.)
A quick Google Scholar search for the terms “Chaucer” and
“chivalry” returns 16,800 results.
Secondary Sources

Additional tips when gathering secondary sources:

General resources can be good to help you decide on a direction for
your topic and thesis, but move beyond these once you have picked a
topic.

Look for sources that address your specific topic, not just the author or
the book you are working with. These will likely be the most helpful
sources for you. For instance, if you are looking to present on Calvin’s
view of baptism, instead of searching for “Calvin,” search for “Calvin
baptism.”


Secondary Sources
 Additional tips when gathering secondary sources:
 Follow “citation trails” once you’ve found one good secondary
source to locate other works written on the same topic.
 Remember to utilize both books and scholarly journals. Use
every avenue available to find the best sources for your topic.
 Begin your research early (this means at the beginning of the
semester) in order to narrow down your topic and find
secondary sources that will be especially helpful for you.
Secondary Sources

Common mistakes:
Using primary, tertiary, or
“outside” sources instead
of secondary sources
Secondary Sources

Common mistakes:
“Hmm…baptism…”
Secondary Sources

Common mistakes:

Always a primary
source. Never a
secondary source.
Secondary Sources
Common mistakes:
Similarly, you cannot use
one book of the Bible as a
secondary source for
another book of the Bible.
X



Secondary Sources

Common mistakes:
Using non-academic
sources
✓
Secondary Sources

Common mistakes:
Using non-academic
sources
Secondary Sources

Common mistakes:
Using sources with obvious
biases
Secondary Sources

Common mistakes:
Using sources with obvious
biases
Secondary Sources

How to use secondary sources once you have found them:

Once you’ve gathered the sources you need to research your desired
topic and form a thesis, think of the secondary sources as a
conversation between scholars about the primary text. The authors are
carrying on a Torrey Academy style discussion, but they know a lot
more about the text than your average Torrey Academy Student.

Use your secondary sources to enhance your knowledge of your
selected primary source and to form a thesis about it.

Feel free to agree or to disagree with a secondary source. In either case,
however, explain why you agree or disagree. Secondary sources are
there to help, not to be used in arguments from authority. Your goal is
to contribute to the ongoing conversation, not merely parrot what
someone else has already said.
Your Presentation
 Annotated Bibliography

As a part of using secondary sources, you will write an Annotated
Bibliography to accompany your outline and term paper instead of a
Works Cited page.

A Works Cited page simply lists the texts that you cited in your
paper.

An Annotated Bibliography lists all the texts that contributed to
the development of your paper/presentation regardless of whether
or not you ended up citing them.

An Annotated Bibliography also has a brief description of each
source that includes information about the source’s merit and
pertinence.
Your Presentation
 Presentation Preparation Meetings
 After signing up for your presentation text at campus orientation,
you will then schedule your presentation meetings with your tutor.
 All students must meet with their tutors at least two weeks prior to
their presentations. For this meeting students must:
 Have completely read their primary text.
 Have read at least two secondary sources chosen from a tutorprovided list.
 Bring a typed copy of your thesis and at least three supporting
arguments to discuss with your tutor.
Your Presentation
 Presentation Preparation Meetings
 All students must also meet with their tutors one week prior to
their presentations. For this meeting you must:
 Bring a typed copy of your outline and annotated bibliography.
This should not be thought of as a rough draft. You will discuss
your argument with your tutor and he or she may suggest
changes for you to consider. You may revise your outline as
needed during the following week.
Your Presentation
 Google Groups

Two days prior to your scheduled presentation, you must compose and post
a set of questions in your class group that you will use to lead discussion on
the day of your presentation.
 Presentation Day

On the day of your presentation, you must bring to class copies of your
outline, including your annotated bibliography, for all of your classmates
and your tutor.

You will give your 15-20 minute presentation, receive questions and
feedback, and then lead discussion.

All students must come prepared to discuss the presenter’s posted
questions.
Your Presentation
 Presentation Evaluation
 Preparation – 25%
 Meeting all pre-presentation requirements as specified
 If you meet none of the preparatory requirements, it will be
impossible for you to earn more than 75% on your
presentation.
 Affect – 25%
 Affect: the manner in which the author physically expresses
the presentation content.
 Poise, eye contact, volume, articulation, facial expressions,
body language, dynamic tone, and length of the
presentation.
Your Presentation
 Presentation Evaluation
 Rhetorical Honor – 50%
 Logical construction of arguments, flow of ideas, textual
and contextual detail, winsomeness, holistic and honorable
treatment of opposing arguments, sound refutation of
opposing arguments.
 Actively directs audience toward virtue (sound thinking,
desire for wisdom, more careful thoughts and speech,
cultivation of love, virtuous actions, etc.).
 Argues honestly and honorably.
 For more information about presentation evaluation, see
the Oral Presentation and Presentation Outline rubrics
in the appendices of the TA Handbook.
Extra Credit
Hands Projects

You may perform and/or create a creative work (music, poetry, play,
manuscript, sculpture, painting, etc.) that pertains to the Faith
curriculum.

Because of the amount of time and energy involved, Hands Projects
can increase your semester grade by up to 5% (your tutor will decide
what your proposed project could be worth).

All Hands Projects must be approved by your tutor in advance.

Some examples:





Research and perform a Gregorian Chant
Research allegorical poetry and write your own
Create an illuminated Psalter
Memorize a canto from The Divine Comedy
Write a symphonic interpretation of Augustine’s conversion
History Tutorial Integration Essays

Along with each History Tutorial are included Integration Questions to help
you integrate the historical content with the texts that you are reading.

Students may choose to answer one Integration Question per lecture for
extra credit.

Integration Essays should meet all the requirements of Reflection Essays
(tutors will use Reflection Essay rubrics to grade Integration Essays).

Each essay is worth up to 50 points, with a maximum total limit of 250
points per semester (approximately 5%).
Ye Olde Questions?
Email us at torrey.academy@biola.edu