The Rhetoric Stage

Who today does not regret the frequent descent of political and cultural rhetoric into mere propaganda? For two millennia, rhetorical training was a prerequisite for graduation from the trivium.  So it is again at The Oaks.

Spanning all subjects, students learn to articulate their ideas using concise verbal and written communication, and to relate those ideas to an audience with clarity and persuasion. Students are inspired to investigate, contemplate, debate, and persuade with the ultimate goal that knowledge leads to understanding and wisdom, and that students become life-long learners.

Rhetoric, in a biblical context, recognizes that speaking clearly and effectively flows from the foundation of thinking clearly and effectively. We train students to place the arts of invention, arrangement, style, memory and delivery into the service of biblical truth across a wide range of secondary studies.

The Rhetoric course work flows naturally from the Logic studies that the students receive. Rhetoric students are required to complete a thesis project where they must research and write about a controversial topic of their choosing, and then present and defend their position before a panel of adult experts in that particular field of study. Students are evaluated according to ethos (their personal character), pathos (their appeal to the audience), and logos (the quality of their knowledge and its written and verbal expression).