Odyssey U: The Curriculum

This Page Has Three Parts

  1. Brief Overview

  2. Detailed Contents

  3. Reading Guides for HS, College, & Adults

Brief Overview

Goal 1: Being a U.S. citizen, I aim to understand the causes of American freedom and prosperity.

Goal 2: Once understood, I aim to vote to preserve American freedom and prosperity.

Goal 3: As I learn, I aim to teach the causes of freedom and prosperity to others.

What you actually do in Odyssey U

  1. Philosophical Philology in 5 Steps: Before you pick up a book, learn to be a wisdom-seeking reader. You will apply the five steps of philosophical philology to every book.

  2. Practical Reading Tips: Learn how to take notes, plus other very practical reading tips.

  3. Read the Tyrant-Slaying, Miracle-Building Seven: Bible, Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Founders, Orwell, Tolkien

    • Read the Bible: OT: Genesis and Exodus.

    • Read Homer: Iliad and Odyssey.

    • Read Plato: Apology and Crito.

    • Read Aristotle: Ethics and Politics.

    • Read the Bible: NT: Matthew and John.

    • Read the Founders: Locke’s Second Treatise, Va. Decl. of Rights, U.S. Decl. of Ind., Va. Statute of Religious Freedom, U.S. Const., Madison’s On Property

    • Read Orwell: 1984

    • Read Tolkien: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings (trilogy)

  4. Take the Final Exam: Which three of these books should a would-be American tyrant most hope to ban U.S. citizens from reading? Three pages min, five max, single spaced, 11 pt. font.

  5. Vote and/or run for elected office to preserve American freedom and prosperity.

  6. Teach the causes of freedom to others.

Detailed Contents

  • Philology in 5: How to read like a free citizen

    Philology is the art of slow, thoughtful reading, and we will use its five steps to study all our books. Learn to read free.

    Learn philology's 5 steps

  • Reading Minutiae: How to take notes

    Reading these books is hard. Done right, it will take you a long time. I will teach you how to get the most out of every reading session.

    Learn how to take notes

  • Curriculum Checklist: Track your progress

    Become a rare Navy SEAL of the American mind. Use this detailed, step by step checklist to complete Odyssey U’s curriculum.

    Get the checklist

  • 1. The Bible

    Read like a free citizen, and see why an American tyrant should hope to ban the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

    Read the Bible

  • 2. Homer

    Read like a free citizen, and see why an American tyrant should want to keep you confused about the Iliad and the Odyssey.

    Read Homer

  • 3. Plato

    Read like a free citizen, and see why an American tyrant should work to prevent you from understanding Plato’s Apology and Crito.

    Read Plato

  • 4. Aristotle

    Read like a free citizen, and see why an American tyrant should hope to ban Aristotle’s Ethics and Politics.

    Read Aristotle

  • 5. Founders

    Read like a free citizen, and see why an American tyrant should desperately hope to keep you from studying Locke, the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution.

    Read the Founders

  • 6. Orwell

    Read like a free citizen, and see why an American tyrant should hope to keep Orwell’s 1984 out of your hands.

    Read Orwell

  • 7. Tolkien

    Read like a free citizen, and see why an American tyrant should hope you never take Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings seriously.

    Read Tolkien

  • Final Exam

    Be prepared to answer the following question about each book in this curriculum: Why should a would-be American tyrant hope to ban this book?

    Take the Exam

Three Guides for Three Readers

High School

Guide high schoolers through the Odyssey U curriculum in one year.

College Classroom

Teach Odyssey U as a two-course sequence: 101 and 102. Designed around a 14-week semester.

Adult Learner

Complete Odyssey U on your own pace with this detailed, step by step independent reading plan. Great for solo learners and groups.