Description
Course Description
Ignore cancel culture and learn the reasons why sexual identity is the battleground of our day.
We regularly encounter terms like transgender, legal innovations like homosexual unions, and social media’s encouragement of pleasure at all costs. What does the plus sign mean in LGBTQ+, after all?
This course uncovers the roots of these changes. Students will understand the philosophies that built up identity when God’s design for mankind is rejected. They will regularly be asked to examine the ways in which these philosophies enter their entertainment, work, and hearts.
Designed as an elective course in the humanities for upperclassmen, the course includes several components to train your student in not just forming but living a biblical worldview to the glory of God:
- Introductory videos by Dr. Carl Trueman, a respected Christian professor of church and intellectual history;
- A complete reading of Trueman’s accessible study of the sexual revolution, Strange New World. This work was itself condensed from his acclaimed The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.
- Selections from contemporary movies, documentaries, and news clips that bring the ideas of the book off the page.
- Primary source readings from the works of philosophers highlighted by Trueman;
- Secondary readings from John Frame’s monumental History of Western Philosophy to provide a Christian analysis of selected philosophers, their ideas, and their legacies;
- A mixture of assignments, articles, quizzes and research projects to reinforce learning.
Credit: 1/2 HS Elective Credit (worldview, philosophy, intellectual history, humanities)
Age recommendation: 16+ [see Content Advisory below]
We strongly recommend parents go through this material with their student. See Content Advisory below.
Content Advisory
We recommend this course for students age 16+ due in part to the nature of the topic. These subjects appear frequently:
- sexual dysphoria
- LGBTQ+ issues
- homosexuality
- lesbianism
- bisexuality
- transgenderism
- transsexuality
- queer, non-binary, and intersex identification
- feminism
The following terms are also used in the course. Sometimes they are not defined by Dr. Trueman, but are included in a source quotations or aid in describing a legal issue involved:
- BDSM
- euthanasia
- genitalia
- masturbation
- pedophilia
- Playboy
- pornography
Required & Optional Books
Required: Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution by Dr. Carl Trueman. You can purchase a copy in our store or on Crossway.org
Optional: A History of Western Philosophy and Theology by Dr. John Frame. (Buy from Amazon | Look for used versions at Book Finder)
Video Study â’¸ 2021 by Carl Trueman. Book and Study Guide â’¸ 2022 Carl Trueman. All worldwide rights reserved. Used with permission under license from Crossway.
License: This product is licensed for use by one family. For group, co-op, or school use, each family will need to purchase a copy or purchase licenses for each student. For more information, visit our group license page.
Pamela (verified owner) –
First of all, my experience with this course (and the book) by Carl Trueman is EXCELLENT. It really challenges a person to think deeply about these ideas around them, about the self and the expressed individual and how those ideas emerged into the strange new world we know today.
I really LOVE how the videos in the course are so concise and simple, it really makes it so easy for even young people to understand (and have GREAT discussions!!) and I strongly wish more and more people should watch it and read it if they haven’t already.
100000/5 stars if you ask me. : )
Jeremy B (verified owner) –
Strange New World the book by Carl Trueman was a truly educating and entertaining book to read. The statements about how ancient philosophy affected the modern world was very thought provoking, the book truly gives the reader a great understanding of the changing beliefs of the modern man.
The facilitated course, and the people in it, was one of the best I have had here, I enjoyed it a lot. The instructor was an incredibly good teacher, and knew the source material very well.
Overall, this class was amazing, and I would love to attend it again.