THIS IS A TWO-SEMESTER COURSE.

The fourth level of the MCT language arts curriculum is an introduction to literature that is sophisticated and insightful at a level beyond what most students will encounter unless they are English majors at top universities. In MCT4, Michael Clay Thompson leads students in an examination of how the great writers use poetic techniques, subtle paragraph transitions, and sound in their classic novels. He takes them into the grammar, vocabulary, and poetic elements of these novels. During the second semester, students will read the Shadow Trilogy of literary novels.

No other curriculum comes close to this level of sophistication, and Michael is the ideal instructor to lead students in exploring it.

Class Meetings: Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. OR Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. (Students can choose which time works best for them.)
Fall Semester: August 19/21 – December 16/18, 2025
Spring Semester: January 13/15 – May 12/14, 2026

There will not be a class meeting every week. The core of the course is the assignments and the extensive feedback given by Michael.

Student Expectations: Students are expected to attend the live class meetings with their cameras turned on. Students who do not wish to turn on their cameras will need to take the audit-only version of this course instead. Students who attend class regularly but who miss a live class meeting will be able to access a recording of the class.

Student Support: Michael is available via email.

Feedback/Assessment: Michael may reply to students’ answers with comments or questions, and he will want them to answer those emails.

Materials: Students will need the Level 4 texts: The Grammar of Literature, 4Practice for Literature, The Vocabulary of Literature, The Writing of Literature, and The Poetry of Literature, and as well as the Shadow Trilogy novels: The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Hound of the Baskervilles.

PURCHASE THESE BOOKS AS A PACKAGE HERE.