RHETORIC I IS A YEAR-LONG COURSE FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 10-12.
The culminating discipline of the Trivium, rhetoric builds upon the skills learned in logic and teaches the student to speak and write in a cohesive, persuasive, and winsome manner. This course develops students' communication abilities through the ancient art of rhetoric. Students learn what rhetoric is, why it is an essential tool in several situations, how to analyze those situations and their audiences, and how to craft several types of messages using the diverse resources of the classical rhetorical canon. Student’s will wrestle with questions like: How ought Christ’s followers to try to persuade others? How should their rhetorical efforts look different from those of the world around? How can they seek to persuade with empathy, understanding, compassion? How can they both speak to others and listen to them?
Rhetoric is the art of effective, persuasive, winsome communication. It often gets a bad rap, though. Listen to today’s social, cultural, or political commentary. You’ll soon hear claims that someone’s spouting “empty rhetoric.”
Many see rhetoric as showy words without substance. A speaker sounds great. Her facts don’t hold up, though, and her reasoning is flawed. Her ideas are great, but they don’t seem to square with reality. She seems sincere, but we’re not sure she’s sure of what she’s saying.
Worse, some view rhetoric as a tool of manipulation. The speaker seems to be keeping something from us. Is he telling us the whole truth? What does he hope to get out of persuading us? Will he gain something valuable at our expense? Does he have our best interest in mind?
People’s concerns about much of today’s rhetoric are legitimate. Rhetoric has suffered much abuse and neglect. Some speak and write with great form, but their message has little substance. Some will say or do whatever they need to get our “like,” our dollar, or our vote.
Classical educators value rhetoric and want to see it restored. As the third phase of the Trivium, it provides a key, even capstone role for a K–12 education. Rhetoric doesn’t have to be a tool to simply get what we want. It needn’t be showy or manipulative. It needn’t be empty, either.
Instead, rhetoric can be skillful, straightforward communication. It can be informative and even inspiring. It can be honest and kind, genuine, and empathetic.
This is how Veritas sees rhetoric. This is what the art of persuasion should be. Veritas rhetoric equips students to have something worthwhile to say and to say it well.
Our approach to rhetoric values much of what Greeks and Romans said about the subject. We still sit at their feet to hear great insights. We still aim to put their best ideas into practice.
Greeks and Romans taught us how to come up with something to say. They taught us how to order our thoughts and order our words. They taught us, too, how to shape a message to an audience. They didn’t teach us much about using rhetoric to love and serve others, though.
The Veritas approach to rhetoric does. It turns to the Bible and the Christian tradition for guidance. It seeks to follow and teach the powerful example of Jesus’s words and deeds. We show high school students a better way to persuade.
How ought Christ’s followers to try to persuade others? How should their rhetorical efforts look different from those of the world around? How can they seek to persuade with empathy, understanding, compassion? How can they both speak to others and listen to them?
Practically speaking, we recommend two years of Rhetoric, ideally in the sophomore and junior years. In Rhetoric I students learn much about rhetoric (80% of the course) and practice developing their rhetorical skills (20%). Rhetoric II flips the objectives, with 80% of the course dedicated to developing students’ rhetorical skills and 20% to learning more about rhetoric.
Jesus called us all to love our neighbor as ourself. A Veritas approach to rhetoric asks how we can do that in our speaking and writing and living. A Veritas rhetoric equips students to adorn truthful words with beauty.
Senior Thesis
The senior thesis is the jewel in upper-school students’ crown. Students focus their studies and curiosities on a culminating project. The project spotlights what they’ve learned from their classical education. It gives them an opportunity to contribute to it, as well.
The senior thesis is the culmination of a student’s training in rhetoric. The purpose of the project is to stake out a position on an arguable topic and defend it. The thesis includes written and oral components, as well as research and reflection.
The thesis project requires students to express ideas clearly. It demands that they substantiate their claims and answer challenges. The senior thesis equips students to tackle tough topics and make sense of them. It equips students to share a big idea—their idea—with power and persuasiveness.
Equipping Students to Speak Truth with Wisdom, Clarity, and Love
At Veritas, we’ve long recognized that rhetoric is an integral part of classical education—the art of applying wisdom to persuade others with words and actions. But too often, the concept of “rhetoric” is misunderstood as mere persuasion or performance. In reality, it’s much deeper—and much more urgent for today’s students.
That’s why we’re thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of the Veritas Self-Paced Rhetoric I Course, a one-of-a-kind online experience designed to train students in the art of loving others through communication. Developed and taught by Dr. Michael Collender—beloved Veritas Scholars Academy teacher, TEDx speaker, and co-creator of the A Rhetoric of Love curriculum, this course is the culmination of more than two decades of classical teaching experience.
Whether your student is just entering the world of classical learning or has thrived on Omnibus and Logic courses for years, this course is built to serve them. Flexible, interactive, and deeply rooted in biblical truth, it offers a new standard for rhetorical training designed not just to inform, but to transform.
WHY A RHETORIC I SELF-PACED COURSE? WHY NOW?
Students today are growing up in a digital world shaped by algorithm-fed outrage, screen-mediated relationships, and increasing emotional fragility. Many teens struggle with anxiety, especially when asked to speak publicly, organize complex thoughts, or receive feedback. Meanwhile, families are navigating education in an era of confusion, polarization, and shallow communication.
The Self-Paced Rhetoric I Course responds directly to this moment.
Rather than merely teaching students how to “win arguments,” this course grounds rhetoric in love: training students to communicate clearly, think logically, and speak winsomely. It’s designed to meet students where they are and take them further than they thought possible.
RHETORIC I AS A PATH TO ANTI-FRAGILITY
At its core, this course aims to make students anti-fragile by making them able to grow stronger through challenge, pressure, and real-life communication situations. Dr. Collender has designed the course to confront three distinct areas where today’s students often struggle:
- Performance Anxiety: By practicing in a self-paced environment, students can grow confident without the fear of failure or embarrassment. They get to build strength before stepping into the spotlight.
- Gaps in Classical Foundations: For students who haven’t had formal Logic or Composition, this course teaches those tools within the context of rhetorical training, equipping them as they go.
- Overloaded High Achievers: For advanced students who want to revisit and refine core skills they’ve previously encountered, the course offers deep reinforcement, giving them the opportunity to master every detail with confidence.
This anti-fragile approach helps students become not just competent speakers, but resilient, wise communicators—capable of thriving in a fractured world.
THREE TYPES OF STUDENTS, ONE POWERFUL SOLUTION
Dr. Collender designed this course with three distinct student needs in mind:
1. The Anxious Communicator
For students who feel overwhelmed at the idea of public speaking, this course creates a safe, private environment to build confidence first. Through interactive modules, students get immediate feedback and can practice core skills without performance pressure so when they step into a live rhetoric class later, they’re ready.
2. The Midstream Learner
Many families are discovering classical education later in a student’s academic journey. This course is built to bridge the gap by incorporating key elements of Composition and Logic into the curriculum so that no student is left behind, even if they’re new to classical thinking.
3. The High-Achieving Scholar
Some students are already passionate about classical learning—but need space to deepen and refine their rhetorical skills. This course offers mastery-level training with self-directed challenges and built-in review of previous concepts, allowing advanced students to move at their own accelerated pace.
HOW IT WORKS
The Veritas Self-Paced Rhetoric I Course combines:
- High-impact lessons
- Immediate application through exercises, games, and assessments
- Built-in review of logic, composition, and persuasive structure
- Feedback mechanisms that allow students to track their growth
And because it’s self-paced, your student can start anytime, progress on their schedule, and revisit material as often as needed—without the pressure of performing in a live classroom setting.
WHO IS IT FOR?
- Students preparing to take the Rhetoric II live course
- Homeschoolers looking for a high-quality speaking and logic foundation
- Classical schools seeking a turnkey rhetoric program
- Students pursuing ministry, law, debate, or leadership roles
- Adults seeking to sharpen their communication in a biblical framework
In short, this course is for anyone who wants to grow in truth-centered, love-motivated communication—whether in the classroom, the pulpit, the public square, or around the dinner table.
INTERVIEWS WORLD-CLASS SUBJECT EXPERTS
The Veritas Self-Paced Rhetoric I Course also includes interviews with world-class experts who share their own insights on course topics:
- How to Train Your Voice: Roger Love is one of the world’s leading voice coaches, with over 30 years of experience training singers, actors, and public speakers. He has worked with stars like Bradley Cooper, Selena Gomez, John Mayer, Reese Witherspoon, Joaquin Phoenix, and Tony Robbins. His clients have sold over 150 million albums and earned Grammys and Oscars. Love teaches how to master breathing, vocal placement, and the seamless blend of chest, head, and middle voice to unleash powerful, persuasive communication.
- Developing Curiosity: Nolan Bushnell, creator of the commercial video game, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, mentor to Steve Jobs, and author of Finding the Next Steve Jobs: How to Find, Keep, and Nurture Talent, explains how to recognize and cultivate curiosity as the core of developing your talents.
- The Power of Silence: Bruce Bryan, wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 29 years, eventually proved his innocence and won his freedom. He has appeared on Joe Rogan and many other major podcasts. Now living in New York, he teaches rhetoric and debate to young men in prison, showing them that they aren’t serving time—time is serving them. He explains how silence, rightly used, becomes a weapon of strength and clarity.
- How to Develop Social Capital: Ken Rutkowski, the inventor of the podcast and a legendary super-connector who has interviewed over 30,000 people, explains how to build meaningful access to people and opportunity through the strategic use of social capital.
- Cultivating Creativity: Prince Stanislas Klossowski de Rola—known to his friends as Prince Stash—was an actor, screenwriter, and member of Vince Taylor’s band. He shared stages with The Rolling Stones and was close friends with Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and The Beatles. He reflects on creativity as a cultivated lifestyle, shaped through music, performance, and relationships at the heart of 20th-century rock culture.
- How to Influence the Zeitgeist of Culture: Will Henshall, founder of the band Londonbeat and writer of multiple Billboard hits, unpacks how to craft messages that resonate with the moment and ripple across culture. He shows how music and storytelling can be engineered to influence the spirit of an age.
- How to Use Surprise: Franz Harary, the illusionist who made the Space Shuttle disappear, designs large-scale illusions and theme park attractions around the world. He has worked with Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Missy Elliott, and others. Surprise, he argues, is not just entertainment—it’s the engine of emotional engagement and impact.
- How Architecture Shapes Stories: Alan Roderick-Jones, the production designer who created the iconic Star Wars Cantina in 1977, explains how architecture can shape the psychological landscape of a story. His work across Hollywood reveals how built spaces convey mood, power, and narrative structure.
- How Stories Influence a Culture’s Worldview: Brian Godawa, screenwriter and author of Hollywood Worldviews, shows how stories don’t just reflect culture—they shape it. He explains how narrative can carry and transmit a worldview, influencing how entire societies see truth, meaning, and morality.
This course can be used in the Diploma Program.
With the Veritas Self-Paced Rhetoric I Course, your student will gain more than speaking skills; they’ll gain the confidence to lead, the wisdom to discern, and the humility to love through every word they speak.
"Wisdom is the skill of using information to make things of lasting value." – Dr. Michael Collender
Let this course be part of the legacy of wisdom and lasting value you build in your student’s life. Because rhetoric, rightly taught, doesn’t just win arguments, it shapes culture. And the world needs voices like your student’s.
Parents that Choose Self-Paced Rhetoric:
- Have one less subject to teach
- Don't have to grade any assignments
- Can see their students progress at all times
- Have kids that are excited to learn
- Free up more time in their day
Students that take Self-Paced Rhetoric:
- Have so much fun they don't know they're doing "school"
- Can work wherever there is internet access
- Progress at their own pace
- Enjoy learning that is as fun as a video game
- Will master what they are learning
With this purchase, you are receiving 1 year of access to the course from the start date that you will choose after purchase.
What You Will Need
For this option, you will need to purchase the Self-Paced Course, the Course Kit.
