The crux of the Seminary. This course will be covered primarily online with an emphasis on both group and private study. Courses broken down into seasons. List of “at risk” hymns will be presented and taught by qualified cantors at the yearly Seminary meeting to preserve and disseminate these rare hymns.
For the Class of 2022, we are trying something new - in Year 1 along with the easy (beginner) hymns, we will introduce a few melismatic hymns. This will keep engaged those who are already proficient, and encourage those who are new to hymns!
- Teacher: Nader Mityas
- Teacher: Martina Nashed
Course Summary – History, Rites, and Theology (HRT) is a course that describes the contemporary rite, historical evolution of the rite, and the Theological interpretations of the rite. In the first year of the HRT course, Albair Mikhail describes in great detail, the rite of the Vespers & Prime Raising of Incense, the Glorification Service, the Midnight Prayer & Praise, the Offertory, and the Liturgy of the Word.
About the Instructor – Albair Mikhail's reputation precedes him, and his credentials far exceed in his many services. He serves in the Church of the Prophet Daniel & the Three Saintly Youth ("Seven Altars" Church) in Mississauga, Canada, as well as St. Philopateer & St Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church in Toronto, Canada. He is the choir director for the Heritage of the Coptic Orthodox Church (HCOC) choir, a large and well respected choir, and has developed many audio productions (recordings, lessons, and lectures) covering the hymns of the Coptic Church and Her rites. Albair has also authored multiple books describing the rites and hymns of the church, including the largely successful and very well known "Service of the Deacons" and the Holy Synod approved "Rite of the Glorification."
Course Grading Rubric
For each semester, the following grade structure will be used:
| Exams |
80% | Average of all exams in the semester |
| Attendance |
20% |
Exams consist of 10-15 multiple choice, TF, matching, ordering, or short answer (single word) questions. All assessments are automatically graded by the system, so as soon as you hit submit, you receive your grade. All assessments pull from a large question bank created from the Lecture Notes provided. Assessments are closed book and closed note.
- Teacher: Nader Mityas
- Teacher: Martina Nashed
The Coptic and Greek languages are integral in understanding the depth of the Coptic Church’s hymns, theology, rites, and history. In an effort to convey the meaning of each of her hymns, the Church’s attempts to translate the powerful hymnal lyrics into the languages of translation sometime falls short. This is occasionally remedied by studying the root words of the hymn, which is facilitated by having a working knowledge of the primary language being studied. Whether in the Coptic or Greek language, this course attempts to introduce the student to the fundamentals of grammar, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary, with emphasis on the use of the language as it appears in the liturgical text.
- Teacher: Nader Mityas
- Teacher: Martina Nashed
- Teacher: Nader Mityas
- Teacher: Martina Nashed