Classes begin at Glenn Beck's online 'university'

For those who subscribe to Glenn Beck's "Insider Extreme" package, classes on Faith, Hope and Charity are available online.

Faith 101 kicked-off the coursework at Beck University this week with Hope 101 and Charity 101 available in coming weeks. The online lectures are "offered exclusively to Insider Extreme subscribers" and BU is touted as "a unique academic experience bringing together experts in the fields of religion, American history and economics." BU has three instructors employed to "explore the concepts of Faith, Hope and Charity and show you how they influence America’s past, her present and most importantly her future." The courses are Faith 101, 102 and 103; Hope 101, 102 and 103; and, Charity 101, 102, and 103. Faith 101 was offered on July 7 and the final lecture of the series is Charity 103, which will be offered on September 1. As noted by Politico.com, "The classes are available to anyone who signs up for Beck’s 'Extreme Insider' package, which costs $6.26 per month." The Huffington Post reports that, according to Keith Olbermann, there is also a $79 joining fee. Olbermann paid the fee in order to enroll in BU. On Countdown with Keith Olbermann, the host immediately set about to "debunk U" as can be seen in the video above. Media Matters for America considers the launch of BU as "Beck's latest attempt to grab money from...his audience" and describes Faith 101's instructor, David Barton, as a "frequent Beck guest/promoter of historical misinformation." Media Matters for America also calls into question Beck's qualifications to found a "university." Media Matters for America states:

Glenn Beck is uniquely unqualified to found a university, considering he regularly traffics in bizarre conspiracy theories, distortions, and downright falsehoods on a wide variety of subjects.