English: Tolkien's Middle Earth

Topics in Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature. Subjects vary by semester. Representative topics: Tolkien's Middle Earth; The Hobbit; Survey of Science Fiction and Fantasy. May be repeated for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years.

Open to Degree and PACE students

Tolkien's Middle-earth explores the product of Tolkien’s imagination, kindled as it was by his love of language and set ablaze by the Great World War. Attention will be paid to major themes, images, and motifs found in The Lord of the Rings and important lesser-known works. Students will leave the class with a greater respect for Tolkien’s sub-creative and philological process as well as a sense of his place within the larger context of post-WW I British literature. This semester, we will linger a bit longer on the subjects of classical antiquity and Greek and Latin in the novel, which is the theme of this year’s conference.

Shippey, Tom. The Road to Middle Earth Tolkien, J.R.R. Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien ---. The Lord of the Rings ---. The Hobbit ---. The Silmarillion ---. The Tolkien Reader

30%- Class Participation (midterm and final); (3 unexcused absences allowed) • 5%- Memorization/Recitation (10-15 lines of poetry or prose) • 5%- Homework and Quizzes • 20%- In-class discussion; answering and asking questions 30%- Midterm Exam (Open book and open notes; short answers and printed 5-page essay) 20%- Final Exam (Open book and open notes; submitted electronically May ) 20%- Term Paper, 10 pages (Includes bibliography) (See style handout online: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/) (Evaluated based on Ideas, Organization, Support, Style, and Mechanics)