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The last story Tolkien ever published is one of the most curious stories he ever wrote, and provides rare insight into his final thoughts on storytelling and the world of Faerie he first explained in "On Fairy-Stories." This module will explore the ways in which Tolkien explored philosophy, mythology, and the nature of inspiration in his final adventure into the Perilous Realm.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Session 1: Introduction and the Golden Key
	Session 2: Smith (Part I)
Week 2	Session 3: Smith(Part II)
	Session 4: Smith(Part III)
Week 3	Session 5: The Drafts (Part I)
	Session 6: The Drafts (Part II)
Week 4	Session 7: Essay on Faerie
	Session 8: Overview and Conclusion

This month-long module would teach students the art of juggling, from the absolute basics to some of the more advanced flourishes and tricks. Juggling is actually much easier than most people think, and as long as students put in the practice and repetitions necessary to learn, most people can start successfully doing a 3-ball fountain by the end of the first session.

Course Outline:

Week One
• Session 1: Basics, Concepts, Philosophy, 1/2/3-ball patterns
• Session 2: Review of 3-ball fountain, advanced 2-ball patterns
Week Two
• Session 3: Overhand and Underhand Patterns
• Session 4: Knees and Bounces
Week Three
• Session 5: Pillars, The Crane
• Session 6: Spins, Flourishes, and Back Patterns
Week Four
• Session 7: Mill's Mess and the Weave
• Session 7: Synchronizing and The Kick

How did a small, persecuted Jewish sect from a remote province transform the greatest empire the world had ever known? The Roman Empire's conversion to Christianity is one of history’s most influential moments that reshaped the very soul of the West. This eight-lecture journey traces the often turbulent process that turned a pagan empire into the foundation of medieval Europe. We’ll move beyond simple tales of conversion to explore a gripping story of clashing worldviews, political opportunism, spiritual fervor, and astonishing adaptability.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Session 1: I A World of Many Gods: Pagan Rome Meets a Jewish Sect
	Session 2: The Offensive Faith: Why Christianity Was Different
Week 2	Session 3: Seeds in the Cracks: Growth and Adaptation in the Second and Third Centuries
	Session 4: The Imperial Convert: Constantine and the Cross of Victory
Week 3	Session 5: From Faith in Caesar to Caesar's Faith: The Christian Empire Takes Shape
	Session 6: City of God vs. City of Man: Collapse and Reinvention
Week 4	Session 7: The Christian Landscape: Rites, Rivalries, and the Erasure of Paganism
	Session 8: The Imperial Church: Justinian's Dream and the Legacy of a Baptized Rome

C.S. Lewis was not only the author of beloved classics, including The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, and his science-fiction Space Trilogy; he was also a scholar of Medieval and Renaissance Literature.

Our text for this class is Lewis’s final masterpiece, The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature. In this book, Lewis shares his detailed knowledge of the medieval and renaissance worldview, editing and expanding the lectures he gave at Oxford and Cambridge universities. As such, it is an excellent overview of both a) The medieval and renaissance mind, and b) How Lewis himself thought about the period.

We will read through The Discarded Image week by week, taking our time to discuss and understand the ideas Lewis is describing and the places those ideas also appear in his own work.

“And there abide the ghosts of those that may not rest; and there wander the dwarfs and the mountain-dwellers, the dealers in marvels, the givers of gifts that destroy Houses…”

Over two months, let’s read The Roots of the Mountains by William Morris!

Ensconced at the roots of the mountains, the peaceful Dalemen are craftspeople, woodsmen and shepherds. Only the restless Face-of-God dares to roam beyond the safe confines of his village. In the wilds, he soon discovers his world is far from safe, as the Huns are poised to invade Dale and cast its people into slavery.

Taking up his sword alongside the beautiful Sun-Beam, Face-of-God vows to protect his folk at any cost. Only by bringing together the disparate tribes of the Dale do they have any hope of victory.

William Morris returns to the world of wights and shield maidens. An epic of bravery and sacrifice, imbued with a deep love of Norse myth, Morris revives the medieval romance tradition where true love endures against terrible foes.

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”

Let’s finish the year by savoring two of Dickens’ Christmas tales!
A Christmas Carol is a beloved classic for a reason. Bitter and lonesome, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge loathes Christmas and everything to do with it. Three ghostly visitations will show Scrooge the error of his ways, taking him on a transformative journey toward redemption.

Published one year later, The Chimes is one of Dickens’ lesser-known Christmas stories. A poor man, the elderly Toby ("Trotty") Veck is convinced he and his family deserve their wretched condition. Is there any point giving his blessing for his daughter Meg to marry? A vision brought on by goblins invites him toward a gentler and more merciful understanding of the world, reminding him of the power of love at the turning of the new year.

Together, these two Christmas novellas give readers hope in the face of poverty and despair.

“Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?”

It’s spooky season, so let’s read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein!

Consumed by his need to unlock the secrets of life, scientist Victor Frankenstein pieces together a living being from body parts of the dead. Horrified by his own creation, Frankenstein casts it aside. His misshapen offspring craves love and acceptance, but meets only revulsion and cruelty. As their lives spiral toward revenge and ruin, Frankenstein and his monster must confront the terrifying cost of playing God.

A foundational text of gothic horror and science fiction, Mary Shelley explores profound ethical questions with compassion and humanity.

A most fell warrior was he, whose deeds no man of the Mark could equal…

Let’s read a tale that directly inspired Tolkien!

Deep in the primordial Mirkwood, the free folk of the Mid-mark must take up arms to protect their home. When the Roman war machine rolls across their lands, the Valkyrie Wood-Sun and warrior chief Thiodolf rally their clan to save their idyllic way of life.

An epic romance of survival and heroism in the face of overwhelming odds, William Morris weaves his tale through archaizing prose and verse. Inspired by Norse storytelling, The House of the Wolfings is by turns bloody and otherworldly, a celebration of community and the natural world.

“And there abide the ghosts of those that may not rest; and there wander the dwarfs and the mountain-dwellers, the dealers in marvels, the givers of gifts that destroy Houses…”

Over two months, let’s read The Roots of the Mountains by William Morris!

Ensconced at the roots of the mountains, the peaceful Dalemen are craftspeople, woodsmen and shepherds. Only the restless Face-of-God dares to roam beyond the safe confines of his village. In the wilds, he soon discovers his world is far from safe, as the Huns are poised to invade Dale and cast its people into slavery.

Taking up his sword alongside the beautiful Sun-Beam, Face-of-God vows to protect his folk at any cost. Only by bringing together the disparate tribes of the Dale do they have any hope of victory.

William Morris returns to the world of wights and shield maidens. An epic of bravery and sacrifice, imbued with a deep love of Norse myth, Morris revives the medieval romance tradition where true love endures against terrible foes.

“I tell you there are more worlds, and more doors to them, than you will think of in many years!”

Let’s read George MacDonald’s darkest fantasy! Exploring his family’s haunted residence, Mr. Vane uncovers a portal to a strange mirror dimension. He plunges into a parallel realm where ravens speak, skeletons do battle, and sleepers dream of a world redeemed… And where Lilith, exile of Eden, holds dominion.

A mesmerizing allegory of death and salvation, Lilith exerted a powerful influence on C.S. Lewis’ Narnia. H.P. Lovecraft hailed MacDonald’s novel for its “compelling bizarrerie.”

“It is no use trying to account for things in Fairy Land; and one who travels there soon learns to forget the idea of doing so…”

Let us wander into George MacDonald’s dreamlike Phantastes, the first fantasy novel for adults! Having just come of age, Anados wakes to find himself swept into the fairy realm. Wandering through its sun-dappled woods, he is hunted by his own sinister shadow. Compelled to face malevolent trees, questing knights and living statues, Anados will come face-to-face with his own mortality, emerging forever changed…

Rich with lyrical prose and fantastic imagery, Phantastes takes you on a journey like no other, which will stay with you far beyond its end.

“Seeing is not believing—it is only seeing.”

The first modern novels to take place entirely in an imaginary world, George MacDonald’s fantasies were formative in the imaginations of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. In this module, we’ll read MacDonald's children’s novels, as well as his essay, "The Fantastic Imagination."

Eight-year-old Princess Irene is forbidden from exploring her father’s castle. Little does she suspect that hordes of goblins dwell beneath her feet, scheming to overrun the kingdom. Soon, a chance encounter with heroic miner (and occasional poet) Curdie sweeps Irene into an adventure of which she never dreamed.

Enter a world where legends rise from a labyrinth under the earth and immortal grandmothers bestow magic rings from above, where rhymes drive back monsters and belief reveals the path home.