Throughout Tolkien's works, the sense of loss is pervasive, building upon Tolkien's personal belief that to create myth was to engage the cultural awareness of a past "fall." This course will analyze Tolkien's most obvious allusions to a Fall in the legendarium, while looking at literary examples of a "Fall" in society of which Tolkien built upon.

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

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Session 1: "There must be a Fall": Tolkien's idea of story-telling
	Session 2: The Biblical Back Drop
Week 2	Session 3: The Greek Awareness
	Session 4: The Fall of Rome
Week 3	Session 5: The Great War
	Session 6: The Attraction of the North: The Nordic Influence
Week 4	Session 7: Modernity's theft
	Session 8: Life as Teacher: Tolkien's Loss