This module is part of the Academic Mastery program. Please apply to the AM program before enrolling in this course

This module is part of the Tolkien's Middle-earth in Context cluster and is recommended to be taken after "Concerning Monsters and Fairies".

This five-week module provides students with the information needed to articulate for themselves the context behind Tolkien’s master work, his The Lord of the Rings, through an in-depth analysis of Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion acts as a source text, which consistently fueled Tolkien’s imagination as he wrote The Lord of the Rings. Students watch recorded lectures by Dr. Verlyn Flieger, participate in weekly discussions with a member of our graduate faculty, and complete a final writing project. The module may be repeated as many times as desired. Students are welcome to take modules individually and in any order that suits their scholarly needs, but this module builds upon ideas covered in "Concerning Monsters and Fairies."

Note: This module draws extensively upon lectures originally recorded for Tolkien's World of Middle-earth. Students in the MA program who have taken (or plan to take) that course may find significant overlap in the core materials.

Format: 4 weeks discussion; 1 week assessment (9 hours video; 8 hours discussion

Assessments: summative (final project)

Goals and Skills:

This course is graduate level in intensity.

Fee: 2 Signum Tokens