Welcome to SPACE, our adult continuing education program which offers interactive monthly courses for personal enrichment! Learn more here.
Being Scheduled
Days and Times
As soon as we obtain enough interest in this class we will be in touch to work out a meeting time that works for the group. Thank you for keeping your October 2026 availability up to date!
This class needs more pre-enrollment by September 1 to get confirmed.
This module is a standing candidate which means it will be ready to launch as soon as it gets enough interest. Token holders can set aside a Token to reserve their seat for class and help it get confirmed.
This module will focus on bodies in Middle-earth from a multitude of directions and fields of enquiry. We will address fascinating subjects such as Sauron's body, the physical differences between Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White and the age old question "Do Balrogs have wings?" [No, the case is not settled on this.] We will explore how Tolkien writes about gendered and racialized bodies and how he uses slap-stick carnivalesque bodily humor in The Hobbit. We will explore the artwork and film images too. The point will be that bodies very much mattered in the narratives that make up Tolkien's Cauldron of Story, and they matter in his Legendarium!
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
| Outline | 8-Session Structure |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Lecture 1: Introductions. Strategies of Reading
Theories of the Body Topics: Feminism, Gender, Sexuality, Race, Religion, Science, Art Do Bodies Matter in Middle-earth? Reading spirituality: Evil and Angelic Bodies, Wraiths, Elves, Istari, Sauron’s Bodies |
| Discussion 1: Discussion about Lecture 1 topics | |
| Week 2 | Lecture 2: Reading gendered bodies
Trans bodies? Women’s and Men’s Bodies Masculine and Feminine Bodies Bodies and Metaphors of Light or Foliage |
| Discussion 2: Discussion about Lecture 2 topics | |
| Week 3 | Lecture 3: Reading race and the body
Hobbits, Orcs, Elves, Races of men Hybridized Bodies: The White Rider Intersectionality: Dwarf Women |
| Discussion 3: Discussion about Lecture 3 topics | |
| Week 4 | Lecture 4: Wars, wounds, suffering bodies
Bodies Out of Faerie: on stage and on screen |
| Discussion 4: Discussion about Lecture 4 topics |
Recorded Sessions
All live sessions will be recorded and shared with enrolled students so everyone can review the material or catch up if they can’t attend live.
Note: If a recording does not appear as expected, please let us know at [email protected]. Thank you!
Required Texts
The Body in Tolkien's Legendarium, McFarland 2013
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
This will be a Hybrid class (4 lectures & 4 discussion sessions). Each week will consist of 1 hour of recorded lecture and 1 hour of live discussion (not recorded) for a total of 8 class hours over the course of the month.
Delivery Plan
1. The first session each week will be a pre-recorded lecture sent to students at least 2 days before the live discussion session.
2. The second session each week will be a live discussion session (not recorded).
Delivery Plan
1. The first session each week will be a pre-recorded lecture sent to students at least 2 days before the live discussion session.
2. The second session each week will be a live discussion session (not recorded).
Check out Current and Upcoming offerings from:
