Welcome to SPACE, our adult continuing education program which offers interactive monthly courses for personal enrichment! Learn more here.
November 2024 Modules
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Advanced Old English Series:
Readings in Poetry
Meeting Mondays & Thursdays at 7:00 PM Eastern for seven 70-minute sessions on November 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25
Welcome to the Readings in Poetry page for the Advanced Old English Series in which students explore, in alternating months, a work of prose and then a work of poetry to introduce students to the breadth and depth of Old English texts available for study. Each month Dr. Swain surveys the group to see what they want to tackle next from month to month.
Precepted by
Dr.
Larry Swain
Beginning Japanese 9
Continuing Series
Meeting Tuesdays & Thursdays at 9:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on October 29, 31, November 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21.
Continuing from where we ended in Japanese 8, we will advance our knowledge of Japanese grammar, vocabulary, speaking, listening, and kanji as we work our way through the Genki textbook.
Precepted by
Dr.
Robert Steed
Book Club: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2
Meeting Mondays & Thursdays at 10:00 PM Eastern for seven 70 minute sessions on November 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25
Wands at the ready, let's read the fourth Harry Potter book!
We will get together twice a week to explore the series, reading through the books at a relaxed pace. Connect with fellow readers and share your insights as we discover (or rediscover) the magic.
Over two months, we will follow fourteen-year-old Harry's adventures as he is forced to compete in the deadly Triwizard Tournament. But who entered him in the tournament, and why? The answers will reveal the dark forces poised to destroy the wizarding world...
This book club is all about sharing the moments of unexpected, joyful discovery through close reading. Focusing on the text, we will share our personal readings and experiences. We will learn from our classmates in a kindness-first, supportive environment.
Together, we can tackle some big questions about the series. What was it about the Harry Potter books that resonated with so many people? To what extent is it possible or indeed desirable to separate art from artist?
Most of all, however, we will have an inclusive dialogue that embraces a multiplicity of views and enriches our experience of the text.
We will get together twice a week to explore the series, reading through the books at a relaxed pace. Connect with fellow readers and share your insights as we discover (or rediscover) the magic.
Over two months, we will follow fourteen-year-old Harry's adventures as he is forced to compete in the deadly Triwizard Tournament. But who entered him in the tournament, and why? The answers will reveal the dark forces poised to destroy the wizarding world...
This book club is all about sharing the moments of unexpected, joyful discovery through close reading. Focusing on the text, we will share our personal readings and experiences. We will learn from our classmates in a kindness-first, supportive environment.
Together, we can tackle some big questions about the series. What was it about the Harry Potter books that resonated with so many people? To what extent is it possible or indeed desirable to separate art from artist?
Most of all, however, we will have an inclusive dialogue that embraces a multiplicity of views and enriches our experience of the text.
Precepted by
Dr.
Julian Barr
Creative Writing: Tree Workshop
(Novel in a Year)
Meeting Mondays & Thursdays at 9:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on October 31, November 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25
Note: Though this module is open to all who have a mature writing project ready for close scrutiny, we strongly recommend that students participating in this module will have completed at least 4 previous modules in the Novel in a Year sequence.
You’ll spend this month building on all the skills you’ve learned through the Creative Writing: Workshop modules by reading each other’s nearly completed novels. Now you’ve built a community of encouragement and good communication and have a deep familiarity with each other’s projects & styles: so, whether you’re copy editing or madly layering in a gamma plot, lean into the group for collaborative feedback to bring this novel to fruition.
Collaborative Feedback: A method of supportive feedback which lifts up excellence and encourages your own story in your own voice. You will read and comment kindly on others’ work as well as having the option to share your own writing (which we very much hope you will do). For more information, check out our video here.
You’ll spend this month building on all the skills you’ve learned through the Creative Writing: Workshop modules by reading each other’s nearly completed novels. Now you’ve built a community of encouragement and good communication and have a deep familiarity with each other’s projects & styles: so, whether you’re copy editing or madly layering in a gamma plot, lean into the group for collaborative feedback to bring this novel to fruition.
Collaborative Feedback: A method of supportive feedback which lifts up excellence and encourages your own story in your own voice. You will read and comment kindly on others’ work as well as having the option to share your own writing (which we very much hope you will do). For more information, check out our video here.
Precepted by
Dr.
Julian Barr
and
Christopher Bartlett
Creative Writing: Workshop
Spotlight
Meeting Mondays & Thursdays at 8:00 PM Eastern for seven 70-minute sessions on November 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25
We will meet to blend learning, discussion, and playing games with reading, appreciating, and commenting on one another’s work as it is submitted for peer review. Writers are encouraged—but never required—to submit new pieces in any state of draftiness or readiness up to 2,000 words each week for peer reading and feedback. Our Collaborative Feedback method, developed here at Signum University, asks us to comment at the author's comfort level through a structured reader (not editor) response. We gather to encourage the story that the author wants to tell. Our philosophy of kindness first might just turn around your previous experience of writing groups.
A seat has been reserved in this module for any writer (especially a beginner) of marginalized identity to support them finding their voice. Please simply write to [email protected] to identify yourself if you wish to join the class.
Note: For more information about the Collaborative Feedback Method in SPACE, please check out our video here.
A seat has been reserved in this module for any writer (especially a beginner) of marginalized identity to support them finding their voice. Please simply write to [email protected] to identify yourself if you wish to join the class.
Note: For more information about the Collaborative Feedback Method in SPACE, please check out our video here.
Precepted by
Sparrow F. Alden
Egyptian Hieroglyphs 4
Continuing Series
Meeting Mondays & Wednesdays at 8:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on November 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27
The Hieroglyphics series will present students with a basic understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs, grammar, and knowledge about how to proceed with further study. In this sequence of courses we will discuss how to translate steles that you are likely to encounter in museums, as well as their cultural significance. As student progress, the class will tackle more complex translation. Each one-month module builds on the previous one, so students ready to learn Hieroglyphics will communicate with our Director and Professor Gaffney to make the right placement for everyone.
Precepted by
Shawn Gaffney
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Basics
Meeting Mondays & Wednesdays at 7:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on November 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27
This module is designed to provide the student with sufficient knowledge of Biblical Hebrew to read the Torah in its original language. The student will progress through four main stages:
1. The students will be acquainted with the Hebrew alphabet, syllabication, and pronunciation. 2. After learning how to read and pronounce Hebrew words students will move on to Hebrew nouns, adjectives, prepositions, etc. 3. In stage the Hebrew verbal stems will be explored. 4. In this final stage the downloadable Logos software will be used and demonstrated to put it all together to assist in translating/reading the Torah.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
1. The students will be acquainted with the Hebrew alphabet, syllabication, and pronunciation. 2. After learning how to read and pronounce Hebrew words students will move on to Hebrew nouns, adjectives, prepositions, etc. 3. In stage the Hebrew verbal stems will be explored. 4. In this final stage the downloadable Logos software will be used and demonstrated to put it all together to assist in translating/reading the Torah.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
Outline | 8-Session Structure |
---|---|
Week 1 | Session 1: Introduction to class objectives and Hebrew alphabet |
Session 2: Hebrew syllabication, pronunciation and practice | |
Week 2 | Session 3: Hebrew nouns, adjective, and prepositions, pronunciation and practice |
Session 4: Hebrew verbal stems part one, pronunciation and practice | |
Week 3 | Session 5: Hebrew verbal stems part two, pronunciation and practice |
Session 6: Logos software introduction, Hebrew sentence structure | |
Week 4 | Session 7: Logos software continued, intro to Hebrew poetry |
Session 8: Using Logos software to translation from the Torah |
Precepted by
Dr.
Joe Desloge
Inventing King Arthur:
Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain
Cluster
Hybrid
Meeting Mondays & Wednesdays at 6:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on Oct 30, Nov 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, and 25)
This course offers an in-depth look at the first complete “historical” narrative of the reign of King Arthur, Geoffrey’s Historia Regum Britanniae. Almost a quarter of the total work, this crucial first account of Arthur includes Arthur’s magically-contrived conception, his conquest of Rome, and his overthrown and death at the hands of his nephew Mordred. This course also looks at the “battle of books” that followed in the wake of Geoffrey’s work, with some contemporaries arguing that Geoffrey simply made the whole thing up, and others rallying to Geoffrey’s (and Arthur’s) defense.
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: The “Historical” Arthur before Geoffrey |
Discussion 1: HRB, Prologue and Book VI: Britain in Chaos | |
Week 2 | Lecture 2: Merlin the Historian: Prophesy as History and Vice-Versa |
Discussion 2: HRB, Book VIII: Death of a Tyrant; The Birth of a Hero | |
Week 3 | Lecture 3: The Anarchy of Stephen: The Politics of Geoffrey’s Early Readership |
Discussion 3: HRB, Books IV – X: The Rise and Fall of King Arthur | |
Week 4 | Lecture 4: The Battle of the Books: Geoffrey’s Contested History |
Discussion 4: HRB, Books XI – XII: Goodbye Britain, Hello England! |
Precepted by
Dr.
Liam Daley
Japanese:
From Zero - 16
Continuing Series
Meeting Tuesdays & Fridays at 9:00 AM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on November 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26
This course is for those who have an interest in Japanese culture and wish to continue our study of Japanese. We will continue using Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji, and covering grammatical structures. Through use of conversational Japanese, we will continue to explore how the language is used in anime, manga, and music.
Japanese is a language of great nuance and depth. This module will open the door to that world and build a foundation for greater insight into Japan's culture and its people.
Japanese is a language of great nuance and depth. This module will open the door to that world and build a foundation for greater insight into Japan's culture and its people.
Precepted by
Sam Roche
Japanese Through Culture 5
Continuing Series
Meeting Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on October 29 (skip 31), November 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26.
In this series we’ll study Japanese using different tools such as videos, games, and different exercises. We’ll explore different aspects of Japanese culture and work on more complex vocabulary, grammar, and sentence patterns. We’ll also watch lots of videos, play games, and read graded readers among other things.
Note: Japanese Through Culture is for students who already have a basic level of Japanese.
Note: Japanese Through Culture is for students who already have a basic level of Japanese.
Precepted by
Pilar Barrera
Reading L.M. Montgomery as Fantasy:
Part 1: Anne of Green Gables
Hybrid
Meeting Mondays & Wednesdays at 7:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on November 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27
Within weeks of its 1908 publication, L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables became a bestseller. Over the years, this charming orphan story put Montgomery and her imaginative Prince Edward Island on a global map.
Despite the fact that Anne of Green Gables is Canada’s bestselling novel throughout the world—or because of it—Montgomery was ignored by the literati and scholarship. Montgomery was a public intellectual, the first female Canadian fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and invested Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Still she was dismissed as “just” a children’s writer, a regionalist, or a woman. It was 25 years after Montgomery’s death before children’s literature and feminist scholars began to recover her work as worthy of study.
While there is a robust field of Montgomery scholarship, there are areas where our focus is sometimes too narrow. One of these is the category of “realistic” fiction. While there is a kind of verisimilitude about everyday life in the late Victorian era in her work, the realism is pressed to the margins of definition as Montgomery romanticizes the worlds she creates. And can we disagree that there is something magical about Anne herself? By changing our way of approach and by looking at Anne of Green Gables as a fantasy novel, what can we unveil in this classic novel?
Native Prince Edward Islander and Montgomery scholar Brenton Dickieson will lead students through a rereading of Anne of Green Gables using the lenses we use to study fantasy and speculative fiction with the goal of allowing one of the greatest living children’s books to live in new ways.
Despite the fact that Anne of Green Gables is Canada’s bestselling novel throughout the world—or because of it—Montgomery was ignored by the literati and scholarship. Montgomery was a public intellectual, the first female Canadian fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and invested Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Still she was dismissed as “just” a children’s writer, a regionalist, or a woman. It was 25 years after Montgomery’s death before children’s literature and feminist scholars began to recover her work as worthy of study.
While there is a robust field of Montgomery scholarship, there are areas where our focus is sometimes too narrow. One of these is the category of “realistic” fiction. While there is a kind of verisimilitude about everyday life in the late Victorian era in her work, the realism is pressed to the margins of definition as Montgomery romanticizes the worlds she creates. And can we disagree that there is something magical about Anne herself? By changing our way of approach and by looking at Anne of Green Gables as a fantasy novel, what can we unveil in this classic novel?
Native Prince Edward Islander and Montgomery scholar Brenton Dickieson will lead students through a rereading of Anne of Green Gables using the lenses we use to study fantasy and speculative fiction with the goal of allowing one of the greatest living children’s books to live in new ways.
Precepted by
Dr.
Brenton Dickieson
The Poetic Corpus of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Early Poems 1
(Volume 1: The Years 1910-1919)
(Section 1)
Hybrid
FULL
The Poetic Corpus of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Early Poems 1
(Volume 1: The Years 1910-1919)
(Section 2)
Hybrid
FULL
The Poetic Corpus of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Early Poems 1
(Volume 1: The Years 1910-1919)
(Section 3)
Hybrid
Monday Lectures (Live-Recorded Webinars): Meeting for four 1-hour Lectures with Dr. Sara Brown (and/or guest James Tauber) meeting on Mondays at 11:00 AM Eastern Time on Oct 28, Nov 4, 11, and 18 (and a bonus lecture with Dr. Corey Olsen on Sat. Nov 16 at 9:30 AM Eastern).
Discussion Sessions: Discussion group meetings with Dr. Chris Vaccaro on Thursdays at 3:00 PM Eastern for four 1-hour discussion groups on October 31, November 7, 14, 21.
Module Description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):
JRR Tolkien is one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. Now, a Most Delightful Event has occurred – for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!
In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.
There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!
I am also delighted to announce that one lecture session per month will be led by the one and only James Tauber, who will focus on language and the formal elements of the poetry.
Bonus Lecture from Dr. Olsen each month! We are delighted to announce that each month Dr. Corey Olsen will offer a bonus lecture on Tolkien's poetry. Each month the SPACE team will share Dr. Olsen's bonus lecture with all enrolled students that month in The Poetic Corpus of J. R. R. Tolkien series.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
JRR Tolkien is one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. Now, a Most Delightful Event has occurred – for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!
In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.
There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!
I am also delighted to announce that one lecture session per month will be led by the one and only James Tauber, who will focus on language and the formal elements of the poetry.
Bonus Lecture from Dr. Olsen each month! We are delighted to announce that each month Dr. Corey Olsen will offer a bonus lecture on Tolkien's poetry. Each month the SPACE team will share Dr. Olsen's bonus lecture with all enrolled students that month in The Poetic Corpus of J. R. R. Tolkien series.
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Note: Dr. Olsen's first bonus lecture will occur on Sat. Nov 16 at 9:30 AM Eastern. Moreover, it will be unique in that it will be the kick-off to our Fall Space Showcase and accessible for FREE to all showcase participants since our showcases are free events (Showcase Registration is open!). However, if you cannot attend the showcase, no fear! The SPACE team will disseminate the bonus lecture recording to all students enrolled in The Poetic Corpus of J. R. R. Tolkien in November 2024.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
Outline | 8-Session Structure |
---|---|
Week 1 | Lecture 1: The Introduction + Morning · Morning Song |
Discussion 1: The Dale-Lands/ Evening · Completorium/ Wood-Sunshine/ The Sirens Feast · The Sirens/ The Battle of the Eastern Field | |
Week 2 | Lecture 2: The New Lemminkäinen and Lemminkäinen Goeth to the Ford of Oxen |
Discussion 2: A Fragment of an Epic/ The Grimness of the Sea · The Tides · Sea Chant of an Elder Day · Sea-Song of an Elder Day · The Horns of Ylmir/ From Iffley · Valedictory/ Darkness on the Road/ Sunset in a Town | |
Week 3 | Lecture 3: James Tauber Lecture - The Voyage of Éarendel the Evening Star · The Last Voyage of Éarendel · Éala! Éarendel Engla Beorhtast! |
Discussion 3: Outside/ Magna Dei Gloria/ The Story of Kullervo/Dark · Copernicus v. Ptolemy · Copernicus and Ptolemy | |
Week 4 | Lecture 4: Why the Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon: An East Anglian Phantasy · A Faërie: Why the Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon · The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon |
Discussion 4: The Minstrel Renounces the Song · The Lay of Earendel · The Bidding of the Minstrel/ The Mermaid’s Flute/ The Sparrow’s Morning Chirp to a Lazy Mortal · Bilink, Bilink! · Sparrow Song/ As Two Fair Trees |