Welcome to SPACE, our adult continuing education program which offers interactive monthly courses for personal enrichment! Learn more here.

January 2025March 2025

February 2025 Modules

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Advanced Old English Series: Readings in Poetry
 Confirmed

Meeting Mondays & Thursdays at 7:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on February 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27
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 12
Continuing Series  Confirmed

Meeting Tuesdays & Thursdays at 9:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on February 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, and 27
Continuing from where we ended in Japanese 11, 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 Order of the Phoenix 1
Cluster  Confirmed

Meeting Mondays & Thursdays at 10:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on February 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27
Protego! Let's read the fifth 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 fifteen-year-old Harry's adventures as the clouds of war gather over the Wizarding World. Fates collide, heroes fall, and prophecies unfold...

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

Egyptian Book of the Dead
 Spotlight  Confirmed

Meeting Mondays & Wednesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on February 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26
This module would be an introduction to the Egyptian Book of the Dead without presuming a knowledge of Egyptian Hieroglyphs. We would read about and discuss the origins, transmission, context, and look closely at some different examples.
Precepted by Shawn Gaffney

Introduction to Japanese Religions I
First in the Series  Confirmed

Meeting Mondays & Wednesdays at 8:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on February 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26
Over the course of this module, we will cover the basics of Japanese religious history. Particular areas of focus will be Shintō 神道 tradition and various forms of Japanese Buddhism, shamanism, and Shugendō 修験道. Time permitting (unlikely) we can also touch upon Japanese New Religions and/or Japanese Christianity.
Precepted by Dr. Robert Steed

Inventing the Holy Grail: Chretien de Troyes's complete “Perceval"
Cluster  Confirmed

Meeting Mondays & Wednesdays at 6:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on February 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, and 26
The story of the Holy Grail that was sought by King Arthur’s knights begins with this tale: Chretien de Troyes’s “Perceval, or the Story of the Grail.” This coming-of-age story follows the adventures of Perceval, as he moves from rustic ignorance of his own identity into full-fledged knighthood. As series of mistakes, triumphs, and misadventures leads him almost (but not quite) to the discovery of that most holy of relics. His journey of spiritual understanding, like the quest for the Holy Grail itself, remains incomplete as Chretien’s unfinished romance breaks off in mid-sentence. This course, however, continues Perceval’s story through the numerous continuations of additions by which different authors brought to the tale within a century of its first appearance.

Note on Text: While most of Prof. Daley’s courses are flexible with regard to edition, in this case there is only one English translation that provides the complete text of Chretien’s “Perceval,” and all of the surviving translations: Nigel Bryant’s The Complete Story of the Grail, listed below.
Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Japanese: From Zero - 19
Continuing Series  Confirmed

Meeting Tuesdays & Fridays at 9:00 AM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on February 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28
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.
Precepted by Sam Roche

Japanese Through Culture 7
Continuing Series  Confirmed

Meeting Tuesdays at 5:00 PM Eastern for four 1-hour sessions on February 4, 11, 18, 25
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.
Precepted by Pilar Barrera

Old English 2
Continuing Series  Confirmed

Meeting Mondays & Wednesdays at 8:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on February 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26
Ready to begin learning Old English? This series of modules introduces students to the vocabulary and structure of the earliest recorded form of the English language. One year of modules prepares the student to read texts from over a thousand years ago! Each one-month module builds on the previous one, so students ready to learn Old English will communicate with our Director and Professor Swain to make the right placement for everyone.
Precepted by Dr. Isaac Schendel

Pre-Christian Religions of the North
 Spotlight  Confirmed  Hybrid

Pre-recorded lectures will be supplemented by live meetings Wednesdays at 2:00 PM Eastern for four 1-hour sessions on February 5, 12, 19, 26.
Explore the fascinating spiritual landscape of the ancient Germanic-speaking world (Anglo-Saxon, Continental Germanic, Scandinavian), where gods, myths, and nature were deeply woven into the cultural fabric. This crash course will dive into the rich traditions of paganism in Northern and Central Europe, from the Bronze Age era to its lasting influence in medieval sagas.

We will engage with a variety of sources ranging from written texts such as Latin histories, heroic or skaldic poetry, Germanic law codes, to archaeological findings such as wooden idols, golden bracteates or bog bodies. Study cases will be analysed in their respective historical context, such as the cult of mother-goddesses from the Rhineland or remnants of pagan beliefs in healing charms.

Through discussions of cosmology, rituals, and the role of myth, we will examine how these early belief systems shaped the cultural and socio-political life in pre-Christian Central and Northern Europe, discover potential continuities, but above all else, uncover a great temporal and geographic diversity with plenty of unanswered questions.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
Outline 8-Session Structure
Week 1 Lecture 1: Religions in the Bronze Age – stone pictures, megalithic cultures
Discussion 1: Class discussion on Lecture 1 material.
Week 2 Lecture 2: Ritual and sacrifice – Iron and Viking Age public and private sacrifices
Discussion 2: Class discussion on Lecture 2 material.
Week 3 Lecture 3: Pantheons, cosmogonies, eschatologies – Pre-Norse and Norse deities, fate, death
Discussion 3: Class discussion on Lecture 3 material.
Week 4 Lecture 4: Conversion stories – phases, peoples, syncretism
Discussion 4: Class discussion on Lecture 4 material.


Nota bene: The course serves as an overview of sources for pre-Christian practices and the evolution of religious ideas in Northern Europe over a timespan of 1000 years – there was never a homogenous, continuous and unchanged strain of “Germanic” paganism. The term remains controversial in scholarship due to its political misuse.
Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

Readings in Middle High German: Prose Selections
 Confirmed

Meeting Tuesdays & Thursdays at 9:00 PM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on February 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27
In 2024, Oxford University Press published An Introduction to Middle High German, which promises to become the new standard textbook for learning Middle High German. It has a selection of readings, both prose and poetry, all of which are edited for readability and annotated for instruction.

Due to popular demand, we at Signum University’s SPACE program are offering a month of just perusing the Introduction textbook and reading the prose as a group. We will begin with the introductory text “Von den siben planêten” by Berthold von Regensburg before moving on to the religious literature at the end of the book. Time permitting, we will also look at legal texts in the larger Oxford Guide to Middle High German, which will be supplied as scans according to the Fair Use doctrine. These readings will offer a chance to focus on the language’s syntax when it is not as heavily constrained by the demands of meter and rhyme.

This course is open to both veterans and newcomers to SPACE’s small, but growing Middle High German program.
Precepted by Dr. Isaac Schendel

The Dark is Rising Sequence: The Dark Is Rising
 Confirmed

Meeting Tuesdays & Thursdays at 11:00 AM Eastern for eight 1-hour sessions on February 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27
Susan Cooper’s classic fantasy series takes us into a world where the forces of the Light battle against those of the Dark, but these are also coming-of-age stories in which children are at the forefront of the conflict. Deeply rooted in the folklore of the British landscape, the narratives are often set in spaces encoded in ancient wisdom and traditions and employ, as Tolkien did in his legendarium, songs and verse that pass on those traditions.

In this book, the second of the series, we are introduced to Will Stanton, who is approaching his 11th birthday. On Midwinter’s Eve, the day before his birthday, there is an atmosphere of fear that pervades the otherwise familiar countryside around him, but is the day itself that will be a birthday like no other. On that day, Will discovers that he has the power of the Old Ones, and that he must embark on a quest to vanquish the terrifyingly evil magic of the Dark. In this class, we will explore all the themes and ideas in the story and consider what it still has to say to us in the 21st century.
Precepted by Dr. Sara Brown

Túrin's Bones: The Influences of Sigurd, Oedipus, and Kullervo on J.R.R. Tolkien's Tale of Túrin Turambar
 Spotlight  Confirmed  Hybrid

Meeting for live discussion on Tuesdays at 2:00 PM Eastern for four 1-hour sessions on February 4, 11, 18, 25
One of the earliest stories of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium committed to writing was the tragic tale of Túrin Turambar. As Tolkien himself acknowledged, in creating Túrin’s tale, he drew on elements of real-world legends, particularly those of Sigurd the Volsung, Oedipus, and the Finnish Kullervo. In this module, we’ll look at the interplay between these legends (in the forms that young Tolkien had likely encountered them) and Tolkien’s own creation of the tale of Túrin. The module’s objective is twofold: a semi-biographical examination of young Tolkien’s early creative processes, and familiarization with the historical sources for these legends that proved so inspirational for him.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
Outline 8-Session Structure
Week 1 Lecture 1: Introduction to Túrin Turambar and his legendary inspirations (reading: “Turambar and the Foalókë”).
Discussion 1: Comments on and questions about Túrin Turambar and his legendary inspirations (reading: “Turambar and the Foalókë”).
Week 2 Lecture 2: Oedipus & Túrin (reading: excerpts Sophocles, ed. Jebb, “The Oedipus Tyrannus”).
Discussion 2: Comments on and questions about Oedipus & Túrin (reading: excerpts Sophocles, ed. Jebb, “The Oedipus Tyrannus”).
Week 3 Lecture 3: Sigurd & Túrin (reading: excerpts from “The Story of Sigurd”, ed. Lang; excerpts from “Völsunga saga”, trans. Eiríkur Magnusson & Morris).
Discussion 3: Sigurd & Túrin (reading: excerpts from “The Story of Sigurd”, ed. Lang; excerpts from “Völsunga saga”, trans. Eiríkur Magnusson & Morris).
Week 4 Lecture 4: Kullervo & Túrin (reading: excerpts from “Kalevala”, ed. Kirby; excerpts from Tolkien, “The Story of Kullervo”).
Discussion 4: Kullervo & Túrin (reading: excerpts from “Kalevala”, ed. Kirby; Tolkien, “The Story of Kullervo”).