May 2025 Modules

For this month's module we will explore Cynewulf's Elena. In Early Medieval English literature, there are only two poets writing in Old English whose names we know: (1) Caedmon (technically he didn't know how to write, others wrote for him copying his oral compositions---almost all of which is now lost to us); and (2) Cynewulf.

Little is known of Cynewulf other than he had monastic training and was likely a monk. It is debated as to whether he was an eighth, ninth, or tenth century writer. Previously we had a module that worked with his poem known as "Christ II" by modern scholars and with "Fates of the Apostles".

This particular module will work with his translation and adaptation of an early Christian saint's life, The Life of St Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great. A lot of great stuff occurs in this tale -- come join us!

Beginning Quenya aims to take students with any level (or no level) of previous language experience and introduce them to the quest to learn Quenya, Tolkien's most developed invented language.

The first module of Beginning Quenya will introduce students to the pronunciation and basic inflections of the language, with a dose of vocabulary and basic sentence translation as well as an introduction to the Tengwar system.

Future modules will eventually bring students to a more complete understanding of the language with the aim of eventually diving into "primary source" Quenya and Tolkien's numerous Quenya poems, and even into student compositions in Quenya itself!

Each module of the course will be structured around a weekly lecture and practicum, with a pre-recorded lecture released to the students at the beginning of each week, explaining new concepts and giving (optional) exercises to aid in student mastery of each topic. These lectures will be followed by a weekly discussion section/practicum, where each section can work through problems, clarifying questions, and practical exercises as a group to reinforce each lesson.

Optional learning resources will be provided for the students each week, but the most important part is to simply listen to the lectures and take part in the practicum sessions!

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

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 5: The Declension System
	Discussion 5: Class discussion on Lecture 5 material.
Week 2	Lecture 6: The Past Tense, Prosodic Lengthening
	Discussion 6: Class discussion on Lecture 6 material.
Week 3	Lecture 7: Complete Verb Forms, Object Endings
	Discussion 7: Class discussion on Lecture 7 material.
Week 4	Lecture 8: Irregular Verbs, Modals, Particles, Subjunctives
	Discussion 8: Class discussion on Lecture 8 material.

In an interactive language course, we will explore the grammar, culture, and vocabulary of the largest Scandinavian language spoken today. From Vikings to Volvos to IKEA, Sweden is internationally recognized as a leader of cultural thought and political neutrality. The Swedish language is from the branch of North Germanic languages, meaning a lot of built in cognates exist for speakers of other Germanic languages (including English).

Kom och tala svenska med mig!

Note: All sessions will be live recorded and shared with all enrolled students afterward for review and to allow those who cannot attend live to still participate in the class.

The saga of Dune is far from over...

Across two months, we will read Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's completion of Frank Herbert's Dune saga. Whether you are a new or continuing student in our Dune book club, all are welcome to join this class. Connect with book lovers, compare to Herbert's originals, and share your insights.

Let the spice flow!

Month 1: Hunters of Dune
Month 2: Sandworms of Dune

Write Our Hearts

Come for gentle writing. Introspection. Self expression in a circle of caring and community. Come gather virtually in the Cottage in the Woods with Sparrow: she literally wants us to prep food ahead and get away from the family and the dishes for forty eight hours to write our stories. It's so hard to find time for ourselves, so let's intentionally make that time. From Friday evening through Sunday afternoon there will be writing to prompts, conversation, ideas, blocks of free writing time. Does your heart ache to express a private grief on the page? Is your subconscious telling you to rewrite a story? Do you need to rewrite your story?

Here's the plan:
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Friday from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern
Escape session with community building and prompted writing time
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Saturday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM Eastern
Recovery session with prompted writing, free writing, and discussion
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Saturday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Eastern:
Nap time.
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Saturday from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM Eastern:
Recovery session continues with optional sharing, prompted writing, and free writing
6p - supper time discussion
More Recovery session sharing and writing
9p - Sweet dreams until tomorrow
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Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Eastern
Consolation session discussion, prompted writing, and free writing
Wrap up at 4p.
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Our goal is to write our hearts. Is that memoir? Is that a new story just for yourself? Is that a long, long prayer in the form of a poem? Writers might write between sessions as well as during.

You are going to end this amazing experience with something that is uniquely yours. Whether this turns out to be a narrative, creative nonfiction, or a huge list of Be-Happy-Attitudes, this deserves to be on your page, just for you.


Note: For more information about the Collaborative Feedback Method in SPACE, please check out our video here.

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.

Note: For more information about the Collaborative Feedback Method in SPACE, please check out our video here.

Please choose this module if you're excited to be part of our Creative Writing mini-modules in the near future! If you add this module to your wish list (or short-list it), we will include you in our communications about upcoming mini modules and let you know what's available.

Note: Our mini modules are special month-long group experiences designed for a small and intimate group of 2 to 4 students for the cost of 1 Token. As soon as we get enough interested students that reserve their seat, we'll schedule this class with the group and fly!

Please choose this module if you're excited to be part of our Creative Writing mini-modules in the near future! If you add this module to your wish list (or short-list it), we will include you in our communications about upcoming mini modules and let you know what's available.

Note: Our mini modules are special month-long group experiences designed for a small and intimate group of 2 to 4 students for the cost of 1 Token. As soon as we get enough interested students that reserve their seat, we'll schedule this class with the group and fly!

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 students 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.

This module explores Sir Thomas Malory’s masterpiece of Arthurian literature, Le Morte Darthur (1471)—for many, the consummate retelling of the Arthur story. The first book of Mallory’s complete work, “The Tale of King Arthur,” includes such crucial Arthurian elements as the Sword in the Stone, the bestowal of Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake, and the founding of the Round Table. Interspersed among these are Arthur’s first encounter with the Questing Beast, an attempted usurpation by Morgan Le Fay, the tragic tale of the two brothers, Sir Balin and Sir Balan, and numerous other episodes and adventures. This module also provides context on Malory’s life time's, the story of the book’s first publication in 1485, and the remarkable discovery of Malory's lost manuscript in the twentieth century.

Do you love the physical object of a book just as much as the information it contains? Do you smell your books when you get home from the library or the bookstore? Do you like working with your hands to make things? Then this module is for you!

This class is an introduction to the materials, tools, and methods of making books by hand. Whether you're looking to make "junk journals" on a tight budget or want to rebind your favorite tome in leather, you'll find the information you need in this module!

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

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Session 1: Brief History of Book Binding and Tools Overview
	Session 2: Materials and Terms - The Anatomy of a Book
Week 2	Session 3: Text Block Assembly 1 - Glued Binding Options - Perfect Binding and Double Fan Binding
	Session 4: Text Block Assembly 2 - Sewn Binding Options - Kettle Stitch, Coptic Binding, and Japanese Stab Binding
Week 3	Session 5: Cover Assembly 1 - How To Make a Softcover - Paperback and Wrap Covers
	Session 6: Cover Assembly 2 - How To Make a Hardback - Classic/English Binding and Hollow Back Case Binding
Week 4	Session 7: Cover Decoration and Finishing - Traditional and Modern Methods
	Session 8: Overflow, Resources for Further Research, and Final Q & A

In this series of modules, you will get familiarized with basic Japanese vocabulary and structures. Using a communicative approach, you’ll learn basic expressions, start to learn the hiragana script, and recognize katakana and kanji in a fun and interactive way. We will also explore Japanese culture in general. いっしょに日本語を学びましょう！

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.

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.

Students taking this module will learn to decline Latin nouns in the 3rd declension and conjugate Latin verbs (including sum/esse) in the imperfect and future tenses, applying these new skills to sentences and short Latin passages. The second part of Signum SPACE's Latin in a Year sequence, this module covers chapters 5-7 of Wheelock's Latin.

This series of modules introduces you to the vocabulary and grammar of Old Norse, preparing you to read medieval sagas, eddic poetry, and even Viking-Age runic inscriptions. Each one-month module builds on the previous one, so students ready to learn Old Norse will communicate with our Director and Professor Anderson to choose the right placement for everyone.

Note: All sessions will be live recorded and shared with all enrolled students afterward for review and to allow those who cannot attend live to still participate in the class.

This module seeks to introduce students to some of the core stories at the heart of Korean society. The module will include an exploration of the foundation myth of Dan Gun, the Tale of Shim Cheong, two other P'ansori tales, an exploration of Hong Gil Dong (Korea's "Robin Hood"), and a few shorter folk tales.

Module description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):
In this triad of modules we explore Volume 2 of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. All are welcome to join the class whether new to the series or continuing from a previous module!

JRR Tolkien 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. But now 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.

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

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Pearl (90)
	Discussion 1: All Hail! (86) and The Owl and the Nightingale (89)
Week 2	Lecture 2: Knocking at the Door · The Mewlips (94)
	Discussion 2: Fastitocalon (95)
Week 3	Lecture 3: James Tauber Lecture - The Lay of Leithian
	Discussion 3: The Hills Are Old (100) and Natura Formice (et Significacio Simul)
Week 4	Lecture 4: A Song of Bimble Bay/ The Progress of Bimble · Progress in Bimble Town (102)
	Discussion 4: The Dragon’s Visit

Module description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):
In this triad of modules we explore Volume 2 of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. All are welcome to join the class whether new to the series or continuing from a previous module!

JRR Tolkien 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. But now 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.

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

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Pearl (90)
	Discussion 1: All Hail! (86) and The Owl and the Nightingale (89)
Week 2	Lecture 2: Knocking at the Door · The Mewlips (94)
	Discussion 2: Fastitocalon (95)
Week 3	Lecture 3: James Tauber Lecture - The Lay of Leithian
	Discussion 3: The Hills Are Old (100) and Natura Formice (et Significacio Simul)
Week 4	Lecture 4: A Song of Bimble Bay/ The Progress of Bimble · Progress in Bimble Town (102)
	Discussion 4: The Dragon’s Visit

Module description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):
In this triad of modules we explore Volume 2 of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. All are welcome to join the class whether new to the series or continuing from a previous module!

JRR Tolkien 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. But now 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.

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

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Pearl (90)
	Discussion 1: All Hail! (86) and The Owl and the Nightingale (89)
Week 2	Lecture 2: Knocking at the Door · The Mewlips (94)
	Discussion 2: Fastitocalon (95)
Week 3	Lecture 3: James Tauber Lecture - The Lay of Leithian
	Discussion 3: The Hills Are Old (100) and Natura Formice (et Significacio Simul)
Week 4	Lecture 4: A Song of Bimble Bay/ The Progress of Bimble · Progress in Bimble Town (102)
	Discussion 4: The Dragon’s Visit