Welcome to SPACE, our adult continuing education program which offers interactive monthly courses for personal enrichment! Learn more here.
August 2025 Modules
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Academic Writing, Research & Scholarly Publishing Tutorials
[ST]
(Section 1)
Summary of Jason Troutman’s Tutorial Project – Revising Conference Presentations for Publication
From Jason Troutman: "I have a small collection of Mythmoot conference presentations given in a kind, receptive venue. I would like to revise some of them (if suitable) for publication in an appropriate journal, to participate in Tolkien scholarship in a more structured fashion."
Tutorial Goals:
Through guided mentorship, Jason will work to:
- Assess which conference papers are suitable for revision.
- Restructure and refine them to meet the expectations of academic publishing.
- Receive thoughtful editorial feedback and scholarly support.
- Participate more deeply in structured Tolkien scholarship through journal submission.
Next Steps:
Jason will begin with a one-hour Orientation session to establish a working plan, identify the most promising papers for revision, and match with a preceptor whose expertise aligns with his goals. With flexible month-to-month engagement, his tutorial path will provide academic guidance, editorial insight, and accountability as he moves from conference presentation to peer-reviewed publication.
Advanced Old English Series:
Readings in Prose
Confirmed
Ancient Greek 1
First in the Series
Spotlight
Confirmed
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.
An Intensive Reading of the Zhuangzi/Chuang Tzu 莊子
Spotlight
Confirmed
[Claim Your Spot!]:
Reserve Your Spot in Signum the Tutorials Program
[ST]
Candidate
Simply click the blue "vote to reserve your seat" button to set aside a token here: This confirms your interest in working with a tutor/mentor and secures your spot in the program. After you vote, our team will follow up by email to help you with next steps, whether you're ready to jump into a specific tutorial or whether you'd like to first do an orientation session to begin crafting your individualized learning path.
Creative Writing: Setting & Worldbuilding
(Year of the Novel)
Cluster
Spotlight
Confirmed
Year of the Novel Note: Anyone is welcome to join our Year of the Novel modules at any time. Each module is designed to stand alone without prerequisites. However, for the richest experience, the carefully planned sequence of modules will carry you from blank page as far as you want toward completing your novel. In a writing journal, you will track your progress and moments of unexpected, joyful discovery as you continue your novel. Whether you are looking to publish commercially or simply writing for yourself, our program is designed to nurture your individual writing journey. Our workshops place kindness first, lifting up excellence and encouraging you to tell your story in your own voice. For more information about our Collaborative Feedback model, check out our video here.
Creative Writing:
Weekend Retreat
Confirmed
Friday, August 1st at 8:00 PM Eastern for two hours
Saturday, August 2nd at 10:00 AM for three hours
Saturday, August 2nd at 3:00 PM for six hours, including a supper break together
Sunday, August 3d at 1:00 PM for three hours
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.
Creative Writing & Worldbuilding Tutorials
[ST]
(Section 1)
Candidate
Stacy Project Summary: Ongoing Novel Series Development
From Stacy's Interest Form Submission:
Daughters of the North:
Women in Old Norse Society
Confirmed
Hybrid
In the early 10th century, a woman was laid to rest in a lavish ship burial at Oseberg, Norway—one of the richest Viking graves ever discovered. But she was no queen’s consort or mere noblewoman. Her grave goods suggest she was a ruler or religious leader, commanding respect in her own right. In the overtly masculine Old Norse society, women were not simply passive and obedient, sometimes they also found ways to navigate the cultural framework and shape some agency for themselves.
In this class we’ll be moving from the very real, mundane yet essential domain of Norse women – without women’s spinning and weaving the Viking age wouldn’t have existed! – to the more mythical realm of goddesses, Valkyries, spirits, exploring all kinds of social and political roles women would have adopted. Drawing on archaeology, literature, chronicles or laws we’ll attempt to recreate part of the fascinating stories of the great and famous but also forgotten characters that shaped the Viking age and beyond.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
Outline | 8-Session Structure |
---|---|
Week 1 | Lecture 1: The daily life of women: marriage, children, work |
Discussion 1: Discussion about Lecture 1 material | |
Week 2 | Lecture 2: Women and power: queens, avengers, warriors |
Discussion 2: Discussion about Lecture 2 material | |
Week 3 | Lecture 3: The Norse sorceress and prophetess |
Discussion 3: Discussion about Lecture 3 material | |
Week 4 | Lecture 4: Divine images of women /td> |
Discussion 4: Discussion about Lecture 4 material |
Discovering the Discworld:
The Adventures of Rincewind
Confirmed
Over the eight classes we will read the seven books, in publication order, with one book being discussed in each of seven classes. The final class will be built to allow for further discussion of the themes raised in this series.
Access to the texts listed below is desirable. Prior knowledge of at least the majority of the listed texts will be assumed.
Dune: A Study in Adaptation
Cluster
Spotlight
Confirmed
Hybrid
Egyptian Hieroglyphs 3
Continuing Series
Confirmed
Japanese for Advanced Beginners 5
(Genki II)
Continuing Series
Confirmed
Recorded Series: All sessions of this series are being recorded and provided afterwards to enrolled students in order to support the learning of the group.
Japanese for Beginners 3
Continuing Series
Confirmed
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!
Japanese:
From Zero - 24
Continuing Series
Confirmed
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 Through Culture 13
Continuing Series
Confirmed
Note: Japanese Through Culture is for students who already have a basic level of Japanese.
Language Learning & Philology Tutorials
[ST]
(Section 2)
Diane’s Project Summary – Old Norse in Tolkien
Diane would like to alternate doing scholarly projects and creative writing projects. In terms of Dr. Anderson's areas of expertise, she’d like to focus on:
- Old Norse in Tolkien: as an MA student, Diane took Intro Old Norse and Germanic Philology I and II; she’d like to deepen her study and improve scholarly writing.
Diane would also like to consider submitting to the Collaboratory; and she's hoping to do Moot conference papers as well.
Language Learning & Philology Tutorials
[ST]
(Section 3)
Candidate
German Book Club: Advanced Beginner or Intermediate Level
One of the best methods for language learning is to read and discuss a text with friends in a relaxed setting. One can discuss the subject matter from a “literary” perspective, focusing on themes, character development, narrative styles, or from a “language-learner” perspective, focusing on new words, idioms, or syntax. Both discussion types allow us to get to know a text intimately. If one of your foreign languages is Modern German, consider joining SPACE’s German Book Club for a month, where we read German short stories or books and meet twice a week to discuss them—in either English or German!
This module is aimed at the advanced beginner or intermediate level and seeks to meet the intellectual interests of the participants. Every month, the preceptor (Isaac Schendel) chooses a new text based on student interest and German level. Examples include: the novels of Hermann Hesse, the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, or the fairy tales of Johann Karl August Musäus. Feel free to send in any suggestions and be sure to bring along some Kaffee und Kuchen.
Latin for Beginners 5
Continuing Series
Confirmed
Old Norse 5
Continuing Series
Confirmed
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.
Other (Interdisciplinary or Unique Projects)
[ST]
Candidate
At Signum Tutorials, we recognize that great ideas often live at the edges of categories—and that it is sometimes necessary to invent new ones altogether. Whether your interests are highly interdisciplinary, unconventional, or simply hard to describe, this is your space to tell us more.
Simply add this "tutorial" to your wish list, submit your idea on our Student Interest Form, or email us at [email protected]. We’ll evaluate whether we can match you with a preceptor who can guide and support your journey. We love working with creative, curious learners—and we’re always open to projects we haven’t yet imagined.
Let’s explore new paths together.
Tolkien & Inklings Studies Tutorials
[ST]
(Section 1)
Primary Project:
Trevor is planning a 4-month Tier 1 engagement to prepare a paper for publication in JTR or Mythlore. He envisions monthly sessions focused on reviewing drafts, receiving critical feedback, and improving the paper's academic quality. The monthly structure is also intended to provide accountability and steady progress, which he finds motivating.
Secondary Project (if the first goes well):
Trevor is also considering a second, more informal project—a popular or inspirational-style book that explores Tolkien’s views on Faery and their significance for modern readers. This project would be more reflective and broadly accessible than the academic paper. He’s unsure whether it fits under Tutorials and wonders whether a suitable preceptor might need to be someone with strengths in public writing, mythopoeia, or spiritual/inspirational interpretation of Tolkien rather than strictly academic.
Additional Notes:
- Trevor appreciates the recording policy for sessions, as he finds it helpful for reviewing dense or rapid discussions.
- He has updated his availability in preparation to begin.
- He is open to working with different preceptors across months depending on the phase of his work.
Tolkien & Inklings Studies Tutorials
[ST]
(Section 2)
Galen's Project Summary: Preparing a Tolkien Studies Article
Galen is working to revise and expand a class paper into a publishable article for submission to Tolkien Studies. The project centers on a close reading and analysis of Tolkien’s Old English Attila poem. Galen is currently enriching the original draft with additional research and outside analysis. Through Signum Tutorials, he is seeking mentorship and scholarly feedback on how to reorganize the paper for academic publication, identify fruitful new research avenues, and ensure the piece meets the expectations of a peer-reviewed journal.
Weird Languages
Confirmed
Hybrid
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below.
Outline | 8-Session Structure |
---|---|
Week 1 | Lecture 1: Introduction to languages, English, linguistics, and glossing |
Discussion 1: How to we make sense of English and what else to expect in the world's languages? | |
Week 2 | Lecture 2: Agreement, ergativity |
Discussion 2: Problem set and identifying parts of unusual phenomena | |
Week 3 | Lecture 3: Evidentiality, Genders |
Discussion 3: Noun class, word gender exercise | |
Week 4 | Lecture 4: Taboo language and word classes, and shape |
Discussion 4: Word class and shape puzzle |