March 2026 Modules

For this month’s module we will explore the Old English poem Andreas. The author is anonymous, and the poem survives in the Vercelli Book manuscript.

Andreas tells the legendary adventure of the apostle St. Andrew as he rescues St. Matthew from the cannibalistic Mermedonians. At over 1,700 lines, it blends heroic action with Christian themes, offering a fascinating glimpse into early medieval English storytelling.

In this module, we’ll work with the Old English text, explore its story and style, and discover how courage, faith, and adventure come together in one of Old English literature’s most exciting narratives.

From TV shows to computer games, the Vikings still manage to capture our imagination and ensnare us in an odd mix of fact and fiction. But who were they really? This new series aims to take a deep dive and provide challenging perspectives about the real Norse characters that shaped medieval Europe.

In this module we will walk (or sail!) in the footsteps of the Norse to discover how they changed and were changed by the worlds they encountered. In Britain, the great army conquered three kingdoms, intermingled with the local populace and forced the development of Wessex which would ultimately coalesce English unity. The assault on Ireland left monasteries devastated, but the Vikings also founded vital trade centres like Dublin and got involved in local wars. The raids in the Carolingian empire distrupted trade routes and eroded imperial power, ultimately leading to coopting the Norse into what would become the duchy of Normandy. To the East, the Rus reached the Byzantine empire where they formed elite guards, the Russian steppes beginning the process of state formation, as well as the far Muslim world they supplied with slaves. To the West, the troubled seas led them to settle the proto-democracy of Iceland, explore Greenland and even the coast of Canada. Through their travels, the course of medieval history was fundamentally altered by the Viking diaspora.

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

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Norse kings in Britain and Ireland
	Discussion 1: Discussion about Lecture 1 material
Week 2	Lecture 2: Assault on the Frankish Empire
	Discussion 2: Discussion about Lecture 2 material
Week 3	Lecture 3: From Varangians to Russians
	Discussion 3: Discussion about Lecture 3 material
Week 4	Lecture 4: The Atlantic Way: Iceland, Greenland, Vinland
	Discussion 4: Discussion about Lecture 3 material

Want to read the NT in the original Greek? The Greek translation of the Old Testament? This module’s for you! We continue our study introducing learners to the basics of ancient Greek: the alphabet, introduction to the verb system (tenses and moods) and the noun system (the very helpful article, first and second declension). Over several modules, the students will learn the foundations of the language and then students will be able to read texts.

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.

Step into the wardrobe and journey through Narnia with scholar and storyteller Brenton Dickieson, author of the acclaimed A Pilgrim in Narnia blog. In this relaxed, discussion-rich module, we’ll read and reflect on The Chronicles of Narnia together—exploring their literary depth, spiritual resonance, and lasting cultural impact. In this first course in the Narnia series, we'll follow Lucy through the wardrobe by reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Whether this is your first visit to Narnia or your fiftieth, join Brenton as we walk with wonder, ask thoughtful questions, and rediscover why these beloved stories still speak so powerfully today.

This series of modules would be for students who want to learn how to read Biblical Hebrew. The course would include some speaking, listening, and writing skills as well. But people who learn Biblical Hebrew do so in order to read it, so reading and comprehension skills would take primary focus.

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.

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.

Last Seen Wearing (1952) by Hillary Waugh is hailed by genre scholars as the first acclaimed “police procedural” novel, a pioneering work of crime fiction that shifted the focus from the lone single detective to investigative team members and their process. Paving the way for modern police procedural novels – not to mention television phenomena such as Law and Order, CSI, Criminal Minds, and other series – is distinction enough, but Last Seen Wearing is also of literary interest for other reasons. The novel uses a real-life true crime case as a springboard for its fictional investigation, and, in its exploration of a missing student at an elite women’s college, it also builds on the tradition of the campus mystery, employs ingredients of the New England Gothic, and anticipates the rise of dark academia.

In this module we will consider how Last Seen Wearing serves as both a pioneering novel and a window into its moment in time. What does Last Seen Wearing tell us about the intersection of fiction and true crime? Gender and the Gothic? What has “aged well” in the story and what hasn’t, and what does this tell us about the evolution of mystery-related storytelling? And what can we learn about the blending and blurring of genres from this fictional solution to a real-life cold case?

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

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Crime Fiction and Its Evolution
	Discussion 1: Part 1 of Last Seen Wearing
Week 2	Lecture 2: True Crime, Campus Mystery, and the Imagination
	Discussion 2: Part 2 of Last Seen Wearing
Week 3	Lecture 3: The Police and the Process
	Discussion 3: Part 3 of Last Seen Wearing
Week 4	Lecture 4: The Meaning and Legacy of Last Seen Wearing
	Discussion 4: Themes and Takeaways

This is a reading-only module series for students of Japanese language who would like to improve their kanji recognition, vocabulary, and general reading skills in the language. The class is designed so new students may join at any point.

We will select a reading and take turns reading it together, word-by-word, sentence by sentence. Short stories, poetry, essays, manga, newspaper articles, blog entries and so on are all sources for material that we can draw upon, always keeping in mind that our selections should be suitable for Japanese language learners of intermediate level (approximately JLPT N4-to early N3 level, or having completed the first two Genki textbooks).

Recorded Series: All sessions of this series are recorded and provided afterwards to enrolled students in order to support the learning of the group.

Ready to continue reading Old English texts but looking for a lighter pace and additional linguistic support? This series of Intermediate Old English Readings provides a guided pathway into the same rich body of prose and poetry explored in the Advanced Old English Series, while offering a more gradual reading pace and expanded instructional support.

Each module focuses on a selected Old English work drawn from a range of genres, including biblical retellings, allegorical poetry, homiletic prose, and other representative texts from the Old English canon. Modules are designed as stand-alone readings, allowing students to join in any month. Throughout each module, Dr. Isaac Schendel works with participants to build reading fluency, reinforce grammar and vocabulary, and explore the literary, historical, and cultural context of each text.

This series is intended for students who have completed a beginning Old English sequence or who possess equivalent familiarity with core grammar and foundational vocabulary. Students should be prepared to work through authentic Old English texts with guidance, dictionary support, and collaborative discussion, but full comfort with advanced poetic conventions or complex syntax is not required.

Required texts vary by module. Please consult the specific monthly module listing for text and edition information.

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.

In the tenth month of Latin in a Year, students will continue to learn applications for the subjunctive mood, practice spotting and translating deponent verbs, and study the paradigms for some of the most common irregular Latin verbs. Students will continue to translate short sentences and longer passages throughout the month. This module will cover chapters 34-37 in Wheelock’s Latin.

This module covers chapters 34-37 of Wheelock’s Latin:
- 34: Deponent Verbs; Ablative with Special Deponents
- 35: Dative with Adjectives; Dative with Special Verbs; Dative with Compounds
- 36: Jussive Noun Clauses; Fio
- 37: Conjugation of Eo; Constructions of Place and Time

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.

(Note: This module is a continuation from Middle High German 2)

Middle High German (MHG) is the umbrella term for the German dialects used in the Holy Roman Empire from about 1050 to 1350. Its written form was the language of the court, and most MHG poetry embraces chivalric intellectual interests—adventure, romances, and courtly love! Come join us this month to continue learning Middle High German, and you’ll learn how to read some of the greatest monuments of medieval literature—The Nibelungenlied, Gottfried von Strassburg’s Tristan und Isolde, Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival, the poems of the Minnesänger (courtly poets)—in the original language!

Generally speaking, it takes about three months to read Middle High German competently, but after completing the sequence, students should be able to participate in SPACE’s Readings in Middle High German series. Middle High German offers tons of adventure, including Heroic Epic (Das Nibelungenlied, Kudrun), Crusader Epic (König Rother, Willehalm), Arthurian Romance (Parzival), and the Tristan story (Tristan und Isolde). Completing this sequence will prepare students for their journey into a new and large world of medieval literature.

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.

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 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.

Over nearly half a century of storytelling, Star Wars has challenged audiences to find their own agency and power in the face of injustice and tyranny. The Star Wars works Andor (2022, 2025), Rogue One (2016), and A New Hope (1977) fit together to provide a story of resistance, resilience, and rebellion built on a deep engagement with history, philosophy, and political thought. Join Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as we consider how Star Wars wrestles with big ideas, invites conversation and action, and inspires hope in unprecedented times.

"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!"

Let’s sink our teeth into Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the novel that defined vampire literature. In misty Transylvania, Jonathan Harker is lured into the shadow-haunted castle of Count Dracula. Hungry for dominion over the living, the undead Dracula will stop at nothing to feed his craving for blood. As Dracula’s dark influence spreads to London, a desperate band of heroes must rally their courage and unravel ancient secrets to stand against the corruption that stalks the night.

Narrated through letters, diaries, and telegrams, Dracula combines modern storytelling with ancient folklore, immersing the reader into a world of baleful desire and ageless bloodthirst.

Our sessions will be shaped primarily as guided, text-centered discussions, inviting participants to explore the novel together while engaging critically with its themes, contexts, and enduring influence.

This course examines how J.R.R. Tolkien constructed his secondary world with the deliberate craft of a mythmaker and the precision of a master architect. Designed for participants already familiar with Tolkien's major works, the course delves into the rich philosophical, linguistic, and cultural foundations of Middle-earth.

Each discussion session analyses the building blocks of Tolkien's mythological framework: his theory of subcreation, cosmological blueprints, linguistic foundations, character archetypes, moral frameworks, environmental design, and how these elements combine to create an enduring fictional universe.

Participants will engage with primary texts alongside Tolkien's essays, letters, and posthumously published materials to gain deeper appreciation of how his scholarly background in philology and medieval literature informed his creative vision—illuminating how Tolkien constructed one of literature's most enduring secondary worlds.

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

Outline	8-Session Structure and Reading List by Session	Readings List
Week 1	Session 1: The Mythmaker’s Vision	Session 1 Reading list: - "On Fairy Stories" (essay): Focus on concepts of "subcreation," "recovery," "escape," and "consolation" - "Mythopoeia" (poem) - Complete - Letter #131 to Milton Waldman - Selected paragraphs on Tolkien's passion for myth and fairy-story
	Session 2: Creation Myths and Cosmology	Session 2 Reading List: - "Ainulindalë" and "Valaquenta" from The Silmarillion - Complete - "The Music of the Ainur" from The Book of Lost Tales, Part One - Focusing on differences from the published Silmarillion version - Selected passages from Morgoth's Ring - "Myths Transformed" essays I and II
Week 2	Session 3: Languages as Cultural Foundation	Session 3 Reading List: - Appendix F from The Lord of the Rings: "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age" - "The Lhammas" from The Lost Road and Other Writings - Introduction and sections on Elvish languages - Elvish poems with translations: "Namárië" and "A Elbereth Gilthoniel" - Complete texts with pronunciation guides
	Session 4: The Hero’s Journey Through Ages	Session 4 Reading List: - "Of Túrin Turambar" from The Silmarillion - Sections describing Túrin's character and major confrontations - From The Hobbit: "Riddles in the Dark" and "The Last Stage" - Complete chapters - From The Lord of the Rings: "The Shadow of the Past" and "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm" - Complete chapters
Week 3	Session 5: Power and Corruption	Session 5 Reading List: - "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" from The Silmarillion - "The Council of Elrond" from The Fellowship of the Ring - Discussions of the Ring's history and power - "The Mirror of Galadriel" and "The Breaking of the Fellowship" from The Fellowship of the Ring
	Session 6: Death, Immortality and Time	Session 6 Reading List: - "Akallabêth" from The Silmarillion - Sections about the Númenóreans' growing fear of death - "Leaf by Niggle" - Letter #153 - Sections discussing the "doom and gift" of mortality
Week 4	Session 7: Nature, Technology and Modernity	Session 7 Reading List: - "Treebeard" and "The Voice of Saruman" from The Two Towers - "The Scouring of the Shire" from The Return of the King - Tolkien's foreword to the second edition of The Lord of the Rings - Letter #178 - Sections discussing industrialization
	Session 8: Legacy and Influence	Session 8 Reading List: - "The Quest of Erebor" from Unfinished Tales - "The Notion Club Papers" from Sauron Defeated - Frame narrative and discussions of time and memory - "Epilogue" from The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth - Selections from The Road to Middle-earth by Tom Shippey - Chapter 1 "Lit. and Lang."

This course examines how J.R.R. Tolkien constructed his secondary world with the deliberate craft of a mythmaker and the precision of a master architect. Designed for participants already familiar with Tolkien's major works, the course delves into the rich philosophical, linguistic, and cultural foundations of Middle-earth.

Each discussion session analyses the building blocks of Tolkien's mythological framework: his theory of subcreation, cosmological blueprints, linguistic foundations, character archetypes, moral frameworks, environmental design, and how these elements combine to create an enduring fictional universe.

Participants will engage with primary texts alongside Tolkien's essays, letters, and posthumously published materials to gain deeper appreciation of how his scholarly background in philology and medieval literature informed his creative vision—illuminating how Tolkien constructed one of literature's most enduring secondary worlds.

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

Outline	8-Session Structure and Reading List by Session	Readings List
Week 1	Session 1: The Mythmaker’s Vision	Session 1 Reading list: - "On Fairy Stories" (essay): Focus on concepts of "subcreation," "recovery," "escape," and "consolation" - "Mythopoeia" (poem) - Complete - Letter #131 to Milton Waldman - Selected paragraphs on Tolkien's passion for myth and fairy-story
	Session 2: Creation Myths and Cosmology	Session 2 Reading List: - "Ainulindalë" and "Valaquenta" from The Silmarillion - Complete - "The Music of the Ainur" from The Book of Lost Tales, Part One - Focusing on differences from the published Silmarillion version - Selected passages from Morgoth's Ring - "Myths Transformed" essays I and II
Week 2	Session 3: Languages as Cultural Foundation	Session 3 Reading List: - Appendix F from The Lord of the Rings: "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age" - "The Lhammas" from The Lost Road and Other Writings - Introduction and sections on Elvish languages - Elvish poems with translations: "Namárië" and "A Elbereth Gilthoniel" - Complete texts with pronunciation guides
	Session 4: The Hero’s Journey Through Ages	Session 4 Reading List: - "Of Túrin Turambar" from The Silmarillion - Sections describing Túrin's character and major confrontations - From The Hobbit: "Riddles in the Dark" and "The Last Stage" - Complete chapters - From The Lord of the Rings: "The Shadow of the Past" and "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm" - Complete chapters
Week 3	Session 5: Power and Corruption	Session 5 Reading List: - "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" from The Silmarillion - "The Council of Elrond" from The Fellowship of the Ring - Discussions of the Ring's history and power - "The Mirror of Galadriel" and "The Breaking of the Fellowship" from The Fellowship of the Ring
	Session 6: Death, Immortality and Time	Session 6 Reading List: - "Akallabêth" from The Silmarillion - Sections about the Númenóreans' growing fear of death - "Leaf by Niggle" - Letter #153 - Sections discussing the "doom and gift" of mortality
Week 4	Session 7: Nature, Technology and Modernity	Session 7 Reading List: - "Treebeard" and "The Voice of Saruman" from The Two Towers - "The Scouring of the Shire" from The Return of the King - Tolkien's foreword to the second edition of The Lord of the Rings - Letter #178 - Sections discussing industrialization
	Session 8: Legacy and Influence	Session 8 Reading List: - "The Quest of Erebor" from Unfinished Tales - "The Notion Club Papers" from Sauron Defeated - Frame narrative and discussions of time and memory - "Epilogue" from The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth - Selections from The Road to Middle-earth by Tom Shippey - Chapter 1 "Lit. and Lang."