Monsters Portal (List View)

In this two-month module, we will read and discuss the Frank Herbert's final Dune novel, Chapterhouse Dune. The universe as we know it is gone, as the Honored Matres sweep across the stars and destroy everything in their path. On the remote world Chapterhouse, a handful of rebel Bene Gesserit fight to preserve the last sandworms and the hope of humanity... 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 the adaptations, and share your insights. Let the spice flow! [show less]

In this two-month module, we will read and discuss the Frank Herbert's final Dune novel, Chapterhouse Dune. The universe as we know it is gone, as the Honored Matres sweep across the stars and destroy everything in their path. On the remote world Chapterhouse, a handful of rebel Bene Gesserit fight to preserve the last sandworms and the hope of humanity... 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 the adaptations, and share your insights. Let the spice flow! [show less]

In this two-month module, we will read and discuss the Frank Herbert's final Dune novel, Chapterhouse Dune. The universe as we know it is gone, as the Honored Matres sweep across the stars and destroy everything in their path. On the remote world Chapterhouse, a handful of rebel Bene Gesserit fight to preserve the last sandworms and the hope of humanity... 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 the adaptations, and share your insights. Let the spice flow! [show less]

Gulping gargoyles, let's read the next Harry Potter book! By popular demand, here is the long-awaited Harry Potter book club! 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 one month, we will follow twelve-year-old Harry's adventures as he uncovers the dark secrets lurking beneath Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Whispers and plots abound within the castle, as Harry must confront the evil legacy of Voldemort. 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. [show less]

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. [show less]

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. [show less]

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. [show less]

Blimey, let's read the third 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 one month, we will follow thirteen-year-old Harry's adventures as he contends with an escaped mass murderer. Yet all is not as it seems. As Harry grapples with the consequences of a hidden betrayal, he must confront the meaning of fear. Failure may just cost him his soul… 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. [show less]

Merlin's beard, let's read the first Harry Potter book! By popular demand, here is the long-awaited Harry Potter book club! 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. First, we will go back to where it all began, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Over one month, we will follow eleven-year-old Harry's adventures as he commences his study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Together, we will explore themes like friendship, courage, and the power of love. 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. [show less]

In this two-month module, we will read and discuss the fifth Dune novel, Heretics of Dune. 1500 years after the reign of Leto II, humanity is locked on the path laid out by the tyrant. Yet a new threat emerges from the shadows: the Honored Matres, a deadly ecstatic cult bent upon the destruction of the planet Dune... 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 the adaptations, and share your insights. Let the spice flow! [show less]

In this two-month module, we will read and discuss the fifth Dune novel, Heretics of Dune. 1500 years after the reign of Leto II, humanity is locked on the path laid out by the tyrant. Yet a new threat emerges from the shadows: the Honored Matres, a deadly ecstatic cult bent upon the destruction of the planet Dune... 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 the adaptations, and share your insights. Let the spice flow! [show less]

In this two-month module, we will read and discuss the fifth Dune novel, Heretics of Dune. 1500 years after the reign of Leto II, humanity is locked on the path laid out by the tyrant. Yet a new threat emerges from the shadows: the Honored Matres, a deadly ecstatic cult bent upon the destruction of the planet Dune... 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 the adaptations, and share your insights. Let the spice flow! [show less]

Epistolary fiction may have you thinking of Frankenstein and Dracula, but they were just the beginning. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone builds on the epistolary tradition while creating a whole new experience with their epistolary science fiction/time travel/lgbtqia+ romance novella. We will explore the framing, narrative, metaphor, character, and linguistic choices of the authors in depth as we take our time dissecting this novella with fellow book lovers. [show less]

This Writer's Workshop will be for practicing the art of writing flash fiction, works that are of 500 or fewer words in length. This is a marvelous place for a new writer to begin as the size is not overwhelming. It is also a marvelous place for a seasoned writer to practice the craft of scene creation and characterization under severe creative restriction. We will read examples of flash fiction, and provide feedback for one another on original pieces that we shall write over the length of the course. For this we will use the Collaborative Feedback Method that we use in all Space creative writing courses, a method which emphasizes kindness and curiosity while still providing rigorous and useful feedback to the writer. [show less]

One of the most beloved of all classical Chinese novels, Journey to the West features Monkey, Pig, Sand-demon, White Horse, and the monk Tripitaka as they make a pilgrimage from Tang-dynasty Chang’an to India to bring back Buddhist scriptures, having outrageous adventures all along the way. Full of humor and wit, this is a major work of East Asian fantastic literature. Come along with Monkey and the gang for a tour through this foundational text! [show less]

Natsume’s Book of Friends is a contemplative and heartfelt anime/manga series about a boy who inherited a book from his grandmother, allowing him to control youkai. Instead, he chooses to free them. This series sits at the intersection of fantasy and slice of life, and it touches on many aspects of Japanese folklore and culture, at the same time telling a story about connection and compassion. This series is primarily discussion based, with some contextual information provided by the preceptor. There will be a Google Doc for class discussion and your preceptor will use slides, but sparingly. [show less]

Natsume’s Book of Friends is a contemplative and heartfelt anime/manga series about a boy who inherited a book from his grandmother, allowing him to control youkai. Instead, he chooses to free them. This series sits at the intersection of fantasy and slice of life, and it touches on many aspects of Japanese folklore and culture, at the same time telling a story about connection and compassion. In this module, we will watch and discuss the first two seasons of the anime, paying particular attention to themes including: the iyashikei (healing) genre of anime, the portrayal of youkai in popular culture, and the use of concepts and imagery from Japanese literature and folklore in the series. This module is primarily discussion based, with some contextual information provided by the preceptor. There will be a Google Doc for class discussion and your preceptor will use slides, but sparingly. [show less]

In this module we will read and discuss 104 strange tales collected by the 17th-18th century Chinese scholar, Pu Songling. Featuring Daoist/Taoist wizards, fox spirits, ghosts of all kinds, anomalous plants and animals, Buddhist wonder-workers, deities and immortals, Pu's collection has entertained audiences through centuries. Writers and artists as diverse as Jorge Luis Borges and Martin Buber have found inspiration in these stories, and several films and film franchises such as A Chinese Ghost Story are rooted in them. Preceptors Pilar Barrera and Dr. Robert Steed will lead class sessions, which will primarily focus upon participant discussion framed by preceptor commentary designed to situate these stories in their historical, literary, and religious contexts. [show less]

This course offers a deep analysis of Tolkien’s seminal essay “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” which truly changed the course of scholarship on the most important text in Tolkien’s Cauldron of Story. The essay began as Tolkien’s 1936 Sir Israel Gollancz Memorial Lecture to the British Academy and was published that year. Thanks to “Beowulf and the Critics” (2002) published by Michael D.C. Drout we have a wonderful edition of the early drafts. Tolkien’s essay brings to the fore the powerful achievement of the Beowulf poet in crafting an expression of celebration and defiance, of heroism and death. In this fun SPACE course, we will explore Tolkien’s attitudes and assumptions on the poem in greater detail. Students will gain a greater appreciation for the essay and for Tolkien’s legendarium. [show less]

Sudying fairy tales takes us back to a time when stories where passed from culture to culture. These stories, replicated around the world, deal with fears and axieties, but they also give us hope as it is the smallest and most vulnerable the one who usually triumphs. In these modules, we will explore different authors and fairy tales from around the world. Students will have the opportunity to read and re-read the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Andersen, Andrew Lang, Oscar Wilde and fairy tales from differnet cultures such as Russia, and Japan. Each month, our preceptors will survey the group using to see which text students are most interested in exploring next. We offer the following Fairy Tales Studies modules: • Fairy Tales: An Adventure from the Writer's Perspective • Fairy Tales: From Apples to Bears • Fairy Tales: Rats, Mice, and Birds • Fairy Tales: Tricksters, Fools, and Villains • Introduction to Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales • Introduction to Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales: A House of Pomegranates • Introduction to Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales: The Happy Prince and Other Tales • Japanese Fairy Tales and Children's Literature • Russian Fairy Tales: Journeys, Quests, and Chicken Legs • Yōkai and Legends: Exploring the Weird in Japanese and Latin American Cultures • Encountering the Japanese Weird through Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan • Exploring Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham • Fairy Tales: Beauty and the Beast Note: Each module stands on its own and no previous knowledge is required. The idea is to read and discuss these stories, their themes, imagery, and see how we respond to them. [show less]

Let's get together to discuss the eight Harry Potter films. Across one month, we'll get together to discuss each film in turn. What adaptation choices did the creators make and why? What works and what doesn't? What are the major themes of the films? And why did this film series become a phenomenon in its own right? This module combines the warmth of our cosy book club with the magic of film appreciation. [show less]

The Midst podcast (which can be found at http://www.midst.co) is a strange and compelling space western horror science fantasy. . . hmmm. Let me start again. Midst is a planetoid revolving in a cosmos very unlike our own, one that contains strange creatures bred from The Fold, a supernatural phenomenon that. . . no that's not it either. This module will be a discussion guide to one of the most compellingly weird podcasts I've run across ever. I'm talking Welcome to Nightvale weird. The story is told by three anonymous and quite probably unreliable narrators, does not stick to usual story structures, veers off on tangents, and lands everything in a series of climactic episodes that are simply stunning. What we will be doing is experiencing season 1 of this podcast together and looking at how they are using various tools to tell this story, and whether they really are abandoning a lot of conventional storytelling wisdom. (Spoiler alert, I don't think they are.) You will listen to all nineteen episodes over the course of the class. In class, we will discuss the episodes you've heard, using the frame of questions I will give you ahead of time. Our goal will be to tease out the various storytelling tools the writers used in the creation of their remarkable story. Some of these will be familiar literary tools, others will involve how they use sound and effects to heighten their narration. As each episode is on the order of half an hour long, you will have heard nine to ten hours of audio by the time the class ends. I love this story and the way the writers have chosen to tell it. I would love to share that with you. [show less]

The Dark Crystal, a film directed and created by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, was released at Christmastime in 1982. An attempt at a more mature and decidedly darker direction for Henson, it performed modestly in the box office to mixed reviews. Despite its poor initial beginnings, over the next 42 years, The Dark Crystal became a cult classic. Why the appeal all these years later? In this class we will explore this multifaceted dark fantasy as a stand of world building from the better appreciated “Muppet” canon. Over the course of eight sessions we will discuss the world of Thra through the film itself, seen afresh with the new lenses of various forms of modern criticism. Please join us for a combination of short lectures and lively discussion of this visual and technical masterpiece whether you’re a long-time fan or neophyte. [show less]

Can Sir Gawain keep his honor without losing his head? This short classic of Middle English chivalric romance follows Gawain on a quest testing his heroism, social etiquette, sexual virtue, and existential sense of self. This course explores: first, the extraordinary history of the single, unique manuscript which preserves this poem (as it “slept” on a library shelf for 400 years, escaped destruction by fire, and was eventually rediscovered in the 19th century); second, the translations which brought this poem to a twentieth century readership – focusing in particular on J.R.R. Tolkien’s; and finally, the 2021 film by David Lowery. [show less]

The Muppet Lord of the Rings adaptation developed at Sunshine Moot 2025 was a runaway success, generating millions at the box office and garnering accolades from critics and fans alike. Big Name Studios was so impressed by Signum Studio’s creativity and short production schedule, that they’ve asked us to do it again! There’s a catch though- the Signum Studios Creative Team must generate a new adaptation as soon as possible in order to build on the success of the first movie. “We’re so excited about the possibility of even more opportunities to explore Muppet and LoTR mashups!” Addison Bigbucks, president of Big Name Studios said in a recent interview. “We can’t wait to see what the Signum Studios Creative Team will come up with next!” In this SPACE course, the Creative Team will lead interactive discussions and breakout sessions to discuss human and Muppet casting choices, art direction, and narrative themes. Knowledge of the following Jim Henson productions will be useful but not required: The Muppet Show (1976-1981), : The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), : Muppet Treasure Island (1996), and the : Muppet Movie (2011). No homework outside of class is required, but ongoing discussions on Signum’s Discord channel will be enthusiastically encouraged. Can the Creative Team at Signum Studios achieve the same success as their Sunshine Moot predecessors? What decisions will appeal to both the die-hard Tolkien fans, Muppet aficionados, and the casual movie-going public? Don’t worry, the Creative Team will have help including a guest lecture from Maggie Parke, Director of Signum Studios, two producers who will keep us on budget and on time, and several Bigwig Studio Executives who will offer advice on creating the next blockbuster hit. [show less]

This book club will explore the Eybyggja saga, a magnificent Old Icelandic epic filled with feud, revenge, memorable characters and a lot of paranormal activity. For one month we'll be delving into its exquisite storytelling, examining everything from its cultural background to narrative themes. Meet Snorri the chieftain, Thorolf the revenant or Katla the witch in a story that'll remain with you long after you've read it! If you enjoy this format, you'll get the chance to vote what saga we discuss next!

1. chapters 1-12
2. chapters 13 - 28
3. chapters 29 - 38
4. chapters 39 - 49
5. chapters 50 - 55
6. chapters 56 - 65

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"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. [show less]

“Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?” It’s spooky season, so let’s read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein! Consumed by his need to unlock the secrets of life, scientist Victor Frankenstein pieces together a living being from body parts of the dead. Horrified by his own creation, Frankenstein casts it aside. His misshapen offspring craves love and acceptance, but meets only revulsion and cruelty. As their lives spiral toward revenge and ruin, Frankenstein and his monster must confront the terrifying cost of playing God. A foundational text of gothic horror and science fiction, Mary Shelley explores profound ethical questions with compassion and humanity. [show less]

“Seeing is not believing—it is only seeing.” The first modern novels to take place entirely in an imaginary world, George MacDonald’s fantasies were formative in the imaginations of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. In this module, we’ll read MacDonald's children’s novels, as well as his essay, "The Fantastic Imagination." Eight-year-old Princess Irene is forbidden from exploring her father’s castle. Little does she suspect that hordes of goblins dwell beneath her feet, scheming to overrun the kingdom. Soon, a chance encounter with heroic miner (and occasional poet) Curdie sweeps Irene into an adventure of which she never dreamed. Enter a world where legends rise from a labyrinth under the earth and immortal grandmothers bestow magic rings from above, where rhymes drive back monsters and belief reveals the path home. [show less]

Descend into the medieval ‘Dark Zone,’ a world beneath the surface where dragons coil, cave-witches curse, and the earth itself becomes a site of danger, revelation, and transformation. This course plunges into the rich subterranean imagination of Old and Middle English literature, tracing caves, hollows, and underground spaces from the tenth through the sixteenth century. Moving between sweeping thematic frameworks and analytical close reading, we will examine how caves function as mythic thresholds, spiritual testing grounds, and spaces of exile, prophecy, and refuge. Through attentive readings of canonical and lesser-known texts, students will discover how medieval writers used the underground to think through fear, faith, gender, power, and the limits of the known world. Session 1: Let’s go spelunking! Plato’s Republic, Jung and more Session 2: Primordial ‘Earth halls’ in Old English poetry Session 3: Subterranean worlds in Beowulf Session 4: Arthurian Caves Session 5: Mapping Sir Gawain and the Green Knight's Green Chapel Session 6: Saturn’s “derke cote”: occult caves in Chaucer’s poetry Session 7: Anchorites and cave-witches Session 8: Wookey Hole: a case study of a cave, history, and cultural imagination through time [show less]

When one thinks of ancient, pre-classical civilisations, one thinks of Sumerians, Egyptians, Hittites, and, not least, Minoans. The Minoan civilisation, discovered around 1900 by English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, has often been styled as the first major European civilisation, equally proficient in technology and the arts, with a sea empire spanning across the Eastern Aegean. But how much of what we imagine about the Minoans is truthful and how much is modern mythmaking? In this module, we will examine the immense impact which the discovery of Minoan Crete and its integration with the classical myths of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth has had on literature, movies, the arts, and even computer games. We will examine the works of Sir Arthur Evans, Pablo Picasso, Nikos Kazantzakis, Robert Graves, Mary Renault, Poul Anderson, and Stephen King, among others. In so doing, we will explore such key 'Minoan' concepts and phenomena as: the sublime, utopianism, feminism, irrationality and the unconscious, mythmaking, and European identity. [show less]

Yes, there are indeed women in Beowulf. Vital and potent women in fact. From the valkyrie-esque figures to the weeping peace-weavers, a broad spectrum of women characters exists as both historical representation and imaginative mythology. Grendel's Mother is ferocious and masculine. Hildeburh laments the death of her brother and son before being carried off. Modthryth behaves like a sadistic queen. Wealhtheow is mindful of so much in her husband's hall. Freawaru seems destined for tragedy. And could the dragon be a female too? Maria Headley seems to think so. This module will explore this topic using dual-language editions of texts so we can see the original language alongside translations by J.R.R. Tolkien, Roy Liuzza, and Maria Headley. [show less]

The Gothic genre has inspired many creative minds to explore the darker realms of human psychology and the wider world, sparking fear, terror, horror and repulsion in its audience. J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth is as much a ruined Gothic wasteland as it is an idyllic utopia. From Shelob's cave and the hypnotic Mirkwood to the Paths of the Dead and the Barrow-Downs, this module will examine Tolkien's use of Dark Romantic and Gothic techniques that were used by writers such as Horace Walpole, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, and E.T.A. Hoffman to strike terror in the heart of their readers. The module will follow an 8-lesson structure as follows: • Lecture 1: The Funk of Forty Thousand Years: A Literary History of the Gothic • Workshop 1: Chilly Echoes in Tolkien's Middle-earth • Lecture 2: Bottomless Supernatural: Terror, Horror, Abject • Workshop 2: Conjuring Creepy Creatures • Lecture 3: The Weird, the Eerie, and the Dark Side of the Mind • Workshop 3: Defamiliarising Middle-earth • Lecture 4: Ruined Landscapes • Workshop 4: What is left? Can the Gothic recover Middle-earth? Note: The hybrid 8-lesson structure above is the new format for this module moving forward. [show less]

J.R.R. Tolkien famously 'found' his legendarium, translating and editing The Red Book of Westmarch for his twentieth century readers. This is not the first time an author has 'forged' a 'lost' literary history as James Macpherson's 'Ossian' documents from the 1760s started a craze for forgeries. Thomas Chatterton's Rowley and Turgot manuscripts similarly fed off the Ossian controversy while questioning what it really meant to 'forge' a document. The module will follow an 8-lesson structure as follows: • Lecture 1: The 1760s, the Age of Forgery • Workshop 1: Which Red Book are we reading? • Lecture 2: The Growth of Romantic Nationalism • Workshop 2: The Book of Lost Tales: a mythology for which England? • Lecture 3: Oral Traditions: Immortality and Youth • Workshop 3: Vocalising Myth and History • Lecture 4: Textual Traditions: Mortal Anxiety and Tangible History • Workshop 4: Writing myth and history Note: The hybrid 8-lesson structure above is the new format for this module moving forward. [show less]

Inviting students to share their delight in, and deepen their appreciation of, video games, we will discuss examples of the art, music, gameplay, and story from a range of influential titles. We will introduce and experiment with some of the theoretical frameworks that have been applied to video games as media objects and cultural artifacts. But mostly, we will enjoy learning more about the medium and the games we already love. Aside from links and selections shared throughout the module, Gabrielle Zevin's novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. will be the only required reading. [show less]

After having discussed the complex phenomenon of seidr magic in module 1, we are going to have a closer look at its most violent practices. Beyond domestic practices, sorcerous aggression manifested e.g. through driving the enemy insane, sending spirits to attack, causing misfortune and on a much broader scale on the battlefield. A clear projection of supernatural intervention is offered by Odin‘s servants the valkyrjur, but also shapeshifting berserkers caught by ritual frenzy, with powers stemming from Odin himself, “The Terrible” in his sorcerous role. Battle spells also seem to have been preserved as literary remnants with a chance at authenticity derived from ideas in older poems, like ideas about war-fettering, invulnerability or disguise. These elements of sorcery buried deep in the often problematic sources might help us better understand the potential mindset of pre-Christian Northern peoples and illuminated the often too tightly defined warrior identity. [show less]

Boarding schools have become a staple in fantasy, but Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children specializes in children that have stumbled into and then out of portals and haven't quite managed to adjust to being back from their adventures. There are three rules at Eleanor West's: No Solicitations, No Visitors, and No Quests. [show less]

It's a sometimes inconvenient fact that characters have bodies, and sometimes, those bodies directly affect the stories we write about them. Writing characters who live in bodies that do not perform according to the cultural standard is a skill like any other part of the writer's craft. In this course, we will look at examples from literature of how authors have dealt with what we usually call disabilities. Some have done well, others have materially harmed people with their writing. We will also work with one another to hone our craft as writers who are telling stories so that we can find the new and inspirational, while leaving behind the worn-out clichés that make the lives of people like your preceptor materially harder. Note: Texts will be provided by the preceptor. Note: For more information about the Collaborative Feedback Method in SPACE, please check out our video here. [show less]