Signum University — Blackberry

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 takes a deep dive into this complex world of the early medieval Northmen, blending a wide variety of sources and the newest...

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

A History of the Vikings: Art and Culture

Discover essential aspects of everyday life in the world of the Norse! In this module we'll be exploring the rich cultural and religious life of the Scandinavian communities between the 8th and 11th century, trying to figure out what their cultural products can tell us about their mindset. We'll hav...

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

A History of the Vikings: The Scandinavian Homelands

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. ...

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

January 2026

A History of the Vikings: The Viking Diaspora

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

An Intensive Reading of the Tao Te Ching/Daode jing 道德經 Part II

We will continue onwards with our intensive reading and discussion of the text from wherever we end in "An Intensive Reading of the Tao Te Ching/Daode jing 道德經".

Precepted by Dr. Robert Steed

An Intensive Reading of the Zhuangzi/Chuang Tzu 莊子

Zhuangzi is often presented as the second thinker of classical Daoist thought after Laozi, but in terms of impact on East Asian philosophy and fine arts, Zhuangzi is probably the more significant figure. We will read the text together, taking plenty of time to discuss participant interpretations, a...

Precepted by Dr. Robert Steed

An Introduction to Hinduism

In this module we will cover various religious traditions generally covered by the umbrella term "Hinduism." We will start with an overview of some of the methodological challenges faced when studying these traditions, and then turn our attention to some of the major streams of Hindu history and pr...

Precepted by Dr. Robert Steed

An Introduction to Islam

In this module we will cover the basics of Islamic Religious tradition, thought, and practice. A basic biography of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), the development of the early Islamic movement (the Ummah), division into the Sunni and Shi'ite forms of Islam, Islamic cosmology, the Four Orthodox school...

Precepted by Dr. Robert Steed

An Introduction to Sacramental Christianity

In this module we will explore the sacramental worldview and practices of Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism, with maybe a bit of Anglicanism thrown into the mix. We will cover what a sacramental worldview consists of, what the sacraments themselves are, what sacramentals are and how their use is ju...

Precepted by Dr. Robert Steed

Art History – A Thousand Stories Non-Sequential Series

Whenever we see a painting or a sculpture we might think many different things; we might wonder why we like or dislike it; what is its meaning; and why the artist created it in that way. In this series we will explore different art periods, movements, and artists. We will discuss the context, symb...

Precepted by Pilar Barrera

Big Bold Beowulf: A Study of the Poem

Always wanted to study Beowulf? Here's your opportunity. In our 8 hours together, we will delve into the worlds of the poem, examine the major critical elements, and seek to understand the poem better.

Precepted by Dr. Larry Swain

Chaucer in Middle English: The Canterbury Tales

Read what Chaucer wrote in his own language! The famed Canterbury Tales are a wonderful read in Middle English and this module will focus on The Miller’s Tale.

Precepted by Dr. Larry Swain

Christmas Carols in Latin!

In this mini module of four one-hour sessions, we will have fun with Latin Christmas Carols. Any "homework" is optional, texts will be provided, fun shall be had!!! Come and enjoy! Note: This mini module is a special group experience designed for a small and intimate group of 3 to 4 students...

Precepted by Dr. Larry Swain

Crash Course on Norse Myths

The literature containing Norse mythology remains one of the most fascinating bodies of medieval storytelling anywhere. Participants will make sense of Norse myths by examining the structures of the tales and investigating the background in which they were written down in manuscripts. Explore Norse ...

Precepted by Dr. Paul Peterson

C.S. Lewis and the Medieval and Renaissance World

C.S. Lewis was not only the author of beloved classics, including The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, and his science-fiction Space Trilogy; he was also a scholar of Medieval and Renaissance Literature. Our text for this class is Lewis’s final masterpiece, The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature. In this book, Lewis shares his detailed knowledge of the medieval and renaissance worldview, editing and expanding the lectures he gave at Oxford and Cambridge universities. As such, it is an excellent overview of both a) The medieval and renaissance mind, and b) How Lewis himself thought about the period. We will read through The Discarded Image week by week, taking our time to discuss and understand the ideas Lewis is describing and the places those ideas also appear in his own work.

Precepted by Dr. Gabriel Schenk

Daughters of the North: Women in Old Norse Society

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...

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. lectures: 1 The daily life of women: marriage, children, work 2 Women and power: queens, avengers, warriors 3 The Norse sorceress and prophetess 4 Divine images of women

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

Epic Echoes: Legendary Tales from Medieval Iceland

In this module we'll be exploring a few legendary Icelandic þættir, a distinct narrative form within Old Norse literature characterised by brevity, punch, and thematic sharpness. Although often overlooked in favor of longer sagas, þættir offer rich insight into medieval Iceland, social codes, and th...

In this module we'll be exploring a few legendary Icelandic þættir, a distinct narrative form within Old Norse literature characterised by brevity, punch, and thematic sharpness. Although often overlooked in favor of longer sagas, þættir offer rich insight into medieval Iceland, social codes, and the politics of storytelling. Their settings range from the farms of Iceland to the courts of Norwegian kings, and their protagonists include farmers, outlaws, poets, and tricksters, with lots of supernatural bits to enjoy! This module considers their functions as entertainment, moral illustration, historical anecdote, their stylistic features like concision, irony, and sharp characterisation, as well as their ability to recycle ancient myths in new lights and shadows. Not to forget, they are simply fun to read! hybrid form - live discussions centred on the students' understanding of the stories lectures: Week I - The Story of Norna-Gest Week II - The Story of Sörli or the Saga of Hedinn and Högni Week III - The Story of Thorsteinn Mansion-Might Week IV - The Story of Völsi

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

Exploring Journey to the West 西遊記

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....

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!

Precepted by Dr. Robert Steed

Exploring Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三國演義

Considered to be one the major classics of pre-modern Chinese literature, Romance of the Three Kingdoms focuses on a story of political and military struggle featuring an impressive array of characters, many of whom have become touchstones of Chinese cultural heritage and artistic interest. ...

Considered to be one the major classics of pre-modern Chinese literature, Romance of the Three Kingdoms focuses on a story of political and military struggle featuring an impressive array of characters, many of whom have become touchstones of Chinese cultural heritage and artistic interest. This novel has spawned a wide arrange of operas, stories, video game series, musical compositions, television and web series, as well as garnering much academic attention since it was first published in the 14th century. Join us as we read, discuss, analyze, and place in its cultural and historical contexts this major work of Chinese historical fiction.

Precepted by Dr. Robert Steed

Exploring Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book 枕草子

Sei Shōnagon 清少納言 is a major writer of the Heian period (794-1185) whose Makura no Sōshi 枕草子 (The Pillow Book) has intrigued and delighted reading audiences for centuries. Colorful, witty, incisive, charming, thoughtful, melancholy, poetic---these qualities and more characterize this diary of...

Sei Shōnagon 清少納言 is a major writer of the Heian period (794-1185) whose Makura no Sōshi 枕草子 (The Pillow Book) has intrigued and delighted reading audiences for centuries. Colorful, witty, incisive, charming, thoughtful, melancholy, poetic---these qualities and more characterize this diary of the famous lady of the court. Join us as we read this text in-depth and place it within the frame of the flow of Japanese culture and history.

Precepted by Dr. Robert Steed

Exploring Tolkien’s “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics”

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 Academ...

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.

Precepted by Dr. Chris Vaccaro

Le Morte Darthur Non-Sequential Series

“Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all England.” This series explores the culminating masterpiece of medieval Arthurian literature: Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur (1470). Drawing together the most noteworthy and celebrated threads of ...

“Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all England.” This series explores the culminating masterpiece of medieval Arthurian literature: Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur (1470). Drawing together the most noteworthy and celebrated threads of earlier versions, Malory tells Arthur’s story from boyhood to death in a narrative sequence that would influence later retellings for centuries, and in striking language that, for many, defines the Arthurian tradition. Working our way from beginning to end, the series covers all eight books or “tales” of Malory’s text in five modules. In addition to carefully reading the complete work, the series also provides context on Malory’s life and imprisonment during the Wars of the Roses, his book’s first publication in 1485 by English printer and editor William Caxton, and the remarkable twenty-first century discovery of the “Winchester Manuscript,” a now-standard but hitherto-unknown version of Malory’s text by medievalist Eugene Vinaver.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Le Morte Darthur: Arthur's Origins in Malory's "The Tale of King Arthur"

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 Ston...

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.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Le Morte Darthur: Lancelot, Gareth, and the War with Rome

This module explores three short, stand-alone tales from Le Morte Darthur, depicting Arthur, his knights, and the wider world they inhabit. “The Tale of the Noble King Arthur that was Emperor,” shows Malory’s version of King Arthur as military leader and conqueror of Rome. Adapted from the ...

This module explores three short, stand-alone tales from Le Morte Darthur, depicting Arthur, his knights, and the wider world they inhabit. “The Tale of the Noble King Arthur that was Emperor,” shows Malory’s version of King Arthur as military leader and conqueror of Rome. Adapted from the late Middle English alliterative tradition, this tale was not included in Caxton’s original 15th century printing, but only discovered in 1934 with the finding of the lost Winchester Manuscript. “A Noble Tale of Sir Launcelot du Lake,” shows Lancelot’s kidnapping by Morgan Le Fay, and the political and romantic complications that arise as a result. Alternating between high romance and low farce, this tale shows key Arthurian players at their best and worst. And finally, “The Tale of Sir Gareth,” follows Gawain’s younger brother Gareth from obscure and seemingly-lowly origins, through dangers, trials, and mockery, to his eventual triumph as full-fledged knight. It is also, evidently the only tale, in the complete Morte Arthur that Malory invented himself! Note: Students may participate in this series in any month even if they did not take a previous class in the series.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Le Morte Darthur: Seeking the Holy Grail in Malory and Monty Python

To achieve the Holy Grail, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad and others must face formidable Black Knights, alluring temptresses, inscrutable hermits, and untold supernatural perils. This module examines two works created five-hundred-and-five years apart: “The Tale of the Sankgreal,” in Thomas Malory’s ...

To achieve the Holy Grail, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad and others must face formidable Black Knights, alluring temptresses, inscrutable hermits, and untold supernatural perils. This module examines two works created five-hundred-and-five years apart: “The Tale of the Sankgreal,” in Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur (1470) and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). The former represents the culmination of three centuries of medieval Arthurian “Grail” literature. The latter—a triumph of twentieth-century absurdist comedy and one of the funniest movies of all time. But these contrasting visions of the Grail Quest also share striking and unexpected similarities in terms of plot, form, and tone. This course looks closely at Malory’s text and the Pythons’ oddly-faithful film reinterpretation, side by side. In so doing, we explore what Arthur, the Grail, and the Middle Ages meant to the original audiences of both works, what they mean to us today, and how changes in form and context radically shape how stories are told and understood.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Le Morte Darthur: Sir Thomas Malory's "The Death of King Arthur"

“Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead… and men say that he shall come again…” Is Arthur dead? Or was he taken to Avalon to be healed? And will he indeed come again one day? Written within the confines of a common prison, Sir Thomas Malory's Le Mort...

“Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead… and men say that he shall come again…” Is Arthur dead? Or was he taken to Avalon to be healed? And will he indeed come again one day? Written within the confines of a common prison, Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur (c. 1470) addresses these very questions—trying to make sense of Arthur's legendary reign and “piteous” death for a war-torn England at the very close of the Middle Ages. In reading Malory's widely beloved and arguably definitive retelling of the death of the Arthur, this course examines the final dissolution of the Round Table, from the doomed love affair of Lancelot and Guinevere to Arthur's fatal (or near-fatal) wounding by Mordred—a continuous narrative contained within the last two books of Malory's sprawling chronicle, “The Book of Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere” and the titular “The Most Piteous Tale of the Morte Arthur.” Told with a both poignant sense of loss and an undisguised enthusiasm for chivalric adventure, this lively and idiosyncratic tale of Arthur's death combines the best of all the Arthurian epics that preceded it, and would influence all those that would follow after.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Ink Spots and Tea Stains: What We Learn from C.S. Lewis's Writing Habits

C.S. Lewis is one of the most prolific and influential writers of the 20th century. And yet, in his early career as an Oxford don, he viewed himself as a failed poet. Moreover, his most canonical and transformational writing happened during the most stress-filled periods of his life. This short cour...

C.S. Lewis is one of the most prolific and influential writers of the 20th century. And yet, in his early career as an Oxford don, he viewed himself as a failed poet. Moreover, his most canonical and transformational writing happened during the most stress-filled periods of his life. This short course allows students to peek into the writing life of C.S. Lewis. Our goal is to see through the lines of printed text by visiting the letters and archival remains of Lewis in a virtual setting. Most of C.S. Lewis's papers remain undigitized and unpublished, available only locally at archives in North America and England. As Professor Brenton Dickieson has visited these archives, he is able to invite students to appreciate C.S. Lewis's writing life by looking at the way that he consciously and unconsciously built his literary career. This course is for writers who are developing their own habits and literary life-prints, as well as folks who are curious about C.S. Lewis's life beyond the biographies and bestselling books. We are not doing text close readings, but looking at the “paratextual” information available to us: writing drafts, letters, diary entries, manuscripts and typescripts, title, and the like. Week 1: Lewis: Pen, Ink, Paper • C.S. Lewis’s Single-jointed Self-Conception as a Writer • What Lewis Says about his Writing Habits • Legendary Bonfires, Stuffed Dolls, and American Suckers: A Story of Lewis’s Papers and Manuscripts • The Screwtape MS. Story: Part 1 Week 2: Leaves, Bombs, Stains • The Screwtape MS. Story: Part 2 • “Villainous Handwriting”: Charlie Starr’s Lewis Handwriting and Rough Draft vs. Fair Draft • Reconsidering the Lindskoog Affair with Manuscript Evidence of “The Dark Tower” Week 3: Joy, Theft, Death • “The Quest of Bleheris”: Lewis’s Teenage Novel Week 4: • Is it True that Lewis Wrote in a Single Draft? • A Grief Observed • Tumbling Through the Wardrobe: The Discovery of Narnia • Arthurian Torso • A New Sketch of Lewis’s Writing Process(es) Note: This course includes a significant amount of visual material on the screen. Please contact the SPACE team if you have visual accessibility requirements and we will do everything we can to accommodate.

Precepted by Dr. Brenton Dickieson

Introduction to Japanese Religions Series

Over the course of two modules, 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...

Over the course of two modules, 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 King Arthur: Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain

This course offers an in-depth look at the first complete “historical” narrative of the reign of King Arthur, Geoffrey’s Historia Regum Britanniae – as well as the centuries-long controversy this book generated. Comprising almost a quarter of Geoffrey’s History (Books 4 – 11), this cru...

This course offers an in-depth look at the first complete “historical” narrative of the reign of King Arthur, Geoffrey’s Historia Regum Britanniae – as well as the centuries-long controversy this book generated. Comprising almost a quarter of Geoffrey’s History (Books 4 – 11), this crucial first account of the king includes the arrival of the Saxons in England, a battle of dragons, the boy Merlin’s prophetic visions, Arthur’s magically-contrived conception, his conquest of Rome, and his overthrown and death at the hands of his nephew Mordred. This course will also look at the battle of books that ensued following the appearance of Geoffrey’s work, with some contemporary chroniclers alleging that Geoffrey had simply made the whole thing up, and others rallying to Geoffrey’s (and Arthur’s) defense.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Inventing Lancelot: From Comic to Tragic in Seven Centuries

This course tracks Lancelot's development from hero of a medieval romance (part tale of adventure, part comedy of manners) to center of a political and moral tragedy. We look in detail at three texts: Chrétien de Troyes's Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart (c. 1180), Thomas Malory's Le Morte...

This course tracks Lancelot's development from hero of a medieval romance (part tale of adventure, part comedy of manners) to center of a political and moral tragedy. We look in detail at three texts: Chrétien de Troyes's Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart (c. 1180), Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur (1470) and Tennyson's Idylls of the King (1859). Sir Lancelot, as everyone knows, is Arthur’s best and bravest knight—and also, the lover of Arthur’s wife, Guinevere. Examining this pivotal irony of the Arthurian tradition, this course tracks the development of Lancelot as both a character and a literary concept across three major works: In Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart, master of French Arthurian romance, Chrétien de Troyes, invents a hero who loves Queen Guinevere beyond all bounds of reason—so much that he will face deadly perils and (worse yet) social humiliation to prove his devotion. Sir Thomas Malory’s late medieval “Tale of Lancelot and Elayne” (part of his sprawling epic, Le Morte Darthur) introduces a would-be rival for Lancelot’s affections in the form of Elayne, the Fair Maid of Astolat. While retaining a few comic touches from earlier versions, this retelling cannot escape the doomed nature of Lancelot’s affair with the Queen. Finally, Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “Lancelot and Elayne” (part of his Idylls of the King) depicts Lancelot and Guinevere’s betrayal of their king as the moral rot at the foundation of a perfect but unsustainable society—and in so doing, reveals a Victorian sense of worlds away from Chrétien’s light-hearted original. This module contains a mixture of lecture and discussion, with one lecture for each of the three works, and the rest of the meetings focusing on discussion. Modules 1-3: Chrétien, Lancelot, Knight of the Cart (1 lecture, 2 discussions) Modules 4-6: Malory, Le Morte Darthur (1 lecture, 2 discussions) Modules 7-8: Tennyson, Idylls of the King (1 lecture, 1 discussion)

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

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

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 ...

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

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Text, Translation, Film

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 ma...

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.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún

Love, power, betrayal, death; the occasional dragon and cursed ring. All these are to be found in the legends of the Vǫlsungs and Niflungs, amongst the most popular and abiding legends of the medieval Germanic-speaking and Norse worlds. J.R.R. Tolkien reworked these into two poems in Modern English ...

Love, power, betrayal, death; the occasional dragon and cursed ring. All these are to be found in the legends of the Vǫlsungs and Niflungs, amongst the most popular and abiding legends of the medieval Germanic-speaking and Norse worlds. J.R.R. Tolkien reworked these into two poems in Modern English patterned after the alliterative style of Old Norse poems. In this module, we read Tolkien’s poems and their accompanying commentary to see how Tolkien wrought his own retelling of these ancient tales, and we’ll trace the connections across from the original medieval legends through Tolkien’s retelling to his original works of fantasy set in Middle-earth.

Precepted by Dr. Carl Edlund Anderson

Life in the Middle Ages Non-Sequential Series

This series will look at what life in the Middle Ages was like. What did people eat? What about entertainment? What about work? What was literature like? People will encounter texts, artifacts, and art to help gain a better understanding of life in the Middle Ages. Each module in the Life in th...

This series will look at what life in the Middle Ages was like. What did people eat? What about entertainment? What about work? What was literature like? People will encounter texts, artifacts, and art to help gain a better understanding of life in the Middle Ages. Each module in the Life in the Middle Ages series will focus on a different theme: 1. The Lives of Peasants 2. The Lives of Clergy 3. The Lives of Nobility

Precepted by Dr. Larry Swain

Life in the Middle Ages: Clergy

Often when folks think of the Middle Ages, they think of the Medieval church. The church was no monolith, however. From the local parish priest to the popes, this module looks at the lives of the clergy: married or celibate, spiritual or worldly, anti-clericalism, and more.

Precepted by Dr. Larry Swain

Life in the Middle Ages: Nobility

It's good to be the king. This module looks at the lives of the people at the top of society. This is not about politics, but about their daily lives, the feasting, the interaction with lower classes, literature for them and about them, things that wealth could bring... What was the life of a noble ...

It's good to be the king. This module looks at the lives of the people at the top of society. This is not about politics, but about their daily lives, the feasting, the interaction with lower classes, literature for them and about them, things that wealth could bring... What was the life of a noble really like?

Precepted by Dr. Larry Swain

Life in the Middle Ages: Peasants

We are taught in our culture about the "dark ages," from the so-called "Fall of Rome" to about 1500 or so. This module examines why the "dark ages" aren't dark by looking at the lives of peasants during the thousand year period.

Precepted by Dr. Larry Swain

Medieval Christian Thought and Practice

Between the Great Schism (the separation of Orthodox and Catholic churches in 1054 CE) and the Protestant Reformation (initiated by the Church of England separating from the Catholic Church in 1534 CE) lies the medieval period of Christian history. The Church was theologically and spiritually vibra...

Between the Great Schism (the separation of Orthodox and Catholic churches in 1054 CE) and the Protestant Reformation (initiated by the Church of England separating from the Catholic Church in 1534 CE) lies the medieval period of Christian history. The Church was theologically and spiritually vibrant during this time, marked by the parallel developments of scholasticism and mysticism within the Catholic tradition. The basic premise of this course is that modern society has not outgrown the lessons to be learned from this period of history. Exploring how medieval Christians lived—and applying their perspectives with care—can enrich our lives today.

Precepted by Dr. Joel D. Ruark

Medieval Drama: Staging the English Bible

Late medieval English drama brought episodes from The Bible to life in days-long festivals of pomp and pageantry—but what these plays really show us is the day-to-day lives of ordinary men and women of the Middle Ages. With a mixture of lavish spectacle, slapstick comedy, and intimate poignancy, the...

Late medieval English drama brought episodes from The Bible to life in days-long festivals of pomp and pageantry—but what these plays really show us is the day-to-day lives of ordinary men and women of the Middle Ages. With a mixture of lavish spectacle, slapstick comedy, and intimate poignancy, these plays populate the biblical world with familiar figures of the medieval city-life: shrewd workmen and cunning criminals; disgruntled wives and worried husbands; the friends, family, and neighbors of the playwrights and performers. This course looks at a sampling of plays from the great civic drama cycles of York, Chester, Coventry, and elsewhere, including Noah’s Flood, The Second Shepherd’s Play, Herod’s Slaughter of the Innocents, The Crucifixion, The Harrowing of Hell, and The Last Judgement. The works presented here offer both a grand history of the world from Creation to Doomsday, and locally-rooted, vernacular versions of a text then otherwise available only in Latin. Knowledge of Middle English is not required since this course will use the modern-spelling edition by Prof. A. C. Cawley. Scholarly online Middle English versions, however, will also be made available for students wishing to practice their skills in that area.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Middle High German for Beginners Series of 3

This is the landing page for Dr. Isaac Schendel's Middle High German series. For more information, check out the module links on this page. Also: Please wishlist this page if you are interested in taking Dr. Schendel's Middle High German series when we offer it next.

Precepted by Dr. Isaac Schendel

Norse Book Club: Eybyggja saga (The saga of the people of Eyri)

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. Mee...

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!

chapters 1-12

chapters 13 - 28

chapters 29 - 38

chapters 39 - 49

chapters 50 - 55

chapters 56 - 65

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

Old High German Texts for Readers of Old English

Old High German (OHG) is a group of Germanic dialects spoken in the Holy Roman Empire from the 6th to the 11th centuries, and although it does not have the same breadth of literature as Old English, it still boasts a number of fascinating texts, such as the alliterative poems Muspilli and ...

Old High German (OHG) is a group of Germanic dialects spoken in the Holy Roman Empire from the 6th to the 11th centuries, and although it does not have the same breadth of literature as Old English, it still boasts a number of fascinating texts, such as the alliterative poems Muspilli and Das Hildebrandslied and rhymed poems like Das Ludwigslied and Otfrid of Weissenburg’s Evangelienbuch. The language is necessary for a complete understanding of Germanic Philology, and the corpus offers important material for students of mythology, folklore, comparative literature, religious studies and medieval culture. Every iteration of this module takes into consideration the language skills and interests of the students, and each month will focus on different texts and progress at a different speed. Anything from the Merseburger Zaubersprüche to the works of Notker Labeo is open for our enjoyment and edification. Prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with at least one Germanic language (for example: Old English, Old Norse, Middle High German or Gothic).

Precepted by Dr. Isaac Schendel

Old Norse Sagas in Translation: Njál’s Saga

Situated on the margins of the medieval world, Iceland was remarkable for developing the largest secular literature in Europe – and Njál’s Saga is the longest, as well as probably the most famous and most artistically acclaimed, of the medieval Sagas of Icelanders. Probably written originally...

Situated on the margins of the medieval world, Iceland was remarkable for developing the largest secular literature in Europe – and Njál’s Saga is the longest, as well as probably the most famous and most artistically acclaimed, of the medieval Sagas of Icelanders. Probably written originally in the later 13th century, Njál’s Saga looks back to feuds of the later Viking Age, in the 10th and 11th centuries and presents much that is characteristic of the Sagas of Icelanders generally: a multitude of clearly drawn and memorable figures (both male and female); clever dialogue, full of dark humor and memorable phrases; great fighters and great fights; bad guys who nevertheless show us some redeeming traits, (however slight); and good guys with their own flaws and shortcomings (often fatal). The module will follow an 8-session structure as follows: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Lecture 1: Introduction to “Njál’s Saga” and its medieval Icelandic context; overview of “Hrut’s Saga” (chapters 1-18 of “Njál’s Saga”). • Discussion 1: Comments on and questions about the medieval Icelandic context of “Njál’s Saga” and the content of Hrut’s Saga” (chapters 1-18 of “Njál’s Saga”). • Lecture 2: Overview of “Gunnar’s Saga” (chapters 19-81 of “Njál’s Saga”). • Discussion 2: Comments on and questions about “Gunnar’s Saga” (chapters 19-81 of “Njál’s Saga”). • Lecture 3: Overview of “Njál’s Saga ‘proper’” (chapters 82-132 of “Njál’s Saga”). • Discussion 3: Comments on and questions about “Njál’s Saga ‘proper’” (chapters 82-132 of “Njál’s Saga”). • Lecture 4: Overview of “Flosi’s and Kari’s Saga” (chapters 133-159 of “Njál’s Saga”). • Discussion 4: Comments on and questions about “Flosi’s and Kari’s Saga” (chapters 133-159 of “Njál’s Saga”). • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Note: We wanted students to be aware that this module may contain violent, graphic, and/or other potentially disturbing material.

Precepted by Dr. Carl Edlund Anderson

Old Norse Sagas in Translation: Sagas of Heroic Legend

(Note: This module explores these texts in English, so no experience in Old Norse is necessary.) Somewhere between the historical and the fantastic are the traditions of heroic legend, telling of extraordinary men and women whose triumphs and tragedies are writ larger than those of everyday ...

(Note: This module explores these texts in English, so no experience in Old Norse is necessary.) Somewhere between the historical and the fantastic are the traditions of heroic legend, telling of extraordinary men and women whose triumphs and tragedies are writ larger than those of everyday life. In medieval Scandinavia, sagas of heroic legend such as The Saga of the Volsungs, The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, and The Saga of Hervor and King Heidrek retold already ancient stories in the new prose styles of the Middle Ages. Bravery and knavery; loyalty and treachery; magic and the mundane, horror and hope; these tales’ themes have enthralled audiences for more than a thousand years and played an outsized role in the birth of modern fantasy literature.

Precepted by Dr. Carl Edlund Anderson

Reading Middle English: An Introduction

This course introduces the basics of Middle English language and literature, including grammar, syntax, and pronunciation. Designed for students new to reading Middle English texts in their original form, the course focuses mainly on the English of London and the south of England in the thirteenth t...

This course introduces the basics of Middle English language and literature, including grammar, syntax, and pronunciation. Designed for students new to reading Middle English texts in their original form, the course focuses mainly on the English of London and the south of England in the thirteenth through fifteenth centuries—the language of Chaucer, Gower, Langland and others. As a language-learning course as well as a literature course, the first half of each meeting will be devoted to reading Middle English aloud and answering questions about pronunciation and comprehension; the second half will focus on the reading’s content, from basics of plot and conventions of genre to the historical context of each text. Course readings include: a selection of lyric poetry, two short poems by Chaucer, the chivalric romance Sir Orfeo, the Chester play of Noah’s Flood, a chronicle of the reign of King Henry V, Chaucer’s Treatise on the Astrolabe, and selections from the first English autobiography by a woman, The Book of Margery Kemp.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Readings in Middle English before Chaucer: Havelock the Dane

Havelock the Dane is lovely fairy tale type story that sits between heroic epic and developing Romance genres looking into a now distant past, and showing how an unjustly treated child grows to be a great king.

Precepted by Dr. Larry Swain

Readings in Middle High German

This series will help introduce students to the breadth and depth of texts available for study in Middle High German. Each month, Dr. Isaac Schendel surveys the group to see which text students are most interested in exploring next.

Precepted by Dr. Isaac Schendel

Readings in Middle High German Non-Sequential Series

This series will help introduce students to the breadth and depth of texts available for study in Middle High German. Each month, Dr. Isaac Schendel surveys the group to see which text students are most interested in exploring next.

Precepted by Dr. Isaac Schendel

Readings in Middle High German: Herzog Ernst

This module, which builds on the skills taught in the previous Middle High German Modules, looks at another representative of the Medieval German so-called Spielmannsdichtung (pseudo-minstrel tales). It tells the story of the Duke Ernest, who after unsuccessfully waging an assassination atte...

This module, which builds on the skills taught in the previous Middle High German Modules, looks at another representative of the Medieval German so-called Spielmannsdichtung (pseudo-minstrel tales). It tells the story of the Duke Ernest, who after unsuccessfully waging an assassination attempt and civil war against his misled step-father (and Holy Roman Emperor) flees to the Far East as a crusader, encountering mythical creatures and far-off places reminiscent to anyone who has read the Old English Wonders of the East. We will follow the methods used in other Middle High German modules and look at the Herzog Ernst poem both as literature and as a chance for interested students to continue perfecting their Middle High German reading skills. We will read selections of the text in the original language and translate them into English. Since it’s not entirely feasible to assume that everyone has access to a modern English translation, we will primarily discuss the translated sections, although a summary of the poem in general will be given. Questions discussed in the module will include questions of genre (as always) and the connection between the frame story and the second narrative, monsters and the bridal-quest, the medieval political philosophy and the HRE (Holy Roman Empire), crusade poetry, and more. The language of Herzog Ernst is roughly equivalent to the language of the Nibelungenlied, so completion of the Middle High German 1 and 2 modules are strongly encouraged. If you have any questions or need help, please feel free to contact Dr. Schendel.

Precepted by Dr. Isaac Schendel

Readings in Middle High German: Prose Selections 1

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. ...

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

Readings in Middle High German: Prose Selections 2

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. ...

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

Readings in Middle High German: The Homilies of Johannes Tauler 1

The Dominican Johannes Tauler (ca. 1300-1361) counts as one of the most important representatives of Medieval German mysticism—so important, in fact, that some scholars consider him a predecessor to Martin Luther. That might be an oversimplification, but he stands among the giants of Middle High Ger...

The Dominican Johannes Tauler (ca. 1300-1361) counts as one of the most important representatives of Medieval German mysticism—so important, in fact, that some scholars consider him a predecessor to Martin Luther. That might be an oversimplification, but he stands among the giants of Middle High German literature and continues a literary tradition established by Mechthild von Regensburg and Meister Eckhart. His homilies, which begin with a Bible reading following the liturgical calendar, boast a powerful imagery. His calls to moral reform and self-reflection challenge the reader both spiritually and linguistically. With Dr. Schendel’s guidance, you can overcome your resignatio ad grammaticam and be better equipped to appreciate Tauler’s invocation of the resignatio ad infernum. As Tauler’s repertoire is huge, and we believe in Roman Jakobson’s definition of philology as “the art of reading slowly,” every iteration of this module focuses on a different selection of homilies, which the preceptor and the class choose together based on interest and language levels. This course is open to all veterans of SPACE’s growing Middle High German program. At least one module of previous MHG is highly recommended.

Precepted by Dr. Isaac Schendel

Shakespeare's Epic Fairy Tales: Pericles and Cymbeline

This module looks at two late plays frequently overlooked in Shakespeare studies: Pericles, Prince of Tyre and Cymbeline. In Pericles, Shakespeare and collaborator George Wilkins present a medievalist fairy-tale of adventure on the high seas, set in the ancient Mediterranean and...

This module looks at two late plays frequently overlooked in Shakespeare studies: Pericles, Prince of Tyre and Cymbeline. In Pericles, Shakespeare and collaborator George Wilkins present a medievalist fairy-tale of adventure on the high seas, set in the ancient Mediterranean and narrated by Middle English poet, John Gower. In Cymbeline, a princess’s attempt to rid herself of the suitor she loathes and reunite with the man she loves leads to a tangle of escapes, pursuits, and mistaken identities. Decried by some critics for their eccentric and eclectic plots, both plays feature grand voyages across land and sea, benevolent magic, and the loss and recovery of true love.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Shakespeare's Epic Fairy Tales: The Winter's Tale and The Two Noble Kinsmen

This module continues the examination of Shakespeare’s late work with two baffling and beautiful plays. The Winter’s Tale begs the question: where does art end and magic begin? Containing the bard’s most famous stage direction—“Exit, pursued by a bear”—this tale of jealousy and forgiveness tr...

This module continues the examination of Shakespeare’s late work with two baffling and beautiful plays. The Winter’s Tale begs the question: where does art end and magic begin? Containing the bard’s most famous stage direction—“Exit, pursued by a bear”—this tale of jealousy and forgiveness transforms from domestic tragedy into pastoral comedy, before finally arriving at one of Shakespeare's strangest endings. The Two Noble Kinsmen, Shakespeare’s final work, gives Chaucer’s Middle English "The Knight’s Tale" a Renaissance rewrite. Co-authored with rising star of the Jacobean stage, John Fletcher, this tragicomedy expands the scope of Chaucer’s female characters while hinting at a range of suppressed, taboo romantic desires. Blending the poignant and the absurd, the playwrights worried that their presumptuous "modern" rewrite would raise Chaucer's angry ghost!

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

Signum Classics: The House of the Wolfings

A most fell warrior was he, whose deeds no man of the Mark could equal… Let’s read a tale that directly inspired Tolkien! Deep in the primordial Mirkwood, the free folk of the Mid-mark must take up arms to protect their home. When the Roman war machine rolls across their lands, the Valkyri...

A most fell warrior was he, whose deeds no man of the Mark could equal… Let’s read a tale that directly inspired Tolkien! Deep in the primordial Mirkwood, the free folk of the Mid-mark must take up arms to protect their home. When the Roman war machine rolls across their lands, the Valkyrie Wood-Sun and warrior chief Thiodolf rally their clan to save their idyllic way of life. An epic romance of survival and heroism in the face of overwhelming odds, William Morris weaves his tale through archaizing prose and verse. Inspired by Norse storytelling, The House of the Wolfings is by turns bloody and otherworldly, a celebration of community and the natural world.

Precepted by Dr. Julian Barr

Signum Classics: The Roots of the Mountains (Part 1)

“And there abide the ghosts of those that may not rest; and there wander the dwarfs and the mountain-dwellers, the dealers in marvels, the givers of gifts that destroy Houses…” Over two months, let’s read The Roots of the Mountains by William Morris! Ensconced at the roots of the mou...

“And there abide the ghosts of those that may not rest; and there wander the dwarfs and the mountain-dwellers, the dealers in marvels, the givers of gifts that destroy Houses…” Over two months, let’s read The Roots of the Mountains by William Morris! Ensconced at the roots of the mountains, the peaceful Dalemen are craftspeople, woodsmen and shepherds. Only the restless Face-of-God dares to roam beyond the safe confines of his village. In the wilds, he soon discovers his world is far from safe, as the Huns are poised to invade Dale and cast its people into slavery. Taking up his sword alongside the beautiful Sun-Beam, Face-of-God vows to protect his folk at any cost. Only by bringing together the disparate tribes of the Dale do they have any hope of victory. William Morris returns to the world of wights and shield maidens. An epic of bravery and sacrifice, imbued with a deep love of Norse myth, Morris revives the medieval romance tradition where true love endures against terrible foes.

Precepted by Dr. Julian Barr

Signum Classics: The Roots of the Mountains (Part 2)

“And there abide the ghosts of those that may not rest; and there wander the dwarfs and the mountain-dwellers, the dealers in marvels, the givers of gifts that destroy Houses…” Over two months, let’s read The Roots of the Mountains by William Morris! Ensconced at the roots of the mou...

“And there abide the ghosts of those that may not rest; and there wander the dwarfs and the mountain-dwellers, the dealers in marvels, the givers of gifts that destroy Houses…” Over two months, let’s read The Roots of the Mountains by William Morris! Ensconced at the roots of the mountains, the peaceful Dalemen are craftspeople, woodsmen and shepherds. Only the restless Face-of-God dares to roam beyond the safe confines of his village. In the wilds, he soon discovers his world is far from safe, as the Huns are poised to invade Dale and cast its people into slavery. Taking up his sword alongside the beautiful Sun-Beam, Face-of-God vows to protect his folk at any cost. Only by bringing together the disparate tribes of the Dale do they have any hope of victory. William Morris returns to the world of wights and shield maidens. An epic of bravery and sacrifice, imbued with a deep love of Norse myth, Morris revives the medieval romance tradition where true love endures against terrible foes.

Precepted by Dr. Julian Barr

The Classical Art of Memory: Building the Mind Palace of Simonides

One of the most crucial elements of education for millennia was teaching the ability to harness the potential of the memory. From the time of Homer until the 19th century, bards and bureaucrats both would have used established methods to organize and categorize their thoughts and remember crucial pi...

One of the most crucial elements of education for millennia was teaching the ability to harness the potential of the memory. From the time of Homer until the 19th century, bards and bureaucrats both would have used established methods to organize and categorize their thoughts and remember crucial pieces of information. The legendary memories of men from Homer to Cicero to Shakespeare had less to do with their unique genius and more to do with their application of ancient methods of memorization, that can still be learned today. In this module, students will learn the ancient memorization techniques that allowed bards to recite thousands of lines of poetry and Shakespeare's actors to perform dozens of complicated monologues, and discover its applications to life in the 21st century.

Precepted by Patrick Lyon

The Life and Legend of St Nicholas

Who was the real historical figure behind Santa Claus? In this module, we will read the earliest biographical sources about fourth century bishop, St Nicholas of Myra. Your preceptor will facilitate discussions of Nicholas' historical context and examine the development of his legend. Together, we w...

Who was the real historical figure behind Santa Claus? In this module, we will read the earliest biographical sources about fourth century bishop, St Nicholas of Myra. Your preceptor will facilitate discussions of Nicholas' historical context and examine the development of his legend. Together, we will examine Byzantine stories of Nicholas' benefaction and miracles, his role as patron saint of seafarers, students and merchants (among others), and how he came to embody the tradition of gift-giving in Christendom. A wonderful end-of-year treat!

Precepted by Dr. Julian Barr

The Making of a King: Shakespeare’s “Henriad"

"What art thou that counterfeit’st the person of a king?” This is the question asked (in more ways than one) by Shakespeare’s coming-of-age trilogy about England’s most popular medieval monarch—King Henry V. Beginning with his youth in King Henry IV, Part 1, we see the riotous Prince Hal grow...

"What art thou that counterfeit’st the person of a king?” This is the question asked (in more ways than one) by Shakespeare’s coming-of-age trilogy about England’s most popular medieval monarch—King Henry V. Beginning with his youth in King Henry IV, Part 1, we see the riotous Prince Hal grow from wastrel, drunkard, and companion of highway robbers into the royal figure his war-torn country needs. After relapsing in Part 2, to the great consternation of his dying father King Henry IV, we finally see Hal lead his subjects on the battlefields of France as the mature king in Henry V. Charting his course between the demands of his kingly father, the peculiar philosophy of his friend and mentor, the exuberant Sir John Falstaff, and the dangers posed by a series of political and military rivals, Prince Hal becomes King Henry V by learning what it means to “act” the part of a king in the ways that matter most.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

The Old Saxon for Old English Readers

Old Saxon, the continental cousin to Old English, was the language spoken in Northern Germany from the ninth to the twelfth century. It is closely related to and mutually intelligible with Anglo-Saxon, so Old English students will easily be able to read and understand it. The language boasts a num...

Old Saxon, the continental cousin to Old English, was the language spoken in Northern Germany from the ninth to the twelfth century. It is closely related to and mutually intelligible with Anglo-Saxon, so Old English students will easily be able to read and understand it. The language boasts a number of smaller texts, but the Hêliand, an epic poem of nearly 6,000 lines, remains its most prestigious literary monument. It tells the story of Jesus Christ (the “Hêliand,” meaning “Savior”) reimagined as a Saxon lord with a retinue of twelve thanes, and it is comparable to the Old English Beowulf. In this module, we will read and discuss selections of this poem. Some familiarity with Old English is required.

Precepted by Dr. Isaac Schendel

The (Other) Canterbury Tales

If you’ve read some of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales , you probably encountered the chivalric grandeur of “The Knight’s Tale,” the irrepressible vitality of “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” or the sinister irony of “The Pardoner’s Tale.” But what of the other pilgrims and their tales? This course ...

If you’ve read some of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales , you probably encountered the chivalric grandeur of “The Knight’s Tale,” the irrepressible vitality of “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” or the sinister irony of “The Pardoner’s Tale.” But what of the other pilgrims and their tales? This course looks at some of The Canterbury Tales that are less well-known but equally deserving of study: the beauty of the Squire’s unfinished orientalist fairy tale; the rancorous one-upsmanship of the Friar and Summoner’s exchange of tales on clerical abuses, Satanic bargains, and flatulence; or the pilgrims’ run in with an aspiring alchemist, the Canon, and the satirical tale of alchemy gone wrong offered by his servant, the Yeoman. This course will look at these tales and more in their original Middle English spelling.

Precepted by Dr. Liam Daley

The Women of Beowulf

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. Hildebur...

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.

Precepted by Dr. Chris Vaccaro

Tolkien and the Romantics: Dark Romanticism and the Gothic Literary Tradition

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 t...

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.

Precepted by Will Sherwood

Tolkien and the Romantics: Forging Myth and History

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. Tho...

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.

Precepted by Will Sherwood

Tolkien and the Romantics: Imagining and Dreaming

The imagination and dreams are essential parts of J.R.R. Tolkien's world building which he explored across many stories from 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'On Fairy-stories' to 'The Notion Club Papers'. The same can be said of the Romantics who saw an important connection between the two. In works suc...

The imagination and dreams are essential parts of J.R.R. Tolkien's world building which he explored across many stories from 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'On Fairy-stories' to 'The Notion Club Papers'. The same can be said of the Romantics who saw an important connection between the two. In works such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and 'Kubla Khan', Lord Byron's 'The Dream' and 'Darkness', and Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein', the imaginary and dream-like meet with awe-inspiring, melancholy or blood-chilling results. The module sessions are structured as follows: • Class 1: The Realms of (Childhood) Faery (60m) • Class 2: Faery’s Enchantment (60m) • Class 3: The Terror of the Night (60m) • Class 4: The Past is an Imagined Dreamworld (90m) • Class 5: Visions of the Apocalypse (60m) • Class 6: Senses and Sensation (60m) • Class 7: Glimpses, mere Fragments (90m)

Precepted by Will Sherwood

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

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. I...

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.

Precepted by Dr. Carl Edlund Anderson

Viking Hogwarts: A Guide to Old Norse Magic

Whereas figures like Odin, Thor or Freyr dominate the Viking mythical landscape, Norse spirituality goes way beyond the texts of the Poetic Edda. For the Viking mind, spirituality would have infused all aspects of daily life in a fascinating mix of sacred and profane. Paganism was most likely neve...

Whereas figures like Odin, Thor or Freyr dominate the Viking mythical landscape, Norse spirituality goes way beyond the texts of the Poetic Edda. For the Viking mind, spirituality would have infused all aspects of daily life in a fascinating mix of sacred and profane. Paganism was most likely never a unified system of belief, and may have been much more complex and diverse than our current sources can let us know. Beyond semi-structured beliefs, we also encounter more practical forms actively trying to influence the environment – sorcery, most often referred to as seidr, a collective term to designate soothsaying, divination, healing, controlling weather, battle magic and much more. In this module we will be critically exploring the sources for such powerful practices, the vocabulary of sorcery, as well as attempting to enter the Viking soul in search of its logic and manifestations through everyday witchcraft, while confronting the great hindrances in the study of an elusive phenomenon. Why is Odin a god of sorcery? Who performed magic in Viking times? Was it gendered? Was sexuality involved? What did magic reveal, and how was it perceived? Put your name into the goblet of mead and let‘s get started.

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

Viking Hogwarts: Battle Magic and Mythology

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 br...

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.

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

Viking Hogwarts: Shamanistic World Views in Norse Magic

In this module we will attempt to integrate the evidence from literary and archaeological sources into a broader context of shamanistic northern religions. In the Icelandic sagas in particular, there are indications about the operative magical practices of the Sámi - one famous queen, Gunnhild (th...

In this module we will attempt to integrate the evidence from literary and archaeological sources into a broader context of shamanistic northern religions. In the Icelandic sagas in particular, there are indications about the operative magical practices of the Sámi - one famous queen, Gunnhild (the wife of Eric Bloodaxe) is even said to have travelled to the Finns to get sorcerous instruction. In Norse myth, cosmology dwells on the world pillar, the ash tree Yggdrassil, while Odin's horse Sleipnir has the power to cross between worlds. Shamanism as a means of accessing supernatural forces through ecstasy may have enhanced the Viking mind with challenging ideas about gender, shapeshifting, or violence that are well worth our attention.

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

Viking Hogwarts: The World Of Old Norse Sorcery Non-Sequential Series

This is the Landing Page for Prof. Irina Manea's Viking Hogwarts series exploring The World of Old Norse Sorcery. In the first module, A Guide to Old Norse Magic, we will be critically exploring the sources for such powerful practices, the vocabulary of sorcery, as well as attempting to ent...

This is the Landing Page for Prof. Irina Manea's Viking Hogwarts series exploring The World of Old Norse Sorcery. In the first module, A Guide to Old Norse Magic, we will be critically exploring the sources for such powerful practices, the vocabulary of sorcery, as well as attempting to enter the Viking soul in search of its logic and manifestations through everyday witchcraft, while confronting the great hindrances in the study of an elusive phenomenon. Next, in the Battle Magic and Mythology module, we will take a closer look at the most violent practices in Old Norse Sorcery. 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. The 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. Finally, in the Shamanistic World Views in Norse Magic module, we will attempt to integrate the evidence from literary and archaeological sources into a broader context of shamanistic northern religions.

Precepted by Dr. Irina Manea

Zen History and Thought: An Overview

In this module we will examine the origins and development of Zen Buddhism from its roots in Mahayana and Daoist thought through its formative years in China and its spread to Korea and Japan. Among other topics, we should have time to cover the Patriarchs of Zen, the Five Houses of Zen, and major f...

In this module we will examine the origins and development of Zen Buddhism from its roots in Mahayana and Daoist thought through its formative years in China and its spread to Korea and Japan. Among other topics, we should have time to cover the Patriarchs of Zen, the Five Houses of Zen, and major figures within the tradition. We will also gesture towards Zen's impact on East Asian arts and culture more generally.

Precepted by Dr. Robert Steed

Current and Upcoming Modules in the The Middle Ages Portal

January 2026

March 2026

April 2026

All Modules in The Middle Ages Portal

A History of the Vikings Non-Sequential Series

Art History – A Thousand Stories Non-Sequential Series

Le Morte Darthur Non-Sequential Series

Introduction to Japanese Religions Series

Life in the Middle Ages Non-Sequential Series

Middle High German for Beginners Series of 3

Readings in Middle High German Non-Sequential Series

Viking Hogwarts: The World Of Old Norse Sorcery Non-Sequential Series