Signum University — Blackberry

Welcome to SPACE, our adult continuing education program which offers interactive monthly courses for personal enrichment! Learn more here.

West Germanic Philologist and Modern German Teacher

Isaac S. Schendel is a Signum Academy Preceptor for Old English Translation Club and for German Conversation Club. He is also a preceptor for Old English, Middle High German, Old Saxon, and Conversational German at Signum University’s SPACE Program. [see full bio...]

Current and Upcoming Modules

February 2026

Language Learning & Philology Tutorials [ST] (6 Sections)

Middle High German 2: An Epic Continuation

Old English 6

March 2026

Intermediate Readings in Old English

Middle High German 3

Old English 1

April 2026

Intermediate Readings in Old English

Old English 2

Old High German 1

May 2026

Intermediate Readings in Old English

Old English 3

Old High German 2

June 2026

Old High German 3

Highlighted Modules

Language

Series of 3

Language

Series of 7

All Modules

Advanced Old English Readings

Discussion-based Medium intensity

These selections will help introduce students to the breadth and depth of Old English texts available for advanced study. Each month, Dr. Larry Swain and/or Dr. Isaac Schendel surveys the group to see which text students are most interested in exploring next. Some of the texts we could explore in ...

Conversational German Series of 4

Discussion-based Low intensity

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

German Book Club: Advanced Beginner or Intermediate Level

Discussion-based Medium intensity

One of the best methods for language learning is to read and discuss a text with friends in a relaxed setting. One can discuss the subject matter from a “literary” perspective, focusing on themes, character development, narrative styles, or from a “language-learner” perspective, focusing on new wor...

Intermediate Readings in Old English

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity

March 2026

Middle High German for Beginners Series of 3

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity

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.

Old English for Beginners Series of 7

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity

Ready to begin learning Old English? This series of modules introduces students to the vocabulary and structure of the earliest recorded form of the English language. One year of modules prepares the student to read texts from over a thousand years ago! Each one-month module builds on the previou...

Old High German: Texts for Readers of Old English Series of 3

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity

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

Old High German 1

Old High German 2

Old High German 3

Readings in Middle High German Non-Sequential Series
Discussion-based Medium intensity
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.

Readings in Middle High German: Herzog Ernst

Readings in Middle High German

Readings in Middle High German: Prose Selections 1
Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity

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.

Readings in Middle High German: Prose Selections 2
Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity

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.

Readings in Middle High German: The Homilies of Johannes Tauler 1
Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity

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.

The Old Saxon for Old English Readers
Discussion-based Low intensity

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.