Welcome to SPACE, our adult continuing education program which offers interactive monthly courses for personal enrichment! Learn more here.
Dr. Faith Acker
Current and Upcoming Modules
Highlighted Modules
All Modules
Basic MLA Citations and Bibliographies [Tier 1]
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Graduate intensityThis module is part of the Academic Mastery program. Please apply to the AM program before enrolling in this course
This module is part of the Grammar, Citing, & Humanities Writing cluster.
Anyone wishing to write about literature will need to know how to acknowledge the ideas of others, and this course offers an overview of the MLA citation style, an introduction to basic library research methods, and an introduction to engaging with sources in paragraphs, in annotated bibliographies, and in literature reviews for larger academic projects. While some students may elect to practice other citation styles for their final project, the current MLA “container” style, which can be adapted for most other styles, allows ample opportunities to discuss ways to cite nontraditional materials that are often useful for scholars working in the realms of imaginative literature, science fiction, fan studies, adaptation studies, and much more.
This module is open to all students, has no prerequisites, and may be repeated as many times as desired. Students participate in weekly discussions and workshops, complete weekly citation activities, and complete a final assessment.
Note: This module draws extensively upon lectures originally recorded for Foundations in Critical Reading and Research. Students in the MA program who have taken (or plan to take) that course may find significant overlap in the core materials.
Format: 4 weeks discussion; 1 week assessment (4 hours video; 8 hours discussion and workshops)
Assessments: weekly & summative
Materials: No additional books or materials required.
Goals and Skills:
This course is graduate level in intensity, with weekly and summative assessments
Fee: 2 Signum Tokens
English Sonnet Readings
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Low intensityGrammar & Style for New and Returning Academics [Tier 1]
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Graduate intensityThis module is part of the Academic Mastery program. Please apply to the AM program before enrolling in this course
This module is part of the Grammar, Citing, & Humanities Writing cluster.
Combining theoretical lectures by Dr. Sara Brown, chair of Signum’s Department of Language and Literature, with mini-lectures on key grammatical concepts by other established Signum faculty, this course provides an overview of English punctuation, spelling, and grammar for anyone who wants a refresher!
This Tier 1 module is open to all students, has no prerequisites, and may be repeated as many times as desired. Students participate in weekly discussions and workshops, complete weekly grammatical quizzes, and complete a final assessment.
Note: This module draws extensively upon lectures originally recorded for Foundations in Critical Reading and Research. Students in the MA program who have taken (or plan to take) that course may find significant overlap in the core materials.
Format: 4 weeks discussion; 1 week assessment (2-6 hours video; 8 hours discussion and workshops)
Assessments: weekly & summative
Goals and Skills:
- Students who complete the module should be able to write a grammatically correct paragraph that uses standard English punctuation throughout.
- Students may use this module to practice proofreading techniques.
This course is graduate level in intensity, with weekly and summative assessments
Fee: 2 Signum Tokens
His Dark Materials in Context Non-Sequential Series
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Medium intensityIn this three-module series we will read, successively, the three novels in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, juxtaposing each with selected materials that will allow us to read Pullman’s work both on its own and in conversation with other works.
Note: Students can join one, two, or all three modules. There are no prerequisites.
Babylon 5: Who Are You?
Discussion-based • Medium intensityHis Dark Materials in Context: The Amber Spyglass
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Medium intensityIn this three-module series we will read, successively, the three novels in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, juxtaposing each with selected materials that will allow us to read Pullman’s work both on its own and in conversation with other works. Students can join one, two, or all three modules. There are no prerequisites.
• Module 1: His Dark Materials in Context: The Golden Compass (a.k.a. Northern Lights) (October 2023)
• Module 2: His Dark Materials in Context: The Subtle Knife (December 2023)
• Module 3: His Dark Materials in Context: The Amber Spyglass (January 2023)
His Dark Materials in Context: The Golden Compass
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Medium intensityIn this three-module series we will read, successively, the three novels in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, juxtaposing each with selected materials that will allow us to read Pullman’s work both on its own and in conversation with other works. Students can join one, two, or all three modules. There are no prerequisites.
His Dark Materials in Context: The Subtle Knife
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Medium intensityIn this three-module series we will read, successively, the three novels in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, juxtaposing each with selected materials that will allow us to read Pullman’s work both on its own and in conversation with other works. Students can join one, two, or all three modules. There are no prerequisites.
• Module 1: His Dark Materials in Context: The Golden Compass (a.k.a. Northern Lights) (October 2023)
• Module 2: His Dark Materials in Context: The Subtle Knife (December 2023)
• Module 3: His Dark Materials in Context: The Amber Spyglass (January 2023)
Intermediate Latin Translation: The Vulgate Psalms
Discussion-based • Medium intensityNote: Students who took this module in 2023 are welcome to repeat it; the 2024 module will feature different psalms than its predecessor.
Latin for Beginners Series of 13
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Medium intensity••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Month 1: Overview of nouns and verbs (present active verbs, 1st and 2nd declension)
Month 2: Adding new tenses (imperfect and future active) and a new declension (3rd)
Month 3: 3rd and 4th conjugations (existing tenses) and new pronouns
Month 4: New verb tenses (perfect system) and more pronouns; numerals
Month 5: Passive verb forms; 4th declension nouns; more pronouns
Month 6: 5th declension, but mostly participles
Month 7: Comparatives, superlatives, and some irregular forms
Month 8: Basic subjunctives
Month 9: Irregular verbs and conditions
Month 10: Subjunctives, deponents, datives, and more irregular verbs
Month 11: (more) finicky grammar
Month 12: Basic readings
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Latin Readings for Advanced Beginners
Discussion-based • Medium intensityLevel Up Your Term Paper(s): Preparing for Conferences
Mixed Lecture/DiscussionReading John Donne’s Holy Sonnets
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Low intensityReadings in Latin
Discussion-based • Medium intensitySome of the texts we could explore in a given month include:
• Latin: The Vulgate Gospel of Matthew
• Latin: Plautus' Miles Gloriosus (the Braggart Soldier)
• Latin: Augustine's Confessions
• Intermediate Latin Readings: Catullus
• Intermediate Latin Readings: The Vulgate Bible 1
• Intermediate Latin Readings: The Vulgate Hester
• Intermediate Latin Readings: Caesar’s Gallic Wars
• Intermediate Latin Readings: Martial’s Epigrammata
• Intermediate Latin Readings: Gesta Romanorum
• Intermediate Latin Readings: Horace
• Advanced Latin Readings: Cicero's Pro Archia Oration
• Advanced Latin Readings: Aesop's Fables
• Advanced Latin Readings: Hobbitus Ille
• Advanced Latin Readings: Silius Italicus' 'Punica'
• Advanced Latin Readings: Vergil's Aeneid in a Year
Note: Please refer to the Required Texts section on a month's iteration page to see which texts the group has decided upon for a given month.
Such an Odyssey! Non-Sequential Series
Discussion-based • Low intensitySuch an Odyssey 1
Discussion-based • Low intensitySuch an Odyssey 2
Discussion-based • Low intensitySuch an Odyssey 3
Discussion-based • Low intensitySuch an Odyssey 4
Discussion-based • Low intensitySunshine, Fleas, and Desperate Pleas: Eight Amorous Verses by John Donne
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Low intensityWriting About Literature [Tier 1]
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Graduate intensityThis module is part of the Academic Mastery program. Please apply to the AM program before enrolling in this course
This module is part of the Grammar, Citing, & Humanities Writing cluster.
Combining lectures and roundtables from Signum’s graduate faculty with interactive weekly tutorials, this five-week module is designed for students new to scholarly writing in the humanities, those returning to academic pursuits after time in other fields, or those who want to practice writing formal analysis of literary texts.
This Tier 1 module is open to all students and may be repeated as many times as desired, although we recommend completing the “Writing Formal Paragraphs” module before attempting this one. Students participate in weekly discussions and workshops, write weekly paragraphs, and complete a final written project.
Note: This module draws extensively upon lectures originally recorded for Foundations in Critical Reading and Research. Students in the MA program who have taken (or plan to take) that course may find significant overlap in the core materials.
- Format:
- 4 weeks discussion; 1 week assessment (4 hours video; 8 hours discussion and workshops)
- Assessments: weekly & summative
- No additional books or materials required.
This course is graduate level in intensity, with weekly and summative assessments
Fee: 2 Signum Tokens
Writing Formal Paragraphs [Tier 1]
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Graduate intensityThis module is part of the Academic Mastery program. Please apply to the AM program before enrolling in this course
This module is part of the Grammar, Citing, & Humanities Writing cluster.
Combining lectures and roundtables from Signum’s graduate faculty with interactive weekly tutorials, this five-week module is designed for students new to scholarly writing in the humanities, those returning to academic pursuits after time in other fields, or those who want to see just how challenging it can be to write a simple yet spectacular paragraph.
This Tier 1 module is open to all students, has no prerequisites, and may be repeated as many times as desired. Students participate in weekly discussions and workshops, write and revise paragraphs, and complete a final written project.
Note: This module draws extensively upon lectures originally recorded for Foundations in Critical Reading and Research. Students in the MA program who have taken (or plan to take) that course may find significant overlap in the core materials.
Format:
Goals and Skills:
This course is graduate level in intensity, with weekly and summative assessments
Fee: 2 Signum Tokens