Courses

Here, you can find several session-by-session recordings of undergraduate courses from Washington College as well as special online seminar series.


Undergraduate Tolkien Survey (Washington College, Spring 2010)

A quick but reasonably thorough survey of Tolkien’s works, beginning with some of his more minor writings, such as “On Fairy-Stories,” “Mythopoeia,” “Leaf by Niggle,” and “Smith of Wootton Major,” and then proceeding to his major works, including The SilmarillionThe Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings.

Faerie and Fantasy (Washington College, Spring 2011)

A new course which pursues Tolkien’s claims in his seminal essay “On Fairy-Stories” by examining the development of fairy stories from the Middle-English fairy tradition down to its descendants in 19th-century fairy tales and the 20th-century fantasy genre.

The Silmarillion Seminar (Online, December 2010 – August 2011)

An online audio discussion of The Silmarillion, proceeding through the book at the pace of about a chapter a week.


Lord of the Rings I: The Fellowship of the Ring (Mythgard Academy, Summer 2012)

A careful read through The Fellowship of the Ring focusing on Tolkien’s framing of the story and  an in-depth look at the characters and peoples met along the way.

Lord of the Rings II: The Two Towers (Mythgard Academy, Fall 2013)

A journey through The Two Towers paying special attention to the mythic elements in Tolkien’s story.

Lord of the Rings III: The Return of the King (Mythgard Academy, Winter 2013)

A walk through The Return of the King with emphasis on the parallels, imagery, and depth presented in the text.