Literature Courses - Signum University

See all the literature courses available at Signum University

This page lists all of the literature classes currently available in the Signum University course catalog. Note that only some of these classes are offered each semester. For a list of classes being offered in upcoming semesters, see the Future Courses page.

Future Courses – shows which classes will be offered in upcoming semesters
All Courses – shows all active courses offered by Signum University
- Literature Courses – shows all active literature classes offered by Signum University
- Language Courses – shows all active language classes offered by Signum University

Beowulf Through Tolkien

This course examines Tolkien and Beowulf together to provide insight into both the classic Old English epic and Tolkien’s modern fantasy works.
Beyond Middle-earth

Join Corey Olsen and Tom Shippey for an in-depth look at the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
C.S. Lewis and Mythologies of Love and Sex

This course explores some of the great mythologies of love that provide a background to today’s culture, sketched out along the twin paths of C.S. Lewis’ The Four Loves and a chronological development of the ideas of love.
Celtic Myth in Children’s Fantasy

This course examines contemporary fantasy works whose authors have adapted, revised and re-imagined the medieval mythological texts of Ireland and Wales.
Chaucer I: Visions of Love

This class is the first semester in a two-part survey of Chaucer’s major works, looking at his early dream vision poems and his greatest completed work: Troilus and Criseyde.
Chaucer II: The Canterbury Tales

In this class we will study one of the great classics of English literature, The Canterbury Tales, in which we see Chaucer at the height of his poetic abilities, mixing sensitive characterization with stunningly complex storytelling.
Classical Myths and Legends

This course puts the myths and legends of the Classical world in their wider cultural and historical contexts.
Dark Academia

Dark Academia explores this thriving genre which combines the Gothic, schooldays stories, mystery, and speculative fiction.
Exploring Star Trek

Amy Sturgis boldly takes Signum where it’s never gone before: into Star Trek!
Folkloric Transformations: Vampires & Big Bad Wolves

This course explores the transformations of folklore in modern literature, film, and TV, focusing primarily on vampires, as well as fairy tale creatures.
Germanic Myths and Legends

This course puts the myths and legends of the medieval Germanic world in their wider cultural and historical contexts.
Lewis & Tolkien

In this course, students will examine the friendship and works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and their influence upon each other.
Literary Copernicus: The Cosmic Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft

This course explores the work of H.P. Lovecraft and his impact on literature and popular culture. Students will study the foundations of Lovecraft’s writing, the meaning behind his works, along with his cosmic vision and legacy.
Literature, Film, and Technoculture

This course surveys a range of literary and cinematic narratives that explore the growth, acceleration, and consequences of modern technoculture. Works of literature will be placed alongside films and embedded historically within debates and developments.
Modern Fantasy I

This course explores fantasy literature written within the past 50 years, with an examination of the works of six top modern fantasy authors: Peter Beagle, Ursula Le Guin, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Garth Nix, and George R. R. Martin.
Modern Fantasy II

This course explores fantasy literature written over the past 60 years with an examination of the works of six modern fantasy authors.
Norse Myths and Sagas

This course provides an introduction to the myths and sagas of medieval Scandinavia.
Race, Gender, and the Other in Tolkien’s Middle-earth

This course explores the issues of race, sexuality, gender, and Othering in the mythological legendarium of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Roots of the Mountain

This course studies Tolkien’s works in relation to the fantasy literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Science Fiction Part I

Join award-winning scholar Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as she explores the ways in which the literature of science fiction over time has asked the question: “What if?”
Science Fiction Part II

Join award-winning scholar Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as she explores the ways in which the literature of science fiction over time has asked the question: “What if?”
Shakespeare and the Middle Ages

The course examines Shakespeare’s Comedies in the context of their medieval literary sources, his Histories in light of Tudor views of the recent medieval past, and his Tragedies in the context of medieval beliefs and cosmologies.
Sherlock, Science, and Ratiocination

This course focuses on Edgar Allan Poe and Conan Doyle and how their works blended scientific method, mystery, and imagination to create the modern literature of detection.
The Arthur Story

This course explores King Arthur from his beginnings in the historical record in the late 5th/early 6th century through Tennyson’s idealistic vision of the great King in the late 19th century.
The Dystopian Tradition

This class will consider historical and current “what if?” thought experiments, including classics such as 1984 and bestsellers like The Hunger Games.
The Force of Star Wars: Examining the Epic

This course explores the creation of the Star Wars canon, its history as a cultural phenomenon and its staying power as a story.
The Gothic Tradition

This course will investigate the fascinating and subversive Gothic imagination, identify the historical conditions that have inspired it, and consider how it has developed across time and place and medium.
The Inklings and King Arthur

This course explores how J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and other Inklings authors interpreted the Arthurian legends in their work.
The Inklings and Science Fiction

This course covers the Inklings’ creative and personal encounters with science fiction.
The Life and Times of the English Epic

In this course, students will study the evolution of the English Epic over time.
The Meaning of Star Wars

This May the Fourth, join Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as she explores Star Wars from its inception through its many reinventions and innovations to find its true meaning(s).
The Potter Saga

In this course, students will discuss the ancestors to the Harry Potter phenomenon, while examining the works and traditions that inform the Harry Potter universe.
The Return of King Arthur

This course explores modern retellings of the Arthurian legend in novels, poetry, plays, films, short stories, and comics.
The Story of the Hobbit

This course examines the life of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, including several important precursors of the book, works that helped establish the genre in which Tolkien was writing, and which influenced Tolkien’s own thinking.
The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien

John Garth delves into theories concerning geography, nationhood, and the environment to explore Tolkien’s primary and fictional worlds.
Tolkien & Tradition

This course helps students learn to evaluate Tolkien’s works both individually and comparatively, judging them in the context of each other as well as of their sources.
Tolkien Illustrated: Picturing the Legendarium

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of Tolkien illustration and its visual, contextual, and critical analyses.
Tolkien in Context

This course examines how Tolkien’s subcreated world of Middle-earth engages with issues and concepts relevant to readers, including racism, immigration, the place of women, the ongoing battle of good versus evil, environmental concerns and the rise of technology.
Tolkien’s Poetry

In this class, we will examine Tolkien’s short poetic works in detail, taking a chronological look at Tolkien’s career through the window of his poetry.
Tolkien’s World of Middle-earth

In this course, students will read Tolkien’s critical essays, translations, and imaginative stories to explore how his world and his myth developed over time.
Tolkien’s Wars and Middle-earth

This course explores the life of J.R.R. Tolkien and the impact his experiences had on his work, with a particular focus on the World War I and World War II time periods.
Ursula K. Le Guin: Worldbuilder

This course explores the major science fiction and fantasy works of Ursula K. Le Guin, how they relate to her literary theories and social interests, and how she envisioned and revisioned the worlds of her imagination.