Archives: Events
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“I believe I made three whole steps”: Pilgrimage Narrative in Violet Evergarden
A Thesis Theatre by Bronwyn Rivera From psychology to film theory, ecocriticism to posthumanism, anime studies have flourished as scholars investigate the medium through a variety of interdisciplinary lenses. In particular, academics are examining relationships between pilgrimage and tourism to anime/anime-adjacent sites, how anime plotlines reflect or reject narrative archetypes, or how specific anime subgenres…
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25-08-13 “Mending One Thing and Marring Another”: Neutral and Evil Technology in Lewis and Tolkien
A Thesis Theatre by Grace Bennett This thesis challenges the reductionistic narrative that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were anti-technology and anti-science. It examines technological examples from the works of Lewis and Tolkien that show their varying degrees of comfort and caution surrounding different types of technology. The first category this thesis assesses is technology…
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25-08-06 A Myth for Mankind: The Lord of the Rings, Modernism, and The Counterculture
A Thesis Theatre by Sarah Shahan Polo. This thesis explores the complex relationship between J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and the literary and cultural movements of modernism and postmodern counterculture. Though Tolkien personally distanced himself from modernist and postmodern ideologies, his work nevertheless reflects and resonates with themes central to both movements. By…
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2026.24-26.01 OzMoot 2026, 24-26 January, 2026
Celebration, Ceremony, and Courtship Signum University, in partnership with Hern Ennorath (Tolkien Fellowship Australia), invites you to join us from 24-26 January for OzMoot 2026. This hybrid, multi-day event will take place at Holt Neighbourhood Hall in Canberra, ACT. For our fourth OzMoot, and first in Australia’s capital, come explore Celebration, Ceremony, and Courtship in the works…
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2025.11.14-16 Ranger Moot, 14-16 November, 2025
Tales Around the Fire: Storytelling in Middle-earth and Beyond Signum University invites you to join us from 14-16 November for Ranger Moot 2025. This unique, outdoor, hybrid event will take place at Camp Friedlander in Loveland, OH. For our return to camp, we ask that you bring your love of Tolkien and the Great Outdoors…
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25-06-04 Unveiling Hope: Do the Inhabitants of Arda Know How Their Own Story Ends?
A Thesis Theater by Jeffrey Wade Abstract:This thesis concerns itself with the question of whether the inhabitants of Tolkien’s Arda possess an awareness of their creation’s eschatological end. It is not a study of Christian doctrine, Tolkien, or outside analysis. It is a study of how myth carries the weight of a telos through music,…
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25-05-30 “Tolkien’s Gods: Divine Council Theology in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth Legendarium”
A Thesis Theater by Fr. Andrew Damick This Thesis Theater has passed; enjoy the recording here: ABSTRACT: In J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium, particularly in The Silmarillion and related material, the reader encounters divine beings, including the Valar, who are called gods in the text and by Tolkien himself in his commentary. Multiple divine…
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25-05-07 Kimberly McKinney Thesis Theater
Ecology, Eucatastrophe, and Estel: Themes of Joy and Hope in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Use of Botanical Elements and Imagery This thesis theater has passed, please enjoy the recording: Thesis abstract: J. R. R. Tolkien’s tales about Middle-earth were designed to provide a conceivable mythological history for the existing world. Due to this intentional connection, his…
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25-05-24 TOWARD A DIGITAL EDITION OF WIDSIĐ
Thesis Theatre for Sarah Monnier This thesis Theatre has passed. Enjoy the recording! Abstract: It is a truth universally acknowledged that the Classics, which generally means Greek and Latin language materials, are much more advanced in digital scholarship and resources than Germanic languages. While an enormous amount of material exists online to allow research into Biblical…
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25-05-03 Spring SPACE Showcase
We are excited to share a Spring SPACE Showcase on Saturday, May 3rd in celebration of the continuing growth of the SPACE program. SPACE is Signum’s for-fun, no-credit, one month continuing ed classes for adults who want to learn what they love for the pure joy of it. The Spring Showcase will feature free 30-minute…