English 490/590, section 502: Tolkien’s Middle Ages
Fall 2006
Contact Information
Dr. John Halbrooks
Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday, 11:00-12:30; Tuesday, 4:00-5:00; and by appointment
Office: Humanities 278; email: jvhalbrooks@usouthal.edu
Class Blog: http://jvhalbrooks.wordpress.com/
Course Description
Most know J. R. R. Tolkien as one of the most popular writers of the twentieth century, but he was also a medievalist of great distinction. In this course we will explore the interaction between Tolkien’s fictional and scholarly worlds by reading deeply in both. Our reading will fall into three main categories: 1) Tolkien’s medieval and modern source texts, including Beowulf, The Kalevala, The Poetic Edda, The Saga of the Volsungs, and others; 2) Tolkien’s scholarship; and 3) Tolkien’s fiction, including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. Assignments will include two presentations, response papers, two short critical papers, and a bibliographical research project.
The original course description, sent out to the graduate students last spring, encouraged students to read the Tolkien books over the summer in order to make the reading load manageable this fall. However, the graduate director pointed out to me that not everyone would see the course description before registering, so I will be trimming the ambitions of the reading load somewhat.
Goals and Objectives
These should be implicit in the course description, but the university requires that I include them, so here they are:
1. Students will develop a familiarity with Tolkien’s medieval source texts as well as his fiction and scholarship.
2. Students will explore the effects of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century philological scholarship on modern perceptions of the Middle Ages.
3. Students will exercise their bibliographical and writing skills as they become acquainted with important resources for medieval scholarship.
Required Texts
Bosley, Keith, trans. The Kalevala (Oxford)
Byock, Jesse L., trans. The Saga of the Volsungs (Penguin)
Heaney, Seamus, trans. Beowulf (Norton)
Larrington, Carolyne, trans. The Poetic Edda (Oxford)
Morris, William. More to William Morris (Inkling)
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (Houghton Mifflin, trade paperback boxed set)
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Silmarillion (Houghton Mifflin, trade paperback)
Nota Bene: If you own other editions of the Tolkien volumes, you may use them. However, you should be aware that they may have different pagination, and this might be a problem for you in class discussion. For the translated texts, it is important that we all use the same translation.
Course Requirements and Grading
Students may accumulate up to 500 points during the semester (450 points = A; 400 points = B, etc.). Requirements and point distribution follow:
1. Course Blog. You should check the blog (http://jvhalbrooks.wordpress.com) several times a week. I will post assignments, response questions, reminders, and changes to the syllabus on the blog.
2. Response papers (up to 5 points each = 60 points total). I will give response questions and/or prompts for each class meeting. During the course of the semester, you must respond to twelve of the questions/prompts. At least six of your responses must address Tolkien’s source texts and/or his scholarship. Responses should be at least one page long (approximately 250 words), typed, and double-spaced.
3. Two short critical papers (up to 100 points each = 200 points total). You will write two 6-8-page papers. I will give more details about these assignments soon.
4. Bibliographical research project (up to 120 points). The topic and approach for this project will be fairly open. I will give more details soon.
5. Two presentations (up to 60 points each = 120 points total). One presentation will be on a source text or part of a source text that we are not covering in class. The second presentation will detail the findings of your bibliographical research project.
6. Class participation. This is a seminar, so your participation is crucial to the success of the course. Please bring ideas and questions for discussion each week, and be prepared to join the conversation.
Attendance Policy and Late Work
You are required to attend all class meetings. For each absence after your first, your final grade will be reduced twenty points. All late work will incur a penalty. I will not accept late response papers.
Disabilities
All syllabi at the university are required to include the following statement: “If you have a specific disability that qualifies you for academic accommodations, please notify the professor and provide certification from Disability Services. (OSSS is located in Room 270 of the Student Center; 460-7212).”
Plagiarism
Plagiarism will result in failure of the class after one warning. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask me.
Electronic Devices
All cell phones must be switched off before class begins. You may not “text message” or catch up on your email in class under any circumstances. Students who do not comply with this policy will be asked to leave and counted absent for the day.
