J. R. R. TOLKIEN / COURSE 5
Tolkien and Philosophy
What are the virtues? What is beauty? What is love? Is war a necessary evil? Does God exist? The life and writings of J. R. R. Tolkien lend themselves superbly to the study of intriguing philosophical questions that don’t seem to go away.
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THE APPROACH
A question worth pursuing.
As a student, you can take the course as a major or as a minor. If you take it as a minor, you will write on the first four topics. If you take it as a major, you will write on the first four topics, and then choose four of the last six topics.
Jason will provide a course pack containing a detailed syllabus with primary and secondary sources and an essay prompt for each tutorial, along with detailed instructions and practical tips on essay writing and preparing for and participating in tutorials. From there, develop your own ideas through reading, a written paper, and a conversation with your tutor.
YOUR PAPERS
What you’ll explore.
The first four topics form the minor. For the major, add four topics from the remaining six.
- 1Thinking with The HobbitCORE
- 2Tolkien on the magic of languageCORE
- 3Tolkien on freedom and responsibilityCORE
- 4Tolkien on the good lifeCORE
- 5Tolkien and the philosophy of religionMAJOR
- 6Tolkien and the philosophy of beautyMAJOR
- 7Tolkien and the philosophy of loveMAJOR
- 8Tolkien on war and evilMAJOR
- 9Tolkien on nature and environmentalismMAJOR
- 10Tolkien and the philosophy of hopeMAJOR
ON THE READING TABLE
Texts to think with.
Some of the primary sources you will explore include: J. R. R. Tolkien’s books The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Tree and Leaf; and J. R. R. Tolkien’s essays and letters ‘A Secret Vice’, ‘On Fairy-Stories’, and The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien.
Some of the secondary sources you will explore include: The Hobbit and Philosophy by Gregory Bassham (ed.); Splintered Light by Verlyn Flieger; The Philosophy of Tolkien by Peter Kreeft; Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth; and The Ring and the Cross by Paul Kerry (ed.).
MAKE IT YOUR OWN
Choose your depth.
Four tutorials
Four papers, four conversations.
US$800Eight tutorials
More time to develop your thinking.
US$1,500Weekly, fortnightly, or monthly meetings can be discussed.
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