Effective Date of this
Description/Syllabus: Fall 2009
Prepared
by: Dr. Rhonda Wilcox
Office:
Fine Arts 202
Phone:
678 359-5296
email:
rhonda_w@gordonstate.edu
Fall
office hours: MWF 11-12 and 1-2; MW 4-5
COURSE
DESCRIPTION/SYLLABUS
Course
Designation:
COLQ 2994H
Course
description for the college bulletin: Honors Colloquium:
A course intended for students to explore and examine the ideal question of the
whole person through writing and discussion of various texts in a seminar
format. The course will be interdisciplinary and will emphasize reading,
discussion, critical thinking skills and research from different academic
disciplines. The student in their quest for wholeness as a person, can explore their world both locally and globally
while realizing their responsibilities as evolving
individuals.
Course
Title: Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings:
Literature and Culture
Class
hours per week:
2
Credit
hours:
2
Division
offering course:
Humanities
Prerequisite
for the course:
A C or better in English 1101 and Honors status or permission of the
director of the Honors Program
Course
description for college schedule:This
course will explore the literary qualities and cultural grounding of Tolkien’s
work, including discussion of the hero’s journey (Campbell’s monomyth),
Tolkien’s medieval studies, and more.
Teacher’s
Course objectives:
To
help students
See
the underlying structures within narrative;
Recognize
the variations of such structures in various stories;
Understand
that these choices help explain the psychological and social significance of the
stories;
And
enjoy the aesthetic variations provided by a master of
narrative.
The
overall purpose is to learn from each other (teacher and students alike) by
reading and discussing Tolkien’s work.
Course
Content:
Students will focus on one
of the seminal works of narratological theory and comparative religion, Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and
learn to apply it to the Hobbit
and The Lord of the Rings by J.
R. R. Tolkien. Campbell’s is the premier articulation of the hero’s journey,
which he calls the monomyth. Students will learn to see underlying structures
within narrative and comprehend that such structures can be found in other
narratives as well as Tolkien’s books. Furthermore, the class will discuss the
social, religious, and psychological implications of the particular variations
of the narrative pattern presented by Tolkien.
Required
Texts:
Campbell,
Joseph. The Hero with a
Thousand Faces. 3rd ed. Bollingen Series
17. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2008.
Tolkien,
J. R. R. The Hobbit: Or There and Back
Again. 1937. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
---.
The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the
First Part of The Lord of the Rings. 1954. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
---.
The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of
The Lord of the Rings. 1954. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 1994.
---.
The Return of the King: Being the Third
Part of The Lord of the Rings. 1955. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
Honors Project:
Your honors project should be developed over the course of most of the
term. You are required to have at least one planning conference with me and are
welcome to have more; I will always be pleased to talk Tolkien, so feel free to
show up at my office. (Bring your friends!) You may, if you wish, write a term
paper on any of a variety of subjects: there is a considerable body of written
scholarship on Tolkien, and you could discuss his work’s medieval elements,
linguistics, religious themes, gender presentations ,
race or class implications, representation in film or on stage, or many other
topics. You may also, if you wish, plan another type of project that
demonstrates thoughtful exploration of the subject. For example, you could
yourself write a piece of fiction that emulates qualities of Tolkien in terms of
linguistics, setting, character, and/or narrative structure (e.g. the hero’s
journey); you could even write an extra chapter for one of the books, if you
like. You could attempt a set of lyrics written in the poetic style of the elves
or the hobbits, or even a set of songs (words and music) appropriate for the
characters (cf. the LOTR stage
musical). You could create a videogame based on the characters’ experiences and
the elements of the hero’s journey. (N. B. Remember copyright
laws. If you use actual Tolkien characters, this videogame would have to
be for our course only!) You could do an audience study, devising a set of
questions on matters important to you and surveying and videotaping responses of
various Tolkien readers and/or viewers. You could extend the visual work done by
Tolkien and his son with maps and illustrations, writing a commentary to explain
your choices. You have great freedom in shaping your project. Start thinking
now, and talk to me about your thoughts soon. Expecially if you feel a bit lost,
talk to me soon. After we bounce ideas around, you should be able to come up
with an idea for something you would be happy to share with others. Then you can
slowly develop it throughout the semester.
Grading:
Quizzes:
20%
Participation (oral and written)
20%
Midterm
Exam:
20%
Honors
Project
(planning conference required)
20%
Final
Exam:
20%
Standards:
A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69
Attendance
policy:
The word colloquium refers to the
idea of conversation. Class participation is essential to a colloquium, as the
percentage of the grade accorded it above would suggest. You will find that
experiencing a group’s reaction to a piece of writing is something that cannot
be recreated through merely reading class notes. Furthermore, specific in-class
activities will be used to help establish your participation grade, and in most
cases these activities must be carried out during a particular class period. I
do understand that some absences are unavoidable (and in fact we should be
cautious about contagion in Swine flu time); if you must miss a class, let me
know beforehand if you can (or leave a phone or email message even during class
if need be); ask me or a classmate about assignments so you can prepare in case
there is a pop quiz when you return to class. If you miss more than four classes
you should not expect to pass the class. My home phone number is (404)373-5328.
If you cannot contact me or a classmate, then read the next assignment listed on the
syllabus. If you are in class, you will be expected to take the quiz. And in
any case, I doubt you will want to miss this class!
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Week 1 (8/17-19)
Introductory material; Campbell, Prologue: The
Monomyth: pp. 11-37
Week 2 (8/24-26) Campbell, Part I Ch. 1:
The Adventure of the Hero: Departure, pp. 41-79; The Hero’s Journey writ small: Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Ch.
1-6
Week 3 (8/31-9/2) Campbell, Part I Ch. 2:
Initiation, pp. 81-165; Hobbit Ch.
7-12
Week 4 (9/7-9) Labor Day Holiday Monday; Campbell,
Part I Ch. 3: Return, 167-205; Hobbit
Ch. 13-19 (end)
Week 5
(9/14-16) Campbell, Part I Ch. 4:
The Keys, 211-15; The Hero’s Journey
writ large: Tolkien’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (FR): Prologue and Book I Ch.
1-5
Week 6 (9/21-23) FR Ch. 6-12 (end Bk. I)
Week 7 (9/28-30) FR Bk. 2 Ch. 1-5
Week 8 (10/5-7) Midterm; FR Bk. 2 Ch. 6-10
Week 9 (10/14) Fall Break Monday-Tuesday; The Two Towers (TT) [Bks 3 & 4]; Bk 3 Ch. 1-5
Week 10 (10/19-21) TT Bk 3 Ch. 6-11; last week for required project conference without penalty
Week 11 (10/26-28) TT Bk. 4 Ch. 1-5
Week 12
(11/2-4) TT Bk. 4 Ch.
6-10
Week 13
(11/9-11) The Return of the King (RK) [Books 5 &
6]: Bk 5 Ch. 1-6
Week 14 (11/16-18) RK Bk. 5 Ch. 7—Bk. 6 Ch. 3
Week 15 (11/23) Thanksgiving Holiday Wed.-Fri.; RK Bk. 6 Ch. 4-9 (end)
Week 16 (11/30-12/2) Further discussion of our heroes’ journeys; projects due for presentation
Week 17 (12/7-9) Project presentations continued
Final Exam: Wednesday December 9, 12:30—2:30
Note: Additional readings and writing may be assigned during the semester.
Most important note: Feel free to ask questions and express
your opinion.