Thesis Theater: Jacob R. Schreiner, "Sub-creation Through Speech-Acts in Tolkien’s Legendarium" This recording from June 1, 2022. Signum MA student Jacob R. Schreiner will present his thesis “The Logos of Faith: Sub-creation Through Speech-Acts in Tolkien’s Legendarium” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Jacob’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Brenton Dickieson. Abstract: J.R.R. Tolkien’s theory of sub-creation has long been ...
Jun 04, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 102
Thesis Theater: Miriam Davidson, "Nonviolent Countercurrents in Tolkien's Epic of War" This recording from May 26, 2022. Signum MA student Miriam Davidson will present her thesis “The Sword Not for its Sharpness: Nonviolent Countercurrents in Tolkien’s Epic of War” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Miriam’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Brenton Dickieson. Abstract: The Lord of the Rings highlights Tolkien’s use of characte...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 101
Thesis Theater: Emily Austin, "The Road Gives Ever On: the Road Motif in Lord of the Rings" This recording from May 21, 2022. Signum MA student Emily Austin will present her thesis “The Road Gives Ever On: Following the Road Motif in The Lord of the Rings ” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Emily’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Sara Brown. Abstract: The Lord of the Rings makes prominent use of “The Road” as a multifaceted ...
May 23, 2022•47 min•Ep. 100
Thesis Theater: Taylor Johnson Guinan, "Ventures into the Land of the Dead in Children's Literature” This recording from May 7, 2022. Signum MA student Taylor Johnson Guinan will present her thesis “Only in Dying Life: Ventures into the Land of the Dead in Children’s Fantasy Literature” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Taylor’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Sara Brown. Abstract: Modern children’s fantasy authors often dep...
May 14, 2022•55 min•Ep. 99
This recording from April 15th, 2022. Signum MA student Phil Knight will present his thesis “Drauma-Jóns Saga: A Digital Edition and Translation” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theatre. The discussion will be facilitated by Phil’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Paul Peterson. Abstract: Though once long neglected and even disparaged by academia, the Old Norse-Icelandic genre of chivalric sagas or riddarasögur were, to judge by the number of surviving manuscripts conta...
Apr 23, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 97
This recording from April 22, 2022. Find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Summer Term (May 2 – July 31) and meet the professors who will be teaching them! Representatives from the courses will be on hand to explain how the classes work, what people can expect if they sign up, and answer questions from the live audience. The Summer 2022 Courses: Digital Text – This course is an introduction to developing and working with texts electronically, particularly literar...
Apr 23, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 98
recorded on January 4, 2022. Signum University Spring 2022 semester starts January 10! In this Course Preview event, you can find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Spring Term (January 10 – April 3) and meet the professors who will be teaching them! Representatives from the courses explain how the classes work, what people can expect if they sign up, and answer questions from the live audience. The link to the announcement of this event. https://signumuniversity....
Jan 16, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 96
This recording from January 5th, 2022. Signum master’s student Elise Trudel Cedeño will present her thesis “Series Theory: Examining the Structure of the Modern Fantasy Epic” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Elise’s supervisor, Professor Kris Swank. Abstract: Series Theory is a new, critical approach to examining Modern Fantasy in a serial context. There are two disparate methods when analyzing fantasy series texts...
Jan 09, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 95
This recording from December 18th, 2021 If the answer is always reading good Science Fiction and fantasy, then the question must always be “How can I best spend my time and escape the normal confines of our day?” Join us at 6pm Eastern on December 18th for our non-affiliated Hugo Awards evening, when a panel of Science-fiction and Fantasy readers will each talk about one of the shortlisted titles in the Best Novel category of the 2021 Hugo Awards! The Relentless Moon, by Mary Robinette Kowal (Ma...
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 94
This recording from December 11, 2021. Signum master’s student Ryan Moniz will present his thesis “Brewing Óðinn’s Mead: A Reconstructive Approach to Germanic Verse Formula” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Ryan’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Nelson Goering. Abstract: ‘In this thesis, I approach formulaic elements in Germanic alliterative verse from a comparative historical linguistics perspective, applying the comparati...
Dec 14, 2021•42 min•Ep. 93
This recording from November 18 2021. Signum master’s student Eugene Sullivan will present his thesis “Red Indians in Middle Earth: The Woses of Drúadan Forest and the Racial Landscape of Tolkien’s Legendarium” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Eugene’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Sara Brown. Abstract: The shift from the mythological mode of The Book of Lost Tales and the early Silmarillion, to the novelistic mode of The...
Nov 26, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 92
This recording from October 31st, 2021. Add to your Halloween experience this October 31st at 5pm with a remembrance of the ancient Gaelic celebration of Samhain. Samhain, the forerunner of Halloween, was a time of reckoning and observing of the turning of the Fall season into the darkness of the Winter. Although many different communal activities were done, the ones remembered mostly are the recognition of the coming of the dark, and the telling of a good “tale’ of the travel into and out of fa...
Nov 07, 2021•44 min•Ep. 91
Signum University State of the University Address by Corey Olsen, featuring the university updates and the SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) program launch. Recorded on Oct. 16, 2021, as part of the Annual Fundraising Campaign 2021 webathon. (You can watch the whole webathon recording here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLUPn...) 0:08 Signum University updates 41:12 SPACE launch announcement: really? Another Signum program? 1:02:30 SPACE launch announcement: the program det...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 90
Oct 01, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 89
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 88
Aug 23, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 87
This recording from August 16th, 2021, of Thesis Theater: Maximilian Hart ~ Draconic Speech: Truth and Lies in Le Guin's Old Speech Signum master’s student Maximilian Hart will present his thesis “Draconic Diction: Truth and Lies in Le Guin’s Old Speech” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Maximilian’s thesis supervisor, Kris Swank. Thesis Abstract Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea series enters an ongoing dialogue about t...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 86
Recorded on April 16th, 2021. Summer 2021 semester starts on May 3rd, 2021. Find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Summer Term (May 3 – July 23), and meet the professors who will be teaching them! Representatives from the courses will be on hand to explain how the classes work, what people can expect if they sign up, and answer audience questions. The Summer 2021 Courses: Exploring Star Trek – Amy Sturgis boldly takes Signum where it’s never gone before: into Sta...
Apr 18, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 85
Apr 08, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 84
Mar 23, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 83
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 82
The recording from December 3, 2020, of a presentation and Q&A with the editors of a new volume of previously unpublished work by Owen Barfield, the first and last Inkling. The event includes a short talk introducing Barfield’s work by the author’s grandson. The discussion is moderated by Gabriel Schenk. The panelists: Owen A. Barfield, the grandson of the author Owen Barfield, Dr. Leslie A. Taylor, Dr. Jefferey H. Taylor, Dr. David Blakesley Owen Barfield Literary Estate https://owenbarfiel...
Dec 04, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 81
Nov 13, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 80
Oct 25, 2020•58 min•Ep. 79
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 78
Oct 09, 2020•57 min•Ep. 77
Oct 07, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 76
Oct 03, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 75
Sep 05, 2020•45 min•Ep. 74
Aug 29, 2020•57 min•Ep. 73
