Course Description

Many fascinating and compelling stories involve monstrous characters or the marvelous realms of the otherworld. Goblins and fairies, Grendel and Circe, dragons and gargoyles are all creations from earlier periods and cultures that have inspired the imaginations of writers and artists since ancient times and continue to engage contemporary audiences. This course studies the field of humanities by analyzing how past works involving fantastical creatures reflect and comment on how cultural ideologies important to earlier peoples live on in our contemporary world. 

Although removed from us by time and often geographical locations, the monsters and marvels from earlier cultures we explore in this course continue to represent ideas relevant to historical ideas, social patterns, cultural constructs, and metaphysical themes in the 21stcentury. For example, past class discussions have explored whether werewolves are always evil or fairies are always morally good, whether believing in dragons makes us more or less human, whether fantasy serves us best as purely escapist entertainment or offers potent metaphors for how we live our lives, and whether modern people care more about vampires and unicorns than about ancient peoples. Students will be introduced to the historical, literary, artistic, and even architectural traditions of monsters and marvels, as these are reflected in epic literature, Celtic sculpture, multicultural mythologies, gothic novels, medieval manuscripts, and religious architecture, among others. 

Texts

Maria Dahvana Headley, Beowulf: A New Translation

Stephen Mitchell, Gilgamesh

Jacob Neumann, A Professor’s Guide to Writing Essays: The No-Nonsense Plan for Better Writing

Nnedi Okorafor, Binti (first volume only)

William Shakespeare, The Tempest (free video)

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein: Annotated for Scientists, Engineers, and Creators of All Kinds, edited by David H. Guston and Ed Finn 

Other online readings/videos on such topics as multicultural folktales, gargoyles, sheela-na-gigs, medieval bestiaries, classical fables, and others

Requirements

Attendance and class participation, weekly online discussion, 2 analytic papers, 1 creative project, 1 group research video project, final portfolio

About the Instructor(s): Leslie Donovan

Leslie Donovan completed the Honors Program and her BA and MA at UNM, before earning her PhD in Medieval English Literature from the University of Washington in Seattle. She has published works on J.R.R. Tolkien, Beowulf, Old English women, and honors teaching. Dr. Donovan has been honored with multiple outstanding teaching awards, including UNM’s Presidential Teaching award. She is the Faculty Advisor for UNM’s Regents Scholars program and for the Hobbit Society student group.