Yarrow writes, “A co-worker of mine came across a couple of interesting fall classes on the San Francisco State University (SFSU) Web site:”

“‘Lord of the Rings’ as Epic” (English Language and Literature 630) Students delve deep beyond the pages of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic, guided by English professor George W. Tuma, who has studied Tolkien’s work for more than 20 years and taught English literature at SFSU for 33 years. Tuma, a Tolkien purist, has not seen either “Lord of the Rings” film because he is afraid the films would stray too far from the book. He also notes that Tolkien himself questioned if it was possible to transform the book into a quality movie.

The course description clearly indicates that the lecturer has not seen P.J.’s films, and almost seems to read, “don’t even think about discussing the movies in this class.”

And…here’s another course that San Francisco Tolkien fans might find interesting, also at SFSU:

“Magic and the Supernatural in Medieval Europe” (History 640) Students study fantastic creatures and places, with an exploration of miracles, magic, charms, folk traditions, saints and relics. Taught by Assistant Professor of history Jarbel Rodriguez, the course also covers stories of ghosts and vampires and shows how the supernatural played a role in medieval society and what the beliefs reveal about the medieval world.

Scroll down to find the courses here

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