J.R.R. Tolkien: Scholar, Author, and Thinker

Explores how an Oxford professor of medieval philology and literature wrote the most influential work of fantasy, The Lord of the Rings. Investigates how Tolkien’s scholarship on Anglo-Saxon and Middle English, fascination with inventing languages, experiences during the First World War, and Catholic faith shaped the creation of his fantasy world often (mistakenly) called Middle Earth. Examines Tolkien’s books within the context of his life, scholarship, ideas, and beliefs to uncover how an author of fantasy literature helped shape the image of the Middle Ages in the modern popular imagination. Considers the extent to which film adaptations do justice to the complexity of Tolkien’s stories, themes, and characters.

Related Subjects

Offered Spring 2025

Catalog	Subject	Faculty	Level	HASS	Category
21H.106 24.912 21L.008 21W.741 CMS.150 WGS.190	Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies T 2-5, E15-335	Michel DeGraff D. Fox Harrell Danielle Wood	Introductory	HASS-H HASS-A	CI-H
21H.165	A Survey of Modern African History TR 9:30-11, 1-273	Kenda Mutongi	Introductory	HASS-H
21H.217 11.013	American Urban History T 2-4, 8-205	Ezra Glenn	Seminar	HASS-H	CI-H
21H.220 11.150	Metropolis: A Comparative History of New York City MW 2:30-4, 1-273	Craig Steven Wilder	Seminar	HASS-H
21H.241 21G.054	France and Haiti: Enlightenment, Slavery, and Revolution TR 11-12:30, E51-285	Malick W. Ghachem	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.263 WGS.220	Women and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa F 10-1, 2-103	Lerna Ekmekcioglu	Seminar	HASS-H
21H.266	South Africa and Apartheid TR 1-2:30, 56-154	Kenda Mutongi	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.284	South Asia, the United States, and MIT: Transformative Connections W 11-1, E51-285	Sana Aiyar	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.289	History Near and Dear: Writing Yourself into History TR 11-12:30, 1-273	Marjoleine Kars	Intermediate	HASS-H	CI-H
21H.352 21G.042	Three Kingdoms: From History to Fiction, Comic, Film, and Game TR 1-2:30, 14E-310	Emma Teng	Seminar	HASS-H
21H.358 U 21H.958 G WGS.315 G	Colonialism in South Asia and Africa: Race, Gender, Resistance T 11-1, E51-390	Sana Aiyar	Graduate Seminar	HASS-H
21H.984 STS.414	Risk, Fortune, and Futurity W 2-5, 2-103	Caley Horan Will Deringer	Graduate
21H.S02	Special Subject: Medicine, Health, and Healing in the Global South MW 2:30-4, 4-261	Tanalís Padilla	Intermediate	HASS-S
21H.S05	Special Subject: Modern Germany MW 11-12:30, 2-103	Elena Kempf	Intermediate	HASS-H

Not Offered This Term

Catalog	Subject	Faculty	Level	HASS	Category
21H.001	How to Stage a Revolution	Staff	Introductory	HASS-H	CI-H
21H.009	World History and Its Fault Lines Since 1800	Sana Aiyar Hiromu Nagahara	Introductory	HASS-H	CI-H
21H.090	Digital Humanities Laboratory Not offered regularly; consult department	Catherine Clark	Introductory		LAB
21H.101	American History to 1865 Not offered regularly; consult department	Staff	Introductory	HASS-H
21H.102	American History since 1865	Staff	Introductory	HASS-H	CI-H
21H.107 21G.043	From Yellow Peril to Model Minority: Asian American History to 1968	Emma Teng	Introductory	HASS-H
21H.141	Renaissance to Revolution: Europe, 1300-1800 Not offered regularly; consult department	Staff	Introductory	HASS-H	CI-H
21H.143 21G.056	The “Making” of Modern Europe: 1789 – Present	Elena Kempf	Introductory	HASS-H
21H.144 21G.087	Introduction to Russian Studies	Elizabeth A. Wood Maria Khotimsky	Introductory	HASS-H
21H.145 21G.049 4.674	French Photography	Catherine Clark	Introductory	HASS-A	CI-H
21H.156 21G.045	Global Chinese Food: A Historical Overview Not offered regularly; consult department	Staff	Introductory	HASS-H
21H.157	Modern South Asia	Sana Aiyar	Introductory	HASS-S
21H.170 17.55 21A.130 21G.084	Introduction to Latin American Studies	Tanalís Padilla	Introductory	HASS-S	CI-H
21H.172 21G.078	Latin America Through Film Not offered regularly; consult department	Tanalís Padilla	Introductory	HASS-H
21H.173	Socialism in Latin America, from Che Guevara to Hugo Chavez	Tanalís Padilla	Introductory	HASS-H
21H.181 17.035	Libertarianism	Malick W. Ghachem	Introductory	HASS-H
21H.201	The American Revolution	Marjoleine Kars	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.205 STS.427	The Civil War and the Emergence of Modern America: 1861-1890	Merritt Roe Smith	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.211	The United States in the Cold War Era Not offered regularly; consult department	Caley Horan	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.213 17.28	The War at Home: American Politics and Society in Wartime	Christopher Capozzola Adam Berinsky	Intermediate	HASS-S
21H.214	War and American Society Not offered regularly; consult department	Christopher Capozzola	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.225	History of American Capitalism	Caley Horan	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.226 11.015	Riots, Strikes, and Conspiracies in American History	Staff	Intermediate	HASS-H	CI-H
21H.228	American Classics Not offered regularly; consult department	Craig Steven Wilder	Intermediate	HASS-H	CI-H
21H.229	The Black Radical Tradition in America Not offered regularly; consult department	Craig Steven Wilder	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.242 21G.322	Frenchness in and Era of Globalization Not offered regularly; consult department	Catherine Clark	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.245 21G.086 17.57	Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society: 1917 to the Present	Elizabeth A. Wood	Intermediate	HASS-S	CI-H
21H.247	Looking East/Looking West	Catherine Clark Hiromu Nagahara	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.253 21G.075	Global Chinese Migration, 1567- Present Not offered regularly; consult department	Emma Teng	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.260	Cities in the Middle East: History, Politics and Society Not offered regularly; consult department	Staff	Intermediate	HASS-S
21H.262	Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict	Pouya Alimagham	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.267	Atlantic Slave Revolts	Marjoleine Kars	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.268	Urban History in Africa	Kenda Mutongi	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.281	MIT and Slavery: Research	Craig Steven Wilder	Intermediate	HASS-H	CI-H
21H.282	MIT and Slavery: Publication Not offered regularly; consult department	Craig Steven Wilder	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.283	The Indigenous History of MIT Not offered regularly; consult department	Staff	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.285 STS.025	Making the Modern World: The Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective	Merritt Roe Smith	Intermediate	HASS-H
21H.315	American Consumer Culture	Caley Horan	Seminar	HASS-H
21H.319	Race, Crime, and Citizenship in American Law	Malick W. Ghachem	Seminar	HASS-S
21H.320	Gender and the Law in US History Not offered regularly; consult department	Christopher Capozzola	Seminar	HASS-H
21H.322	Christianity in America Not offered regularly; consult department	Craig Steven Wilder	Seminar	HASS-H
21H.363 WGS.330	Abortion: Global and Interdisciplinary Perspectives (NEW)		Seminar	HASS-H
21H.381 WGS.222	Women and War	Lerna Ekmekcioglu	Seminar	HASS-S
21H.385 11.152	The Ghetto: From Venice to Harlem Not offered regularly; consult department	Craig Steven Wilder	Seminar	HASS-S
21H.388 U 21H.988 G	Global Commodities, American Dreams	Megan A. Black	Graduate Seminar	HASS-H
21H.990 STS.432	Narrating the Anthropocene: Understanding a Multi-Species Universe	Megan A. Black Kate Brown	Graduate