The Signum Scene

This recording from April 11, 2024. Signum MA student Timothy Francis will present his thesis “Administrative Art as Genre in Kafka, Tooker, and Ravn” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Timothy’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Gabriel Schenk. Abstract This thesis explores bureaucracy through the works of three artists working...

This recording from April 5, 2024. Abstract J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth has long been praised for its sense of depth, but Tolkien’s creation has often been criticized, especially by Marxist critics, for its lack in depicting economic realities and for providing a reactionary fantasy to soothe bourgeois anxieties about a changing world. However, the traditional bourgeois-proletarian dichotomy,...

This recording from March 22, 2024. Abstract Dark Academia (DA), as a genre, is an offshoot of academic fiction that has become prominent over the last decade. After defining DA and exploring its roots, I dive into Intertextuality to ask why modern authors have chosen DA as their genre of choice as they reimagine elements of classic works. The works I chose to analyze are The Historian by Elizabet...

This recording is from Signum University Annual Fundraising Webathon, December 9, 2023. If you want to watch the recordings of the full event, check the 2023 Fundraising campaign playlist here. • Signum University Annual Fundraising ... This year's campaign announcement • Signum University's Fall Fundraising ... Support Signum University https://signumuniversity.org/support/ More about Signum Univ...

This recording from October 6, 2023. Signum MA student Kira Tregoning will present her thesis “More Complicated Than They Seem: The Semantic and Contextual Meaning of Homeric Epithets” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Kira’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Gabriel Schenk. The thesis presentation will be pre-recorded and playe...

This recording from August 1st, 2023. Signum MA student Gina Petrone will present her thesis “‘Let Me In!’ Vampirism in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Gina’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Sara Brown. Abstract In Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, scholars have studied the gothic elem...

This recording from July 29, 2023. Signum MA student Christoph Schabert will present his thesis “Mágus saga jarls: A Digital Edition” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Christoph’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Paul Peterson. Abstract An Old Norse-Icelandic genre that has long been relegated to the background of scholarly stu...

This recording from July 30, 2023. Signum MA student Patrick Lyon will present his thesis “Merry Old Englyn: The Familiar and the Strange in The Old English Rhyming Poem” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Patrick’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Paul Peterson. Abstract The Old English Rhyming Poem is one of the stranger and m...

Find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Summer Term (May 1 – July 30) 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 2023 Courses: Please note: Unfortunately, following the recording of...

Thesis Theater: Jennifer Ewing, “The Promises to the Overcomer” This recording from April 3rd, 2023. Signum MA student Jennifer Ewing will present her thesis “The Promises to the Overcomer: The Gifts and Rewards Given to the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Jennifer’s thesis super...

This recording from December 1, 2022. Find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Spring Term (January 9 – April 2) 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. Your host, Professor Sparrow Alden, wi...

This is Part 1 of the separate recordings from The 2022 Fall Fundraising Campaign Finale, recorded on November 19, 2022. Our teaching programs Signum Graduate School https://signumuniversity.org/degree-p ... Signum Academy Clubs https://signumuniversity.org/non-degr ... Mythgard Institute https://mythgard.org/ SPACE Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education https://signumuniversity.org/non-deg...

This recording from September 5, 2022. Signum MA student Nadia Schafer will present her thesis “One Strange (s) Elf: Deep Ecology, Decolonization and the Radical Hope of Legolas Greenleaf ” and respond to questions from the audience in an interactive Thesis Theater. The discussion will be facilitated by Nadia’s thesis supervisor, Dr. Sara Brown. Abstract: While living through a national reckoning,...

This recording from August 25, 2022. Find out about the new courses offered at Signum University this coming Fall Term (August 29 – November 20) 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. Your host, Dr. Gabriel Schenk, will i...

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...

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 sup...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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 que...

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 Mod...

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...

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 Germa...

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 m...