ENGL178
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ENGL178 - Dragons, Elves, and How to Build Imaginary Worlds
Course ID
043229
Course Description
If you've ever immersed yourself into Elden Ring or Game of Thrones, you already know that modern fantasy borrows heavily from the European Middle Ages. Elves and dragons, however, were not simply invented by J.R.R. Tolkien. Rather, these fantastical creatures enjoy a long, long literary prehistory through medieval texts like Völsunga saga, Arthurian romance, and more. In this course, we'll study the world-building practices of several great fantasy authors as they creatively transform their medieval source material in response to pressing contemporary issues. Moreover, as our course's capstone, students will produce their own artwork or world-building guide according to techniques and content inspired by our study of modern fantasy and authentic medieval literature.
Min Units
3
Max Units
3
Repeatable for Credit
No
Grading Basis
GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E
Career
Undergraduate
Course Attributes
GEED - EPART (Gen Ed: EP Artist)
Component
Lecture
Optional Component
No