Creative Writing: Worldbuilding with Tolkien

"Creative Writing: Worldbuilding with Tolkien" is an interactive, project-based online course focused on the art of worldbuilding in fantasy and science fiction, taught by Dana Hanley. Students delve into the intricacies of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, examining the layers of storytelling, culture, geography, and linguistics that enrich his works. Over two semesters, participants explore one aspect of worldbuilding each week using examples from 'The Hobbit', discuss and apply these principles to their own reading, and begin developing their fictional worlds. The course culminates in students creating maps, climates, histories, languages, and Interactions between cultures within their imaginative universes, with opportunities for peer feedback throughout. Required reading includes 'The Hobbit' and two self-selected fantasy or science fiction books.