English 4/5/6 God in Mordor – Modern Age Lit and Comp

This online course focuses on the transition to the Modern Age and its impact on Christian studies, exploring the changing relationship between God and man during this period. Starting with Shakespeare's final play, "The Tempest," the course uses "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy as an underlying framework to examine the "madness" of the Modern Period. Students will analyze the works of various poets, such as Herbert, Milton, Donne, Shelley, Keats, Dickinson, Auden, and Frost, as well as short stories by Crane, Poe, and Conan Doyle, and the novel "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The course will delve into the influence of new technologies like radio, popular music, and literature on generations of young people drifting from traditional religious moorings. Through reading and writing, learners will study the Modern Period from a biblical worldview, seeking wisdom to apply to the present.