Fantasy and Fiction Summer Institute
For High School Students
July 9-13, 2012
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Main Campus-South Orange
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The Fantasy and Fiction Summer Institute is a one-week, on-campus summer program designed for high school students who would like the opportunity to discuss three classic works in this genre - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Return of the King, C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--under the direction of an experienced college professor. The program will guide students through engaging analyses of these novels, as well as discussions of the role of fantasy fiction and its history. We will also be viewing and discussing film adaptations of each novel. Ideally, students should have read at least two of the novels prior to the Institute.
Morning Sessions: Literature - discussion and writing about the texts
- engage in meaningful discussion of the texts, exploring symbols and themes
- complete short writing assignments about characters, plots, and themes/symbols
- understand the complexity of the works, including the background behind them and how these works connect with each other
Afternoon Sessions: Film and other Exploration
Film versions of the three works and discussion/reviewing of these will be the main focus of the afternoon sessions, but students will also go on one field trip and enjoy other activities. Students will:
- learn the difference between film and text and why some changes are made in film adaptations
- discuss which changes are positive, which negative or at least unnecessary
- write a film review of one of the films as a positive or negative adaptation of a text
- enjoy a field trip to a related site, as well as a class party
Activities: Students will go on one field trip and enjoy at least one guest speaker geared to the works studied.
Faculty Biography
Nancy Enright (Ph.D., Drew University) is an Associate Professor of Writing in the Department of English at Seton Hall University, where she is the Director of First Year Writing. Her research interests include the connection between religion and literature in fantasy literature, as well as core texts, such as The Divine Comedy and Augustine's Confessions. She has published articles in the following journals: Logos, Renascence, The Chesterton Review, Second Spring, College English Notes, and Mythlore, and has reprinted articles in the following books: J.R.R. Tolkien (Modern Critical Views), edited by Harold Bloom (Chelsea House, 2008) and Poetry Criticism, volume 108, edited by Michelle Lee (Gale Cengage Learning, 2010).
Tuition: $699
Note: Lunch is not included. You can bring a brown bag lunch or you can purchase lunch at the cafeteria.
