As some readers are aware, I was finally able to teach Tolkien here at The Citadel as an Honors class last Spring, which was great fun. Happily, this opened the door that I’d been banging my head against for quite some time: the chance to teach Tolkien as a 200-level general elective course open to all students.
Some folks (I won’t say who) expressed concern that this class would “make” — which these days means you need a minimum of around 15 students in the seats — but they went ahead and put it on the books for the Spring anyway, to see whether it would live or die.
Well, the registration season is officially open here at El Cid, and I’m pleased to say that the results look to be rather positive. As of this morning, Tolkien had 33 students on board, which is pretty phenomenal for a class on its first run hereabouts. Enrollments will bounce around a bit by the time January hits, so I’m still hoping to crank it up even further. I think 40 is a good round number…