Part 1 of this volume, "Materials," introduces instructors to the rich array of resources available for teaching Tolkien, including editions and criticism of his fiction and scholarship, historical material on his life and times, audiovisual materials, and film adaptations of his fiction. The essays in part 2, "Approaches," help instructors introduce students to critical debates around Tolkien's work, its sources, its influence, and its connection to ecology, religion, and science. Contributors draw on interdisciplinary approaches to outline strategies for teaching Tolkien in a wide variety of classroom contexts.
Leslie A. Donovan is an associate professor of the Honors College at the University of New Mexico. In addition to Tolkien courses, she teaches interdisciplinary undergraduate courses in the humanities as well as Writing and Communications. Her publications include studies on the mythology of Middle-earth, valkyries in The Lord of the Rings, women saints in Old English prose, Beowulf, and various topics in pedagogy.