Author Archives: Kathryn Ney

About Kathryn Ney

I am a Teacher Candidate in the Bachelor of Education Program (Secondary) with two teachable subjects, Social Studies and English. I graduated from the Global Stewardship Program at Capilano University in 2014 and completed a double major at UBC in English Literature Honours and History in November 2018. During my studies at CapU, I volunteered as an English teacher with the Global Volunteer Network in Nepal and this experience first prompted me to consider a career in education. While studying at UBC, I led a Student Directed Seminar on the Inklings (Tolkien and C.S. Lewis), thus enabling me to gain experience designing syllabi and marking rubrics for peer evaluation. I am also an alumni of the UBC Arts Coop program, through which I predominantly worked as a docent and archivist in the culture and heritage industry. Some of my work during my Coop placements included developing educational programs for museums, and through this experience, I learned how to make history engaging and accessible for young people as well as for the general public. I spent the past year participating in the Odyssey Program as an English Language Assistant in small-town Quebec, during which time I gleaned extensive in-class and interpersonal experience working with both kids and young adults on their English skills. Since my return in May, I have been leading summer camps for youth focused on conservation issues and outdoor skills. This experience allowed me to share my love of nature and the environment with young people from across the province. Ideally, after completing the BEd. program and having gained some teaching experience, I would like to find a way to combine these disciplines and interests in the form of extracurricular involvement, or otherwise to work abroad doing professional or curriculum development for teachers in developing countries.

Death, Devotion, and Doom: Quenta Silmarillion 21-24

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Kathryn Ney

Texts: J. R. R. Tolkien, “Quenta Silmarillion 21-24” in The Silmarillion Discussion Leaders: Louis Renard, Jameson Thomas Discussion Questions: 1. To get us into the mood to discuss this week’s themes of death, doom and decline today’s ice breaker question … Continue reading →

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Beren, Luthien, and Real-World Romance: Quenta Silmarillion 16-21

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Kathryn Ney

Primary Texts: J. R. R. Tolkien, “Quenta Simarillion 17-20” in The Silmarillion Secondary Texts: Richard C. West, “Real-World Myth in a Secondary World: Mythological Aspects in the Story of Beren and Lúthien,” in Tolkien the Medievalist, edited by Jane Chance … Continue reading →

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Fëanor, Fate and Mortality: the Quenta Silmarillion 11-16

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Kathryn Ney

Texts: Tolkien, “Quenta Silmarillion 11-16,” in The Silmarillion Discussion Leaders: Louis Renard, Jameson Thomas Discussion Questions: So far in the Silmarillion we have been introduced to a large cast of interesting and unique characters. To start off our discussion for … Continue reading →

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Sin, Sanctity, and the Semiotics of the Silmarils: the Quenta Silmarillion 5-10

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Kathryn Ney

Texts: Tolkien, “Quenta Silmarillion 5-10,” in The Silmarillion Discussion Leaders: Kienan Burrage, Marcy Nelson Discussion Questions: Jewels/jewelry and gems with magical or sacred properties are quite commonplace in the fantasy genre and mythologies. Can the Silmarils be characterized as simply … Continue reading →

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Creation and Cosmology in Tolkien’s Silmarillion: Ainulindalë, Valaquenta and the Quenta Silmarillion 1-4

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Kathryn Ney

Primary Texts: Tolkien’s Ainulindalë, Valaquenta and the Quenta Silmarillion 1-4 in The Silmarillion; selections from the Bible (New Revised Standard Version), Milton’s Paradise Lost and Ovid’s Metamorphosis; selections from C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia (not included, see Jadis in … Continue reading →

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Tales from the Perilous Realm: Fairy-Stories, Dragons, and Farmer Giles of Ham

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Kathryn Ney

Texts: Tolkien, “Farmer Giles of Ham,” in Tales from the Perilous Realm; also, check out this excellent audiobook version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAYE4rwcoo4/ Discussion Leaders: Valen Tam, Daphne de Grandpre Discussion Questions:  How does the story of Farmer Giles of Ham fit into Tolkien’s definition … Continue reading →

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Reading Tolkien, Tolkien’s Reading: Defining “Myth,” Fairy-Stories and Anglo-Saxon Origins

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Kathryn Ney

Texts for this week: Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories,” “Monsters and the Critics,” and “Forward to the Second Edition” of The Lord of the Rings; Verlyn Flieger’s “There Would Always be a Fairy-Tale: J. R. R. Tolkien and the Folklore Controversy” in Tolkien and … Continue reading →

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