Great academics in action was on display as students engaged in a unique hands-on activity in front of the G. Ross Anderson Jr. Student Center.
Students in the class, titled “Dragons, Knights and Wardrobes: The Medieval Imagination in J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis,” tried their hand at Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). The class is offered by the English Department of the Anderson University College of Arts and Sciences and is taught by Dr. Katherine Wyma.
The swords weren’t real, but the techniques were true to swordplay in the historical sense. Adjunct faculty member Amy Bright led in the activity, which contained elements of choreography in the form of defensive postures and some fancy footwork.
Of course, nobody was hurt.
Students can explore this and other topics through an interdisciplinary minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies offered by the Anderson University College of Arts and Sciences.