I'm Bob Crawford, and this is The Road to Now.

This week, Ben and I welcome back to the program, the director of the Center for Public

Opinion and Policy Research at Winthrop University, Dr. Scott Huffman.

Now, we usually have Scott on to discuss the prestigious Winthrop poll, the most reliable and comprehensive

poll with regards to issues and politics in South Carolina. Today, however, Dr. Huffman is here

to discuss a class he teaches, politics and society in Middle Earth, the Lord of the Rings.

What can Tolkien's epic fantasy trilogy about an alliance and rivalry between individuals from different races teach us about society and politics in our own time?

Let's find out. Dr. Scott Huffman, welcome to The Road to Now. Thank you for having me.

Glad to be here. Typically, we would call on you to discuss polling. Yeah, I run a survey research center.

So, yeah, you know, I've chatted with you all about polling before and it's what you can do with it and what you can't.

We look forward to discussing polling again, but in communicating with you about certain things,

I came to find out that you teach a class there at my alma mater, Winthrop, and it is politics and society in Middle Earth, the Lord of the Rings.

Yeah, I, you know, Lord of the Rings is my favorite work of fiction. I actually never stop reading it or listening to it.

It is on rotation every time I'm in the car, the audiobook. So I listen to it, go through it. It is on rotation every time I'm in the car, the audio book. So I listen to it,

go through it, honestly multiple times a year. And, you know, at some point I was thinking,

there's a class in here about morality. You know, it's like Plato's Republic. What makes a good nation? What makes a good

earth? And, you know, Tolkien is inherently political. He talks a lot about morality. Comes from

a Christian perspective. And there's some neat little things about society. You know, when I

do this class again, though, I'm going to rename it a little more accurately

society and morality and the Lord of the Rings because it is more of a political theory

course than, you know, an applicable social science course.

It's more of a social theory course.

...