This interdisciplinary Institute for secondary school teachers presents an interdisciplinary model to use to develop new materials and curriculum related to teaching Tolkien in English, History, Social Studies, Geography, and even Math and Science. The Institute will be team-taught by a medieval historian and a contemporary literature and critical theory professor allowing coverage of both medieval and modern influences as well as the contemporary impact of Tolkien's epic novel. Bringing fifteen Tolkien experts from the US and the UK together with thirty school teachers, we will show how _The Lord of the Rings_ can serve as a bridge for students, connecting the 21st century in which we now live with the cultures, history, and literature of the Middle Ages as well as those of the late-Victorian era and early twentieth century