1. Alfred Kroeber, the father of Ursula K. Le Guin, conducted an early influential study titled Handbook of the Indians of California. He examined several tribes with naming customs, including both use names and true names, similar to those found in Le Guin's Earthsea series. After reading Kroeber's work, analyze the parallels in naming traditions between Native Americans and the inhabitants of Earthsea, and explore the importance of names in Le Guin's fantasy world.

2. In her collection The Language of the Night, Le Guin includes several essays on fantasy, such as "The Child and the Shadow." After exploring some of these essays, attempt to articulate Le Guin's concept of fantasy and apply your understanding to an analysis of Tehanu.

3. Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex is a foundational work examining sexism in culture. After reading this book, identify and describe the sexist practices depicted in Tehanu.

4. Written over fifteen years after the initial Earthsea novels, Tehanu continues the narratives introduced in those earlier works. After reading A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, and The Farthest Shore, demonstrate how Tehanu resolves or extends the storylines initiated in each of these preceding novels.

5. Read Margaret Mead's Male and Female and examine the portrayal of gender differences in Le Guin's Tehanu.