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UVA Welcomes “Game of Thrones” Course

UVA Welcomes “Game of Thrones” Course
7/24/2014
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Suada Kolovic

Are you one of the millions of Americas suffering from “Game of Thrones” withdrawal? Do you stay up late at night pondering how the Lannister’s will pay their debts next season? Wonder if Ser Gregor Clegane will turn into Cersei’s dream Frankenstein Monster? Speculate when winter will freaking come already?! Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait close to 10 months to get our next “Game of Thrones” fix...unless, of course, you’re at the University of Virginia: This summer, UVA is offering an English course on the wildly popular HBO show. Thronees rejoice!

According to UVA Today, the discussion-based class will be taught by associate professor of English Lisa Woolfork over four weeks this summer. The course will be divided between the first “Game of Thrones” novels and the first three seasons of the show. “One of the goals behind this class was to teach students how the skills that we use to study literature are very useful skills for reading literature and TV in conjunction,” Woolfork said. “‘Game of Thrones’ is popular, it’s interesting, but it’s also very serious. There are a lot of things in the series that are very weighty, and very meaningful, and can be illuminated through the skills of literary analysis.” (For more on this story, click here.)

While classes rooted in popular culture is not a new phenomenon on college campuses – Frostburg State University in Maryland has been offering “The Science of Harry Potter” as a three-credit seminar for years – what’s your stance on the educational value of offering such a course? Do you think colleges are pandering to students’ wants verses needs? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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