Buffy The Vampire Slayer

October 22, 2003

In the search for classes to fill numerous requirements, finding courses that put a new twist on traditional perspectives can present a challenge.

Yet many universities offer classes that veer from typical curricula, featuring subjects that stem from professors’ passions or borrow from popular culture.

"People have a great sense of uneasiness. ... If it’s fun, we think it can’t be serious," said Lauryn Mayer, professor of English at Washington and Jefferson College.

Mayer uses examples from popular detective stories and mysteries as vehicles for teaching how perceptions of female representation have changed over time.

The class, "Tough Women in Detective Fiction," is offered during a 2 1/2-week intersession period in January that allows professors to move out of their teaching areas and explore their interests.

"It’s mutual exploration in a lot of ways," said Mayer, whose teaching focus is medieval literature. "Part of the great thing is that there is no critical background."

Aside from taking student angles on readings and study, classes use topics that students already have experience with in order to draw them into the curriculum.

Professor Natalie Adams teaches a freshman seminar class at the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa that focuses on history, sociology and cultural studies.

The course is similar to an English composition class, but what makes it stand out is the topic — cheerleading.

The class grew from Adams’ interest and research on the history and sociology of cheerleading. Adams recently co-authored "Cheerleader ! An American Icon" with Pam Bettis, a professor of education at Washington State University.

"Everyone has a story about cheerleading in some way," she said. "The class is aimed at teaching them critical analysis skills."

Though critical thinking and cultural evaluation are hallmarks of traditional learning, they also play essential roles in less mainstream courses.

At Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Angela Thompson will offer in the spring "Unveiled : The Sociology of Weddings," a cultural analysis of the ritual of weddings. The topics covered in the class will include the U.S. wedding industry, weddings around the world, the diamond industry and same-sex marriage.

Similar to other courses in sociology courses, the class focuses on cultural comparison and stresses critical thinking and analysis.

Thompson said she wants to "get across to the students on a more personal level — to discuss ritual and to let them know they don’t have to buy into the big wedding."

The average wedding in the United States costs $20,000 and takes about four hours of one’s life, Thompson said. The class tries to examine why people continue to spend and focus on this short but important ritual.

Social analysis extends from specific events to overall interactions between people — viewed, in some cases, through the lens of popular culture.

The television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is used as a catalyst for discussion in UNC Professor Lawrence Rosenfeld’s communication studies class on interpersonal relations.

"Buffy presents an excellent example of adolescent and post-adolescent interpersonal relationships," Rosenfeld said.

He said that when he first saw "Buffy" he thought, "Wow, what a natural fit."

In the past, Rosenfeld has used numerous shows and movies in his classes. But by focusing on one show for a semester, "The frame in which we’re working stays the same," he said.

Many classes combine different concentrations to explore several aspects of historical events.

English Professor Marcus LiBrizzi teaches a class on conspiracy theories at the University of Maine-Machias.

"(This class) blurs the line between learning and recreation," LiBrizzi said.

The course looks at the prominence of conspiracy theory in the formation of U.S. culture, evaluating examples such as the Salem witch trials and the fear of slave revolts in the 1800s.

LiBrizzi said the class "breaks down the idea of the ivory tower — that history is removed from our everyday life," he said.

"We’ve always been brought up to accept things we’re told," Deb Matusiak, former LiBrizzi teaching assistant and student.

"This class is great just for turning on the light bulbs in the students."

Though some might argue against the legitimacy of such classes, Mayer said critics dismiss them too easily.

"In some cases, it’s a bit too easy to say we’re going to group these into the off-the-wall classes."