Lost for College Credit?
A Lost fan AND a student at Tufts University? Why not take their one-credit class that focuses on Lost!
Few subjects capture the attention of college students as effectively as the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, known to TV viewers as the characters from ABC’s “Lost.” Twice a week, about 25 students at Tufts University participate in a one-college-credit course in which they analyze the show that has puzzled, intrigued, and outraged viewers for almost three seasons.
Earning academic credit while talking about television sounds too good to be true, and according to teacher and recent Tufts graduate E.J. Kalafarski , the idea at first “almost made too much sense.” Kalafarski and Chadwick Matlin , a Tufts senior and fellow die-hard “Lost” fan, realized last summer that a multitude of fascinating economic and social topics could be derived from discussing the series in a classroom.
Because the show is a cultural phenomenon rife with literary and philosophical references, Kalafarski and Matlin had no problem putting together a 13-week syllabus. They presented the idea last fall to the board of the Tufts Experimental College, which encourages the collaboration of faculty and students, as well as peer-taught courses. The class — The Future is “Lost”: Economic, Social, and Technological Impact of a Cult (and Cultural) Phenomenon — was approved after Kalafarski and Matlin presented an in-depth syllabus that showed the course would explore a wide range of topics, from thematic complexity to modern media, that analyzed the show’s overall impact on society.
“We were worried that some kids thought it would be an easy credit,” said Matlin, who added that the class is graded as pass/fail, though the students have weekly readings and a final project. “But I was ecstatic that everyone seemed to be interested in the academic merit.”
The two said they were shocked at the amount of interest the course received. Students who aren’t in the class often ask if they can attend lectures. To the delight of Kalafarski and Matlin, the class even caught the attention of “Lost” executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof , who agreed to hold a speakerphone conference call with the students during tomorrow’s class.
Source: The Boston Globe
Tags: lost+tuftsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Generally Lost
0 opinions for Lost for College Credit?
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: