FWS: The Undead…Live! Vampires on Stages and Screens

Catalog description

Vampires are everywhere. This course hunts the dangerous and subversive figure of the vampire across a variety of pages, stages and screens. From raucous stage comedies, to lush cinematic epics and politically savvy television--and all the Draculas that have come and gone in between--we will explore how the vampire changes with medium, period, and genre. Students will be asked to consider why vampires emerge in particular historical and contemporary moments, and what cultural anxieties they articulate, as well as how the vampire is constructed, appropriated, and performed. By engaging with course texts, students will develop strategies for attentive reading and thoughtful writing. Assignments will vary in style and format, and will focus on critical thinking, preparation, clear prose, and papers structured around well-supported claims.