Dark Academia

Catalog description

This writing-intensive course introduces you to the genre of dark academia and asks you to explore and analyze questions raised by this field related to reality, relationships, identity, culture, and ethics. Through reading, watching, discussing, and presenting on key works in dark academia, you will gain a broad understanding of the genre – its influences and influencers. This course will also allow you to explore your impressions of and feelings toward the themes that make up dark academia, its pros and cons. The genre is steeped in gothic, Victorian, and romantic forms but some works also exhibit shortcomings through their romanticizing of elitism. We’ll explore this together, and we’ll explore some dark academia spaces on our campus. Assignments include short reflections, short presentations, and three academic papers.