Dr. Who Class Coming to Syracuse University, Will Analyze Television and Culture Simultaneously
BySyracuse University is set to offer a course on the hit BBC TV show "Dr. Who" and will free offer it online to anyone who wishes to take it.
According to USA Today, Prof. Anthony Rotolo, of Syracuse's Newhouse School, will teach Dr. Who Class in the spring semester. The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is one of the top schools in the nation for print and broadcast journalism, but it offers degree programs in advertising, photography, graphic design and more.
Rotolo taught a class on Star Trek in 2010 and has been searching for a follow-up since. The British TV show will also allow U.S. communications students to study the country's media, which they otherwise would not do, the instructor said.
"Doctor Who has a very long legacy as one of the longest-running TV programs of all time," he told USA Today. "It gives us the ability to look at many different periods of post-war history and much of the mass media era."
In the 50 years since Dr. Who first aired, media consumption has changed from only having one shot to watch a new episode, to VHS recording, to DVR and online replays to streaming services like Netflix.
"This is a series that has had several periods of fandom," he said. "We're time-traveling like 'the Doctor' to these different periods and have knowledge of what it was like during that time."
Another aspect of the course, the professor told USA Today, will be social media integration. Not so long ago, the water cooler talk was in the office the next day, but now the discussion has moved to the Internet as a new episode is in progress.
"This free, open course offers students an incredible adventure through space and time as we explore the history, evolution and cultural impact of the long-running BBC program, Doctor Who," reads the course description. "Rotolo's unique teaching style involves the use of real-time Twitter and interactive polling during lecture as well as live screenings of media content. Those attending the live class sessions on the Syracuse University campus will need to keep their smartphones and sonic screwdrivers at the ready."