"At post-secondary schools across Ontario students can be found taking unique courses, some of which have them learning about the history of witchcraft, studying Japanese comics or occasionally wearing a Dracula costume. Instructors say these courses aren't just for amusement they're also about teaching students critical thinking skills that are important now more than ever. Here are some interesting and niche course offerings at Ontario universities that instructors say engage students' learning skills and their fun sides."
"In Erol Boran's classroom at the University of Toronto, students are urged to look in the mirror and examine the fanged, cape-wearing creature staring back at them. Figuratively, at least. The associate professor's course, "Our Vampires, Ourselves," has students look at the historical contexts, social issues and cultural fears linked to the famed bloodthirsty monsters. "When you look at the vampires, you see yourself, a reflection of you and the reflection of the society that gave birth to the vampire," Boran says."
"His students read Bram Stoker's Dracula and watch movies such as Twilight or even the recent blockbuster hit Sinners. He's taught the course on and off over the past 15 years, and his department is eager to have him offer it annually, he says, because of students' positive feedback. For fun, a group of his students even came to class dressed as vampires a couple of Halloweens ago, he says."
Post-secondary schools across Ontario offer courses on topics such as the history of witchcraft, Japanese comics and vampire culture. Instructors present these courses as vehicles for teaching critical thinking and engaging students' intellectual and playful interests. At the University of Toronto, a course titled Our Vampires, Ourselves examines historical contexts, social issues and cultural fears surrounding vampires, using readings like Bram Stoker's Dracula and films such as Twilight and Sinners. The course prompts students to reflect on how vampires mirror individual and societal fears, and includes participatory elements, including students dressing as vampires and years of positive feedback.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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