suburbanchicagonews.com:

He didn’t grow up idolizing Dracula, sleeping in a coffin, or touting a black, satin cape around town. But Donovan Gwinner was on a mission to find out why some people do just those things.

When he proposed his May-term class “Got Blood? Vampires in Literature, Film and Pop Culture” the Aurora University assistant professor of English was determined to delve into why vampire culture has some people obsessed.

1. What was the first reaction of school administrators when you brought the idea to the table?

When I told my dean I was going to propose a May term course on vampires, she was a little taken aback. It’s not necessarily a typical offering for us — and certainly not something I talked about as part of my work — but when I explained to her that it would be a critical look at what vampires meant in different context, films and novels, and I wrote up my proposal, she accepted it as any other academic proposal would have been.

4. What’s the biggest difference between older books like “Dracula” and more modern vampire tales like “Twilight”?

That’s a good question. One of the key differences — and you can find contradictions — is that older texts portray Dracula as a greater threat and more of a monster than newer texts like “Twilight” where vampires are portrayed as more humanized and main stream. There’s a pretty big difference going from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” who was a recluse in his home, dominates anyone he comes across and tries to take over London. New vampires are more accepted, although still on the fringe of the community. There’s still elements of distress, fear and anxiety.

More here

What a damn cool class. I wanna take it. I love that he’s made it into a study.

What do you think about this course? Would you take it?