First, go here. Then go here.

Tonight I discovered that Community College of Vermont offers a class " The Vampire in Literature, Culture & Film". I am going to take that class.

YOU MUST. REPORT BACK. And tell me what their reading list looks like.

Speaking of vampires (shut up, there was a segue there), I am currently reading The Science of Vampires, and it's a lot of fun.

YOU MUST. REPORT BACK. And tell me what their reading list looks like.

And whether it's available for online auditing!

I must ask - is the course given at night?

6 out of 10 on the test, and I didn't recognize any of the passages, even though I have read several of the books.

Tonight I discovered that Community College of Vermont offers a class " The Vampire in Literature, Culture & Film". I am going to take that class.

Oh! I'm jealous.

I won't be able to take it until next Fall. Unless I want to start paying out of state tuition. But I think it may be the first class I take.

But it is offered as an evening class and this is the description:

Course Description:

In this course, students will examine the role of the vampire in literature, film and popular culture. More than any other archetypal figure, American popular culture is infused with images of the vampire. This course explores the origins of the vampire myth, its transformation into literary legend, its cultural and social significance, and its inception in literature, film, advertisements, television and music, as well as its broader cultural significance in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Essential Objectives:

1. Critically read, view, analyze, and evaluate selected works that employ and re-envision the vampire as an archetypal character. 2. Describe the cultural and historical context of vampire mythology and draw connections between its origins and its role in popular culture. 3. Describe the distinctive characteristics of vampire literature and film in terms of character, plot, imagery, setting, point of view, and symbolism. 4. Identify figurative uses of language such as irony, metaphor, and personification, and explain how they inform the meaning of works that feature the vampire. 5. Explore the role of individual artists, filmmakers, and writers in shaping the vampire into an iconic figure in American popular culture. 6. Write short reaction papers and analyses of selected literature and films.

They do have it as an online course, don't know if you can audit it.

You're going to have to watch the sparkly vampire, you know. Brace yourself.

When you do take it, if you want any research or reference help, let me know. I suspect I will have most of the books the class will cover.

I know the sparkly vampires are in my future. I'm sure I'm going to get a "you've never read them!!! but they are so wonderful!" from someone.

I have read excerpts but that was enough. I'll struggle through. Vampires don't have souls that makes them evil, not sparkle. (Although this does bring me to the fact I was always disappointed "spike has a soul" didn't lean more to "Spike has free will and now he kills things because he likes it.") I'm really excited about it and I wish I could get the syllabus before hand so I can read and watch everything.

There's also a class on called " The Power of Food in Literature, Culture & Film" there's also class on Science Fiction. UVM has one as well on Sci Fi and Fantasy and another on American English Dialects (with an emphasis on Vermont of course).

I'm really abetting excited about going back to school. I'm going to try and see if I there's some way I can get a formal evaluation for learning disabilities because I'm pretty sure I have some issues besides ADD. When I was back in Tally the idea of going to the community college was just another reminder of my multiple failed attempts. And I did not want to go to FSU -- way way too big. But Vermont has me all excited and I feel like I'm getting a whole new chance at things.