The Vampire Goes to College: Essays on Teaching with the UndeadLisa A.Nevárez, Editor. Jefferson: McFarland, 2014.

Abstract

Vampire Goes to College: Essays on with the Undead Lisa A. Nevarez, Editor. Jefferson: McFarland, 2014.There's no denying that are popular; one only has to browse book shelves, flip channels, or watch the previews for upcoming films to see a plethora of vampire stories. Incorporating these popular culture into college courses has a history of promoting engagement and enrollment. television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel have been analyzed extensively and taught at the collegiate level along with the more traditional texts like Bram Stoker's Dracula and the film Nosferatu. However, students are quick to point out that even a show as recent as Buffy is old by their standards. Vampire Goes to College does mention these works, but the greater focus is on including more contemporary vampires, such as are found in HBO's Tru Blood, the CW's Vampire Diaries, and the Twilight series of books and films. historical vampire is not ignored, but the contemporary texts are the main focus as they are considered more accessible and engaging to students. Lisa A Nevarez writes in the Introduction that, The of the vampire is a notable example of an exciting way to catch students at their most eager and to share with them the manifold ways academics discourse about that very figure (6). With this worthy goal in mind, the essays within Vampire Goes to College showcase examples of courses that incorporate vampire literature to promote student interaction with new material or even familiar works in new manners in order to increase engagement in the classroom.The Vampire Goes to College is designed to provide insight for instructors looking to include vampire literature in courses. idea that students have an existing interest in the subject is the foundation for many of the approaches included in the book, for as Leslie Ormandy states at the beginning of her essay, Students love vampires (204). essays cover multiple types of courses at varying levels of study and are organized into five sections based on approaches to the texts: Teaching the Historical Vampire, Teaching the Diverse Vampire, Writing the Vampire, Teaching the Textual Vampire, and Engaging the Student. There is frequent overlap of texts and concepts between the sections, particularly relating to encouraging stu dent research and engagement. variety of approaches from different perspectives provides a wealth of information for teachers in different disciplines. …