Daily Skiff

"Twilight," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and HBO's "True Blood" could be on a course syllabus next semester for film-TV-digital media students.

FTDM will offer a new "topics in film" class called Bloodsuckers, taught by Tricia Jenkins, an assistant FTDM professor.

Students in the class will study the changing image of vampires throughout history from silent films in the 1920s to current films like "Twilight," Jenkins said. FTDM majors and minors may take the class for media analysis credit.

Addison Moss, a senior fashion merchandising major and FTDM minor, said she planned on taking the class. She said she thought the class would provide insight on the role of vampires in popular culture.

"I think students will gain an understanding of why vampires have become such a popular symbol in today's society," Moss said. "The class seemed interesting because we are not studying vampires; we are studying how the role of vampires has evolved and how that relates to everyday culture."

Moss said she mostly looks forward to studying the role of vampires in the movie "Twilight."

Jenkins said the idea for the class came from the recent revival of vampires in films and television series. She said she wanted to analyze why vampire stories have such longevity.

"The history of the vampire film really predates this whole 'Twilight' craze by 90 years," Jenkins said. "So, I want to talk about the history of the vampire and its changing image."

Jenkins said the class would consist of watching different vampire films and television shows, such as "Dracula," "Underworld," "True Blood" and "Twilight." She said she would pair the viewing component of the class with discussions, critical essays and readings.

Jenkins said she wanted students to be able to understand vampire narratives from a historical, cultural and industrial perspective.

Richard Allen, chair of FTDM, said Jenkins' expertise in the genre of vampire films and television made her qualified to teach the class. Allen said he thought the class would allow students to learn about trends in television and film. He said he expected the class to be very popular with students.

As of Thursday afternoon, there were about nine slots left in the class of 20, according to the TCU class search Web page.

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