University of Akron – Star Wars Course

Via Ohio.com:

Students in a University of Akron course will be required to watch all nine Star Wars films.

Juan Contreras, an associate professor in UA’s School of Communication, created the elective course, The Films of Star Wars course, and will teach it again this summer.

Contreras, who UA calls a Star Wars expert, will again use the film series to explore history, mythology, religion and culture.

For example, students will study the portrayal of women and minorities in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the most recent installment of the Star Wars saga released in December.

“Traditionally, oppressive regimes have attempted to force minority groups into submission, and those groups become second-class citizens,” Contreras said in a prepared statement.

“In The Last Jedi you see The First Order, much like the Empire, mainly led by white males, while the Rebellion has female leadership, and even an alien admiral.”

Contreras said students will look at the roles of women and minorities in the film “and analyze their relevance in the world today.”

Contreras also serves as general manager of UA’s student television station.

Students taking the course do not need to be Star Wars fanatics, UA said in the statement. But they will be required to watch all nine films during the semester.

“Stories are a reflection of our culture, our concerns, our struggles, our triumphs and our dreams,” Contreras said. “A class like this can help students appreciate that, and learn some insights that can help them become more effective storytellers.”

Contreras began teaching the class in the summer of 2016.

That year, students were required to watch the then seven Star Wars films. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, was released in December 2016. Billed as a stand-alone film, it was the eighth movie in the Star War series.

Using Star Wars as a means to explore various topics is not new on campuses.

For example, Star Wars: A Complete Saga? is the name of a course that has been taught at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.