Mind the Dalek: U.S. professor offers course in Doctor Who
- Publication: Ottawa Citizen
- Date: 2014-11-11
- Author: Soraya Nadia McDonald
- Page: D6
- Language: English
A Syracuse professor of digital and social media is offering a class based on the long-running British science fiction series Doctor Who. Professor Anthony Rotolo plans to take an exhaustive look at the wildly popular British series, which started in 1963 as a children's show and was relaunched in 2005.
How's this hypothetical incentive for class participation? At Syracuse, if you answer a trivia question about Doctor Who correctly, you could net yourself a 3-D printed TARDIS or a miniature Dalek (one that won't destroy everything in its path, of course).
For non-Whovians: The Dalek are a particularly pernicious alien race set on destroying everything. They hate Doctor Who. The TAR-DIS is the vehicle, disguised as a 1960s London police call box, the Doctor uses to travel through space and time. Also worth knowing: The Doctor is able to die and regenerate himself in a different body, a detail that's allowed 12 actors to play him in a 50-year span. The show is currently on its 12th Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi. In Canada, the series airs on Space.
According to Rotolo's course description:
"Students will consider and reflect on how Doctor Who has reached audiences from children and families to young adults and lifelong viewers through a wide array of broadcast, print and digital media, as well as describe how Doctor Who has applied elements of many media genres —sci-fi, horror, action, comedy and many others — to form a style that is unique to the series."
Because Rotolo's class is an unofficial one — and also free — it's open not just to the Syracuse community, but to the world at large. Rotolo plans to make the course and lectures available as a massive online open course (MIO0C). There's no tuition, but a sonic screwdriver might come in handy.
"I was inspired to put this course together because it is my belief that learning can and should be fun, and while not all courses can be about television series, some can!" Rotolo told the Syracuse Post-Standard. "My Star Trek course has been a tremendous success, and I am proud to say that it has inspired countless students to find their path in media and even science and technology fields.
"As a teacher, there is nothing more important than that, and nothing more rewarding than hearing from a student that your course has had an impact in his or her life."
As of Oct. 29, more than 220 students had signed up for the live course, Rotolo tweeted. There's a wait list.
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: McDonald, Soraya Nadia (2014-11-11). Mind the Dalek: U.S. professor offers course in Doctor Who. Ottawa Citizen p. D6.
- MLA 7th ed.: McDonald, Soraya Nadia. "Mind the Dalek: U.S. professor offers course in Doctor Who." Ottawa Citizen [add city] 2014-11-11, D6. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: McDonald, Soraya Nadia. "Mind the Dalek: U.S. professor offers course in Doctor Who." Ottawa Citizen, edition, sec., 2014-11-11
- Turabian: McDonald, Soraya Nadia. "Mind the Dalek: U.S. professor offers course in Doctor Who." Ottawa Citizen, 2014-11-11, section, D6 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Mind the Dalek: U.S. professor offers course in Doctor Who | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Mind_the_Dalek:_U.S._professor_offers_course_in_Doctor_Who | work=Ottawa Citizen | pages=D6 | date=2014-11-11 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=14 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Mind the Dalek: U.S. professor offers course in Doctor Who | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Mind_the_Dalek:_U.S._professor_offers_course_in_Doctor_Who | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=14 March 2025}}</ref>
