Dr. Maggie Parke

This module dives into K-Pop Demon Hunters as both a pop culture phenomenon and rich site of critical inquiry. Blending fandom, performance, media industries, K-Pop culture, aesthetics, and myth, the course asks: what does it mean when idol culture meets demon lore? How do K-pop’s global circuits of production and fandom intersect with anime conventions, East Asian mythologies, and transnational media flows? Students will study the series as text, brand, and cultural event—moving beyond hype to examine the structures, production practices, and myths that make it compelling. The module combines accessible theory and film analysis with lively discussion, close reading, and collaborative analysis. Guest scholars in East Asian Studies and Anime Studies will offer focused perspectives on mythology, media mix strategies, and cross-cultural adaptation. This class is rigorous but playful—an experiment in taking fun seriously, and there's no need for any experience in any of these areas to take this course. *Note: Please make sure you watch the film before this module starts. [show less]

How do films tell stories — not just through dialogue and plot, but through images, sound, and structure? This short course introduces students to the language of cinema, exploring how film techniques such as framing, editing, mise-en-scène, sound design, and performance work together to create meaning. Through close analysis of carefully selected clips, students will develop the tools to “read” a film, learning about the choices that shape interpretation and audience response. Taught by Maggie Parke, whose work engages deeply with adaptation and visual storytelling, the course will draw on popular examples including The Fellowship of the Ring as our central case study piece, other well-known adaptations, and also original screen stories. We will examine how cinematic language transforms narrative across mediums. This class is designed for students from any background, and it is a viewing and discussion-based course offering an accessible yet rigorous introduction to film analysis, sharpening both critical insight and appreciation for the craft of storytelling on screen. *Note: Since this module is about visual interpretation of a scene, parts of it may not be accessible for visual/sight or hearing impaired. [show less]

Focusing on The War of the Rohirrim, this module examines adaptation across mediums, cultures, and cinematic traditions. Students will analyze the film as an anime production, exploring its creators, aesthetic conventions, and cultural context, while also tracing its roots in Tolkien’s writings and Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth films. Emphasis will be placed on animation as a storytelling tool, character construction, visual language, and the challenges of expanding a mythic world through a new artistic form. [show less]

In Ghost Hawk, Susan Cooper turns her lyrical storytelling toward the early years of colonial America, weaving a tale that bridges worlds divided by culture, history, and loss. The story begins with Little Hawk, a young member of the Wampanoag people, who must face a solitary test of survival that will mark his passage into adulthood. When tragedy strikes, his path becomes bound to that of John Wakely, an English settler boy, and together their intertwined lives reveal both the possibilities of friendship and the devastating consequences of misunderstanding and conquest. Over eight sessions, we will read and discuss Ghost Hawk as both historical fiction and spiritual reflection, exploring Cooper’s portrayal of contact between Native and English worlds and her meditation on memory, belonging, and the legacies of colonization. We will situate the novel within its historical context—the early seventeenth century in New England—and examine how Cooper uses elements of myth and the supernatural to confront enduring questions of justice, identity, and reconciliation. Through guided discussion and close reading, we’ll consider howGhost Hawk challenges us to listen to the voices of the past and to think deeply about the stories a landscape holds. [show less]

In King of Shadows, Susan Cooper weaves together time travel, theatre, and history to create a powerful story about loss, belonging, and the transformative power of art. When young American actor Nat Field joins a troupe performing "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" at the newly rebuilt Globe Theatre, he is mysteriously transported to Elizabethan London, where he finds himself acting alongside none other than William Shakespeare. As Nat navigates the dangers and wonders of sixteenth-century England, he begins to discover what connects him—across time and grief—to the playwright and to the play itself. Over the course of this month-long, eight-session class, we will read and discuss Cooper’s novel in depth, exploring its key themes of identity, friendship, healing, and the endurance of creativity. We will also consider the historical and theatrical context of Elizabethan London, Shakespeare’s world and works, and the way Cooper blends fantasy and realism to bridge centuries. Through guided discussions and close reading, we’ll reflect on how King of Shadows speaks to both the past and the present, and why the story continues to resonate with readers today. [show less]