Jay Moses

Folk Horror, having initial roots in the early 20th century, has continued steadily in multiple media to explore societal fears of our day. This SPACE class will look at the origins of the genre, its explosion in the upheaval in the 1970's, and its current place of cultural relevance in a world filled with anxious nightmares regarding its future.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Session 1: The Tools of Engagement: Modern Folk Horror Studies
	Session 2: The Stories of Ambrose Pierce
Week 2	Session 3: The Stories of Thomas Hardy
	Session 4: The Grandmaster of Folk Horror: M.R. James Part I
Week 3	Session 5: The Grandmaster of Folk Horror: M.R. James Part II
	Session 6: The "Folk" of the 1970's: The Unholy Trinity
Week 4	Session 7: Movies/Media of the 80's and 90's: The Blair Witch and Steven King
	Session 8: Modern Manifestations: True Detective

The Dark Crystal, a film directed and created by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, was released at Christmastime in 1982. An attempt at a more mature and decidedly darker direction for Henson, it performed modestly in the box office to mixed reviews. Despite its poor initial beginnings, over the next 42 years, The Dark Crystal became a cult classic. Why the appeal all these years later? In this class we will explore this multifaceted dark fantasy as a stand of world building from the better appreciated “Muppet” canon. Over the course of eight sessions we will discuss the world of Thra through the film itself, seen afresh with the new lenses of various forms of modern criticism. Please join us for a combination of short lectures and lively discussion of this visual and technical masterpiece whether you’re a long-time fan or neophyte.

Throughout Tolkien's works, the sense of loss is pervasive, building upon Tolkien's personal belief that to create myth was to engage the cultural awareness of a past "fall." This course will analyze Tolkien's most obvious allusions to a Fall in the legendarium, while looking at literary examples of a "Fall" in society of which Tolkien built upon.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Session 1: "There must be a Fall": Tolkien's idea of story-telling
	Session 2: The Biblical Back Drop
Week 2	Session 3: The Greek Awareness
	Session 4: The Fall of Rome
Week 3	Session 5: The Great War
	Session 6: The Attraction of the North: The Nordic Influence
Week 4	Session 7: Modernity's theft
	Session 8: Life as Teacher: Tolkien's Loss

Doctor Who is the longest running Science Fiction program on television earning great recognition and accolades in the process. Despite this, Doctor Who is infamous for writing/producing some of the best in Science Fiction television, and at the same time arguably the worst.

This Class will make use of a free streaming device (tubi) in order to view these episodes individually once again, so that we can discuss their merits or “demerits”; to view some of "the best" and "the worst" of Classic Doctor Who. Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, the Bakers, Peterson and McCoy are ready to open the TARDIS doors for us; Let the conversation begin!

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Session 1: Criteria and Process
	Session 2: The Best: The Talons of Weing Chiang
Week 2	Session 3: The Worst: The Macra Terror
	Session 4: The Best: The Caves of Androzani
Week 3	Session 5: The Worst: The Twin Dilemma
	Session 6: The Best: The Daemons
Week 4	Session 7: The Worst: Paradise Towers
	Session 8: The Best: The Dalek Invasion of Earth