University of North Florida class focuses on television’s ‘Lost’
JACKSONVILLE (AP) – It’s 8 a.m. and a room full of University of North Florida literature students is eager to discuss last night’s assignment.
You’d expect to see bleary-eyed students groaning at the thought of in-depth literary analysis of themes and symbolism, but these 27 scholars can’t seem to stop talking.
That’s because their homework was to watch TV.
Sarah Clarke Stuart teaches a literature course on “Lost,” the hit ABC show about the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 who crashed on a mysterious island.
It’s a mystical show full of puzzles, cliffhangers and frustrations. Try to explain the show to non-watchers and you’ll end up sounding like you’re on acid:
“I mean, there’s polar bears, ghosts and a smoke monster. And, uh, they travel through time, but they can’t change anything and, uh, there are these others who don’t like the Dharma Initiative. It’s trippy.”
With all the references to literature, physics, religion and even math, you almost need a master’s degree to know what’s going on. Avid watchers scour message boards and blogs to unlock the secrets.
That’s why Stuart was inspired to create the course last summer. She thought, if there’s all of this passion among young people to analyze the show, couldn’t that passion be used for academic learning?
Plus, Stuart really knows the material. The 32-year-old is on the message boards with everyone else, obsessing about her favorite show.
A similar course is taught at Tufts University, but besides that, Stuart doesn’t know of any other others.
Paul Levinson, author, professor and blogger about “Lost,” asked Stuart if he could reference the class in an upcoming book on media studies.
Last summer, students watched the show’s first season on ABC.com and then discussed themes of redemption as each character tries to break free from his or her old self, such as Charlie’s drug addiction or Kate’s criminal past.
This spring’s course, called The Infinite Narrative, looked at classic literary references and themes in the show. When a character is caught reading James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” students discuss how that book relates to the show.
The class isn’t water cooler talk, predicting what’s going to happen next week. It’s about analyzing what it all means.
“I try to refer to it as a narrative instead of a show,” she said, “because I do try to compare it to other narratives like plays and books.”
Stuart said she has students from her other classes who hated analyzing books. But when it comes to “Lost,” they have no problem discussing character development and story structure.
“They would never do it for, say, a Henry James novel, but they’ll do it for ‘Lost,’ ” she said. “It’s the same skills. It’s because they are into the stories. I think it just makes such a difference, the motivation of the students.”
Stuart also has her students look at the show’s interaction with its viewers through message boards and online games. They’ve also talked about the film “The Matrix” and the online community Second Life as it pertains to participatory and convergence culture.
Stuart said she’ll teach the course again “whenever they let me” and might offer it in the fall. The semester ended in April, so the class didn’t get to discuss the show’s season finale, which aired earlier this month.
Instead, Stuart is going to offer a series of “Lost” theory and literature seminars this summer and open it to the general public to bring fans together to discuss the show’s deeper meaning.
Those who took the course said they learned plenty, even if they signed up just because they prefer a remote to a book.
“I thought it was interesting, and I didn’t have to read as much. I could just watch TV for homework,” sophomore James Jardine said, “but I found that there’s a lot more depth to TV shows than just watching it.”
Ross Spencer, sophomore, said he thinks he’s learned more because the material is contemporary.
“I think it’s more applicable than a regular literature class because you’re learning about what’s going on now,” he said. “It definitely has academic merit.”