“Once we get them in the door, they will want to be medievalists.” How many times have we said this about our own courses and subject matters, and how many times have we heard others say it?
And it is true: Shows like Game of Thrones may well increase undergraduate demand for Medieval Studies courses. It’s easy to see why we medievalists would hope that Game of Thrones could be a gateway drug to studying the ‘real’ Middle Ages, our area of expertise that affords us pleasure and a salary: An average of 23 million viewers watched each episode of season 6; the final episode of season 7 attracted 16.5 million viewers. The show has won more Emmys than other prime-time series ever. It is broadcast in 170 countries. And the final season is now upon us.
In an era where enrollments in humanities degrees are decreasing every year, many universities have offered classes linking the show to medieval studies.... READ FULL ARTICLE