导读:据外媒报道,哈佛大学最近新开设了一门课程,通过研究乔治马丁的小说《冰与火之歌》及此改编的美剧《权力的游戏》,来探讨该剧与中世纪真实历史之间的异同。哈佛大学中世纪研究领域的教授表示,希望通过这门课程激发学生对人文学科的兴趣。事实上,利用《权力的游戏》激发学生学习热情并非哈佛首创。早在2015年,加拿大的英属哥伦比亚大学就开设了类似的课程。该课程的名称为“现代的中世纪:作为当代中世纪主义的《冰与火之歌》”。
The class will explore how the series “echoes and adapts, as well as distorts the history and culture of the ‘medieval world’ of Eurasia from AD 400 to AD 1500” by exploring “a set of archetypal characters at the heart of Game of Thrones with distinct analogues in medieval history, literature, religion, and legend”.
Harvard’s medieval studies professors hope that the 100-level course can leverage student interest in Game of Thrones into a greater interest in the humanities. As Time noted, student interest in this area of study has waned in recent years, per an American Academy of Arts & Sciences study that reported an 8.7 percent decline in bachelor’s degrees awarded in this subject area between 2012 and 2014.
UC Berkeley has offered multiple courses that draw inspiration from the series. In 2015, it offered a film studies course, “Film Genre: Game of Thrones” centered on the show’s theatrical themes.
And this summer, the school offered a six-week course titled “The Linguistics of Game of Thrones and the Art of Language Invention,” taught by Dothraki creator David・J・ Peterson.
该课程将通过研究“《权力的游戏》中一系列明显带有中世纪历史、文化、宗教以及神话色彩的核心角色的原型人物,来探讨这部电视剧是如何反映、改写以及扭曲中世纪(公元400年―公元1500年)欧亚大陆的历史与文化的”。
哈佛大学中世纪研究领域的教授们希望,这门百分制的课程可以利用学生们对《权力的游戏》的喜爱,激发他们对人文学科更浓厚的兴趣。《时代》周刊指出,近年来,学生对人文领域的研究兴趣正在减退。美国艺术与科学学院的研究报告显示,2012年至2014年间,人文学科领域的学士学位数下降了8.7%。
加州大学伯克利分校也已经依据《权力的游戏》开设了多门课程。2015年,该校开设了影视研究课“影视类型:《权力的游戏》”,主要研究该剧的戏剧主题。
今年夏天,加州大学伯克利分校还开设了一门为期六周的课程,名为“《权力的游戏》语言学及语言创造艺术”,授课教师为多斯拉克语的创造者戴维・J・彼得森。
Word Study
echo /'ek??/ v. 类似;效仿
The student and his teacher echoed each other in writing style.
distort /d?'st??t/ v. 曲解;歪曲
Newspaper are often guilty of distorting the truth.
wane /we?n/ v. 衰落;减弱
Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly.