It seems that the Television series 'Game of Thrones' is not just top class entertainment, it is also worthy of being studied at university in its own right. Northern Illinois University in America has taken the bold decision to offer a course to its Students based on the hit TV programme, beginning this semester.
The university is calling the new course "Game of Thrones, Television and Medieval History" and clearly hopes to tap into the massive interest in the programme from its devoted fanbase. Explaining the reasoning behind the class being made available, professors at the university claimed that the programme is more in line with what actually happened in the Middle-Ages than other portrayals of that period of history.
'Game of Thrones' is a fantasy drama that burst onto our television screens in 2011. It is set on fictional continents referred to as Westeros and Essos, with a series of plots that interlink and involve a wide range of characters. The series was adapted for television from George R. R. Martin's novels 'A Song of Ice and Fire' and quickly attracted international popularity. So much so, that the fifth series has recently premiered with plans already afoot for a sixth to be aired in the future. Critical acclaim has also been achieved with nominations for the series for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Peter Dinklage's performances as the dwarf Tyrion Lannister won him both an Emmy and a Golden Globe in the Supporting Actor category in 2011.
His portrayal of Martin's favourite character in his novel series has also drawn global attention to his undoubted acting abilities. There has also been a rich sprinkling of other well-known actors and actresses during the television series to date, to enhance its production quality. Celebrities such as Sean Bean, Charles Dance, Diana Rigg and Jerome Flynn have all featured.
The fantasy series is not the first television programme to be deemed worthy of intellectual study though. 'Star Trek' fans will no doubt be aware that courses in speaking 'Klingon' have been offered in the past, building on the usage of the language by fictional alien characters on the cult science-fiction show. Marc Okrand took the limited beginnings of the language from Star Trek and developed the Klingon Dictionary in 1984.
The Klingon Language Institute was launched to build on the references to Klingon in the television series and enhance the language and culture for those interested in its development.
Back in 2013, a US television company sought to link up with a Californian University to offer online courses relating to the TV series the Walking Dead. Clearly if zombies can be studied, then Game of Thrones has every right to be given serious consideration.
