Course description
Do you sometimes feel more at home battling strangers’ avatars in a war zone than walking down the halls of your own school? Or do you ever wonder why humans have suddenly decided that predatory monsters like vampires might make good lovers? Useful answers to these questions require a clear understanding of human identity. Over time, our ideas about identity have undergone many changes in terms of human nature and value. Students in this course will explore current ideas about what makes us human within an historical context, comparing our popular ideas to those of the past. Students will observe how human identity is constructed and presented in narratives through a survey of different media, from short stories to graphic novels to film and television. In each medium, fictional identities such as gaming avatars, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and zombies will provide clues to the puzzle of what makes us human and how we decide who we are.
Course details
Credit transfer
Have you taken this course or an equivalent course? Contact the Credit Transfer Office.
Registration dates
Not all courses are offered each term.
Spring 2026 registration opens March 2, 2026.Fall 2026 registration opens June 29, 2026.
Delivery options
In person: classes held in person on a campus/site in a classroom/lab/shop/studio for the course duration
Online - Asynchronous: 100% online delivery, no scheduled day or time course requirements with the instructor, assigned due dates
Online - Synchronous: 100% online delivery, scheduled day and time course requirements with the instructor, assigned due dates
Hybrid: any combination of in person, timetabled, on campus, online, and hyflex delivery