You might have thought that school sucked and you never wanted to go back. You might also be a fan of comic books and all the stories that have come out of them. If both of these are true, or you just really dig listening to icons teach you things, you might be psyched to know that the Generalissimo himself, Stan Lee, is partnering with the Smithsonian to teach a course called The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact on Pop Culture. And the course is online so you don’t even have to leave your house!
Along with Michael Uslan, the executive producer of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and the upcoming Batman vs Superman, the animated Batman movies, and The Lego Movie, Stan Lee will touch on many subjects throughout the five-week course, including the rise of comic books in 1938 and through the second World War, censorship, and its comeback after decades of bad press and waning popularity. Uslan’s son David, who has assisted his father in producing the aforementioned movies and sits on the advisory board of the Stan Lee Foundation (awwww, bipartisanship!), will also be speaking during the course. Here is a description from the site:
For the first time ever, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is excited to offer the opportunity to go into the collection and see why superheroes are a dominant cultural force in today’s world. Not only will students be taught by Smithsonian experts, and three industry leaders – Stan Lee, Michael Uslan and David Uslan, but they will also get to ask questions and chat online with them around coursework. At last, fans, students and seekers of knowledge have the opportunity to enroll in the ultimate comic book course.
Michael Uslan also provides some insight into the course in the video above. Which leaves me with one question: Will my ‘Excelsior’ tattoo be enough to get me into this course?
Source: edX