ABC's 'Lost' is required viewing for students in UNF course

Thanks to Adam for the heads up.

It's 8 a.m. and a room full of University of North Florida literature students is eager to discuss last night's assignment.

You'd expect to see bleary-eyed students groaning at the thought of in-depth literary analysis of themes and symbolism, but these 27 scholars can't seem to stop talking.

That's because their homework was to watch TV.

Sarah Clarke Stuart teaches a literature course on "Lost," the hit ABC show about the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 who crashed on a mysterious island.

It's a mystical show full of puzzles, cliffhangers and frustrations. Try to explain the show to non-watchers and you'll end up sounding like you're on acid:

"I mean, there's polar bears, ghosts and a smoke monster. And, uh, they travel through time, but they can't change anything and, uh, there are these others who don't like the Dharma Initiative. It's trippy."

With all of the references to literature, physics, religion and even math, you almost need a master's degree to know what's going on. Avid watchers scour message boards and blogs to unlock the secrets.

That's why Stuart was inspired to create the course last summer. She thought, if there's all of this passion among young people to analyze the show, couldn't that passion be used for academic learning?

Plus, Stuart really knows the material. The 32-year-old is on the message boards with everyone else, obsessing about her favorite show.

A similar course is taught at Tufts University, but besides that, Stuart doesn't know of any other others.

Paul Levinson, author, professor and blogger about "Lost," asked Stuart if he could reference the class in an upcoming book on media studies.

Last summer, students watched the show's first season on ABC.com and then discussed themes of redemption as each character tries to break free from his or her old self, such as Charlie's drug addiction or Kate's criminal past.

This spring's course, called The Infinite Narrative, looked at classic literary references and themes in the show. When a character is caught reading James Joyce's "Ulysses," students discuss how that book relates to the show.

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