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A Harvard professor is creating a course about HBO’s acclaimed series The Wire.
The class will be taught by sociology professor William J. Wilson, an outspoken, long-time fan of the show. “It has done more to enhance our understanding of the challenges of urban life and the problems of urban inequality, more than any other media event or scholarly publication,” Wilson told the audience at a panel discussion on campus. Also speaking at this panel were series actors Sonja Sohn (Det. Kim Gregs), Andre Royo (Bubbles), and Michael Kenneth Williams (Omar Little).
Harvard is not the only university to offer a course about The Wire. UC-Berkeley teaches a film studies course about it, and so does Middlebury College. Duke offers a literature course that uses it to examine phenomenology and 21st century visual media.
The Wire’s creator David Simon is currently in post-production on a new series called Treme, which will take place in New Orleans. It will premiere on HBO in April of 2010.
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The Wire is definitely a good choice to introduce a topic and start a discussion on many socioeconomic or sociopolitical topics. I'm glad some professors are taking note of such TV series to be able to relate to the students in a much easier way than traditional dry methods of teaching. During my English classes in college, many of my social topics of discussion were introduced using certain segments of highlighted movies.
Fuck you Emmy's!