Television fantasy-dramas, such as “Grimm” and “Once Upon a Time,” give a modern twist to classic tales. When contemporary visions blend with historical content, the origin of these folktales can often get lost in the mix.

However, Grimms’ Fairy Tales in Context, a 200-level University course, offers students the opportunity to analyze and interpret Grimms’ fairy tales in a larger socio-historical context.

“T.V. is filled with serious irrelevant jokes to the Grimms’ Fairy tales,” said Natalya Khokholova, a graduate student in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and a teacher’s assistant for the course. “I think it’s our need to come back to (these stories) to resist this decomposing, artificial, constantly changing world around us.”

Grimms’ Fairy Tales in Context is taught by Robert Jenkins in the fall and Laurie Johnson in the spring, who are both professors in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures.

Johnson said in an e-mail that she is unaware of the specific year in which the course officially started, but is certain that the course was started by James McGlathery, a retired professor and her predecessor. She revamped the course and began teaching her own version in spring 2002.

Among the topics covered in the course are the fairy tales written by The Brothers Grimm, two 19th century German authors.

“The Grimms’ tales, among others, are so widely recognized (that) even if you’ve never necessarily read a Grimms’ version of a tale, most everyone knows the basis story of Snow White or Cinderella,” Jenkins said. “These fairy tales seem to be ubiquitous, but they get revised (and) retold in different ways … they obviously fill some need. Otherwise, we would have long abandoned them.”

Currently, approximately 170 to 180 students are enrolled in the fall term. Jenkins said the fall course usually fills up in the first day or two of pre-registration in April.

Students start emailing Jenkins almost immediately about a spot in the class, he said. He receives anywhere from 50 to 100 requests to join the course.

Jenkins said he does not know why the class is so popular, but believes it may stem from people’s desire to learn about the origins of traditional tales.

“I think it’s not so much fairy tales, but taking a cultural studies approach to fairy tales and looking at where they come from,” Jenkins said.

Carolee DeArmon, senior in LAS, is taking Grimms’ Fairy Tales in Context this fall semester. DeArmon said she is taking the course, not because it is a requirement, but because she wants to learn the backstories to the tales she read as a child.

“I read that entire story book when I was younger and then hearing that there was a course about analyzing those tales, I wanted to know how much deeper you could go,” DeArmon said. “(Grimms’ Fairy Tales in Context) is not the typical college course. It’s kind of like a breath of fresh air from any major that you have.”

Clara Herrmann, an international student from Germany, said she was excited to take the course from the beginning.

“I thought it would be a very good combination to join a German class, and (at the same) time, learning how to write academic texts in American language,” said the junior in FAA.

The class is cross-listed as a Comparative & World Literature course, an English course and a German course. The class also fulfills the Literature and the Arts, Western Comparative Culture and Advanced Composition requirements.

“The emphasis is made on teaching students on the basics of academic writing, American standards, so we actually write essays every two weeks and we try to teach students that writing is a process,” Khokholova said.

Zachary Grotovsky, a graduate student in German Studies and a teacher’s assistant for Grimms’ Fairy Tales in Context, said that although “fairy tales is not necessarily the only thing that the class revolves around,” it is the main theme of the class.

“It’s something that most people can relate to,” Grotovsky said. “Fairy tales can not only be applied to children, but also to adults because as the reader gains life experience, the way that they read things changes.”

Morgan can be reached at [email protected].