--- title: Game of Thrones' Course for Book Readers Only Now Offered description: Students at the University of British Columbia are now being offered a course focused on Game of Thrones. canonical: https://time.com/4089712/university-of-british-columbia-offering-game-of-thrones-course-exclusively-for-book-readers/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-27T22:16:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:00.206Z og:title: This University Is Offering A 'Game of Thrones' Course Exclusively for Book Readers og:description: The class is long and full of terrors og:url: https://time.com/4089712/university-of-british-columbia-offering-game-of-thrones-course-exclusively-for-book-readers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt986ca653af934ae8/69886e6ecf40a8f239c40606/game-of-thrones.jpg?branch=production&width=1120&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1120 og:image:height: 630 og:image:alt: Game of Thrones og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This University Is Offering A 'Game of Thrones' Course Exclusively for Book Readers twitter:description: The class is long and full of terrors twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt986ca653af934ae8/69886e6ecf40a8f239c40606/game-of-thrones.jpg?branch=production&width=1120&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This University Is Offering A _Game of Thrones_ Course Exclusively for Book Readers > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: 'Thrones' Catching Up With Book Plot Means Spoilers For All [Watch (HLS stream): 'Thrones' Catching Up With Book Plot Means Spoilers For All](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/j83INjRk.m3u8) (2:02)  _Published 2015-06-16. The day_  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Oct 27, 2015 10:16 PM UTC  The cover of A Dance with Dragons is pictured. The cover of A Dance with Dragons is pictured. Bantam Spectra  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Oct 27, 2015 10:16 PM UTC Students at the University of British Columbia are now being offered a course focused on _Game of Thrones_. But in a twist almost as merciless as the Red Wedding itself, only those who have read the books will be allowed to enroll in the class, rather than fans who have exclusively experienced the world of Westeros through the show. “The course will involve the reading of the five books (thus far) of the series, and the watching of the five season of the HBO series. Please make sure you’ve read these **BEFORE** the course begins, as it will problematic to try to catch up if you have not done so,” [the syllabus](http://www.english.ubc.ca/courses/winter2015/490-011.htm) reads. The spring 2016 class is titled “Our Modern Medieval: The _Song of Ice and Fire_ as contemporary Medievalism.” It will be taught by [associate professor Robert Rouse](http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/rrouse/http%5F%5F%5Ffaculty.arts.ubc.ca%5Frrouse%5F/About%5FMe.html) and will allow students to study medieval history by way of the George R.R. Martin series. “The course will take the works of George R. R. Martin as the central text for an investigation of how the medieval is reimagined in our current moment…Martin’s works hold an influential place in the popular modern imagined medieval, largely supplanting any real notion of the European Middle Ages in the minds of most of its readers and viewers. As such, we will be considering Martin’s works as much for what they tell us about our own moment, as for what they tell us about our ideas of the past,” Rouse wrote. The university should’ve just hired the “[shame nun](http://shamenun.com)” to drive all non-book readers away. ## Transcript [00:00] The [00:02] Game of Thrones season five finale aired sunday and [00:05] with the end of the season the show has essentially [00:08] caught up with George R. R. Martin's A song of Ice and [00:10] Fire series. Throughout the course of the TV series [00:14] websites like ScreenRant and CheatSheet have [00:16] discussed the differences between the story told on TV [00:19] and in Martin's books. But specifically in the last two [00:22] episodes of season five, we saw new storylines not yet [00:25] revealed to book readers, and some fans aren't so [00:28] happy. Prepare for spoilers. In episode nine, Dance of [00:31] Dragons, Stannis Baratheon most likely lost his entire [00:34] fan base when he sacrificed his daughter at the stake [00:37] in a last ditch effort to change his fate with the Lord of [00:40] Light. Lord of Light, show us the way. Mother. This was [00:43] one of the first plot lines that Martin suggested to show [00:46] runners David Benioff and Dan Weiss making it a [00:49] spoiler for his next book in the series. When George [00:51] first told us about this, it was one of those moments [00:54] where I remember looking at Dan I was just like, God [00:56] that's so, it's so horrible, and so good in a story [01:01] sense. Because it all comes together. As a result [01:03] [ UNKNOWN ] wife [ UNKNOWN ] hangs herself in the [01:05] season finale, right before [ UNKNOWN ] ill- fated [01:08] march on Windsorfell. Stansis says later, seemingly [01:10] murdered by, of all people [ UNKNOWN ]. Do you have [01:12] any last words? In contrast the most recent book, A [01:17] Dance with Dragons, has Stannis weathering a snow [01:19] storm and managing depleting supplies and men. But [01:22] the most confusing plot point for the show is one that [01:24] the book readers new was coming, John Snows death. [01:27] When John is stabbed at the end of the fifth novel it is [01:30] unclear whether he just faints or actually dies. But in [01:33] the show he's clearly murdered in a scene reminiscent [01:36] of Julius Caesar's betrayal. This is obviously a big deal, [01:40] the death of Jon Snow. It's something we've been [01:41] thinking about for a long, long time. And although Kit [01:44] Harrington, who plays Snow, and show runners David [01:46] Benioff and Dan Weiss have all confirmed that Snow is [01:49] Is in fact dead. Martin has avoided answering whether [01:52] or not Snow will make appearance in the upcoming [01:55] Winds for Windsor novel. The book is rumored for [01:57] release later this year. 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