Star Wars English Class
Julia and Fern explore the Star Wars franchise from the perspective of English teachers and literature enthusiasts. They analyze themes, characters, and language used in the films and series. The podcast is aimed at English learners and fans of Star Wars who want to deepen their understanding of the storytelling.
Episodes
SWA101: Narration and Point of View (ESB)
This week in "Star Wars Appreciation 101," Julia and Fern tackle The Empire Strikes Back from a certain point of view (sorry, we had to!). This episode covers narration and POV in literature and film, including how we identify a scene's point-of-view character or characters and what that can teach us. Other points of interest: What is narration, and how does it work in movies compar
SWA101: Plot (ANH)
This week in "Star Wars Appreciation 101," Julia and Fern try not to lose the plot while watching Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Analyzing the film’s structure, conflicts, and (weird) pacing, they make some surprising discoveries about the story we think we know. Spoiler Alert: However long you think the Death Star sequence is, no it’s not. On the Syllabus this Week:Lucas, George, dir
Star Wars Appreciation 101: What We Do With Star Wars
Welcome to Star Wars Appreciation 101! (#SWA101). In this episode, Fern and Julia explore "What We Do With Star Wars" by reading "The Force Provides" by Justina Ireland (Tales of Light and Life YA High Republic Anthology) through three main "principles" that challenge how we engage with stories.On the Syllabus Today:"The Force Provides" by Justina Ireland. T
Office Hours #2: Syllabus Week
In this episode, Fern and Julia finally explain where they've been and where they (and the podcast) are going. Tl;dr: New season "Star Wars Appreciation 101", coming soon! Social Media:@swenglishclass on Twitter, TikTok, and InstagramJulia is on TikTok @juliachristine77Fern is on TikTok @alwaysfernBusiness inquiries: starwarsenglishclass@gmail.comLogo by Jacob David Earl (@jacobdavi
Office Hours #1
Welcome to the first in a series of rambling, casual episodes where Fern and Julia do not hold themselves to pesky things like "academic standards" and "research" and just kind of chat, like you would during your professor's office hours. Points of Interest:-Julia's Broken Brain-Sometimes, Star Wars is Book-SWCC London Live Episode THANK YOU!!-Talking Back to Our Own
The Hero's Journey LIVE from Star Wars Celebration 2023
Recorded live from the HoloNet News Stage at Star Wars Celebration London, Fern and Julia explore Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces and the impact of "The Hero's Journey" on Star Wars and mass-media storytelling in general. (Psst...the audio isn't great in this one because Julia forgot she saved the audio we recorded with the nice microphone to her externa
Summer School: Obi-Wan Kenobi Part 2 (Episodes 4-6)
Join Julia and Fern for a special Summer School session with in-depth exploration of the themes, story elements, character arcs, and more of the final three episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022).Our Obi-Wan Kenobi Media Recommendations for Further Reading:Brotherhood by Mike Chen Padawan by Kiersten WhiteObi-Wan Kenobi (2022) comic mini-series Social Media:@swenglishclass on Twitter and TikTokJulia is
Once Upon a Time in a Galaxy Far, Far Away...Star Wars as Fairy Tale
In this week’s episode, Fern teaches Julia about fairy tales! Join us as we explore the history of folktale, the rise of the literary fairy tale, the tropes and conventions of the genre, and J.R.R. “Jorts” Tolkien’s most famous essay, “On Fairy Stories.” How does our understanding of Star Wars shift and develop when we consider it in the context of this literary tradition? What do fairy tales and
Summer School: Obi-Wan Kenobi Part 1 (Episodes 1-3)
Join Julia and Fern for a special Summer School session with in-depth exploration of the themes, story elements, character arcs, and more of the first three episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). Social Media:@swenglishclass on Twitter, TikTok, and InstagramJulia is on TikTok @juliachristine77Fern is on TikTok @alwaysfernBusiness inquiries: starwarsenglishclass@gmail.comLogo by Jacob David Earl (@jaco
Broken on Purpose: Star Wars and Serial Storytelling
In this episode, Julia teaches Fern about serialization! We explore the differences between series and serials, discuss the effects of serialization on storytelling and audience engagement, and consider what it means to be agents of narrative continuation as members of the Star Wars fandom. How does serialization determine story structure? Is Star Wars broken (on purpose)? And was George Lucas rig
The Bedrock All Goodness is Built Upon: An Obi-Wan Kenobi Character Study
Fern and Julia are back for Star Wars English Class's sophomore year! We're kicking off swenglishclass season two with our first Character Study. Join us as we perform an in-depth exploration of Obi-Wan Kenobi's characterization and character development within both Canon and Legends materials. How does Obi-Wan's narrative purpose shift between the Original Trilogy and the Preq
Star Wars Book Report: Queen's Hope with Camila (@boricuawookiee)
Hey class, it's time for another Star Wars Book Report! In this special bonus episode and second installment in our Book Report series, Julia is joined by fellow Star Wars TikToker, Camila (@boricuawookiee) to discuss the final installment in E.K. Johnston's Padmè-focused YA Queen's Trilogy, Queen's Hope. TIMESTAMPS BELOW.(00:14:13) General Padmè Discussion(00:29:24) Queen&apo
Star Wars Book Report: The Fallen Star
It's a Star Wars Book Report! In this special bonus episode, Fern and Julia review and discuss the latest adult novel in The High Republic era, The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray. Thank you to Del Rey for an early review copy. Social Media:@swenglishclass on Twitter, TikTok, and InstagramJulia is on TikTok @juliachristine77Fern is on TikTok @alwaysfernBusiness inquiries: starwarsenglishclass@gma
Intertextuality
In the penultimate episode of season one of Star Wars English Class, Julia overcomes her fear of French literary theory to teach Fern about intertextuality. We explore the The Ferdinand de Saussure to Disney Star Wars Canon Pipeline, analyze some of George Lucas's cultural and historical "references," Fern goes on a Quick Adventure Zone Tangent™️, and we discover two ultimate truths
Happy Holo-ween! (Bonus)
Happy Holo-ween! (Thanks TikTok User @natethegirl!) Or, Unalive Day? Death Day? In this chaotic and spooky live episode, Fern and Julia discuss all things spooky and scary in a galaxy far, far away including: haunted artifacts in The High Republic, Mothman Truther Quinlan Vos, and what exactly we should call Halloween in Star Wars. On the Syllabus:Into the Dark by Claudia GrayDooku: Jedi Lost by C
From a Certain Point of View 2: Electric Boogaloo
It's FACPOV 2: The Empire Strikes Back -- or, wait a minute, nope, we gave this episode a different funny name. In today's episode, Fern and Julia return their discussion of point of view as Fern teaches the class about 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person POV, the difference between an involved and an uninvolved narrator, and the way POV shapes a narrative. Why might an author choose to write in th
Starting with Revenge: Star Wars and the Revenge Tragedy
On today's episode, Julia teaches Fern about revenge tragedy and Shakespeare's favorite Star Wars character, Maul. Julia and Fern discuss the elements of a revenge tragedy, Maul's backstory, and the ultimate fate of all revengers. Essential questions: What makes Maul a revenger? What stops the cycle of revenge? And what would have happened if Maul had been found by a traveling Shake
Galaxy's Edge
In this special "mini" episode, Julia and Fern discuss their recent trip to Disneyland's Star Wars-themed park, Galaxy's Edge. They discuss the concept of transmedia, specifically how Star Wars exists in multiple forms: movies, TV series, books, video games, and now, amusement parks. How does Galaxy's Edge function as a greater part of the intertextual web of Star Wars?
The Queer Coding Episode
In this week's episode, Fern teaches the class about queer coding! Join us as we delve into the history of queer coding and discuss queerbaiting, the Hays Code, and compulsory heterosexuality. Why do so many Star Wars fans think Luke Skywalker is gay? Why does Sabine Wren's dyed hair indicate queerness? And how can we read Ahsoka Tano as a queer figure despite her relationship with one L
Selling Your Soul to the Sith
This week, Julia teaches Fern about Faustian bargains and deals with the devil! We discuss the plot and themes of Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, the Dark Side and Sith apprenticeship, and Sidious's role as Star Wars Satan. Do Sidious's apprentices (Maul, Dooku, and Vader) sell their souls when they turn to the Dark Side? How do these characters respond when they're off
Freytag, Sith Holocrons, and Other Pyramids
This week, Fern and Julia go back to the basics as Fern teaches the class about story structure! We discuss Freytagian story structure (Freytag's Pyramid: Barely a Triangle™️), traditional vs. experimental structures, and linear and modular storytelling. When does a story benefit from a non-linear structure? What is the value of experimental storytelling? How does the structure of A New Hope
From a Certain Point of View: Unreliable Narrators
In this week’s episode of Star Wars English Class, Julia teaches Fern about unreliable narrators! But to learn about unreliable narrators, we must first learn about story, plot, and narration (spoiler alert: that’s not the only list of three things in this week’s episode). How can the same story be told in different ways by different narrators? What are the different kinds of unreliable narrators?
Somehow, Palpatine Returned: Reading Star Wars as Camp
In this episode, Fern teaches Julia about Camp! Camp is a mode of aestheticism that focuses on exaggeration, artifice, and playfulness. It is, according to Susan Sontag, “the good taste of bad taste,” a way of looking at a text that encourages readers to be “serious about the frivolous, frivolous about the serious.” Is Star Wars, with all its focus on visuals and aesthetics, its exaggerated charac
Anakin Skywalker and the Tragic Hero
Welcome to Star Wars English Class! This week, Julia and Fern introduce themselves, discuss the Star Wars English Class curriculum, and tackle a question that’s been on their minds: is Anakin Skywalker a tragic hero? In this lesson, you will learn about the history of the tragic hero as Fern and Julia trace its roots from Greek and Renaissance tragedy to contemporary fiction. How do we define trag
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