'Survivor' invades Northwestern classroom

EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Students at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., are learning about reality TV in a class set up like the CBS show "Survivor."

The class, titled "The Tribe Has Spoken: Surviving TV's New Reality," was offered for the first time this semester by radio, television and film professor Max Dawson, a university release said.

"College courses on contemporary TV programs are not a new phenomenon," Dawson said.

The 55 undergraduate students in the class are divided into four "tribes" that compete against one another in weekly quizzes, the release said. The group with the highest score at the end of five weeks is granted "immunity" from the midterm exam.

In recent years, Harvard, Berkeley and Middlebury have taught classes on HBO's "The Wire" and a class was offered at University of North Florida devoted to the supernatural thriller "Lost," the release said.

"'Survivor' was America's first hit reality show and it is no exaggeration to say that it changed how audiences think about TV, celebrity and media in general," Dawson said. "To better understand the state of American TV in the 2000s, there's no better place to start than with 'Survivor.'"

A visit from former "Survivor" cast members was scheduled for the class Thursday. Those visiting were to include John Cochran, from "Survivor: South Pacific," Stephen Fishbach from "Survivor: Tocantins" and Jenny Guzon-Bae of "Survivor: Cook Islands."