College offers class on Norse sagas and Skyrim

A Houston, Texas university is teaching students about Scandinavian fantasy worlds by playing Skyrim.

"Scandanavian Fantasy Worlds: Old Norse Sagas and Skyrim" is offered through Rice University's English department. Students learn about fantasy as a psychological concept and how the genre is a driving force in gaming culture. In addition to playing certain Skyrim quests, students also read selections from Norse and Icelandic sagas and identify parallels between the two.

"The purpose of establishing these connections is to then consider how elements of medieval Scandinavian culture have been taken out of historical milieu and literary context, morphed into unfamiliar shape, and appropriated towards other fantastic pursuits," reads the course description.

Video games continue to find a place in the classroom in other departments as well. Polygon recently reported on a "Computer Games and History" course being offered at the University of South Carolina.