Buffy The Vampire Slayer

At the far end of David Lavery’s office there is a bookshelf, which is a staple of English professor décor, while next to his desk a television set glows.

Lavery, however, is no shirker, periodically ducking into his office for a quick episode of "Friends," or even worse - "Fear Factor."

Over time, Lavery has made the transition from reading books to watching TV for a career. Aside from the standard freshman composition or British literature, Lavery has taught courses on "The Sopranos" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," among other culturally relevant topics.

"Buffy is at the heart of all of this," said Lavery, commenting on his evolution into television studies. "Several of my MTSU students asked me to watch a then-upcoming episode of ’Buffy,’ and I agreed to do so.

"It was during the middle of the series and afterward, I was hooked," he continued. "Fortunately, a friend had taped all prior episodes on VHS, which allowed me to catch up in a matter of weeks."

But watching television is nothing new for Lavery.

"I grew up in the dawn of television," he said. "Now the shows that I watched growing up are shown on stations such as TV Land and Nick@Nite ... (so now) recent generations can watch these programs and obtain a frame of reference for long-canceled shows."

Undoubtedly, the recent trend in TV going to DVD is also beneficial for scholars such as Lavery.

"The digital cuing, commentaries and featurettes make DVDs so much easier than VHS," said Lavery, displaying a media wallet full of complete series.

"When I wrote my dissertation on the films of (Federico) Fellini during the late ’70s," he added, "I had to rent the movies on actual reels. Sometimes these movies would cost up to $700-until VHS came out, making it cheaper to obtain and watch film."

Consequently, this newfound ease in VHS, and later DVD, has allowed Lavery to remain active in his research of television and film. The author of more than 100 published essays and reviews, he has written or co-written 12 books for shows such as "Twin Peaks," "Seinfeld," "The X-Files" and "My So Called Life."

Moreover, most of Lavery’s upcoming books are about series still in production such as "The Sopranos" and "Deadwood."

"My upcoming book on ABC’s ’Lost’ has already been generating attention," Lavery said. "The show is one of prime time’s biggest right now, and my publisher is upping the initial print of this book by 15 times more than any of my previous books."

Additionally, Lavery’s TV-meets-pop culture appeal and insights have made landed him in guest spots on the BBC, National Public Radio, Radio Scotland and VH1 thus far.

"Although I really shouldn’t mention VH1," Lavery said. "They asked me to make and send in a video talking about Buffy’s significance. I did so, not thinking too much about it, only to find out that it was for some show that makes fun of fanatics like Trekkies and, in my case, Buffyologists."

"I’ve asked students and other people if they’ve ever seen it (because I don’t watch VH1)," he added, "and they tell me no, so I guess they never used it."

Lavery’s knowledge also has earned him invitations to England, Ireland and Wales to speak at seminars on television. Most recently, though, it has earned him the job as chairman of film and television at Brunel University in London, a job he will begin in September.

"Brunel is a great university for me currently," Lavery said. "They have an entire program for film and television. They even have a master’s program for digital games theory and design."

To take the Brunel job, Lavery will embark upon a one-year contractual leave of absence from MTSU. Unfortunately, though, his approaching departure will create a void in MTSU’s diverse English faculty and offerings and may pose a significant blow to the hope of ever having a strong film studies program at MTSU.

"When I was over the English department several years ago, we tried to create an actual film studies program, but (it) was denied funding by the (Tennessee Board of Regents)," Lavery remarked. "We felt (such a program) would be perfect for the school since it has both a strong liberal arts background and mass communication program."

In the meantime, however, Lavery’s dedication to researching film and television has given many students new insights regarding the composition of screenplays. And the numbers of television series grow in terms of their cultural impact, it is important to consider this somewhat new form of English studies.

Hendersonville sophomore Cody Mayfield is among those who are in favor of a formal film studies program at MTSU.

"I believe that an actual film studies would not be out of place at MTSU," he said. "Not only would it be a popular major, but it could be a useful minor to many programs already in existence."

Regardless of the fact that MTSU has yet to secure such a program of study, Lavery and other teachers’ dedication to the medium of television strengthens MTSU’s English department while providing a strong influence on modern language that, otherwise, would remain unexamined.