Buffy The Vampire Slayer

In "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," lesbian witches and the deaths of loved ones are all a reflection of society, says Lauren Burdolski.

Burdolski, 23, teaches "Reflections of Society in the Buffyverse" at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. There are 15 students in the current four-week course, which requires students to watch two episodes a week and then discuss how it reflects on them.

"This Buffyverse course makes people realize how true to life this show really is," said Burdolski, who is working on her master’s degree in liberal studies at UMKC.

Buffy, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, and company faced the same problems on the series that teenagers go through on a daily basis, she said. The only difference is that demons and vampires (the supernatural element) are added in.

"In the show, there’s a character, Willow, who’s addicted to magic," Burdolski said. "It’s just like anyone in real life who is addicted to alcohol and drugs.

"The supernatural consquence is still the same regardless. You still have the strength, growth and love of the characters. With death, the characters mature from that."

Bob Broduer, who is the production manager at UMKC’s video network, is enrolled in Burdolski’s class. The 34-year-old said that the Buffy characters grew over time just like humans do.

"Buffy is faced with the same things we’re faced with," Brodeur said. "The monsters in the show are an allegory of situations teenagers face in their lives."

Burdolski’s Buffyverse course meets Thursdays and will conclude next week. She also teaches "Silent Horror Classics," but instead of Buffy, the class watches silent films like "Frankenstein (1910)" and "Phantom of the Opera."

Burdolski will teach Buffyverse and a new course dealing with zombie films ("Evil Dead 2", "Resident Evil") in the fall at UMKC. For more information, call (816) 235-1448.