What can Star Trek teach us about sociology?

Edwin Hodgesays you don't have to know a Klingon from a Romulanto sign up for his upcoming course on the sociology of Star Trekat the University of Victoria.

Thecatalog listing for the course,SOCI390, currentlybears the mundane moniker of "Selected Problems in Sociology", but Hodge, a PhD candidate, hit upon the idea of using Star Trek as a vehicle to teach its key concepts to undergrads.

"I realized that pop culture was a really good vehicle for that," Hodge told All Points West host Robyn Burns.

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The sociologicalconcepts tobe covered in the courseinclude subcultures and countercultures, social movements, social action and activism, the relationship between media and its consumers andthe ownership of the collected Star Trek works.

The course will also examine the emergence offandomas a specific subculture, and how philosophies expressed in the Star Trek universe have been adopted as a utopian model.

Hodge said he's particularly interested in the way Star Trek handledthe sociological conceptof The Other, whoin the film and TV series are completely alien beings.

"Star Trek, rather than go the simple route of, well, pick a fight with them and whoever wins, our culture was clearly dominant, instead opted to go the more diplomatic route,"Hodgesaid.

The course will also examine how the original serieschallenged existing social norms of its time. For example, it included one of the first interracial kisseson U.S.TV and a multinational, multiracial crew onthe U.S.S. Enterprise, including anAfrican-American woman on the command bridge.

Hodgesaid the course is open to any registered full or part time student, and it's not necessary to be a hard-core Trekkie.

"You just have to be willing to explore sociology in a novel kind of way," he said.