Rejoice, science fiction fans.

Kristen Eskow of USA Today has the story.

Syracuse University professor starts ‘Doctor Who’ course

A class on the BBC television series Doctor Who is coming to Syracuse University this spring semester, and will also be open online (for free!) to any members of the public interested in the course.

The class will be taught by Anthony Rotolo, a professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where he also serves as the director of the online master in communications program.

According to the course’s website, “This free, open course offers students an incredible adventure through space and time as we explore the history, evolution and cultural impact of the long-running BBC program, Doctor Who.”

After creating a Star Trek course in 2010, Rotolo says he brainstormed other ideas for a comparable course to teach.

“Doctor Who has a very long legacy as one of the longest-running TV programs of all time,” Rotolo says. “It gives us the ability to look at many different periods of post-war history and much of the mass media era.”

Another special feature of the course is the opportunity to examine the British media culture, which Rotolo says is usually “not something we talk about in class.”