The past few years have seen the emergence of an entirely new breed of pedagogy: the massive open online course (MOOC). First introduced in 2008, MOOCs are free, online courses aimed at unlimited participation. Accessible, social and flexible, these courses engage diverse audiences, including those who might not ordinarily encounter university education. Though the impact of MOOCs has been debated, there is no denying that these innovative courses invite reflection on and a reconsideration of traditional ideas of learning. True artefacts of the digital age, MOOCs are available to anyone with an internet connection, and with hundreds of them appearing all of the time there is bound to be something for everyone.

On February 29th, the University of Stirling launched its first MOOC led by literary critic Dr Dale Townshend and architectural historian Dr Peter Lindfield. This six week course, which is part of an AHRC-funded research project entitled ‘Writing Britain’s Ruins, 1700‒1850: The Architectural Imagination’, explores various manifestations of Gothic in literature, history, architecture, interiors and visual art, navigated through educational video clips, activities and interactive discussions / Q&As. It is clear that The Gothic Revival, 1700-1850: Interdisciplinary Perspectives was created with a wide appeal in mind, probably due to the ubiquity of Gothic motifs in popular culture and entertainment today. To accommodate for this potentially diverse demographic of learners, the suggested workload was 1 hour of formal instruction per week, excluding time for personal study and reading. As with most MOOCs, participants were encouraged to work at their own pace, owing to the flexible nature of online learning platforms (in this case, Blackboard). In addition, no prior knowledge of the Gothic was necessary to complete this course, as the educators offered a detailed, thoughtful introduction to the subject (Week 1: Introduction – What is Gothic?) plus weekly live Question and Answer sessions.

The first week explores the etymology of the word Gothic, how it became synonymous with barbarity and the persistence of this association in the eighteenth century. Townshend guides learners through the historical, religious and political factors that contributed to the emergence of Gothic as a literary genre, drawing from sources such as Shakespeare, Addison and Pope. Weeks 2 and 3: The Gothic Literary Aesthetic consult seminal texts such as Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (including its two prefaces), Edmund Burke’s treatise A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful and Ann Radcliffe’s essay On the Supernatural in Poetry to form a discussion on the aesthetics of Terror and Horror. Drawing from a rich variety of textual sources, Dale Townshend delivers an accessible overview of the key debates during the ‘heyday’ of Gothic writing.

Week 4: Gothic Architecture considers Walpole’s other major contribution to the Gothic: his design of Strawberry Hill House. Peter Lindfield takes over from here and guides learners through the characteristics of the Gothic Revival architectural movement – a trend that Walpole anticipated before it gained momentum in the nineteenth century. Week 5: Gothic Interiors explores the ‘mania’ for mock-Medieval, Gothic furniture during the 1750s and the taste for gothicised rococo amongst aristocrats and wealthy merchants throughout the Georgian period. Finally, Week 6: Gothic Visual Art introduces William Gilpin’s concept of the Picturesque, reflects upon the terror of sublime landscapes and interrogates the work of artists such as William Blake and Henry Fuseli.

The Gothic Revival, 1700-1850: Interdisciplinary Perspectives covers a lot of ground in just six weeks. It is both user-friendly and content-rich, broadening its appeal to Gothic aficionados and novices alike. Although the suggested workload is, perhaps, a little ambitious for those wishing to make notes during the videos and attempt close readings, the course is flexible enough to accommodate learners who can only spare a couple of hours per week. Equally, there are ample opportunities for further reading, research and reflection for those eager to delve deeper into the history of the Gothic. Prior to starting this MOOC, I had only experienced the FutureLearn platform, so it was interesting to see how the two compared. The use of icons to indicate the different types of activity (for example, D for discussion board activity) is a useful way of engaging with a varied audience, as this feature allows the participant to opt in and out of activities according to their preferences. Additionally, the reflective journal is a useful tool for learners to articulate their thoughts and findings during the week. Overall, the University of Stirling have created a well-organised and detailed course that functions as a ‘refresher’ for existing Gothicists, an impactful artefact of the ‘Writing Britain’s Ruins’ project and as a thorough overview of the Gothic Revival in literature, architecture, interiors and visual art.