![\"Dracula\"](\"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/draculabook.jpg\")
If you have any free time and value its continued existence, you’d probably better skip this post.<\/p>\nIf you have any free time and value its continued existence, you’d probably better skip this post.<\/p>\n
Venerable goth internet fixture Dark Side of the Net<\/a> has recently branched out into a goth-centric online university<\/a> which teaches free classes with titles like, “History 103: The Life and Work of Edward Gorey,” “Horticulture 101: Gothic Gardening,” and “Mythology 102: Dark Goddesses.”<\/p>\n Dark Side University is a goth community offering free classes on gothic, horror, vampiric, and Halloween topics. You don’t get credit or a grade, just the fun of learning new things and discussing dark topics alongside other cool people from the subculture.<\/p>\n Our instructors are knowledgeable, passionate people who donate their time to share information with students.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The site is a trove of resources and fascinating subject matter, and provides several avenues for interacting with like-minded people. Particularly nice, of course, is that geographic boundaries are no limitation for this type of study.<\/p>\n If you have passion for some particular aspect of goth culture and want to share your knowledge, the university is also looking for instructors. The position is unpaid, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with others who share your interests and value your contributions. You can view information about that here<\/a> (requires registration\/login). They’re particularly looking for “practical” instruction with real-life applications: Goth-oriented sewing or baking tips, how to get one’s horror stories published, and ways to promote and manage a festival or other event.<\/p>\n My single quibble about the setup, and it’s a relatively minor one, is that everything<\/em> beyond the front page requires registration. (Additionally, the registration has to be approved by a human being so signup is not instantaneous.) I can understand things like the forums and classroom areas not being open to the public, but I would expect the FAQs and possibly the base course descriptions to be more accessible. Since the university is hosted on Ning, I’m going to assume that’s a limitation of the platform itself.<\/p>\n