This University Is Offering a Course on Anthony Bourdain

Students at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana will soon be able to study the life and work of the late Anthony Bourdain in a class that sounds too cool for school.

In the spring of 2019, Todd Kennedy, the head of the university's film department, will be teaching the Bourdain-based course titled "Anthony Bourdain and His Influencers."

"So, it's happening. For real. And I doubt they ever let me do this again," Kennedy, who also who holds a Ph.D. doctorate in 20th century American literature and film, tweeted. "So spread the word to interested Nicholls students."

According to Kennedy, who spoke to USA Today about the upcoming class, students will dig deep into some of Bourdain's more famous writing and video work and contrast them to the films that influenced him most.

"I've always enjoyed his shows. I wasn't obsessed per se, but after he died it affected me more than I thought it would," Kennedy told USA Today. "I thought about how original he was putting together literature, film, travel, and food. In my profession, we look to see how these things come together in culture. I thought it would be a good idea for a class.”

Kennedy pitched the idea to the school and it gained immediate approval. Faculty members aren’t the only ones who are hotly anticipating the class; as Kennedy noted, students are already lining up to enroll.

"Some are fans of him and some don't know very much about him, but they seem to like classes that encompass many different subjects," he said.

And there may be a way for anyone, including non-matriculating students, to one day get in on the Bourdain-focused class. According to Kennedy, the class will soon be available as an online course and offered as a half-semester option.

"For this class to work, it's gonna create more work for me than any single class ever has," Kennedy added in a second tweet. "So while I'm excited, I'm leery. But I'm still glad I'm doing it.”

We are too.