New ‘Twilight’-themed class is ‘Breaking Dawn’ at UC Davis

ENL 67 is smashing records for the number of waitlisted students in a single course

You better hold on tight, spider monkey, because UC Davis has just introduced a new class for lovers of “The Twilight Saga.” Stephenie Meyer released the first novel from the iconic “Twilight” saga in 2005, which has since transformed the landscape of pop culture forever and spearheaded the rise of young adult (YA) fiction.

“The Twilight Saga’s Global Impact” (ENL 67) delves into every aspect of Meyer’s renowned vampire and werewolf universe. Jane Carlisle, a professor in the English department, explained her motivations behind the creation of the class.

“‘Twilight’ is objectively the greatest series of all time, whether it's the books or movies. Anyone who disagrees is wrong,” Carlisle said. “I knew I needed to create this class when I realized the English department has a course completely dedicated to ‘Paradise Lost,’ but not one for ‘Twilight.’ It truly shook me to my core.”

Carlisle emphasized the significance of the book series in comparison to foundational literary works.

“When it comes to conversations about the greatest books in the literary canon, I can understand when people throw out titles such as ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Anna Karenina,’” Carlisle said. “However, it’s absurd to me that ‘Twilight’ is not even mentioned in these discussions. I mean, how can you read quotes like ‘You nicknamed my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster?’ and not be moved to tears?”

The class offers a unique opportunity to fulfill General Education requirements, as it counts toward all topical breadth areas. While it heavily involves reading the books, writing essays and watching the movies, there are also opportunities to study the series’ scientific aspects.

“The biology class scene is so integral to the formation of Edward and Bella’s relationship,” Carlisle said. “In order to effectively analyze the scene, we had to spend some time learning about mitosis so we could really understand their conversation.”

ENL 67 was introduced this past winter quarter, during which it reached a record of 250 waitlisted students. The Office of the University Registrar attempted to mitigate this dilemma by opening more sections, but the waitlist continued to grow.

“I’m a fourth-year with a ton of credits and I barely was able to get into the class,” Arizona Howyu Likintherain, a fourth-year sociology major, said. “There was a group chat where you could pay someone to drop their spot on the waitlist. I heard one of the offers was in the four figures…it definitely wasn’t me.”

Daisy LaPush, a third-year psychology major and a student in the course,discussed how the class integrated creative mediums to study the series.

“I really enjoyed the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debate, because my debating skills improved so much,” LaPush said. “I’ve never argued so fiercely for something as I did for Team Jacob, even though the odds were stacked against me.”

Another student referenced how this class has aided in her academic development in other ways.

“I think this class definitely strengthened my research skills,” Alyssa Volturi, a third-year political science major, said. “I spent many sleepless nights reading AO3 fanfiction to find strong evidence for my final paper, and it was the most fun I’ve ever had researching.”

Carlisle emphasized how the class is accessible to all students, whether they are familiar with the series or not.

“Everyone deserves to experience the masterpiece that is ‘Twilight,’” Carlisle said. “I’ve had a few students who entered the class with no prior knowledge about it, but became utterly obsessed with it after this class. I’m grateful that I can facilitate the ‘Twilight’ renaissance at UC Davis.”

The class is full for spring quarter with a waitlist of 516 students, breaking its former record. However, ENL 67 will be offered again in fall quarter 2026 for those who are interested.

“After all, hoa hoa hoa season is the best season for ‘Twilight,’” Carlisle said, enthusiastically.

Written by: Talar Keshishian — arts@theaggie.org