Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Arts Offering “Dracula and Modern Culture”: From Horror Literature to a Reflection of Contemporary Culture 

For the first time in Thailand, the BALAC Program at the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, now features a course titled “Dracula and Modern Culture,” where students can connect interdisciplinary arts in their analysis of Gothic literature to better understand modern culture. The program draws over 300 applicants each year, with only 120 accepted.  

In today’s digital age, where knowledge is simply accessible at one’s fingertips, Chulalongkorn University, as a leading educational institution in Thailand, has expanded the boundaries of learning beyond the transmission of theoretical knowledge. The university emphasizes creating spaces that encourage students to explore, question, and connect interdisciplinary knowledge to real-life contexts. This is achieved through innovative and thought-provoking courses that inspire learning, such as “Dracula and Modern Culture”—a course offered under the Bachelor of Arts in Language and Culture (BALAC) international program.  

A course centered on horror stories and vampire legends serves as a gateway for students to deeply explore the world of cultural studies from diverse perspectives. It encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including history, sociology, gender theory, ethnography, and contemporary cultural phenomena. This course not only introduces students to Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula but also allows them to decode the symbols of fear, desire, and otherness embedded in culture from the past to the present.  

“The BALAC program aims to equip students with contemporary knowledge, skills, and experiences in the humanities and social sciences that meet the needs of the 21st century. It emphasizes critical thinking, inquisitiveness, and awareness of social inequalities, along with a deep understanding of the humanities,” said BALAC Director Asst. Prof. Dr. Porranee Singpliam. 

In addition to Dracula and Modern Culture, the BALAC program offers other intriguing courses such as Everyday Life Culture, Gender and Queering the Media, Postcolonial Cultures, and Cultures and Narratives. “Each course in the program is designed to stimulate critical thinking and open new perspectives for students, fostering their intellectual development.” 

BALAC: Thailand’s Pioneering Cultural Studies Program  

The BALAC program was launched in 2008 and has remained steadfast as Thailand’s first Cultural Studies program. Now in its 17th year, it continues to grow in popularity, with an increasing number of applicants each year.  

“Our program admits students twice a year—90 through Early Admission, 30 through the Admission round, and 12 through two Non-Thai Admission rounds—totaling 132 students annually. Yet, we receive over 300 applications each year, suggesting that Thai youths desire or a new and alternative approach to education.” 

According to Asst. Prof. Dr. Porranee what makes the BALAC program stand out is its flexible and open curriculum design, which allows students to choose their studies based on their interests within three concentrations: Global Cultures, Media Cultures, and Foreign Language. To complete a chosen concentration, students must take a total of 24 credits, equivalent to 8 courses, within that specific area. 

“Graduates from the BALAC program can build on their knowledge and pursue a wide range of careers, including international relations, education, mass communication, and marketing, all of which require strong intercultural communication skills and a deep understanding of social contexts, which the program poignantly emphasizes,” explained Asst. Prof. Dr. Porranee regarding the graduates’ career paths. 

Additionally, the BALAC program collaborates with world-renowned universities, such as Waseda University in Japan and the University of Queensland in Australia, through Double Degree Programs. In the future, the program plans to further expand its international partnerships to enhance academic and professional opportunities for students. The program also offers an internship course, which allows students to gain practical experience and count it toward their credits. 

A Gothic Expert Who Decodes the Darkness  

The course Dracula and Modern Culture was first offered in 2019 by Dr. Katarzyna Ancuta, an expert in Gothic and horror literature, at the birthplace of the legend that inspired Bram Stoker’s classic Dracula.  

“When I joined the program in 2018, I saw that the new curriculum included a course on Dracula, but it didn’t yet have an instructor. I was thrilled, as my specialization in Gothic literature and Dracula fit perfectly with the course.” 

Dr. Ancuta describes herself as a “Gothicist,” with expertise in Cultural Studies. Her academic journey began with literature, later expanding into film studies. She wrote her master’s thesis on ghosts and her Ph.D. dissertation on Gothic and horror. Among her published works is Where Angels Fear to Hover: Between the Gothic Disease and the Metaphysics of Horror (2005). Her research spans interdisciplinary contexts of Gothic and contemporary horror arts—from popular fiction, film, video, multimedia, and performance art to theater, music, dance, comics, graphic novels, fashion, and alternative lifestyles. In recent years, Dr. Ancuta has turned her focus to ghosts, vampires, and the supernatural in Asia, particularly exploring Asian Gothic and Asian Horror 

Exploring Dracula to Understand Humans and Society 

“Dracula” is a literary work from the Gothic revival period of the 19th century (published in 1897). For over a century, it has remained popular and open to diverse interpretations. In the Dracula and Modern Culture course, students read the novel and analyze various themes, connecting them to contemporary social phenomena and social theories. 

“This course serves as a practical extension of the Introduction to Cultural Studies course, which is mandatory for first-year BALAC students. While the course familiarizes them with key theories and concepts in the field, it can be quite challenging and theory-heavy. When they later take Dracula, students revisit those same ideas through the story of vampires—making it more engaging, accessible, and enjoyable,” Dr. Ancuta explained. 

She added that the content of “Dracula and Modern Culture” is carefully designed to give students a comprehensive understanding of how the vampire figure has evolved throughout human culture, from its origins to the modern day. 

“The course begins by exploring vampires as creatures of folklore. In the past, people truly believed that vampires existed. In Romania, for example, there are vampire cemeteries and historical documents that record such beliefs. Understanding that vampires are not merely products of fantasy but rather deeply rooted in human culture and belief systems helps students gain a deeper understanding of social and psychological contexts,” Dr. Ancuta explained. 

Decoding Vampires through Social Science Theories: Gender, Class, and Ethnicity 

Dr. Ancuta stated that the course’s distinctive feature lies in analyzing Dracula through the lens of various social science theories, particularly issues of gender, class, and race. 

“Vampires are more than monsters in fiction; monsters are cultural constructs,” Dr. Ancuta said, explaining that the course uses “monsters” as tools for understanding society and culture. “We create monsters to represent what we fear, not just as individuals but as a society.” 

Dr. Ancuta cited the study of “female vampires” and the monstrous feminine, analyzing them through frameworks of feminism, gender theory, sexual politics, gender norms, and imagery that links women with evil. 

“Why are there not many female characters in Dracula? Why are monster characters often women?” Dr. Ancuta posed these thought-provoking questions. “In patriarchal society, monsters are often women. Ghosts in Asia are often female ghosts, because these characters are used to teach women to be submissive. And if a woman is defiant or rebellious, she will be portrayed as disgusting, frightening, and alien. But if we decode them, monsters can help us learn about diversity—gender, ethnicity, class, immigrants, etc. This approach helps students connect the content to their life experiences, because sometimes we need monsters so we have an outlet.” 

Studying the Dracula course can also be a way to connect to social and racial issues. Dr. Ancuta has students watch and analyze the film Nosferatu (2024), which contains undertones of antisemitism. Additionally, students study the concepts linking Dracula’s physical appearance to Cesare Lombroso’s criminal anthropology theory, which attempted to explain that criminals could be identified by external characteristics, a problematic concept filled with social prejudice. 

Cross-Border Vampires in Pop Culture 

The image of vampires today has changed dramatically from the era when this fiction was written over 100 years ago. 

“Young people today don’t really know Dracula as much as the vampires in the movie Twilight, where the image may not be scary but has become a character everyone roots for. This is a shift from the original frightening vampire to something desirable,” Dr. Ancuta said. 

“Currently, vampires appear in dramas, series, and many romantic stories, showing that today we accept and sympathize with monsters more. This reflects changes in social values, understanding of diversity, and greater acceptance of ‘otherness.'”                

Dr. Ancuta added that the course is universal and relevant to Asian contexts as well. Students will analyze the transnational image of vampires by examining how vampires in non-Western media, such as Korean films and Japanese anime, are characterized and reflect local cultures. 

“For example, Asian mythical creatures like the kumiho from Korea may initially have nothing in common with vampires at all, but in later works, their characteristics may be adapted to resemble vampires, such as drinking blood,” Dr. Ancuta explained the process called “vampirization.” 

In the Thai context, there may not be vampires in the universal sense, but “Thai ghosts” do have certain characteristics that may come from the vampirization process. 

“Thai ghosts eat intestines and scurf, not suck blood like vampires, but they have similar characteristics. That’s why people often describe them as ‘like vampires,’ but they’re not. This comparison helps students see the universality of the monster concept, while at the same time understanding that each culture has different ways of expressing fears and beliefs.” 

Studying Dracula in the Age of AI 

 Even though AI currently plays a role in teaching and assessment, for this course, Dr. Ancuta emphasizes having students reduce their reliance on AI and return to practicing their own internal skills. 

 ”Assigning work to students in the AI era requires thinking of tasks that don’t allow students to bring in AI to help, so they can learn to think for themselves. Therefore, the course must cut out traditional essays and emphasize analysis instead. Assessment is also more flexible, focusing mainly on work that demonstrates creativity. Additionally, because vampires ‘don’t have fixed knowledge like other subjects,’ their absence is an advantage that forces learners to rely on analytical thinking and connecting knowledge from various disciplines themselves.” 

Dr. Ancuta proudly stated that “Dracula and Modern Culture” is one of the courses that attracts interested students to the BALAC program. The popularity of this course reflects that curriculum design that dares to be different and unique can meet the needs of learners and society. Using vampires as a tool for studying culture not only makes content interesting and accessible but also helps students see how humanities and social sciences are relevant and meaningful in the contemporary world. 

When Dracula steps out of the shadows into Chulalongkorn University’s classroom, he doesn’t come to suck blood but to illuminate for students the complexity of human society—our fears, desires, and hopes. In the end, the vampires we study are not monsters from fiction but reflections from the mirror of culture. 

 Anyone interested in applying for the BALAC Program or learn more about the Dracula and Modern Culture course can find more information from the BALAC official website at  https://www.arts.chula.ac.th/balac/ or visit https://asiangothic.houseoftoyols.com to learn more about the intriguing world of vampires and modern culture. 

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