Anthony Bourdain university course launches following star’s tragic death

You can now sign up for an Anthony Bourdain university course.

The course, entitled Anthony Bourdain and his Influencers, was opened at the Nicholls State University in Louisiana.

Film studies director and associate professor of English, Todd Kennedy, decided to start teaching classes a year after Bourdain’s tragic death in June 2018. 

You can now study Anthony Bourdain at university (Credit: Alamy/Storms Media Group)

Anthony Bourdain university course launches in US

Speaking to The Daily Meal, Kennedy revealed that the content will focus on unravelling why Bourdain’s canon of work is so “original and complex and important”.

Kennedy is a huge fan of Bourdain’s Netflix series Parts Unknown as well as No Reservations.

READ MORE: Why Anthony Bourdain was one of the most powerful voices in food

He explained that almost every Bourdain-led project contains an allusion to other great works of film or literature.

“I started realizing in almost every episode there’s these obscure visual allusions to films that probably only he and his cinematographers were likely to know,” Kennedy confessed to CNN.

And we couldn’t agree more.

Bourdain with his ex-wife Ottavia Busia in 2015 (Credit: Alamy/Erik Prendzich)

The legacy of Anthony Bourdain

It’s obvious to even the most casual observer that there’s more going on with Bourdain than on your average foodie travel show.

Though every episode can be enjoyed for the visual thrill of seeing something delicious, there’s a rich cultural subtext to be unearthed at every turn. This is what makes the shows such fascinating material for a class.

Almost every episode of Parts Unknown or No Reservations offers a new nugget of information to a hungry viewer.

However, what made Bourdain such a great story teller was to show that, wherever you are on earth, food is the essential ingredient in bringing people together.

One Louisiana lecturer has decided that these lessons are worth taking a little more seriously than sitting hungover in your pants, streaming on the sofa.

Bourdain won numerous accolades throughouthis career

University course reveals chef’s inspirations

But Kennedy’s new course isn’t just about TV.

Around half of the material covered revolves around Bourdain’s literary work, including celebrated titles like Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw.

Students will also examine Bourdain’s favourite books such as Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and A.J Leibling’s Between Meals.

This is to help students understand what really inspired the celebrated chef and why.

In the aftermath of his death, fans left numerous mementos outside Bourdain’s former restaurant (Credit: Alamy/WENN Rights Ltd)

When did Anthony Bourdain die?

Bourdain tragically passed away on June 8, 2018.

The talented chef was just 61-years-old when he took his life.

During his two decades on the air, Bourdain’s no-nonsense, intrepid attitude to eating inspired a global audience.

He prompted a generation of viewers to learn all they could about their food.

TV is a more boring place without him.

Anthony Bourdain was one of food TV’s most influential voices (Credit: Alamy/WENN Rights Ltd)

Remembering Anthony Bourdain

As you could tell from watching him on TV, Bourdain was a complicated character. Always driven to explore and discover the stories that no one else was telling.

However, it was the idea of finding something new that was ultimately the biggest influence on his work.

Maybe it’s only right that the Anthony Bourdain university course is now available. Fingers crossed it inspires others to follow in his footsteps.

Kennedy is committed to helping students understand as much as possible about the enigmatic chef as well as the work he left behind.