‘Star Trek’ writer shares tweets with student about North Central College Verandah course

North Central College sophomore Chris Pascoe exchanged tweets with Roberto Orci, the screenwriter and coproducer of the summer blockbuster “Star Trek: Into Darkness.”

Pascoe heard about a Verandah course offered by Jennifer Fredette, assistant professor of political science. The two-session noncredit course involved going to see the film as a group, then discussing how topics in the film related to the real-life War on Terror.

Pascoe, an economics and finance major from Joliet, took to Twitter to share the news and his excitement with Orci, who responded by tweeting, “Wow. Good school! Flattering. Long live Star Trek!” Nevertheless, Pascoe wasn’t entirely shocked that the prominent Hollywood figure sent him a tweet back—after all, the two had been corresponding on Twitter since December.

A timing conflict with one of his classes kept him from enrolling in the Verandah, which took place May 28-29, but he says, “Professor Fredette agreed to sit down with my friends and me another time to discuss the movie.”

The College offers students experiential learning opportunities through its Verandah course offerings that cover topics as diverse as theatre in Chicago, cross-cultural learning, the Chicago International Film Festival and the mathematics of square dancing.
 
“I think these Verandah courses are extraordinary and exemplify the creative learning opportunities that professors at North Central create,” Pascoe said. “I haven't heard any other schools that offer unique Verandah courses like North Central College does—all of my friends get jealous when I tell them about our Verandahs.”