"I try for different approaches so I use a fair amount of film, including video clips, and interactive discussion is very much a part of the course," Huggan says. "Many topics that are introduced are introduced precisely for debate so I try to mix lecture with debate."

And although this class might seem like fodder for The Confidential Guide to Courses, Huggan says it has the rigor of a standard Harvard course.

When asked how difficult the course was, Huggan replies, "That is a leading question. I suppose I could make a joke on gut classes, but we'll leave out the cannibal jokes."

"There is a fair amount of reading and a wide range of readings. It is not concentrated on any one historical area or disciple, so from that point of view, the class can be demanding," Huggan says.

"But I have heard no complaints from students that they are asked to read too much," he says. "I figure the amount of writing and such to be in line with other Harvard courses."

For the most part, students say they agree. Still, the unconventional subject matter, combined with juicy footage from screen thrillers, can make for a strange ride.

"It is not exactly what I expected from an English class," says Winterkorn, a literature concentrator.

"I expected there to be more literature about cannibals--for example, Shakespeare or 'Silence of the Lambs,' which we are doing, but it has turned out to be more social anthropology than English.