Buffy studies
Buffy studies, also called Buffyology, is the study of Joss Whedon's popular television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and, to a lesser extent, its spin-off program "Angel". It explores issues related to gender and other philosophical issues as expressed through the content of these shows in the fictional Buffyverse. Neda Ulaby of NPR describes "Buffy" as having a "special following among academics, some of whom have staked a claim in what they call 'Buffy Studies'". Though not widely recognized as a distinct discipline, the term "Buffy studies" is commonly used amongst the academic "Buffy"-related writings. Development  as academic field. The original run of "Buffy" (1997–2003) eventually led to the publication of a number of books and hundreds of articles examining the themes of the show from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives including sociology, psychology, philosophy, theology, and women's studies. Since January 2001, "Slayage: The Online Journal of Buffy Studies" has published essays on the topic quarterly, and it continues to do so. "" was published in 2002, and since then many more "Buffy" books have been published by academic book publishers. There have also been a number of international conferences on the topic. "College courses  across the globe are devoted to the show, and secondary schools in Australia and New Zealand also provide Buffy classes." The topic can even be undertaken as part of a Master's degree in Cult Film & TV at Brunel University, London. Increasingly, "Angel" is being analyzed alongside its predecessor, e.g. in the 2005 publication, . The creator of "Buffy", Joss Whedon, has responded to the scholarly reaction to his series: "I think it's great that the academic community has taken an interest in the show. I think it's always important for academics to study popular culture, even if the  thing they are studying is idiotic. If it's successful or made a dent in culture, then it is worthy of study to find out why. Buffy, on the other hand is, I hope, not idiotic. We think very carefully about what we're trying to say emotionally, politically, and even philosophically while we're writing it... it really is, apart from being a pop-culture phenomenon, something that is deeply layered textually episode by episode." The Third International Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses was held June 5–8, 2008 at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The response to this  scholarly attention has had its critics. Jes Battis, who authored "", has stated that study of the Buffyverse "invokes an uneasy combination of enthusiasm and ire", and meets "a certain amount of disdain from within the halls of the academy". Additional works. The full title "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is shortened to BtVS in the following table.