The popular Netflix series Riverdale is the subject of a conference this week at the Abbotsford campus of University of the Fraser Valley.

The second annual B次元官网网址淭he Riverdale Universe: A Semi-academic ConferenceB次元官网网址� features 16 presenters, a full day of panels and a choose-your-own-adventure-style interactive project.

It wraps up with a milkshake social at RockoB次元官网网址檚 Diner in Mission, where parts of the Riverdale pilot were filmed.

The name of NetflixB次元官网网址檚 reimagined Archie Comics universe is familiar to just about everyone in the Fraser Valley.

ItB次元官网网址檚 not only a binge- and cringe-worthy fast-paced teen drama with questionable plot points, but a show that has become well-known for filming in and around Aldergrove, Vancouver and Langley.

As conference coordinator and associate professor of English Heather McAlpine can attest, Riverdale is capable of sparking a vibrant conversation at the crossroads of fandom and academia.

B次元官网网址淲hen I made my opening remarks at last yearB次元官网网址檚 conference, I think I said something like, B次元官网网址榃elcome to what we believe to be the first, and very likely the last, academic conference about Riverdale.B次元官网网址� The whole thing seemed so impossible, and equally as wonderful,B次元官网网址� McAlpine laughed.

The whole thing started as an inside joke on Twitter, when McAlpine and several other UFV professors, graduates, and students started comparing their experiences of binge-watching Riverdale in 2017.

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B次元官网网址淲e were cracking jokes about it, and someone made a joke about starting a conference,B次元官网网址� McAlpine said.

And then, suddenly, it wasnB次元官网网址檛 a joke. It blossomed into a full-fledged conference, drawing presenters from around the country.

B次元官网网址淗ere we are, a year later, and itB次元官网网址檚 still gaining momentum. We have more presenters, some of them coming from as far away as Ottawa and Montreal.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 something she finds hilarious but also amazingly gratifying. And while sometimes she gets odd looks when she lists Riverdale alongside her other research interests B次元官网网址� which largely focus on Victorian poetry B次元官网网址� she sees it as all related.

B次元官网网址淭his conference shows how the tools and techniques that you learn by studying the humanities can enrich your experience of everyday life and the culture thatB次元官网网址檚 all around you,B次元官网网址� McAlpine said.

B次元官网网址淭he humanities, and English, are not just about studying B次元官网网址榞reat worksB次元官网网址�. TheyB次元官网网址檙e about making sense of the culture we think of as ordinary, too B次元官网网址� understanding how itB次元官网网址檚 doing what itB次元官网网址檚 doing, whether you love it or hate it.B次元官网网址�

Registration and the full schedule are available online at .