Red Dead Redemption and its sequel are being used to teach a University of Tennessee class on American history.

In the tweet thread below, history professor Tore Olsson explains that he'll be using both Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 as jumping-off points to explore American history between 1899 and 1911. The course itself is called "HIUS 383: Red Dead America," and explores colonialism, capitalism, racism, and more throughout the 12-odd years.

Who says video games don’t belong in the classroom? I’m a history professor at @UTKnoxville. This fall, I’ll be teaching a new course titled “HIUS 383: Red Dead America,” exploring the historical reality behind @RockstarGames’ series. What kinds of topics will we be exploring? /1 pic.twitter.com/wkaHSvz4E4

— Tore Olsson (@ToreCarlOlsson) February 11, 2021