Medieval Studies and Psuedo-Medievalism collide

Since I grew up in this subculture and still feel a close affinity to this Tolkein-inspired combination of academic interests and "play," I found this article particularly fascinating - http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i44/44a00801.htm?=attw. The challenge the piece concludes with is the one that I've spent much of my career on, how do we harness the natural attraction of certain subjects (medieval studies, WWII, etc.) for larger educational purposes?