Posted on 12/04/2023 7:00:03 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Approximately 20.4 million students headed off to college campuses in the United States last year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And of those 20.4 million, it's a good bet that, come course selection morning, about 20.3 million weighed just how fun a class in calculus or Renaissance poetry would actually be. Yes, it's no secret that some college courses can be rote and—dare we say—total snoozers. But the flip side is also true!
Digging through the curriculum guides of American universities will reveal a treasure trove of fun, exciting, downright ridiculous-sounding courses. In other words: If you've ever wanted to pick up a degree in Yeti Hunting, or Tree Climbing, or Lady Gaga (we're serious), or Zeitgeist Science Fiction Television Series (Westworld and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans, take note), now's your chance. Schools around the country—from Cornell to Emerson to the University of South Carolina—offer up these crazy curriculum. Seriously: each and every one of these actually exists. Don't believe us? Read on, and see for yourself. And for more insight on what really goes on behind the scenes at your alma mater, discover these 20 Secrets Your College Professor Won't Tell You.
Your favorite pastime as a child can now earn you college credit—and at an Ivy League school, no less. At Cornell University, students can take a one-credit class in Tree Climbing which will "teach you how to get up into the canopy of any tree, to move around, even to climb from one tree to another without touching the ground." And for more fun ways to get in your daily burn, learn the 30 Ways to Get Six-Pack Abs.
At yet another Ivy League school, students can explore the art of getting ready in the morning, courtesy of a course called "Getting Dressed." This freshman seminar at Princeton University, taught by scholar and author Jenna Weissman Joselit, examines how what we wear—and why we wear it—shapes who we are, and vice versa. And when you want to streamline your own wardrobe, learn the 40 Best Tips For Dressing Well In Your 40s.
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Little Monsters will fall hard for the University of South Carolina's strange ode to Mother Monster herself, a course dubbed "Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame." After becoming enthralled with the singer and artist after seeing her on television, sociology professor Mathieu Deflem devised the course, explaining to The New York Times, "The central objective is to unravel some of the sociologically relevant dimensions of the fame of Lady Gaga." And for more surprising info on your favorite stars, check out these 50 Crazy Celebrity Facts You Won't Believe Are True.
While you may think of South Park as little more than a humorous, albeit vulgar, distraction from your day-to-day life, some scholars see it differently. According to two professors at McDaniel College in Maryland, the show is worth some serious study. "Often controversial itself, South Park uses humor to explore issues such as immigration, gay marriage, terrorism, and hundreds more," according to professors Dr. Josh Baron and Dr. Sara Raley, who co-teach the course.
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You probably think you know how to watch TV pretty well by this point: put on comfy pants, plant yourself on the couch, and zone out. However, undergrads at Montclair State University can fine-tune this art with the school's How to Watch Television class, the aim of which is "for students to critically evaluate the role of television in their lives as well as in the life of the culture." And when it comes time to plop on the couch for hours, you could do worse than powering through the 30 Funniest Sitcoms of All Time.
Can't get enough of HBO's science fiction hit Westworld? You're in good company. At Bennington College in Vermont, you can take a deep dive into the show with professor J. Vanessa Lyon, PhD. In the course, students explore everything from cyborgs to TV westerns, earning two credits along the way. And to boost your own sci-fi knowledge, bone up on the 20 Long-Predicted Technologies That Are Never Going to Happen.
Want some incentive to get moving? Sign up for The Art of Walking at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. While the course touches on the work of everyone from Heidegger to Kant, it's also, more specifically, just a really long walk, with participants walking up to 25 miles at a stretch.
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Game of Thrones is more than just a great show: studying it is also a way to earn college credit at the University of Virginia. Fortunately, Game of Thrones purists will also get to explore the George R. R. Martin books on which the series is based, comparing and contrasting the worlds created in print and on screen. And for more on Westeros, take a peek Inside the World's First Game of Thrones-Themed Hotel.
Do you believe the truth is out there? Are you certain you spotted a Bigfoot print? If that sounds like you, you might just love the Cryptozoology class at Oberlin Experimental College in Ohio. This one-credit class, devoted to the study of cryptids, from the chupacabra to the Loch Ness Monster, is undeniably weird, but sounds a whole lot more fun than your average college seminar. And for more information on other species, discover these 40 Amazing Animal Facts.
If you're ever wondered whether or not the USS Enterprise would have actually been capable of flight, Santa Clara University might be the school for you. At this California university, students can study the physics that might enable their favorite intergalactic ships to fly. And to discover what sci-fi predictions you can expect to come true, This Is What Life Could Look Like 100 Years From Now.
While it's since been taken out of the course catalog, students at the University of Wisconsin—Madison once had the great privilege of taking a course in Elvish, the fictional language spoken by elves in J. R. R. Tolkien's seminal Lord of the Rings series.
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Whether you're a fan of Ghost or just can't get enough of Sister Act, professor Charles I. Nero's "Makin' Whoopi: Goldberg's Canon" class at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, has got you covered.
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Surfing is: a great workout, a cool skill to show off to your friends, and, if you're a student at the University of California—Santa Barbara, an academic subject worthy of study. In addition to teaching the history of the medium, students in this course will also learn about the issues facing coastal communities, and how surfing has influenced cultures around the world.
If you are so good at vacationing you could practically go pro, the University of Iowa's course on the subject might just be for you. While most of us think of vacations as a way to have fun with friends are family, the course description cautions, "Vacations are more serious events than you might think."
Combines a little glycerin, some air, and a plastic wand, and what do you get? A class at Caltech, apparently. Exploring bubbles in their many forms, from those that pose danger to engines to those that aid in medical procedures, this course is nothing short of an ebulliophobic's nightmare.
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Is it the cold brew coursing through their veins, the circulation-stifling effects of a pair of skinny jeans, or just an overinflated sense of self-worth that makes your average hipster tick? At Tufts Experimental College, students can take a deep dive into the mind of these modern-day bohemians by signing up for the aptly-titled "Demystifying the Hipster" course.
While many of us were obsessed with Mischa Barton's beachy waves and the relationship drama between Summer and Seth, The O.C. hardly seemed worthy of academic study—until Duke University made the case otherwise, that is. For a period of time, the prestigious school allowed students to study the culture surrounding the hit show and the "California exceptionalism" it exemplified.
If you've ever wanted to know if you would make it out alive in a zombie apocalypse, Michigan State University has the one course that can give you a definitive answer. Better yet, since the class is offered entirely online, you can study in the privacy of your own room, even further reducing your chances of becoming an undead being's next meal.
For those who are still binge-watching Buffy in their free time, Boston's Emerson College has just the course for you. "Deconstructing TV's Buffy," a four-credit seminar, takes a deep dive into this supernatural Joss Whedon hit, allowing students to explore everything form the show's mythology to the countless ways the show's characters have been adapted into everything from comics to fan fiction.
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Have you been suffering the indignity of being offered fake maple syrup tine and time again? Well, no longer, thanks to this unique course offered at Alfred University. While students do get to tap maple trees in the class, the course also explores everything from local maple sugaring operations to environmental science along the way. And for more sweet foodie fun, discover The 50 Best Foods for Your Brain.
Recall in the late 70’s, some gals going to college for a MRS degree.
South Park deserves a bit of study on campus. No complaints about that one. As far as the zombie apocalypse study, I don’t think it’s all that necessary - the zombies are after brains, after all...
Lazy teachers beget lazy students.
Stop supporting state schools that are depositories for useless subjects and unworthy teachers and students. They are “make work” institutions for underachieving glib teachers, and students deceived by the value of a college degree. I would bet that at least 20% of all classes would be cut for being trivial subjects, with a 20% cut in tuition and costs to the universities. Slightly larger classes with less professors would cut another 5-10 percent.
Add these to the list: any course tat has the word studies in it, like Woman Studies, Trans Studies.
Any course in these departments like Gender Studies. Woman Studies, Femenist Studies throw the entire university.
Add these to the list: any course tat has the word studies in it, like Woman Studies, Trans Studies.
Any course in these departments like Gender Studies. Woman Studies, Femenist Studies throw the entire university.
“Recall in the late 70’s, some gals going to college for a MRS degree.”
I doubt many regretted that - nice, relatively low stress life, with great kids. Now you have a bunch of hormone-driven, flaming radicals - some of whom are HELL-BENT on starting World War 3 with Russia, China, Iran, or all 3.
If you like to read, there’s always the Austen-Dickens seminar I took in Yale grad school. Five novels of Austen, twenty novels of Dickens, period and biographical background material, three term papers.
The Physics of Star Trek could be interesting.
Please tell me these are one credit easy A courses akin to a PE course?!
Oh... My.... Gawd. That is guaranteed to lower any student's intelligence.
The classic example, though it may be apocryphal, is “Underwater Basket Weaving”.
“ Any course in these departments like Gender Studies. Woman Studies, Femenist Studies throw the entire university”
They have to have those useless studies classes, otherwise women and minorities wouldn’t be able to obtain degrees
At Arizona State you can take a course in the “Lyrics of Taylor Swift”.
South Park would be the only potentially legit course they could make, and even then, it wouldn’t be one that required very serious brainpower.
When I went to college there was one elective class per year. By my Senior year they added another one. So, there were five elective classes in four years. The theory was it helped with a well, rounded education. Take one class a year that got you out of your core education. Adding an elective only adds to the revenue for the school. You have to pay for this stuff, and if it doesn’t enhance your core education, don’t take the class.
Mississippi State University has a 1 unit novelty class for freshmen, less than 20 students, so everyone is guaranteed a small, fun class to round out their schedule. My daughter took philosophy of martial arts. Taught by an Olympic coach. My sweet, shy girl learned to break a board with a karate chop! What a confidence builder! Our son took a class in fermentation. He had so much fun in the food lab he got a job there, and a summer internship in a cheese factory. His lab work led to his major in microbiology and his job after college, in the egg industry. I’m not saying every novelty class pays off like that, but some are worthwhile to add in the mix.
Did you notice that at least two of these “courses of study” were at something called and experimental college? What the heck is that.
Could you imagine being stupid enough to take out loans for malarkey classes at an experimental college?
And remember, thanks to El Retardo’s college debt cancellation, YOU are paying for people to have taken these ridiculous useless courses.
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