Editor’s Note: The deadline for our $50,000 Tuition Giveaway is January 31. Rather than nag you every day with a post that starts and ends with “TIME IS RUNNING OUT,” we’ve decided to keep the scholarship top of mind by re-running some of our favorite college-centric stories and quizzes. (Look for a sequel to this one with all new classes later this week.)
I once took a course called “Research Methods and Theory.” It was as exciting as it sounds. I would much rather have been taking one of these 12 classes. From pop culture to maple syrup, these aren’t your average lectures.
1. The Horror Film in Context (Bowdoin)
I love scary movies – especially bad ones (Chopping Mall, anyone?) That’s why I wish Bowdoin’s course “The Horror Film in Context” was offered as a graduate class at Iowa State. It’s not about the psyche of Freddy and Jason, however – students taking the class can expect to discuss why society is infatuated with horror movies and death in general.
2. Simpsons and Philosophy (Cal-Berkeley)
I’m sure my husband is considering enrolling at the University of California at Berkeley as we speak, just to take “Simpsons and Philosophy.” You’ll need to know more than Simpsons trivia – the class takes an in-depth look at how the long-running cartoon depicts social issues such as racism and politics. Passing the class, which includes writing a 22-minute show for the final exam, earns students two credits.
3. Maple Syrup – The Real Thing (Alfred)
Chances are you probably don’t spend too much brain power pondering maple syrup, besides wondering whether it’s most delicious on French toast or pancakes. Alfred University in New York is changing that for all students who take the course “Maple Syrup – The Real Thing.” It covers every aspect of the sweet breakfast topping, from production to products to, yes, recipes.
4. The Science of Harry Potter (Frostburg State)
Another course near and dear to my heart is “The Science of Harry Potter,” offered at Frostburg State University in Maryland. This class combines the fantastical with the physical by asking if some of the seemingly impossible things in the popular series could actually be plausible. Think about it: if there is a possibility that an invisibility cloak or a flying broomstick could actually exist, wouldn’t you want to know?
5. Oprah Winfrey – The Tycoon (U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Oprah is conquering the world. The talk show, the book club, the magazine… and now, history class? The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offered “History 298: Oprah Winfrey – the Tycoon” in its class schedule several years ago. Like many of the other courses on this list, the class was more than meets the eye. Although it appears to be about the famous talk show queen, the class uses Oprah’s cultural rise to study race, class and gender issues.
6. Far Side Entomology (Oregon State)
I took an entomology class during my undergrad and found it much more interesting than I thought I would. Imagine how enthralled I would have been with Oregon State’s “Far Side Entomology,” which used Gary Larson’s Far Side cartoons to study insects. Larson’s tactic of giving his insects human qualities make them more relatable, which in turn gave students research ideas and questions they may have not otherwise thought of. Before you commence transfer proceedings, know that this class is no longer offered.
7. History of Electronic Dance Music (UCLA)
Do you still love C+C Music Factory? Get pumped to Deee-Lite’s “Groove is in the Heart” while driving? Then the UCLA’s “History of Electronic Dance Music” would probably be a cakewalk for you. According to the syllabus, “Class lectures will deal with the historical narratives told about the music, musical form and technique in dance music, the political and cultural implications of the relentless hedonism of the dance floor, the influence of chemicals and technology on music production and consumption, and the aesthetic possibilities and pitfalls when popular music is no longer synonymous with popular song.”
8. The Future is Lost: TV Series as Cultural Phenomenon (Tufts)
If, like me, you’re desperately jonesing for more Lost, go ahead and enroll at Tufts University, the home of a 13-week Lost seminar. Be prepared to talk about more than Jack’s propensity for crying and Sawyer’s offensive nicknames for the other Lostaways, though. Topics include thematic complexity, mechanical complexity, literary references and philosophies. The course culminates with students pitching an idea for a television series to the rest of their classmates.
9. Goldberg’s Canon: Makin’ Whoopi (Bates)
If you’re excited about Whoopi Goldberg’s The View debut, it’s too bad you missed out on Bates College’s “Goldberg’s Canon: Makin’ Whoopi,” the only course anywhere (that I could find) dedicated to the former Caryn Johnson. As far as I can tell, the last time the class was offered was the 2003-04 school year, so anyone wanting to discuss her “controversial persona as an antagonistic public figure” (so says the syllabus) is out of luck for now.
10. Muppet Magic: Jim Henson’s Art (UC-Santa Cruz)
For some reason, I feel like the ratio of mental_floss readers who grew up watching and learning from Sesame Street is probably high. Thus, by my theory, most of us would be thrilled to count Theater Arts 80L, “Muppet Magic: Jim Henson’s Art” at the University of California Santa Cruz as part of our course load. The class studies how Muppets have changed television, film and art since Jim Henson created them.
11. Getting Dressed (Princeton)
Seriously, some days getting dressed takes a lot more effort than it should. Enter Princeton’s “Getting Dressed” class, a freshmen-only course that lets students discuss controversial topics such as jeans, baseball caps, tattoos, flip-flops and Chuck Taylors. It’s more complicated than just figuring out what to wear in the morning, though. The class discussed how people use fashion to do everything from study history to assess character. Although it doesn’t appear that the class is offered any longer, Princeton does offer other interesting-sounding freshmen seminars, including “Google and Ye Shall Find?” and “Good to be Shifty: American Swindlers.”
12. Biblical Model for Home and Family (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary)
A real controversy exists around the “Biblical Model for Home and Family” course at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The class, for females only, teaches cooking, sewing, and says that wives should submit graciously to their husbands. OK, what I said at the beginning of this article was wrong: I’d much rather sit through “Research Methods and Theory” than learn how to “submit graciously.”
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There’s a class at the Harvard Business School about the Mary Kay sales model- Gloria Mayfield Banks went to Harvard Business and she is the #1 National Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics in the US.
posted by Ashley on 1-26-2009 at 3:52 pm
My racial studies class at Wisconsin was pretty interesting, ‘Black Music and Fiction in the 1970s’.
posted by cb on 1-26-2009 at 3:55 pm
Univ. of Richmond has offered a business class in the finances of NASCAR. It was a very popular course a couple of years ago. We’ve moved, so I don’t know if it’s still taught.
posted by Leslie Booher on 1-26-2009 at 4:05 pm
We have a class here at the University of Florida called “The Tao of Star Trek” We also have SCUBA diving classes among other things.
posted by Mike on 1-26-2009 at 4:33 pm
There was a ” How to make Fireworks” class offered at University of Mussouri Rolla ( Now called missouri institute of science and Technology)
posted by ashwin on 1-26-2009 at 4:49 pm
Columbia College Chicago offers a course about The Simpsons as satirical authors and another about the Harry Potter series, and an old professor of mine teaches one class about zombies in popular media and another about the culture of gaming. He was awesome.
posted by Steve on 1-26-2009 at 4:59 pm
There was a SCUBA class offered at the community college I went to in Santa Clara, CA, but I think they did most of it in the pool since it was 70 miles or so from the ocean.
posted by Sarah in CA on 1-26-2009 at 5:09 pm
Brandeis offers DDR as a phys. ed. class.
posted by Matt on 1-26-2009 at 5:28 pm
I took a class in the Film Studies department at UC Santa Barbara about Pornography. How on Earth did that not make it on to this list?
posted by Kyle on 1-26-2009 at 5:39 pm
I was fortunate enough to take “cannibalism and social pathology” at ASU. Not as cool as muppets, but still pretty neat.
posted by anko on 1-26-2009 at 6:41 pm
Indiana University at indianapolis used to offer an outstanding class titled “On Death & Dying”. An elective but one of the most memorable courses I took.
posted by Jim on 1-26-2009 at 8:31 pm
I took “the politics of Bruce Springsteen” and “the Politics of Basketball” at SUNY Potsdam
posted by Kristine on 1-26-2009 at 8:43 pm
I took a film theory class on horror films at the U of Delaware. It was HARD. Lots of Freud, Lacan, and blood and guts. I never saw Alien the same way again…or caves, or space monsters with huge open mouths and teeth…..
And Kyle, my prof really wanted to teach a film theory class on porn. He’d be jealous someone actually got away with it!
posted by Kate on 1-26-2009 at 8:51 pm
Oregon State also offers a “Sex and the City” class. It was rumored that it was the largest and most well attended class at OSU.
posted by CBanana on 1-26-2009 at 8:57 pm
My college had a “Family” class that all freshmen had to take. It was basically a glorified marriage and sex-ed class, which would have been cool had it not been taught by the 65 year old president of our Christian college….awkward!
posted by KerriH on 1-26-2009 at 10:43 pm
At Cornell we had Introduction to Wines (always a favorite) and Desire, which was essentially a whole lot of erotica (or so I’ve heard).
posted by Debbie on 1-27-2009 at 12:02 am
I used to work at the Univ. of Dayton and they had a class called Vampires on Film. Unfortunately I never got the chance to take it.
posted by Noxi on 1-27-2009 at 7:37 am
At the College of the Holy Cross I was fortunate to take “The Western in Fiction and Film”. Read a western, watch a western. You can’t not like a class where you watch John Wayne, Clint Eastwood AND get credit for watching Blazing Saddles. My prof asked us to take a non-western movie and talk about the western motifs used in it. I wrote on Starship Troopers and my paper was used as an example in class!
posted by Jen on 1-27-2009 at 9:31 am
At Ursinus College in PA, they had a class on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
posted by Abi on 1-27-2009 at 11:38 am
I’m taking “Southern Food.” I totally win.
On a side note, I’m also taking a “Death and Dying” course right now. I found out this morning I have to “die” in our semester-long simulated death experience.
posted by Erin on 1-27-2009 at 12:44 pm
“Insects and Our Society” was a really popular intro to entomology class at UGA. Our professor opened the first day of class with “The Lion King’s” opening scene of “Circle of Life.” It was very grand and emotional. And then he rewinds it to the carpenter ants and says, “These ants don’t live in Africa.” It was so classic. Every class opened with an insect clip from a popular movie, nature show, horror flick. Awesome.
posted by Shasta on 1-27-2009 at 1:21 pm
I don’t know if they still do it, but they used to offer a class at IU proper called The Music of the Beatles. They even did a version over the summer that went on location to London and Liverpool.
posted by Fruppi on 1-27-2009 at 2:48 pm
I took a class on The Beatles when I attended Stetson University in Florida. Awesome class and one of the few A’s I received as a college student:-).
posted by Eli on 1-27-2009 at 4:05 pm
I took a course called Famous Jewish Sports Legends. It wasn’t a long class. Hopefully, everyone gets the “Airplane” reference! :o)
posted by Jay on 1-27-2009 at 4:21 pm
At UNC Greensboro I took a Deadhead sociology course which studied the effect of the Grateful Dead on pop culture and society. I got to write my end-of-term paper on what the dancing bears and skeletons mean; then I took an English class that focused on humor where our main texts were The Onion and books by David Sedaris and our homework was to watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Awesomeness!
Spartan pride!
posted by bas on 1-27-2009 at 4:31 pm
The University of Tulsa, Tulsa OK
‘Seeing Through Clothes’ – History
‘Magic Witchcraft and Religion’ – Anthropology
posted by Ryan on 1-27-2009 at 5:13 pm
I took a class at the University of Louisville on Fantasy Literature. We read and discussed The Wizard of Oz and the Lord of the Rings, among other books. Best class ever!
posted by Emilee on 1-27-2009 at 5:23 pm
At SUNY-Buffalo they offer Communications 497: Cyberporn and Society and an upper level Anthropology course entitled Magic, Witchcraft and Sorcery.
posted by Kieran on 1-29-2009 at 1:43 am
I just kinda wish there was at least one college out there in the world that offered all these amazing classes.
posted by Danielle on 2-10-2009 at 4:47 am
Danielle: Me too.
Stephen F. Austin State Univeristy offered Philosophy in Harry Potter during my freshmen year. The amount of themes going on in those books is insane, but it was very writing intensive to throw people off. Also, they still offer History of Rock Music, which was my introduction to the Beatles.
posted by Courtnee on 2-12-2009 at 5:02 pm
I tool a class as an undergrad called “Religious and Philosophical Dimensions of Country and Western Music”. It covered mostly the early days of Western music like Sons of the Pioneers, though, not stuff like Kenny Chesney and Hank Williams Jr. (Although I seem to remember his father being mentioned in the latter part of the course.)
posted by Amanda on 3-15-2009 at 8:38 pm
At James Madison U, there are still two things I recall clearly from my Death and Dying class 20 years ago. One was when my professor brought in a glass jar containing the remains of his cremated dog. The other was getting a B+ on my will. How do you grade a will?
posted by TalkyTina on 1-30-2012 at 6:31 am
Another class I recall fondly from JMU was a class on psychological testing. We would take all sorts of psych evals, and then score and analyze them. I also remember doing a project, one of a choice of about a dozen, where I visited my old high school and reviewed my records. Being a somewhat brainy juvenile delinquent, it was interesting. Sadly, my professor passed away just after the semester ended. RIP Dr. Eby.
posted by TalkyTina on 1-30-2012 at 6:37 am