Philosophy… Poly Sci… Calculus… BORING! Spice up your schedule this semester with one of these much more interesting courses that you won’t believe are actually offered. We guarantee you’ll want to do your homework for these classes. Here’s eight real college courses that break the mold.
1. The Joy of Garbage: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure at Santa Clara University. This course explores the scientific impact of what people throw away. Plenty of decomposition here, so save breakfast for later. The professor warns of a high “yuck factor.”
2. Directing with James Franco: The cliché of crushing on your professor is finally acceptable in this class offered at NYU’s Kanbar Institute of Film and Television this fall. The Hollywood heartthrob will sharing what he knows best with about 10 to 12 students. Extra credit if you show up in a Green Goblin costume!
3. Alien Sex: Extraterrestrials, martians, demons and vampires need love too and in this course at the University of Rochester, you’ll find out how they do it. The class explores gender and difference in old and new fantasy. We’d love to know what the text book for this one looks like…
4. Taxi Driver Yoga: At LaGuardia Community College’s Taxi School (yes, there is a school for cabbies), students can enroll in this yoga course meant to ease the physical pain of sitting in a driver’s seat for hours upon hours. Does this school also offer courses in creative profanity use and obscene hand gestures?
5. Elvish: If someday you need to ask an elf for directions after getting lost in an enchanted forest, will you be prepared? You will be now with this course at the University of Wisconsin, offering a full understanding of “The Lord of the Rings” language for the fanciful at heart. Mandarin and Arabic are so 2010.
6. Zombies! The Living Dead in Literature, Film, and Culture: Learn about flesh-eating creatures of the night in this course offered at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Study zombie flicks with an “international zombie expert” as your instructor. Now you’ll be prepared in the event of a real-life Zombieland scenario.
7. The Unbearable Whiteness of Barbie: Race and Popular Culture in the U.S.: Students at Occidental College can pick apart the plastic prima donna for invading society with unrealistic standards about women’s bodies. The course also looks into scientific racism in the making of Barbie. And you thought she was just an innocent doll…
8. A Recipe for a Murderer: This class at Alfred University offers the morbid-minded a look into what makes someone capable of killing others. You’ll study the minds of some of the world’s most notorious murders. Not for the feint of heart, this class examines some of the most heinous killings in history.
