As you crack open your textbooks and pore over your syllabi for Econ 101 and Western Civ this semester, aren’t you wishing you could take a class a bit more relevant to your interests? Well, forget those lame lectures and check out these cool and unique classes being offered at colleges across the country this fall. For binge Mad Men watchers, paw-friendly animal lovers and just about anyone in between, these classes make fall schedules more fun!
1. Robotics with LEGO – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
This fall, UNC is giving students the opportunity to relive a childhood play date with a class in robotics using LEGOs. The course focuses on computer science through designing, building and programming LEGO robots. And in case these students forgot to pack their LEGO collection when they left home, they’ll each be lent a complete LEGO Mindstorms NXT kit for the semester. This class will turn a beloved childhood toy into a real-world tool as students participate in friendly competitions to evaluate their robots. Unfortunately for the rest of the LEGO-loving Tar Heels, Robotics with LEGO is a First Year Seminar, which means it’s only open to freshmen. For those freshmen, however, Robotics with LEGO will introduce them to computer science, regardless of their level of programming experience, and it will even fulfill a general education requirement.
2. Writing and Academic Inquiry: Hipster Accessories – University of Michigan
Some freshmen at the University of Michigan this fall will fulfill their First Year Writing requirement by reading and writing about hipsters! This unique first-year seminar will attempt to define hipster culture by analyzing the material symbols of a stereotypical hipster – things like a calculator watch and thrift shop glasses. “If this class was offered when I was a freshman, I definitely would have taken it!” says Katie Syzmanski, a junior at UMich and a contributing writer for HC. Maybe freshman English classes wouldn’t be so boring if we could all study hipsters!
3. Assistance Dog Training – University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Lucky students at UNCW can earn credit this fall by learning about and working with service dogs! Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors, this recreational therapy course teaches students about the role of service dogs in physical, mental and emotional therapy programs. Students even have the opportunity to get up close and personal with these miracle-working dogs during class. The course is held in partnership with paws4people, an organization that trains service dogs, and serves as the first of a four-course certificate program in assistance dog training. Morgan Francis, a junior at UNCW, will be one of the lucky students in Assistance Dog Training this fall. “I’ve always loved dogs, and when I saw that the school offered this class, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” she says.
4. Zombies in Popular Media – Columbia College Chicago
Whether you’re mentally preparing for the imminent zombie apocalypse or you just think Zombieland was the funniest movie of all time, a class about zombies is sure to spice up your fall schedule. Students at Columbia College Chicago can take Zombies in Popular Media, during which they will read and watch different media representations of zombies. This apocalyptic course fulfills the Humanities Literature graduation requirement at Columbia College. Who knew that knowledge about zombies could actually get you closer to your diploma?!
5. Consumerism and Social Change in Mad Men America – Northwestern University
Year after year, freshmen at Northwestern University can indulge their Mad Men addictions – or develop one if they haven’t already – with this freshman seminar. The course analyzes the economic and social changes that occurred in the United States after World War II and created the climate in which Mad Men takes place. Discussion topics include the history of advertising, workplace dynamics, sex and sexuality and the Cold War. It is a “writing-intensive” class, but you do get to watch Mad Men in and outside of class!
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6. Introduction to Glass Blowing – Old Dominion University
New to ODU students this fall is the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of glass blowing. This introductory art course fulfills a requirement for art majors, but is open to all students at the university. This unique class comes as the result of a partnership between ODU and the nearby Chrysler Museum of Art, which will host the class in its professional glass studio.
Sharifa Reynolds, a junior art major at ODU, is excited to try her hand at glass blowing this fall. “As an art major, we have a lot of required classes that are unique, like blacksmithing, jewelry making and even letterpress,” she says. “I’m interested in this class because I really enjoy discovering the old art forms and learning how to make things with my hands rather than using big machinery.”
7. Vampire Narratives – American University
Although it will cover topics like the Cold War and women’s suffrage, this history class is sure to be unlike any other. Vampire Narratives will use 19th-century literature, silent movies and other texts to analyze the symbolism that vampires have held in society for almost 200 years. But don’t break out your collector’s edition of the Twilight series just yet, collegiettes. The class will analyze the vampire as a symbol of seriously historical issues like immigration, homophobia and AIDS. Twihards or not, students taking Vampire Narratives are sure to remember the info from this history class much better than Western Civ!
8. Human Sexuality – Virginia Tech
This human development class at Virginia Tech is sure to answer all the intimate questions you’ve never had the courage to ask. Human Sexuality explores sexuality, gender and the development of sexual practices and rituals in various cultures around the world.
“The class covered all topics, such as homosexuality, safe sex and contraception, our bodies and controversial issues like sex and religion and how sex has changed our culture,” says Alexa Marpuri, a junior at Virginia Tech who previously took Human Sexuality and describes the class as wacky. “I liked that the class covered all aspects of the subject, and many of the topics were things I wasn’t expecting to learn about.”
9. Deepwater Cruising – University of Southern California
What collegiette’s fall semester wouldn’t be a little sweeter with a two-day sailing trip in the Pacific Ocean? Students at USC can learn the fundamentals of sailing and earn credit toward a Coast Guard boating license by taking Deepwater Cruising, part of the school’s nautical science program. Just 16 lecture hours are spent on campus learning the ropes (pun intended), and the rest of class time is spent out on the open water – including an overnight trip to Catalina Island, a small island off the coast of California. Deepwater Cruising promises to teach students navigation skills, seamanship skills and basic sailing theory, and is often recommended by past students as the coolest class at USC!
10. Welcome to Paris! – Georgetown University
As they sit at desks in our nation’s capital, some freshmen at Georgetown University will be mentally transported to the city of lights. This first-year seminar is open to first-year students with advanced placement in history, and will give students a tour of Paris, both old and new. And in case studying the most romantic city in the world isn’t enough, the class has no exams! Although there are a few papers to write, Welcome to Paris! would be a welcome change to the typical fall schedule.
The beginning of fall semester may signal the end of an unforgettable summer, but these crazy fall classes are just the beginning of an unforgettable semester! From vampires to LEGOs to service dogs and more, unique classes like these will introduce students to a new topic, field or perspective they might not have explored before. Are you taking a cool, unique or just plain weird class this fall at your college or university? Let us know in the comments below!