If there’s such thing as a universal truth, it’s that college isn’t cheap. In fact, the cost of tuition and fees is rising constantly, not to mention skyrocketing housing prices. But in today’s economy, a degree is essential for a successful career, so you’re going to have to make the sacrifice. Fortunately, these open courses are free for everyone, and while they might not replace the courses you have to take, they might get you one step closer to your final diploma. We’ve also included free networking sites and financial aid resources that can help you make the connections and the financial decisions you need to reach your academic goals.

Natural Science

These courses cover physics, geology, natural phenomena, and more.

1. Fundamentals of Physics: Professor Ramamurti Shankar’s physics course from Yale covers Newtonian mechanics, special relativity, and more.
2. Principles of Chemical Science: Professors Ceyer and Drennan of MIT provide this introductory chemistry course.
3. Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics: Yale’s Professor Charles Bailyn discusses extra-solar planets, black holes and dark energy in this course.
4. Life in the Palaeozoic: Take a look at the evolution that occured in the Palaeozoic era.
5. General Biology I: Learn the basic principles of biology in this course.
6. General Biology II: This course continues the principles from General Biology I.
7. Physics I: Classical Mechanics: Professor Lewin from MIT discusses Newtonian mechanics, fluid mechanics, and kinetic gas theory.
8. Climate Change: Understand the basic science behind climate change and global warming.
9. Quantum Mechanics: Get a working knowledge and comprehension of quantum mechanical operations.
10. Organic Chemistry I: Professors Berkowski and O’Connor of MIT cover the basic principles of the structure and reactivity behind organic molecules.
11. Earthquakes: Learn about these destructive natural disasters.
12. Comparing Stars: Get an introduction to stars and the Hertzprung-Russell diagram.
13. Physics III: Vibrations and Waves: Physics III with MIT’s Professor Lewin covers mechanical vibrations, waves, and beyond.
14. Introduction to Modern Physics: This course discusses physics from Max Planck to Einstein.
15. Superconductivity: Take a look at the phenomenon of superconductivity and its applications.
16. Electricity and Magnetism: Learn about electromagnitism in everyday objects and beyond with MIT professor Walter Lewin.
17. Evolution Through Natural Selection: Explore the theory of evolution by natural selection according to Charles Darwin.
18. Physics for Humanists: Learn about classical and modern physics with emphasis on the connection between science and society.
19. The Evolving Universe: This course discusses the "Big Bang" and what is believed to have happened in the moments following.
20. Physics I: Physics I with MIT professor Stanley Kowalski is an introduction to classical mechanics.
21. The Sun: Get an in-depth look at the brightest star in our universe.

Math

Study math, from simple prices to calculus in these courses.

22. Linear Algebra: MIT professor Gilbert Strang discusses matrix theory and linear algebra.
23. Exploring Distance Time Graphs: Learn how to present mathematical information in graphs.
24. Differential Equations: MIT professors Arthur Mattuck and Haynes Miller present differential equations in this course.
25. An Introduction to Complex Numbers: In this course, you’ll take a look at complex numbers and learn how they’re defined.
26. Calculus I: Get an introduction to differential and integral calculus in this course.
27. Calculus II: This course is a continuation of Calculus I.
28. Calculus III: Follow the continuation of Calculus I and II in this course and learn about calculus of functions of several variables.
29. Prices: Take a look at a number of different ways to compare prices.
30. Single Variable Calculus: MIT’s Professor Jason Starr covers differation and integration of functions of one variable.
31. Systems of Differential Equations: Learn how a variety of situations can be modeled into linear differential equations.
32. Math Everywhere: Learn how to recognize math when you come across it.

Engineering & Computer Science

Learn about computer networks, electrical engineering, and more with these classess.

33. Circuits and Electronics: Get an introduction to the fundamentals of the lumped circuit abstraction from MIT’s Professor Anant Agarwal.
34. Network Security: Learn about the methods available for network security.
35. Science of Sound: This course covers 8 different aspects of sound.
36. Numerical Methods in Civil Engineering: In this course, you’ll find applications of approximation, interpolation, and more.
37. Protocols in Multi-Service Networks: Examine protocols in networks that interconnect devices for two-way communication.
38. Flash: Get familiarized with Macromedia Flash in this course.
39. Mathematical Methods for Engineers I: Check out math for engineers from MIT’s Professor Gilbert Strang.
40. Signals and Systems: Find out about systems realizations, Fourier transform, and more.
41. Computers and Computer Systems: This course discusses the computers we encounter in our daily lives.
42. Computer System Engineering: MIT professors Balakrishnan and Madden provide an overview of the engineering behind computer software and hardware systems.
43. Communications Systems I: This course covers analog communication, including the basic Fourier transform properties.
44. Fluid Mechanics: This course covers fluid properties, dynamics, flow, and more.
45. Information on the Web: Learn how to use the Internet as an information resource.
46. Microelectronic Devices and Circuits: Professor del Alamo of MIT covers devices, circuits and systems in this course.
47. Stochastic Processes: Get an introduction to stochastic processes, presented in communications, signal processing, and more.
48. Introducing ICT Systems: Learn about what ICT systems are and how they work.
49. Models and Modeling: This course discusses models and the modeling process.
50. Soil-based Hazardous Waste Management: Learn about the engineering management of hazardous waste in this course.
51. Introduction to Algorithms: Learn about the design, analysis, and methods of efficient algorithms from MIT professors Eric Demaine and Charles Leiserson.
52. Error Control Coding: Get an understanding of modern error control coding, with an emphasis on algebraic block coding.
53. Designing the User Interface: Discover how user interface design can create a user-friendly environment.
54. Uncertainty in Engineering Analysis: This course offers a study of probability and statistics for engineers.
55. Signals and Systems: This course from MIT discusses the fundamentals of signal and system analysis.
56. Accessibility in Interaction Design: Take a look at disabilities and understand how you can create a design that’s accessible to all.
57. Mathematics for Computer Science: MIT professors Meyer and Rubinfeld introduce discreme mathematics for computer science and engineering.
58. Biochemical Engineering: This course covers biochemical processes, thermodynamics, and kinetics.
59. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs: MIT professors Grimson, Darrell, and Szolovits offer an introduction to the principles of computation.
60. An Introduction to Data and Information: Learn how a computer processes data into information.
61. Information Theory: Explore the limits of the representation and transmission of information in this course.

Language, Arts & Design

Get in touch with your artistic side by learning French, studying poetry, and honing your dance skills.

62. Modern Poetry: This Yale poetry course with Professor Langdon Hammer discusses modern poetry, including Yeates, Pound and Frost.
63. French: En Ville: Learn basic French language skills that will help you find your way around a French town.
64. Three-Dimensional Modeling, Animation and Rendering Using Blender 3D Software: This course is an introduction to computer generated 3-D modeling and animation.
65. Beginning Latin: Grammar: Learn the ancient language of Latin in this course.
66. Finding Information in Modern Languages: Learn how to identify and use information in Modern Languages.
67. Introduction to Writing: Academic Prose: Learn how to write academic papers in this course.
68. Producing Films for Social Change: Learn about the basic principles of video journalism, with special attention paid to documentaries for social change.
69. Spanish: Espacios Publicos: This language course focuses on Spanish as a communication tool, as well as Hispanic culture.
70. First Year Chinese I: Get a basic understanding of Chinese speaking and written languages in this course.
71. First Year Chinese II: This course is a continuation of First Year Chinese II.
72. Dance Skills: Learn this expressive art form as a way to communicate through movement.
73. English Grammar in Context: Understand the complexities of English grammar with this course.
74. Studing the Arts and Humanities: Get an introduction to studying the arts and humanities, working on your learning skills.
75. Technology for Professional Writers: Develop technological skills that are needed for today’s writing industry with this course.
76. Understanding Theatre: Learn about the enjoyment of theatre as an art form as well as theatre’s application to daily life.
77. CALFNES Spanish: This Spanish course is deisnged for non-English speakers.
78. Nature and the Built Environment: This course discusses architecture as it relates to nature, now and in ancient cities.
79. Intermediate Writing: Research Writing in a Persuasive Mode: Develop critical skills for persuasive research writing with this course.
80. Classical Drama and Theatre: Take a look at ancient Greek and Roman theatre in this course.

II. Other Tools

Networking

The links below contain some common networks you may have heard of before. Advice: if you do not have an account with one of these sites, create one. Today.

81. LinkedIn: A business-oriented social networking site that allows you to search for the who’s who in your chosen profession.
82. MySpace: The pioneer of social media Web sites. College students seem to have migrated to Facebook, but MySpace is still a great place to find friends and listen to up-and-coming musicians. Also, it offers a customizable profile, which might appeal to left-brainers more than other networking options.
83. Facebook: Facebook is like an all-inclusive resort for college students, and its developers are always making improvements. For example, more than two million Facebook users are now part of the marketplace application, where students can buy, sell, and trade sports tickets, furniture, electronics, etc. Professors are also starting to join Facebook, making networking with them easier and more personal.
84. Twitter: Follow or be followed. This site mirrors the status application first seen on Facebook. Your Tweets are short updates about what you are doing, where you are going, or how you are feeling. After signing up, you can tweet online or via mobile phone by texting your status to 40404.
85. Ning: Ning (Chinese for peace) gives users the opportunity to create and manage their own network and design their own pages based on a particular interest or need.
86. Squidoo: Squidoo is a community Web site that allows users to create pages (called lenses) for subjects of interest. Squidoo is in the top 500 most visited sites in the world, and in the top 300 most viewed in the United States. It’s a good way to network with colleagues and professionals in your area of study.
87. Networking Assistant 1.0: Organize and manage your contacts without having to pay for a little black book, and it’s much easier than toting around a Rolodex.
88. Alumwire: A career network for college students and alumni.
89. Blogspot: Blogspot might require a little more effort than other networking sites, but it provides the unique opportunity to be heard while remaining anonymous. Read others’ blogs or establish one of your own. Better yet, do both.
90. Ologeez: A scholarly search site to learn, discuss, and connect with academics, professionals and colleagues.
91. Lalisio: Lalisio is the leading social knowledge network connecting people with knowledge of every kind.

Financial Aid

Although your college is dedicated to the betterment of society by means of university education, at some point, it’s all about the money. So when it comes to sending in that check, you’ll need all the help you can get, and these free resources can help you find the financial backing you need to keep your bank account alive.

92. FastWeb: Fast Web allows students to search for scholarships based on their year in college, interests, major and region. Not only can students search for scholarships for free, but Fast Web has loads of articles on financial aid, student life and internship opportunities.
93. Scholarship Experts: Scholarship Experts was named best scholarship search engine by Forbes in its Best of the Web Review. Fill out the required information and you’re on your way to finding a scholarship that fits your needs.
94. College Scholarships.org: College Scholarships.org has been helping students find money for college for free since 1999. The web site also has student loan and grant information available.
95. Scholarships.com: Search for over 2.7 million scholarships with Scholarships.com’s free search tool. Or students can create a profile and have matching scholarships and grants sent to them from the database.
96. Student Scholarship Search: Find scholarships based on keyword searches or take a look at this web site’s featured scholarship listings. Be sure to also download the free e-book, Scholarship Secrets.
97. BrokeScholar.com: Begin a free scholarship listing search by filling out a personal profile. Store potential scholarships in a folder for easy access.
98. Zinch.com: Find and win your scholarship on Zinch.com and they’ll match the funds you win. Good enough reason to search this website, right?
99. U.S. News and World Report: Paying for College: U.S. News and World Report will teach you how to make the most of each scholarship application and how to attend college on someone’s else’s dime.
100. Cappex.com: Cappex is a free scholarship and financial aid search tool. Create one profile with Cappex and you can apply for every scholarship for which you are eligible.
101. UPromise.com: UPromise is a great way to begin saving early for college expenses if you do a lot of online shopping. Check out the Web site’s articles on how to save and pay for college.

Part of the fun of being a college student is taking all kinds of weird and fun classes that you’d never dream of. But if you don’t have time to fit in all the crazy courses because you’re going to school part-time while juggling a job, or the most popular courses always seem to fill up before you can get a spot, you don’t have to feel like you’re missing out. These 100 fun and weird college courses are now available for free online. Culture and Society

These courses may teach you more about your neighbors than you ever cared to know.

1. Surviving When YOU’RE the Foreigner: Get tips on living and traveling abroad. [Texas A&M]
2. Magic, Witchcraft and the Spirit World: Take a look into the occult world of rituals, trances and magic. [MIT]
3. The Contemporary American Family: Find out how the American family is changing. [MIT]
4. Contemporary Biosocial Problems in America: This course examines behavioral genetics and the biological basis of sexuality and gender roles. [Tufts]
5. Olympic Insider: Learn about all of the global and local issues that impacted the Beijing 2008 Olympics. [Texas A&M]
6. Race and Identity in American Literature: Keepin’ It Real Fake: Learn about the dysfunctional relationship between race and American literature. [MIT]
7. Cultural Performances in Asia: Study the ways in which performers and the media display Asian culture. [MIT]
8. Foundations of American Cyberculture: Study identity, control and other aspects of cyberculture. [Berkeley]
9. New Ideas/Clash of Cultures: Discover how cultures clash over plans for development. [UC San Diego]
10. Economic Demography: Explore the relationship between economics and demographics. [UC Berkeley]
11. Topics in Indian Popular Culture: Spectacle, Masala and Genre: This fun course pulls from trends in Indian cinema, music, politics and art. [MIT]
12. Creole Language and Culture: Take a look at this unique, intriguing culture. [Notre Dame]
13. Japanese Popular Culture: Study Japanese fan culture, sports, films and more. [MIT]

Science and Environment

From kitchen chemistry to hands-on astronomy to the wonderful world of bubbles, these offbeat college classes will teach you about science, space and the Earth in unexpected ways.

14. Darwin’s Legacy: Study how Darwin’s discoveries are relevant today. [UC San Diego]
15. Physics of Rock Climbing: Attempt to solve climbing problems through the study of physics. [MIT]
16. Kitchen Chemistry: In Kitchen Chemistry, you’ll learn chemistry principles through cooking lessons. [MIT]
17. Nonlinear Dynamics I: Chaos: Learn the theory of chaos in this course. [MIT]
18. Introduction to Fluid Motions, Sediment Transport and Current-Generated Sedimentary Structures: Discover how sediment is transported in this course. [MIT]
19. Hands-On Astronomy: Study the stars and planets in this class. [MIT]
20. Building Earth-like Planets: Learn how planets are made when you study these course materials. [MIT]
21. Chemical Investigations of Boston Harbor: This highly specialized course will introduce you to ocean chemistry and more. [MIT]
22. The Amazing World of Bubbles: Learn about bubbles’ "ability to gather, focus and radiate energy." [Cal Tech]
23. Earthquakes in Your Backyard: Learn about the hazards of earthquakes and tsunamis. [Berkeley]
24. Primate Behavior: In this course, you’ll learn about "the social lives of nonhuman primates." [Notre Dame]

Technology and Engineering

Learn all about robots and other weird technology developments from these college courses.

25. History of the Compact Fluorescent Light: Get an in-depth look at the development of the compact fluorescent light. [UC Davis]
26. Technophobic and Asexual?: This class tries to find out why older adults are afraid of online romantic relationships. [Swinburne University of Technology]
27. Social Visualization: In this course, you’ll have fun visualizing the new, digital relationships of people. [MIT]
28. Lego Robotics: Learn how Lego products can be used in robotics experiments. [MIT]
29. GPS: Where are You?: This course teaches you how GPS systems work. [MIT]
30. Artificial Intelligence: Have fun exploring artificial intelligence theories and applications. [Dixie State College of Utah]
31. Sociable Robots: Learn about robots that can interact with other robot partners. [MIT]
32. Nuclear Warfare: This course examines the technological and moral side of nuclear warfare. [Notre Dame]
33. Human Beings and the Machines of Sunshine: This course examines how machines and our relationship with machines have taken a turn for the worse. [Rice]
34. Technology in a Dangerous World: Understand technology as it impacts current events, including terrorism. [MIT]
35. Personal Robots: Here you’ll learn about robots who can think for themselves. [MIT]
36. Technology and Change in Rural America: Understand how technology has shaped food production, farm practices and more. [MIT]
37. Technologies for Creative Learning: This course focuses on the new learning technologies that inspire creative development. [MIT]

Theatre, Music and Art

Have fun learning how to express yourself through the study of music, art and theatre.

38. Masks of Mexico: Discover the mystic imagery of Mexican masks. [University of Arizona]
39. Popular Narrative: Masterminds: Learn literary and storytelling techniques involving masterminds like detectives and murderers. [MIT]
40. The Creative Spark: Find out what drives creativity in this course. [MIT]
41. Picturing the Family: Learn how to preserve family photographs in this course. [The Open University]
42. Hip-Hop: Study hip-hop as a dance form in this course. [MIT]
43. Popular Musics of the World: Study the popular party music of the world, including reggae, bhangra and rave. [MIT]
44. Composing Your Life: This course can help you learn more about yourself through creative exploration. [MIT]
45. Playwrights’ Workshop: This course can help you develop your creative storytelling skills, even if you’re not studying to become a professional playwright. [MIT]

Media and Design

These courses can teach you about comedy, video games and even the allure of American soap operas.

46. Introduction to Comics: Learn about The Professor Garfield Foundation and comics as a learning tool. [Virginia Department of Education]
47. American Soap Operas: Find out what makes American soap operas so intense. [MIT]
48. Art of Color: Consider color as its own art. [MIT]
49. Topics in Comparative Media: American Pro Wrestling: Try to understand the American obsession of watching pro wrestling. [MIT]
50. Videogame Theory and Analysis: Here you can study the importance of video games as cultural indicators and learning tools. [MIT]
51. Nine Lessons Learned About Creativity at Google: Find out what makes the professionals at Google so innovative. [Stanford]

Psychology and Anthropology

Learn more about the human mind and human relationships from these classes.

52. Families and Couples: Find out the feelings and circumstances that lead to marital discord. [UCLA]
53. Explaining Consciousness: This course examines consciousness and imagination. [Open University]
54. The meaning of home: Study concepts like attachment, relocation and acceptance. [The Open University]
55. Photography and Truth: Learn how photographs honestly depict society. [MIT]
56. Gender Issues in Academics and Academia: Have you ever thought about how women and men are treated in academia? [MIT]
57. Social Ethics: This provocative course can help you identify motives and more. [Dixie State College of Utah]
58. The Anthropology of Sound: Here you can study how the different ways that humans perceive sound impacts the various audio technologies developed around the world. [MIT]
59. Sexuality, parenthood and population: Take this course to understand concepts like procreation, marriage and fertility. [The Open University]

Medicine and Wellness

Here you can learn about all the weird, and sometimes useful, medical and health studies, from nutrition on a budget to STIs.

60. Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology: Learn about stomach disorders in this class. [Tufts]
61. Disease and Society in America: Study "the causes of morbidity and mortality" in America as medicine becomes an obsession. [MIT]
62. STI Prevention: Here you’ll learn all about preventing STIs. [Johns Hopkins]
63. Critical Analysis of Popular Diets and Dietary Supplements: Take a closer look at fad diets here. [Johns Hopkins]
64. Global Tobacco Control: In this course, you’ll learn about tobacco surveillance. [Johns Hopkins]
65. Crime, Heredity and Insanity in America: This course examines crime in 19th century America. [Notre Dame]
66. Eat Well for Less: Have fun learning ways to eat better on a tiny budget. [Oregon State]
67. Introduction to Mental Health and Disaster Preparedness: Learn about psychiatric first aid. [Johns Hopkins]
68. Bacteriology: Learn all about bacteria in this course. [UC San Diego]
69. Vitamin Village: Learn all about healthy supplements from "The Vitamin Village." [University of Nottingham]
70. Dilemmas in Bio-Medical Ethics: Playing God or Doing Good?: Consider the controversies of abortion, cloning and more. [MIT]
71. Fundamentals of Clinical Trials: Here you’ll learn how to plan out a clinical trial and submit it to the FDA. [UC Irvine]

History and Politics

Uncover all of the twisted, creepy and awesome players who shaped history in these unconventional college courses.

72. Going Beyond Hip-Hop: History, Politics and Spirituality: Discover all the ways that hip hop has impacted history and culture [Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York]
73. Politics and Warfare: Here you’ll learn about the relationship between war and politics. [UC San Diego]
74. Advanced Topics: Plotting Terror in European Culture: Study Europe’s terrorism history, including topics like anarchism, the Red Brigade, and more. [MIT]
75. The Dark Ages: Discover why the Dark Ages are considered such an important, though mysterious, part of history. [UMass Boston]
76. Ancient Wisdom and Modern Love: This course examines the nature of erotic love in Shakespeare, Plato and Catholic literature. [Notre Dame]
77. Food and Power in the Twentieth Century: This course mixes history, political science and economics to explain how food and food technologies defines communities. [MIT]
78. The repute and reality of being a Roman emperor: Understand the daily duties of a Roman emperor like Augustus. [The Open University]
79. Monarchs, People and History: Here you’ll study the dynamics of the royal family and how monarchies evolve. [UMass Boston]
80. Science in the Scottish Enlightenment: You don’t always get the chance to study how the Enlightenment progressed in Scotland. Here you’ll learn how the economy, The Scottish Church and political structure shifted during the Enlightenment. [The Open University]
81. How to Stage a Revolution: Learn all about radical revolutions, coup d’etats and terror in this course. [MIT]
82. Downtown: Study the influence, evolution and character of U.S. downtown cities. [MIT]
83. Riots, Strikes and Conspiracies in American History: This class allows you study the American tradition of revolution and rioting. [MIT]

Innovation and the Future

These math, science and media courses attempt to predict the future.

84. The restless universe: This math and science course examines the laws of the universe and the future of science. [The Open University]
85. The Brain of the Future: Consider a future that moves from from "book culture" to "screen culture." [University of Nottingham]

Hobbies and Games

Learn fencing or sailing from a free online class.

86. Physical Intelligence: This course can guide you to explore the kinesthetic intelligence of your body. [MIT]
87. Fencing: Learn fencing techniques when you study this course. [MIT]
88. Improving aerobic fitness: Get tips for more effective exercise. [The Open University]
89. Sailing: Learn to sail as part of this course. [MIT]

Miscellaneous

Find even more random and weird courses in this list, from book clubs to spa management.

90. Child care: where we came from and where we’re going: Learn all about child care in Australia. [Swinburne University of Technology]
91. Case Studies in Terrorism Response: Study the protocol for responding to a terrorist attack. [Johns Hopkins]
92. Women’s Novels: A Weekly Book Club: This women’s literature class is set up like a casual book club. [MIT]
93. Horse Behavior and Welfare: This course will teach you how to take care of horses. [Michigan State]
94. White-Collar and Corporate Crime: This course can teach you about corporate crime and ethics. [UC Irvine]
95. Terrorism, Peace and Other Inconsistencies: Consider the modern day discourse on terrorism, suicide terrorism and peace. [Notre Dame]
96. How Silicon Valley Was Made: This course explores how Silicon Valley became such an important region of U.S. innovation, technology and economics. [Princeton]
97. Babylonian Mathematics: By studying Babylonian mathematics, you’ll gain an understanding of the evolution of knowledge, record keeping and economics. [The Open University]
98. Spa and Hospitality Operations: If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to run a spa, take this course. [UC Irvine]
99. Emotion: an introductory picture: Try to understand what drives emotions in this course. [The Open University]
100. Imagination: the missing mystery of philosophy: This course attempts to define imagination and supposition. [The Open University]

By Amber Hensley

The world is changing, as so are the ways that students learning. No longer are courses only offered on traditional subject matter, and taught in traditional methods. Predominately, humanity courses are on the forefront of using innovative methods and unorthodox subject matter to reach their students. The result has been the development of some rather unique and interesting college courses, which can be found in leading universities around the world. Following is a list of the 12 quirkiest college classes currently being offered in today’s universities.

Providence University – Porn Appreciation

As of the spring semester of 2009, the mass communications department at Providence University (Taiwan) now offers a course based on the appreciation of pornography. This class includes an assignment wherein students must give a 15-minute presentation analyzing the psychological reaction to a pornographic scene, from an academic perspective. This class was created with the intention of combining psychological theories with those of mass communication to better understand the pornography’s role in contemporary society. source

Occidental College – Stupidity

The ‘Stupidity’ course at Occidental was created to critically engage the field of psychology through the work of Nietzsche, Deleuze, and Ronell. The course description reads, “Stupidity, which has been evicted from the philosophical premises and dumbed down by psychometric psychology, has returned in the postmodern discourse against Nation, Self, and Truth and makes itself felt in political life ranging from the presidency to Beavis and Butthead.” Contrary to presupposition, students are required to undertake substantive reading to effectively participate in this course. source

Centre College – Myth and Science Fiction: Star Wars, The Matrix, and Lord of the Rings

Centre College now affords students the opportunity to pursue literature coursework in contemporary epic storytelling. Course creator, Professor Lee Patterson has decided to focus the course material on these contemporary stories because of their narratives. Molded after myths and legends conceived centuries ago, these movies of the eponymous course title have been translated into a style and format never imagined by their ancient precursors. This course also investigates the comparison of other epic stories, and contemporary narratives such as: Star Trek, Stargate, Dr. Who, The X-Files and Babylon 5. source

Oberlin College – Super Smash Brothers Melee Theory and Practice

Offered as a class through Oberlin’s psychical education department, this elective course teaches students, among other things, virtual combat techniques. Limited to game play via The Super Smash Brothers Melee for the Nintendo Game Cube, this course also serves as a platform to facilitate greater discussion. Through the duration of the course, students are expected to thoughtfully examine the correlation between, and involvement of, video games and society. Topics include: censorship, stereotyped characters, addiction, and gaming as an evolving art form. source

Brooklyn College – South Park and Political Correctness

This course was first developed in Fall 2008 by adjunct professor, Brian Dunphy. Professor Dunphy’s motive in this course is to train students to look beyond the physical humor and presumably crass storylines of this television show, and instead focus on the shows numerous underlying social agendas. Using communication theory to dissect the allegorically subject matter, this course encourages students to explore the relation of humor and mass communication in persuasive political arguments. source

Vanderbilt University – Worlds of Wordcraft

The English and Information Technology departments at Vanderbilt University have collaborated to create a unique classroom experience for its students. This course bridges classic literary theory with the new digital, interactive form of storytelling. Enrolled students are required to subscribe to, and participate in online roll-playing games, to compare the interactive story arcs with related narrative forms from literature and film. source

University of Alaska, Fairbanks – Beginning Pistol Marksmanship

This class is offered for one unit of physical education credit, and is aimed at advancing a student’s knowledge and skills necessary in safely owning and operating a pistol. An interesting component of this class is that it may be used to facilitate students’ progress through The NRA Marksmanship Program. Presently, this course is one of the most popular of those offered by the school’s Department of Physical Education. source

University of North Carolina at Greensboro – Alien Microeconomics

Shirking traditionally pedagogy, students enrolled in this web-based course are required to play an alien-themed video game to learn the course curriculum. According to course creator Professor Jeff Sarbum, this enables students to become immersed in the game’s storyline. As a result, students are taught microeconomics in way such that the reading material, examinations and homework are built in as the game itself. To successfully complete the course, the student’s characters are required to complete a number of interactive tasks, and consequently “beat” the game. source

Pitzer College – Learning from You Tube

This course is based on the predictions of the radical media theorists of the early 20th century. Specifically, this course analyzes the growing democratization of media production and distribution. Pitzer’s media studies department have selected YouTube as a case study, in order that students may understand the current trends in new media, and discuss its role in society. Important questions discussed in this course are: “What is society reflecting in YouTube?” and, “What can society learn from this reflection?” source

Mount Holyoke College – Whiteness and the Construction of Identity

This course at Mount Holyoke College is aimed at understanding the role that white culture has played in the social, political, and economic history during past four centuries. This course also covers issues such as historical, race-based injustices and inequality, as well as the role of racial identity in contemporary America. Required reading in this course includes a book by Dalton Conley entitled “Honky.” This book explores the author’s own upbringing in a minority neighborhood and his realization of racial injustices. source

University of California, Berkley – The Strategy of StarCraft

Berkley’s course on Starcraft has received a lot of media attention, and is used to teach students, among other things, war strategy. Requisite reading for this course include “The Art of War,” by Sun Tzu, and “Crazy as Me,” by Lim Ho Hwan. This course is offered through Berkley’s Hass School of Business in hopes of teaching students military theory, as visualized through video games. Lectures for this course include military and strategic theory as well as the practical aspects of conducting war in the game’s interface. source

University of Illinois, Urbana – Oprah Winfrey, the Tycoon

This unorthodox history class is devoted to studying the historical significance of Oprah Winfrey. Conceived by professor Juliet E. K. Walker students in this course are instructed on the media mogul’s rise to prominence. Topics includes: her humble beginnings, her early days as a local TV anchor, and her rise to owner of one of the world’s largest production companies, Harpo Productions, Inc. This course was first offered in 2001, and for the inaugural class, all fourteen students mailed their twenty page term papers to Oprah to have her read them. source