Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Education and WTF?

I was pointed to this news article today at http://www.msn.com/.

University Undead? Students Study Zombies in New Course.

The payoff is farther down the article when they give examples of other courses offered by universities around the country.

And in a larger context, Blumberg’s zombie class aligns well with a spate of other offbeat courses at universities across the country. At Georgetown University, students have the option of enrolling in the “Philosophy and Star Trek” course. Students at Bowdoin College in Maine can take classes called “The Souls of Animals” and “Tolkien’s Middle Ages.”

In 2007, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s comparative media studies program began offering a course titled “American Pro Wrestling.” The same department also offered a course in 2008 exploring American soap operas.
Srsly?!?! They get to study the philosophy of Star Trek? Soap Operas? Don't get me wrong, I will admit to spending more than one night of my geekdom on Star Trek. But I did it for the sheer enjoyment of it and not for college credit. I think that was very magnanimous of me.

Hey, I've got some ideas for college classes. How about....

Your life and Reality.
Determining Relevance to Life
What color is the sky in your world?

or for Masters Level work

You know all those stupid courses on Oprah and Soap Operas you took? They won't help you now.

4 comments:

bluesun said...

All my classes have names like: "Aerospace Propulsion," and "Introduction to Structural Engineering." Of course, the liberal arts department here has like one faculty member...

I will say that there doesn't seem to be much in the way of any real "practical engineering" courses, they all seem to be more theoretical.

Old NFO said...

And the sad part is parents are paying for it...

Lissa said...

If Zombie Class required mandatory firearms training -- how else you gonna kill 'em when the Outbreak starts? -- I'd be a fan!

JC said...

Actually, Tolkein was a scholar well known for his work in Anglo Saxon and Middle English Lit. It's a great way to get kids who know Middle Earth from th emoviers into serious archaic literature.