UCSD college campus.
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Strangest College Degrees and Classes of the 21st Century

Leave it to the brick and mortar universities to find ever more effective ways to waste your time and money. Here are some of the strangest classes that you can take, along with their real life applications. These are classes that waste your time and cost you money, you will not find these types of classes at University of Phoenix Online.

The Art of Walking; Centre College Danville, KY

If a friend or family member is struggling with an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, very seldom will they be able to overcome this on their own.
Image By: Lauren Weinhold Creative Commons

Okay, the idea behind this class is laudable. Professor Ken Keffer wants to revive the lost art of walking in today’s culture. According to Keffer, the modern world has all but destroyed the benefits of walking. Two points for trying to do something about America’s expanding waistlines, but do you really want this on your resume?

Real life application: Dog walking pays pretty good, and it keeps you shape.

Learning from YouTube; Pitzer College

At the other end of the scale, Pitzer College looks to the future when YouTube will be the source of all knowledge. Students examine the learning opportunities afforded by YouTube.

Real life application: Paid pharmaceutical test subject.

If a friend or family member is struggling with an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, very seldom will they be able to overcome this on their own.
Image By: Ian Wilson Creative Commons

Sex, Rugs, Salt and Coal; Cornell University

This course is a grab bag of trivia topics that shift from year to year, thus ensuring its utility for generations.

Real life application: Jeopardy contestant.

If a friend or family member is struggling with an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, very seldom will they be able to overcome this on their own.
Image By: Michael Condouris Creative Commons

The American Vacation; University of Iowa

Examines the history and practice of vacations, and how a student’s vacation experiences shape their thinking.

Real life application: travel agent, provided you took other, useful courses like finance, marketing and accounting.

If a friend or family member is struggling with an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, very seldom will they be able to overcome this on their own.
Image By: Janet McKnight Creative Commons

The Adultery Novel; University of Pennsylvania

The class is an in-depth examination of novels and films that feature adultery. Students use various critical approaches to discover the meaning of adultery in context.


Image By: Janet McKnight Creative Commons

Real life application: This literature class at the University of Pennsylvania prepares students for an exciting career in, uh, adultery.

Feel the Force: How to Train the Jedi Way; Queen’s University, Belfast, Ireland

This course teaches you how the imaginary issues from the Star Wars movies­like destiny and the Force–relate to the real world issues of paying the bills. No, you don’t learn how to yield a lightsaber, and you don’t learn how to yodel like a Wookie.

Real life application: “I am not the applicant you are looking for.”

If a friend or family member is struggling with an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, very seldom will they be able to overcome this on their own.
Image By: Official Star Wars Blog Creative Commons

Daytime Serials: Family and Social Roles; University of Wisconsin

It took a brick and mortar college to lead the way into the educational void surrounding daytime soap operas. This offering from the University of Wisconsin asks students to follow the convoluted lives of soap opera characters.

Real life application: unpaid celebrity blogger.

If a friend or family member is struggling with an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, very seldom will they be able to overcome this on their own.
Image By: Sergio Savaman Savarese Creative Commons

Star Trek and Religion; Indiana University

What is it with hokey religions from movies and TV shows? What’s next, the teleology of The A-Team? Like the goofy Jedi course offered in Ireland, students relate real life religious issues to the Vulcan nerve pinch.

Real life application: public access cable talk show host.

Emotional Intelligence Course at University of Phoenix

Ever make a poor decision based on emotions? Maybe some moments you would rather elect to forget. University of Phoenix offers classes to help manage emotional decisions and give you strategies for approaching complicated situations so you don’t wind up being labeled a “Britney Spears” or an “Amy Winehouse”. This is keeping up with their motto of not wasting your time. Time is valuable and courses like this make much more sense than ones on how to be a jedi or an adulterer!
Earn an accredited degree and get up-to-date skills for teh real world. Get more info on studying online or on campus at the University of Phoenix now!

This entry was posted on Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 7:46 am and is filed under College Classes. You can leave a comment and follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

5 Comments Leave a comment

  1. Michael said:

    Jan. 16, 2009

    While most of these are ridiculous, some have legitimate educational merit. In particular, the courses that incorporate popular culture help students connect to material in new and interesting ways–ways that tie into their daily lives and help ease the learning of complex subjects and concepts.

  2. fishbwoy said:

    Jan. 16, 2009

    I’m a lecturer at Queen’s Belfast, and have just spilt my beer after seeing that we are offering such challenging workshops (it isn’t a formal course). But there again. I’m a scientist, so I was born snarky

  3. usd6 said:

    Jan. 17, 2009

    Some targeted more and more choices of courses they are useful, thank you!

  4. Caterina Pryde said:

    Jan. 17, 2009

    Well, there we go, it’s not a credit course, it’s a workshop for fun. That makes more sense.

  5. biker dude said:

    Jan. 19, 2009

    these degrees are another way of taking peoples money and giving them an education that is worth nothing

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