<p>There is?</p>
<p>sseamom, I recently took a class in Adolescent Literature for my teaching certification - because back when I originally went to college, I swear there wasn’t a field called “Adolescent Literature.” (Okay, maybe we had “Little Women,” “The Outsiders,” and “A Wrinkle in Time,” but that was about it.) I thought it was going to be a blow-off class, but it was amazing!</p>
<p>I am not helicoptering, since I did not tell my student " oh my God, you can’t take that, here’s what you have to take or we won’t pay". Seriously, that’s nuts. Just wondered if anyone else ever rolls their eyes at what constitutes a class. Not saying it’s a crisis. Jusssst wondering. I can see we all have fond memories of classes our parents probably rolled their eyes at. fwiw, mine has already taken quite a scope of interesting classes (I am not a bad mom! honest!) . This is my first eyeroller.</p>
<p>Class is part of a series highlighting artists of the millenials. Again, this is webbased and not subject to lively debates about culture, sociology, and history. Just listening to tunes, choosing the favorites, “assessing the impacts.” I suspect this counts as an arts req for those who hate music (!) as much as mine hates math. </p>
<p>My kid took “Listening to Music” last year because he thought it was going to be an easy class (he is done with his major/minor & GEC requirements) but he ended up dropping it because it was so time consuming. He was spending hours in the library listening to one movement over and over and over (I guess to dissect it or something.) </p>
<p>His fluff class this semester is “Logic.” I haven’t asked him how it’s going, but I am hoping it’s not too taxing as he is working incredibly longs hours every day on his thesis. </p>
<p>Eons ago the courses changed as I was an incoming freshman and all of a sudden the course selection included “Human Sexuality” as a required course ( or “Power and Violence” or some feminist course (I don’t remember the title) to count for a humanities credit.
I couldn’t imagine ANY scenario informing my parents they would actually be paying for that. Through a bizarre yet wonderful series of replacement --and more than one GC (it was easy at the time to hop,skip and jump)–my Calculus class was accepted in its place. HS had taken the place of a logic course requirement which had taken the place of a calculus requirement–Voila!</p>
<p>That all said–I probably would have gotten some good out of the classes. But I was on a short schedule academic-wise for my major. I powered through school which was tough but worth it economic-wise. No regrets. I didn’t have time for “fluff” in my schedule. And happy nobody required it for graduation and admittance to my profession.</p>
<p>I took Women in Western European History, which sounds a little blow-offy, and it was fabulous (and rigorous). </p>
<p>“There is?”</p>
<p>Yes, because I would kick Justin Bieber out of bed for eating crackers. </p>
<p>My kid took a “Women and Religion” course. She said it was one of the best courses she took!</p>
<p>Old enuf to eat crackers?</p>
<p>But “Human Sexuality” was the most popular course at my undergrad school! It definitely wasn’t’ required, but the it filled a huge lecture hall packed to the gills, and my boyfriend and I considered ourselves quite fortunate to get a spot in the class our freshman year. (Back in those days, motivated freshman used to camp out in front of the administration building the night before course enrollment started, just so that we would get a chance to sign up for the courses we wanted)… </p>
<p>I took a course called “Dinosaurs and Other Failures” to meet a science requirement in college in the 70’s. The title is all I remember from the class, but I didn’t have any courses I didn’t like in undergrad, so it must have been OK. My parents never once saw any of my transcripts, but I’m sure they wouldn’t have cared what I was taking.</p>
<p>sseamom, at my university (I suspect it’s the same one), one of the most popular freshman classes was “Kiddie Lit” as it was affectionately known. Many of my friends took it, not because it was easy but it had the reputation on campus for being a really wonderful, engaging, broadening class. In fact, I came to regret that I didn’t take it. I suspect it would have influenced my later life more than Architecture Overview for Non-Majors (which I did enjoy). And I’m 100% certain it would have been more useful to my later life than Precalculus has been.</p>
<p>OP – look at it this way. What you’re paying for is a degree, not individual classes. If the class he’s taking will move him closer to that goal, then why not? </p>
<p>I have no problem with students taking an easy “fluff” class once or twice during a rigorous 4 years. Are they not allowed any fun at all, or any break from the grind? </p>
<p>I actually made a point of taking one fun or easy course each quarter as an undergrad – it was a good strategy for balancing my work load (3 academically focused classes + one fun class). I graduated 40 years ago. I only remember two or three of the serious courses – but I pretty much remember everything that was covered in the fun, “fluff” courses. Certainly my life was enriched by those experiences – most of those were courses in the arts and certainly were worthwhile in hindsight. </p>
<p>Wabash has insane topics for their Freshman Tutorials. On the surface, they look like fluff courses. In reality, they are brilliant ways to get the young men to think critically, research, write papers, etc. My DS studied the Art and History of Videogames. Another class examined Zombies in art and Literature. Another group took a class on Baseball. What may seem fluffy ceases to feel that way when multiple essays, presentations and learning assignments are loaded on. Studying the cultural phenomenon of Beyonce could easily teach the same skills with more enthusiasm than the same analysis of Proust. </p>
<p>Professors want you to take their classes, so sometimes they put a “sexy” title on the course. </p>
<p>Like you could have “Arguing with Judge Judy: Popular ‘Logic’ on TV Judge Shows:” that is really about Logic or Rhetouric.</p>
<p>UConn, LasMa ? I was there in the late 70’s-early 80’s. That class with Margaret Hamilton remains one of my most memorable moments anywhere. Hearing her do “I’ll get you my pretty…” was so much fun. I can’t remember the prof’s name at all, but I sure do remember that class.</p>
<p>My partner and I both took this course the first year it was offered: <a href=“http://zombie.msu.edu/”>http://zombie.msu.edu/</a> Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse. </p>
<p>It was a course that looked at how humans react to disasters. It was a wonderful blend of anthropology, sociology, psychology, social work, etc. </p>
<p>Even my top Public Health masters program offers things like this: <a href=“http://sph.umich.edu/zombie/”>http://sph.umich.edu/zombie/</a> People refer to the course as “the Zombie course” and it wouldn’t surprise me that becomes the official name in the next few years. </p>
<p>Green button, I know a PhD candidate at Harvard who is doing his work on popular culture. In fact, he never misses “The Bachelor.” He would find this class interesting.</p>
<p>Also, I have to put in a word for online classes. You cannot hide in an online class. There is a lot more discussion than in a regular class, and the discussion is, of course, written. Coincidentally, I happen to have taken an online course on popular culture in the US a few years back and it was great, really challenging and also fun.</p>
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<p>Were dinosaurs really failures, since one of their lineages is still flying around today?</p>
<p>Some courses have sexy title but that’s about it. Could be really deceiving as one of my kids found out. The title is something about Love and something but it was dry as toast. She was hoping something more romantic.</p>