So apparently, that class on biochemical engineering you picked up suddenly isn’t quite so appealing now that you’ve bought the five oversized textbooks for it and gone to the first lecture… that starts at the oh-so-happy hour of 8 a.m., which means it’s time to start looking for a new elective! But which one? Of course, you want something interesting, but if you’re feeling the less traditional route, MU offers quite a few odd classes with some very unconventional names. Geography of Cemeteries, anyone? What about Ornamental Woody Plants?
After a “quick” look through the unnecessarily long course catalog, here are five of the most obscure, or at least peculiarly named, classes here at MU.
Harry Potter, Magic, and Religion – Who knew that when you were sitting up at night reading about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, you were actually learning a lesson on religion? Well, sort of. The class actually compares themes in the Harry Potter books to themes in more traditional mythology. For example: light and dark, good vs. evil, heroism, and all those other characteristics you’ll find in older texts, only applied to a more modern series that even the least bookish of people actually read. And the good news is, professor Signe Cohen says students actually like it!
Ornamental Woody Plants – Professor Chris Starbuck says in this particular class, some students “get totally obsessed with learning plant names and really love the class.” And basically, that’s what this class is, so be prepared to memorize. A lot. Which isn’t usually up the typical college student’s alley, but if you can power through that, then you get to say you’re in a class called Ornamental Woody Plants, and probably know an unnecessary amount them. Never be stumped identifying plants again!
Livestock Judging – Coming from a fairly urban area, seeing a class called “livestock judging” seems totally bizarre. Naturally, though, the class is about judging the quality of all different kinds of animals, as well as learning why one particular animal might place better than another one in a livestock competition. Yeah, that’s a thing. I’m sure the class is wonderful if that’s what you’re into, but for everyone else, can you say, “College is a time of experimentation”?
The Science of Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll – This one already sounds like wild fun! And basically, the name is exactly what it’s about. So, kudos to the School of Medicine for not making yet another class with a boring name. After all, The Science of the Effects of Reproduction, Harmful Toxins, and Sound doesn’t have quite the same catchy ring to it. Plus it’s quite a mouthful too.
Geography of Cemeteries – Sadly, this class is not offered this fall, but there is some hope for it to be picked up again soon. Plus, it counts as writing intensive. As I’m sure you may have guessed, in this class you go out and map… yep, cemeteries. Morbid, isn’t it? Actually, no. According to the class website, cemeteries are actually fountains of information for learning about culture and relationships. Still though, cemeteries? Whatever it takes to get students interested.
So go drop that boring class and judge some livestock, get “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” as a textbook and map a cemetery. The learning part of school can actually be fun, if you know where to look and you aren’t afraid to try something slightly silly and very, very odd.
