Top 9 elective courses
Because I couldn’t find 10 (School sucks)
MELISSA HIEBERT STAFF
Like most university students, I get bored easily. I mean, who wants to sit through hours and hours of “multivariable calculus,” or “an introduction to nonparametric statistics,” when there are so many interesting courses lurking in the dark corners of the university course catalogue? So, if you’re in need of some electives but would rather take a course you might actually enjoy for a change, here are a few options.
FA 1020 — Mathematics in art. We all have to earn our three credit hours of mathematics at some point or another in our university career, and what better way to do it than with math in art? If only I would have known about this math course before I took first-year calculus, I could have spent my class time staring at Escher paintings instead of, well, not attending.
ANTH 2230 — Anthropology of travel and tourism. Students love to travel, and let’s face it; we will take any chance we get to regale anyone and everyone who will listen with our long-winded travel stories. Why not combine the two and put it to good use for a credit? Designed to open one’s eyes to the unspoken and overlooked realities of travel and to get students to think more critically about their experiences, after this class I guarantee you will never view travelling the same way again.
ENVR 4000 — Shaking the tree: Activism, change, and environment. New this year, this class is a highly participatory class focusing on social and environmental issues. Based on a consensus decision-making model, students alongside the professor discuss what material they want to cover, take turns facilitating lecture sessions, and also decide on the general mechanics of the class in terms of when and where it is held, what projects will be included, and how the marks will be distributed. The class is also wide open to all members of the community who do not want to (or can’t afford to) take the class for credit.
STDO 1260 — Drawing for non-majors. A.k.a. “Doodling 101.” As far as I know this course is only offered in the summer, so if you’re not a fine arts major and you want to spend your summer sitting in the sun and playing “artist” without cluttering up your regular term session, this course is perfect.
Anything PHED — Did you know that you can get a credit for playing intramural volleyball, rock climbing, and doing yoga? They don’t tell you that one in orientation, because everyone would be doing it! The department offers several one-credit hour courses for those looking to boost their fitness level and their GPA.
PHYS 1830 — Perspective on the universe. Are you one of those crazy alien conspiracy theorists a.k.a. a scientologist? This may be the course for you. Discussing things such as life on other planets and popular astronomy topics in the news will definitely give you more fuel to ramble on about how the aliens are spying on you and are trying to destroy the planet one city at a time. Or maybe that was Independence Day . . .
BOTN 3280 — Medicinal and hallucinogenic plants. The name says it all. With topic headings like “Cocaine” and “Amphetamines,” all the famous drugs coupled with a few that you’ve never heard of before (but will be sure to check out) are listed. A combination of traditional medicinal remedies combined with cultural shamanistic substances, this is one class that any “self-medicator” should not miss.
Travel study — various. Why not spend your summer travelling and earning credits as well? The U of M offers a number of travel/study courses, that will take you everywhere from New York to Reykjavik. Since you're paying for courses anyway, you might as well make the most of it and get a trip out of it too.
RLGN 1410 — Death and concepts of the future. Take this course with intro to film studies and the aforementioned BOTN 3280 and you’ll be ready for an interdisciplinary degree in “being Jim Morrison.”
