Exploring College Courses

Did you know that colleges offer different courses, depending on the research interests of the faculty? When I was planning to go to college, one of my favorite things to do was to shop around the course listings of different colleges.

And college courses aren’t boring! You may be surprised to discover how different college courses are from the classes you take in high school. In high school, students typically take core courses, or basic courses in things like literature, history, and math, that give you a broad overview of the genre.

In college, professors are able to zero in on very specific areas and offer really interesting courses on fascinating topics. Here are two examples, taken from college catalogs:

From Harvard University: Bodily Functions: Histories of Bare Life and Bio-Power
"This course will expose students to challenging and influential scholarship on the history of human being. The reading combines an emphasis on social theory - Marxism, Cultural Anthropology, Post-modernism, Feminism, etc. - and on historical topics of central importance - the history of the senses, labor, torture, starvation, racism, colonialism, sexuality, etc."

From Princeton University: The Making of Modern Baseball
"Modern baseball is a complex game, an international business, and a social and cultural touchstone. Combining a close study of the game’s past with a thorough analysis of its present, this seminar will examine the hows and whys of baseball’s evolution into the sport and industry it has become today. Central topics will include race and ethnicity (the breaking of the color line), labor and economics (free agency), globalization (the rise of the international game), geography (expansion and franchise relocation), architecture and public policy (stadium design and funding), as well as community and culture."

These don’t sound like the classes you took in high school, do they? When you’re shopping around for a college, it is a good idea to browse the college catalogs to find courses that really interest you. It is fascinating to see what’s out there!