Totally Random (But Great!) Classes to Consider for Fall 2014
By Billy
With Winter 2014 classes wrapping up, many returning students will be drafting potential schedules for the fall. If you’re like me, you’ll likely change your mind and make last minutes substitutions. But to help you make an informed decision, here’s a brief sample of the intriguing classes being offered in September. (Keep in mind that I’m in Arts… so these are a few of the classes that I’m currently eyeing.)
ENGL 380: Canadian Literature and Culture: Reading the Local
Prerequisites: Two 3-credit junior English courses
Edmonton’s pretty cool. And if you’ve been around for the last year, you’ll know that the rest of the city thinks so too (see #makesomethingyeg). But if you still need some convincing, this third-year English class will examine the representation of Edmonton as a complex geopolitical urban centre within literary works written by #yeg authors themselves, including Todd Babiak’s The Garneau Block.
MLCS 475: X-Rated: Sex on Screen
Prerequisites: None
This isn’t high school anymore; you can totally talk about sex in the classroom. This course attempts to critically analyze the portrayal of sex acts on the big screen, in television, and through video along with its associated censorship and its relation to political ideology, education, pornography, and issues of race, gender, and class. You’ll likely engage in heated debates over this contentious topic, but it definitely seems like a one-of-a-kind academic experience.
C LIT 358: Great Themes of Literature and Art: Apocalypse Forever
Prerequisites: None
Zombies have come to dominate popular culture. And along with their pervasive representation, discourses on the apocalypse and post-apocalyptic societies have entered the foreground of fan and academic cultures alike. This course will examine this phenomenon within the literary realm since the end of the Second World War. Students will examine iconic works along with themes regarding climate change and epidemics to identify the underlying concerns associated with apocalyptic writing.
PSYCO 305: Special Topics in Psychology I: Psychology of Meditation
Prerequisites: PSYCO 104 or SCI 100, and PSYCO 105
Meditation has vibrant historical origins and it continues to be a salient aspect of contemporary yoga culture, religion, and the ‘80’s throwback movement to do as Frankie says and just “relax.” This class promises to complicate meditation in order to understand its psychological implications, how it works, and its potential benefits, among other topics. According to the course description, students are also required to engage with the mediation experience and provide personal reflections. If you’re into experimental courses and teaching methods, this course should be on your fall schedule.
FS 309: Quebec Film
Prerequisite: FS 100
How often do you get the chance to watch films made in Quebec? Show some Alberta love to eastern Canada and learn about Quebec history and film aesthetics/developments since the 1930s. Who knows, you might also learn some French along the way.
HIST 121: Topics in Global History: Drugs in Modern History
Prerequisites: None
A course devoted to the socio-cultural history of criminalized drugs such as marijuana and cocaine? Why not? Drugs carry significant weight in modern politics and continue to have a recurring role in the media; this course will contextualize this trend by examining the attempts to fight drug production and consumption, drug wars, and race, class, and gender within drug cultures during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
This is only a small sample, so comment below and let us know which cool classes you’re taking in the fall semester!
