Springing into quirky courses
ASU offers classes for a wide range of interests as new semester gets under way
A new semester means a new crop of interesting courses at Arizona State University.
Perhaps that (bad) romance novel you received as a white elephant gift leads you to Arthurian Knights and Ladies (ENG 320) or Bad Romance Edges Glory Lady Gaga: Ideology of Otherness (ENG 394). Or maybe those many family holiday get-togethers have you contemplating God and the Problem of Suffering (MAS 598) or — if your holiday meals are of the less dramatic type — Philosophy of Happiness (PHI 326).
Spring is full of commemorative months. In time for Women’s History Month in March, students can learn about the Gender, Science and Technology (WST 340) or attend a women’s studies course like Desperate Housewives (WSTWST stands for Women’s Studies, by the way, not Wisteria Lane. 374) and learn about the visualization of housewives in popular culture — not just on Wisteria Lane. Students can also double-down on American culture, history and society with American Style (AMS 201).
More of a mad-scientist type? Other ASU courses cater to STEMSTEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math students, such as Design of Aerospace Structures (AEE 426) and Space Vehicle Dynamics/Control (AEE 462) or the Essentials of Astrobiology: Exploration for Life in the Universe (SES 311). While Ecology and Natural History of the Sonoran Desert (SCN 301) will prepare students ahead of the springtime blooming season, maybe their interest lies less in flora and more in fauna, with such courses as the HoneyBee Biology and Apiculture (BIO 494) and Equine Therapy (PRM 494).
Many students are unaware that language tracks at ASU focus on culture as much as language. Fans of the movie “300” can get a more in-depth understanding of Greece and Rome at War (GRK 360). Students can learn more about Rumpelstiltskin and the Frog Prince in the German course Fairy Tales (GER 441). They can learn about such cultural topics as gosa, an offering to spirits, in Korean Culture and Society (KOR 250), or explore the Arabic course Quran Text and Women (ARB 341).
And while a bit dark, students can prepare themselves for the far future with Death and Dying – Cross Cultural Perspective (ASB 353) as they prepare themselves for life after graduation.
These classes fit into the more than 300 academic programs and majors offered within the ASU knowledge enterprise. They are intellectually rigorous takes on a diverse array of topics that can help to develop the thinking skills that create adaptable master learners — and make learning a lot of fun.
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Students in ASU's Gender, Science and Technology (WST 340) course may learn about the epic Marie Curie, a physicist and chemist who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, sharing the prize with her husband, Pierre (pictured), in 1903. (She won a second Nobel Prize in 1911.) Their daughter, Irene, followed in the family footsteps, winning the Novel Prize with her husband in 1935.
Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections
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Desperate Housewives (WST 374) explores the visualization of housewives in popular culture — which has certainly changed over the years, as seen in this image of the "little housewife" as played by an American actress at the turn of the previous century.
Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections
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Those interested in expanding the boundaries of their world can attend Essentials of Astrobiology: Exploration for Life in the Universe (SES 311) and marvel at how far we've come. On the back of this vintage cigarette card, it reads, "Space ships are still largely in the realm of the imagination ... "
Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections
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Arizona newbies may decide to take the Ecology and Natural History of the Sonoran Desert (SCN 301) to familiarize themselves with desert flora in time for spring hikes. This postcard image of Arizona from the turn of previous century shows off a cactus in bloom, a strange sight for East Coast eyes at the time.
Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections
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For those who like dark twists in their classic fairy tales, Fairy Tales (GER 441) will teach you about the original German fairy tales such as Cinderella and its similar — yet more disturbing — story line.
Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections
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Oscar Wilde once said, "The first thing that struck me on landing in America was that, if the Americans are not the most well-dressed people in the world, they are the most comfortably dressed." Students can learn more about American Style (AMS 201) — though the emphasis will be more on culture and less on couture. (Pictured: A 101-year-old ad for Phoenix Silk Hose.)
Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections
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Students may find the hands-on experience in therapy they need while learning about Equine Therapy (PRM 494). This cigarette card image shows an American saddle horse and lists every breed of well-known horse on the back.
Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections
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Some students might be drawn to the intrigue of Arthurian Knights and Ladies (ENG 320) and also might enjoy this 1943 image of Sir Kay and Queen Morgan in the 1943 revival of "A Connecticut Yankee (in King Arthur's Court)."
Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections
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