If you think that English students are just learning the classics, and theater students are just performing Shakespeare? Think twice.
College courses have come a long way. From belly dancing to scuba diving, there are more unusual options that University of Delaware and Delaware State University students have nowadays when it comes to filling their class schedules.
University of Delaware
1. From the Cow to the Cone: The Science and Business of Ice Cream
Students at UD can now learn how their delicious campus creamery, UDairy, makes its delicious frozen treats. Along with learning about the science and production of ice cream, students develop their own custom creation as their final project and do blind ice cream taste tests.
2. The Art of happiness
Students examine how they can improve their happiness, health and quality of life — that is, through a series of weekly assignments.
3. Harry Potter’s Literary World
As students embark on their journey through college, they can follow Harry’s journey through Hogwarts in an English class that follows the 7-book series. Students can read their favorite childhood books but look deeper into the series’ themes and motifs.
4. Beverage management
Only students ages 21 or older can take this course that focuses on the legal, financial and social issues surrounding alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. The students’ fake IDs will not likely work to get them into this exclusive class.
5. Healthcare Communication
An unlikely collaboration between nursing and theater students comes to life in this atypical course. Theater students use improvisation and acting to create mock real life scenarios that the nursing students will then react to.
6. Scuba
Much like you need a license to drive, you need a certification to scuba. With this course, students will not only leave UD with a degree, but also with a scuba certification after a series of scuba lessons.
7. The Art of Chinese Calligraphy
As other students sit in the student center to complete their homework on their laptops, students in this course can take out their ink and brushes to do their homework: Chinese calligraphy. Students learn the evolution of Chinese characters, the aesthetics of Chinese calligraphy and other basics of Chinese painting.
8. Swine Production
Honors students studying animal science get “hands-on-experience” in UD’s animal science lab as they study the ins-and-outs of proper swine nutrition, housing, health, management and… reproduction.
9. History of the Future
What did past generations think the world would look like right now? Students will study cultural perspectives covering everything from feats of engineering to comic books.
Delaware State University
10. Belly Dance
In between their more traditional courses, Del State students can let loose with a belly dancing class. The course offers four different levels — beginners, oriental, drum solo and veil — and claims to help improve students’ posture and muscle toning.
11. Principles of Weed Science
In a course with a bit of a misleading name given the type of “weed” that is most often on college students’ minds, this course studies the type of weeds that overtake a garden or farm. Students learn how to control and eliminate these unwanted plants.
12. Forensic Death Investigation
In this grim course, students explore the field of death investigation and the steps to determine the cause and manner of death. The material studied will help prepare students to take the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators certification exam.
13. Ethical Hacking
This course teaches students “subtle skills in cyber security” and how to combat cyber attacks … ethically, that is.
14. Typewriting
Despite many students nowadays growing up with keyboards, Del State offers a course that is “devoted to achieving mastery of the keyboard and development of speed and accuracy in the manipulation of the machine.”
15. Casino Operations Management
Want to learn how to manage and operate slots, table games, sports betting, car and horse racing, and more? This covers all of those areas theoretically, technically and financially for all those aspiring for a career in the casinos.
16. Personality
What makes who we are, who we are? Del State students will investigate this question in this course through theories of personality and the assessment of personality.
17. Foundations of Horsemanship
Students can now fulfill their childhood dreams of horse riding in this Del State course, where they will learn handling, grooming, saddling, bridling, mounting and basic riding skills.
