College is a place for the broadening of horizons. Most young adults who enter college have no idea which career is right for them. To help cater to these young adults, many colleges have really branched out in their course offerings to prove that there are jobs available in literally every field imaginable, even if there’s only one, and even if that job currently belongs to the professor teaching the course.
Think college isn't for you? Think again. These courses show that there are professors all over the world who make a living by researching and teaching some pretty awesome subjects.
- Kissing
- Robot Puppets
- Cyber Porn and Society
- Queer Musicology
- History of the Compact Fluorescent Light
- Video Game Theory and Analysis
- Batman
Kissing is a great place to start, since it embodies so much of the college experience outside of class. One school in Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit: nope, no idea how to pronounce it) offers an entire course on “kissing inclinations.”
I don’t get it… he didn’t open any doors, he wouldn’t hold my hand and he didn’t even try to take my bra off!
Using a study involving the way people tilt their heads when going in for a kiss on a torso-less dummy, researchers were able to draw conclusions about personality from the results. This class could be incredibly useful for those who wish to pursue a career in psychoanalysis, but would prefer to do so in a salacious way.
It makes so much sense.
What is the worst part about puppets? Having to use your hands.
What is the best part about robots? Their willingness to use puppets. It’s a match made in cyber heaven.
Carnegie Mellon University is pioneering this technology, and we say it’s about time. Now, instead of a horrible machine uprising of soldier robots like in the Terminator movies to fear, we have a delightful machine uprising of entertaining robots to look forward to. Being a part of this research ensures that you’ll get a backstage pass to the end of the world.
You know what they say, do what you love and the money will come.
University at Buffalo's School of Informatics (now College of Arts and Sciences) offered the class “Cyberporn and Society” to anyone looking for a reason to shoot for that perfect attendance record.
Studying porn has been a part of human history for an incredibly long time, as evidenced by this stone carving.
Although students study the porn in order to draw conclusions between the source material and its impact in society, the fact remains: students study the porn. Taking this class makes sense, if for no other reason than for time management. If the professors could somehow fit learning how to do a kegstand into this curriculum, college students would never have to leave the class.
A course at UCLA, part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Program, is dedicated entirely to how music may be perceived differently by listeners depending on their sexual preference.
Freddy Mercury, presented without comment
This course borrows a page from literary theory. As most English majors know, there are several different ways to interpret a piece of writing, and the same writing can be interpreted differently depending on the perspective (ex. Queer theory, Feminist theory, structuralism, etc). However, this analysis seems to be a much more daunting task when studying sound.
This class offered at UC Davis may be our personal favorite of the bunch. Not only is it odd; it is oddly specific.
Literally, the only 4 things this class can study.
I think what makes me enjoy is so much is imagining this professor at a party:
Partygoer: “Oh, so you teach a class on light bulbs?”
Professor CFL: “No, just compact fluorescent bulbs.”
Partygoer: “So like, the lights in office building, laundromats, things like that?”
Professor CFL: “No, those are regular fluorescent bulbs. I just handle compact.”
(Awkward stare from Partygoer)
Partygoer: “This dip is great, huh?”
This MIT class studies something vague and non-specific and generally serves as an excuse to play video games.
(Not an actual MIT student.)
This OpenCourseWare class is one of the best examples of a product or idea getting backed purely because of the name attached to it. Like Michael Jordan cologne, Greg Norman wine or Lindsay Lohan bond cards, I have a hard time believing this class gets approved without the high profile support of MIT researchers and professors.
Brown College, I hardly knew ye. If I did, I would have enrolled instantly This course studies the mythology, literary elements, societal impact and general bad-assitude of the Caped Crusader.
NOT Bruce Wayne.
Not only is Batman a prominent figure in today’s superhero lore, but he has also been a prominent figure since his debut in 1939. What makes America love Batman so hard? I don’t know, but one thing is for certain; somewhere, there is a distinguished man or woman who has a Ph.D. in “Batman” hanging on their wall. God bless America.
Conclusion
Whether these classes are right for you (or for anyone) remains to be seen. However, knowing they exist should offer hope to anyone who is unsure about their future, their career plans, or their desire to go to college.
