Classes can often be boring; students show up to a lecture and learn the required material for their majors. But on occasion, students get the chance to take something fun, such as courses about dinosaurs and ninjas.
ASU's fall registration opened Feb. 18, providing ASU students with yet another list of unique elective courses they can take for credit — and for fun. The State Press reached out to faculty from around the University to see what they recommend students take if they are looking for something different and new to learn about during the fall semester.
ASU has introduced a handful of brand-new courses offered through numerous schools, ranging across a variety of subjects, providing every ASU student an option which piques their interests.
Jenny Brian, a senior lecturer and honors faculty fellow at Barrett, The Honors College, said Barrett will be offering multiple topics courses honors students can take for elective credit.
"We have some taught by faculty across ASU and some that are just taught by honors faculty fellows, so specifically Barrett faculty," Brian says.
HON 394: Myth and Mysteries of the Tarot, a yearly offering, will return as an iCourse in the fall, Brian says, and HON 394: Maryvale Community History, taught this semester, will also re-appear as an iCourse in the course catalog, she said.
"I think that the elective classes from whatever department you're taking them from offer really interesting opportunities for students to usually work, get to read and think outside of their disciplinary focus," Brian says. "I would encourage students to take some risks with their electives."
Jeffrey Cohen, dean of humanities at The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, wrote in an email The College will be offering some "really exciting choices" this fall.
Within the School of International Letters and Cultures, assistant professor Robert Tuck will be instructing JPN/SLC 494: The Art of the Ninja, which Cohen wrote, "Will be really cool and is open to anyone who wants to take it."
The College will offer REL 194: Racism to Justice: Reshaping Humanities 21st Cent., taught by assistant professor Shamara Alhassan, and HST 494: Sport and Globalization, taught by clinical assistant professor Victoria Jackson, both of which Cohen recommends for students to consider.
Richard Holland, director of marketing and communication at The New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, wrote in an email the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences will be offering numerous "new and interesting" courses this fall. These include BIO 113: Dinosaurs, FOR 394: Introduction to Forensic Anthropology and BIO 474: Herpetology.
Holland wrote The School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies within The New College will also offer unique courses in the fall semester, including IAP 420: Theatre in America and DST/ENG 394: Disability Studies Memoir and Writing, both of which will be iCourses, as well as IAP 394: Acting for the Camera.
Rachel Fedock, senior lecturer and honors faculty fellow at Barrett wrote in an email she will be offering HON 394: Men and Feminism, a semester-long course taught at the Maricopa Reentry Center, this fall. Through an application process, the course will accept 10 Barrett students and 10-14 MRC residents, Fedock wrote.
"This course utilizes the Inside Out (IO) Prison Exchange Program model founded by Lori Pompa in 1997, an innovative pedagogical approach tailored to effectively facilitate dialogue across difference," she wrote.
This fall, Barrett is also launching the Justice and Equity Honors Network, a new Barrett course and certificate program offered in partnership with the Macaulay Honors College at City University of New York, Fedock wrote.
"The initial course is still in development, but will integrate Macaulay and Barrett students in our global classroom and will be a foundations course to introduce the concepts of Social Justice Equity," Fedock wrote.
Reach the reporter at idortch@asu.edu and follow @bellinilane on Twitter.
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