And just like that, the spring semester registration period comes to a close. I hope the odds were ever in your favor! As we are all aware, picking classes can be quite the struggle, especially when so many of us are trying to fulfill general and major/minor requirements, while having a balanced workload, while enjoying at least half of our classes.
Lucky for you, Bryn Mawr and Haverford have seemingly no shortage of weirdly fascinating courses—and even luckier, I’ve compiled a list of ten of these unique options that you might just have to check out in your spring semester.
1. (ENGL B331) Somebody’s Watching Me
I don’t know if you’ve seen the new “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie, but I definitely felt a weird feeling of being watched after seeing it. In this course, you’ll explore how people see things in numerous ways, ranging from the NSA’s surveillance systems to social media and smartphones. “Who is watching? How are they seeing?”
2. (MUSC H251) Strange Music: Monsters, Ghosts, and Aliens on Stage and Screen
As a musician, I know I always love listening to and experiencing movie scores. And as a cinephile, I also know that movie scores can really make or break films! This isn’t for the faint of heart; you do need to know a decent bit about music to take this course. Nonetheless, for those of you who know your way around the circle of fifths, this class is sure to be a fun trip!
3. (PHIL B258) Data Ethics in Social Media
(Psst, this one fulfills the Bryn Mawr Critical Interpretation requirement!) I’m confident that over 90% of our student body uses some form of social media. It’s interesting how so much of our news, communication, et cetera rely on apps like Instagram and Twitter (I refuse to call it X, sorry). Explore how private your private accounts may actually be, how algorithms may be more manipulative than mechanical and more, in this data science and philosophy course.
4. (RELG H119) Bible, Race and Sexuality
Maybe this is just me, but looking at things from a religious lens is something I find fascinating. In this class, you’ll utilize a biblical lens to come to an understanding of race, gender and sexuality. These three topics are popular in many Bi-Co classes, which comes as no surprise, but are often viewed through a historical or modern lens. Enjoy entertaining a fresh perspective in this class to find yourself provoked by new interpretations.
5. (ARCH B247) The World of Gilgamesh
Mesopotamia! I’m reminded of my sixth grade social studies class when I hear the name of this ancient civilization. Anyhow, this course “explores how the people of ancient Mesopotamia perceive and comprehend the fundamental questions of human existence, such as the intricacies of life and death, gender and sexuality, the relationship between humans and the divine and the definition of self-identity in relation to the outside world, “all while being guided by Gilgamesh.” For those of you out of the loop with ancient civilization pop culture, Gilgamesh was the legendary king of Uruk in Mesopotamian mythology. So those of you who had a Percy Jackson phase or are just a wee bit nerdy, definitely check this out!
6. (CSTS H231) Queer Road-Trip Films, Ancient and Modern
Satyrica, anyone? In all honesty, I don’t know anything about the topic this course discusses. It’s so niche that I think you just have to experience it yourself. Other than Satyrica, you’ll also start with another ancient text, Leucippe and Clitophon. Then, you’ll go onto “a curated selection of contemporary queer road-trip films.” It sounds like a car ride to look forward to!
7. (CSTS B229) Queer and Deviant Classics
I didn’t mean for this list to become so ancient-civilization-coded, yet here we are. This course explores numerous historical moments and phenomena. See here: “a clique of 1900s Parisian women calling themselves ‘lesbians’ after the ancient poet Sappho; Vietnam veterans finding validation in Homer’s portrayal of a war-weary Achilles; the use of Plato’s philosophy in a landmark American gay rights case in the 1990’s; the embrace of Cleopatra as an empowered African queen by Black American authors.” I fear this course description simply speaks for itself. Seeing ancient connections to modern art and movements is enough for me to be seated with open ears!
8. (HLTH H232) Food, Health, & Justice
The classic New Year’s resolution is to “eat healthy.” What does that even mean, anyway? Other than how health via consumption is critical for one’s well being, there is so much more to “good” food than the science behind its benefits. There is “rich social, cultural, and historical”context”—explore it all in this course.
9. (DSCI B210) Quantifying Happiness: Efforts to study and alter happiness
Maybe I’m just too much of a humanities student, but personally, I do not correlate data science with happiness. Alas, correlation ≠ causation (haha, funny)! This course delves into what it means to be happy and evaluates different approaches to reaching happiness. Inherently, it’s proposing scientific methods to be happy. I feel like this is something every college student needs. After all, science is pretty foolproof!
10. (AFST H254) RAP and Religion: Rhymes about God and the Good
And for our final course, here’s one of the weirdest titles I could spot in the Bi-Co course catalog. Tupac asks the question at hand: “Is there heaven for a G?” Other than Tupac himself, you’ll discuss artists such as Nas, Jay-Z, The Roots, Lauryn Hill and Kanye West (“Ye”). You will explore the relationships between the interpretations of God in rap and how these conceptions have evolved with the music genre. Here’s to hoping that next year, they’ll add Playboi Carti to the mix.
