So you’re getting to the point in your academic career when the amount of required classes is dwindling down and you’re allowed more freedom in the choice of your classes.
“What to take now?” you may be asking… Well, I have compiled a list of a few fun/interesting classes that may be of interest - hope you enjoy them.
1. ENGL286 – The Movies. This class is pretty self-explanatory. What more could you ask for than sitting, watching a movie, and having a couple of discussions about it? The other work is not very intensive, and you’re sure to watch a few solid flicks. Also, 49% of people get an A, which is actually very high for a Purdue class.
2. GER280 – Beer and Brewing in German Culture. Beer in the title… need I say more? It’s not offered in the fall, but hopefully will be offered again in the spring of 2015. I don’t think it’s as hands-on as Wine Appreciation, but you learn about the science of beer, the differences of beer based on location and how they’re brewed, and how beer has influenced different regions of Germany and a few of its surrounding countries.
3. PES classes - Pretty much every class in this subject is cool. They offer classes in swimming, bowling, tennis, exercise to music (I know, kinda lame) and golf. Golf is a blast… I’m currently in it, and I’d go as far to say that it’s the most laidback and fun class offered at Purdue. The instructors are all from the Birck Golf Complex, and are very nice and helpful. They treat it as if it’s a series of lessons, not a class. Furthermore, it gets you “free” greens fees and a “free” medium bucket of balls from the driving range every day. I put quotes around free because it does increase your tuition price by $400, but if you price it out, that’s a nice discount on what you’d normally pay for instruction, greens fees, and driving range balls. Bowling and tennis sound pretty chill too, and I’m sure you’d get in pretty good shape after a semester of swimming. Personally, I wish I could just take a semester of all PES classes.
4. EAS 106 – Geosciences in the Cinema. Another movie class, this one focuses on some aspects of science in famous movies. I heard, among other topics, you talk about Jurassic Park and discuss how unrealistic they depict certain science-related things. Seems legit. There are plenty of movies out there to tear apart, so I’m sure it’s always changing and exciting. I’d like them to try and point out something inaccurate about Sharknado or Sharknado 2… impossible.
5. ASL 101 – American Sign Language. A little out of the blue, I know, but it’s something that if you master, you’d definitely get a Life tile for in the Game of Life. I mean, how cool would it be to effectively be able to communicate with the deaf. I know it’s not an everyday occurrence, but on the strange occurrence that you need to sign, it’d be pretty awesome to just bust it out. Also, if you need to have a secret language with a friend in a group that doesn’t sign, well this class has you covered. You wont become an expert from this class, but it’s a good base that can be built upon, even if it’s after you graduate.