The first two years of college are great—that is, if taking required general education courses is how one would define “great”. By junior year, it is easy to become confused with the responsibility of choosing electives that intrigue particular interests. No one wants to be stuck in another boring class for an entire semester. With that in mind, below is a list of some of the more interesting courses offered next semester at Kean University—some are so fascinating that students might have a hard time even believing that these courses exist on campus.

1. Intro to Astronomy (ASTR 1100) – Every semester, Intro to Astronomy is offered at Kean University. The course is described as “a foundation for a better understanding of the components, distances, and structures of the universe.” Not only can this course be used to fill the 4-credit lab science requirement, but it will give a person a better understanding on everything from the Andromeda Galaxy to cosmic radiation. There are no prerequisites required to register for this class, but due to the fact that astronomy tends to be more popular than every other lab science offered, it fills up extremely quickly.

2. Feminist Philosophies (PHIL 2301) – College students know all too well that philosophy courses can go one of two ways: it could be extremely fascinating and fun or extremely boring. This class covers the feminist ideologies and theories from a historical and thematic approach. With the major flux in feminism in recent years, this class is perfect for anyone interested in social justice.

3. Basic Metal and Jewelry (FA 2250) – The rare time when a fine arts course that isn’t drawing or painting does not require any prerequisites is truly a gift from the schedule gods. As a student at a liberal arts university, everyone is required to take at least one art class, but painting landscapes and molding clay isn’t everyone’s ideal. This introductory studio course focuses on designing and creating jewelry and other metal objects. Students will learn useful skills such as soldering, fabrication, and forming in this extremely hands-on art course.   

4. Comedy (ENG 3555) – Humor is an essential part of the human experience. Attention students with a keen sense of humor and an unquenchable thirst for laughter—the English department’s comedy class might be the perfect choice for individuals! In this elective, one will study the various aspects of comedy in literature throughout history. Works include the ancient Greek sex comedy of Lysistrata, works of Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin films, and much more.  There are no prerequisites required to take this course.

5. Music for Film (MUS 1020) – The film industry has many different aspects, including choosing appropriate background music for the scenes. Some people have entire careers based off of scoring films.  Topics of this class will include the functions of the film score, music and cinematic aesthetics, the rise of the symphonic film score, and an introduction to music/film synchronization and techniques. Music-newbies are encouraged to take this class; no prior knowledge is required.

6. Abnormal Psychology (PSY 3540) – The human mind is incredibly vast and complex; slightly understanding it might be one of the hardest tasks that human beings have ever accomplished. Phobias, PTSD, depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, multi-personality disorder, and all other taboo mental illnesses are all considered abnormal psychology. This course will cover a multitude of information stemming from diagnosis to treatment and prevention of all types of abnormal mental anomalies. The only prerequisite for this course is Psychology 1000. 

7. Human Sexuality (HED 3400) – The human psyche is complex, especially when it comes to sex. As much as college students like to believe they know everything in this department, there are a lot of details that are unknown to most. Human Sexuality covers everything from physiology, anatomy, sexual health, sexual pleasure, contraception, pregnancy, sexual orientations, gender, to sexual behavior. This class is meant to challenge students’ perspectives, which is why some sensitive topics such as abortion and sexually transmitted infections commonly arise.

8. Cinema as Cross Cultural Communications (COMM 3570) – Hollywood is one of the world’s leading pioneers in the film and entertainment industry, but America is not the only one producing blockbusters. Places such as Bollywood in India, Nollywood in Nigeria, China, and Japan are some of the leading places of box office genius. Learn all about the international relations that works of cinema contribute to and enjoy watching movies from around the world!

9. Chinese Popular Culture and Film (AS 3416) – Don’t get the wrong idea, this is not a class just full of kung-fu movies with bad overdubs; this class is the real deal. The mission of this class is to understand contemporary China through Chinese cinema. In this Asian Studies course, one will be viewing and analyzing major works by Chinese directors from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Students are expected to watch twelve films and question the representation of China in each one, strengthening the ability to appreciate true Chinese culture.

10. Witchcraft in the Western Tradition (HIST 3845) – Everyone knows of the Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible, Sabrina the Teenaged Witch, and the various Halloween movies that depict witches as clever but evil individuals. This history course will cover all things witch-y in Europe and America, with a strong emphasis on the intellectual, cultural, and social factors that shaped the witch trials.