There’s no better time than college for expanding horizons and broadening knowledge. CU Boulder offers approximately 4,000 courses in 119 distinct fields of study. Many are routine. Some, however, delve into diverse and often unexpected topics.
A handful of CU Boulder classes stand out in the course catalog this fall. Here are a few.
CU Boulder students attending the first day of fall 2019 classes (Credit: Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder)
Game of Thrones: Survival
In this first-year political science seminar, freshman students learn how to survive the world of politics through the lens of the popular HBO series Game of Thrones. The course is taught by Adrian Shin, assistant professor of political science, who believes that our desire to survive heavily influences and motivates the policy decisions we make.
Design of Coffee
For senior level mechanical engineering majors looking for buzzworthy classes, the Design of Coffee course should hit the spot. Students learn about everything coffee, including the science behind farming techniques and the craftsmanship of brewing. The class offers hands-on lab experiments and ends in a competition to design the best tasting coffee in the most efficient way possible.
Music and Space
You may not realize it, but outer space is the inspiration for many artistic pieces. The course Music and Space examines out-of-this-world influences music, media and literature. Led by associate professor of musicology Jay Keister, students draw on case studies ranging from ancient Greece to today’s pop music.
Environmental Cinema
In a world where our knowledge of the environment is always changing, Environmental Cinema students discover how filmmakers, writers and cinematographers creatively respond to new environmental discoveries and pressing issues. Lesson plans incorporate artists such as Wes Anderson, Percy Smith and Todd Haynes, and digs into how their works explore the environment.
Music of the Rock Era
Music of the Rock Era tunes in to the evolution of rock music from 1960 through the 1990s. The class investigates rock’s cultural impacts and traces the genre’s origins to earlier music styles, such as blues and folk.
