大學裏的奇怪課程
6 College Courses You Won't Believe Exist
六門最不可思議的大學課程
1. The Science of Harry Potter—Frostburg State University
《哈利波特》學——霜堡州立大學
The course, which examines the magical events in J.K. Rowling's books and explains them through the basic principles of physics, received international attention after an Associated Press writer picked up the story. From there, reports of the FSU class appeared in newspapers and magazines across the nation and throughout Europe, Australia, Indonesia and China.
這門課用物理學原理來進行解釋J.K.羅琳的暢銷書《哈利波特》中的魔法。該課程被美聯社曝光後，在全世界範圍內引起轟動。如今關於這門課的報道遍佈美國、歐洲、澳大利亞、印度尼西亞甚至中國的各大報刊雜誌。
2. Simpsons and Philosophy—Cal-Berkeley
《辛普森一家》與哲學——加州大學伯克利分校
You'll need to know more than Simpsons trivia. The class takes an in-depth look at how the long-running cArtoon depicts social issues such as racism and politics. Passing the class includes writing a 22-minute show for the final exam.
要學習“辛普森一家與哲學”這門課，你需要更深入地瞭解這部片子。這門課深入研究該系列動畫片如何描述與種族主義、政治等相關的社會問題。要想通過該課程，你需要在期末考時編一個22分鐘的表演。你相信嗎？大學還能開這些課程
3. Star Trek and Religion—Indiana University
《星際迷航》與宗教——印第安納大學
Indiana University lists Star Trek and Religion as one of its course offerings in the Arts and Humanities section. As "an introduction to the critical study of religion by way of popular culture", it is "possible to find Star Treke episodes whose themes are hostile to religion".
印第安納大學將“《星際迷航》與宗教”列爲藝術與人文學科的選修課之一。這門課通過大衆文化來引入對宗教的批判性研究，這樣看來，以對抗宗教爲主題的《星際迷航》對於這一研究來說頗爲適宜。
4. Elvish, the language of "Lord of the Rings"—University of Wisconsin
精靈語：《指環王》中的語言——威斯康星大學
Tolkien's vast created world of invented languages, legends, maps, poetry and creatures invites explication—and debate. The University of Wisconsin has created a mini course on Sindarin.
在托爾金創造的新世界中，語言、神話、地圖、物種都是全新的，這是一個值得闡釋與討論的世界。威斯康星大學就專門開出一門研究“辛達語”（編者注：《魔戒》作者托爾金發明的語言之一）的小型課程。
5. How to Watch Television —Montclair State University
看電視的學問——蒙特克萊爾州立大學
This course, open to both broadcasting majors and non-majors, is about analyzing television in the ways and to the extent to which it needs to be understood by its audience. The aim is for students to critically evaluate the role and impact of television in their lives as well as in the life of the culture.
這門對播音專業學生和非專業學生同時開放的課程，從“觀衆能如何理解電視節目”和“觀衆該在多大程度上理解電視節目”兩方面對電視節目進行了分析和解讀。課程目標是爲了讓學生學會對電視在他們的生活，以及整個文化中所扮演的角色和產生的影響進行批判。
6. Getting Dressed—Princeton University
如何穿衣——普林斯頓大學
Seriously, sometimes getting dressed takes a lot more effort than it should. Enter Princeton's "Getting Dressed" class, a freshmen-only course that lets students discuss controversial topics such as jeans, baseball caps, tattoos, flip-flops and Chuck Taylors. It's more complicated than just figuring out what to wear in the morning, though. The class discussed how people use fashion to do everything from study history to assess character.
老實說，有時候穿衣服什麼的最花時間了！來上普林斯頓的“如何穿衣”課吧。該課針對大一新生，讓同學們討論諸如牛仔服、棒球帽、紋身、人字拖、帆布鞋等廣受爭議的服飾。不過課程的內容遠比搞明白每天早上穿什麼要複雜的多，比如該課程還討論人們怎樣利用時尚：從用它來學習歷史到用它來評估個性等。
