Cool Classes That'll Make You Wish You Were Still a Student

VDA 782 — RED: A New Beginning:

One of the design challenges tasked to students in this Master of Architecture course is to build livable colonies on Mars. Gravity, radiation, air and water supply, as well as the inhabitants’ psychological and sociological conditions, are covered as they create a livable model for four to six people. 
— Deb Cummings, publications editor, Alumni

LING 227 — Rap Linguistics:

Applying a linguist’s approach to analyzing language used by rappers such as Eminem, Jay-Z and Kanye West, this class also looks at the evolution of hip hop and its impact on language and society.
— Emily Aalbers, alumni relations specialist, Faculty of Arts

BSEN749 — Rediscovering Leadership:

The Haskayne Wilderness Retreat: Business students have the unique opportunity to participate in a six-day wilderness adventure in the Rocky Mountains that melds outdoor activities with personal growth challenges, team building, and cross-cultural First Nations teachings and ceremonies. 
— Jackie Lewis, associate director, Campaign

EDER 678.03 — Collaborative

Creativity & Design Thinking for Innovation: Offered by the Werklund School of Education, this master’s-level cohort recently built a life-size orca whale out of cardboard, newspaper, string and tape. Lessons learned: collaborative skills, organizational structures, creative problem-solving — in other words, design thinking.
— Jayne Dangerfield, development co-ordinator, Werklund 

Biology 202 — The Science of Food and Cooking:

Brand-new this year, the course promises to give students a scientific understanding of food and cooking using principles from a range of biological sciences. Topics include: building blocks of food, molecular-level understanding of recipes, food-related diseases, physiology of sensory apparatus and more.
— Deirdre Mooney, academic advisor, Student Success Centre 

ENGL 201 — Approach to Literature:

You’ve got to love a course where the required reading is 20 stories written by Roald Dahl. Besides analyzing Dahl’s love of cruelty, lust, madness and murder, you will also learn how to make persuasive arguments about literature including using interpretive strategies for analyzing texts.
— Serita Rana, regional alumni specialist

CNST 451 — The Culture of the Calgary Stampede:

Offered by the Department of History, this interdisciplinary course takes a deep dive into the Stampede’s vision, history and operation. Of course, you also get to spend some of your class hours havin’ a rootin’ tootin’ time on the grounds.
— Emily Aalbers, alumni relations specialist, Faculty of Arts