Jun 8, 2025
8 College Courses That Sound Like Fiction But Are Not
Lakshima SareenThe Most Unexpected Courses Offered in College
Higher education isn’t just about math, history, or chemistry anymore. From pop icons to zombies, today’s universities are offering some of the most creative and unconventional courses that blend academics with pop culture, science, and real-world skills.
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The Science of Harry Potter at Frostburg State University, USA
This course dives deep into the magical world of Harry Potter — but with a twist. It uses the fantasy elements in the series to explain real-world scientific theories. Students explore genetics, thermodynamics, and modern tech through a magical lens.
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Literature: Taylor’s Version at Ghent University, Belgium
Not just for Swifties — this course explores Taylor Swift's lyrics as contemporary literary texts. It examines themes like heartbreak, feminism, narrative perspective, and identity, comparing her lyrics to classic poets and modern authors.
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Zombie Apocalypse: Surviving Catastrophes at Michigan State University, USA
Using the zombie apocalypse as a metaphor, this course teaches students about real-life disaster preparedness, public health planning, and crisis management. Students explore how societies react to pandemics and natural disasters — all while imagining a zombie outbreak scenario.
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Video Game Storytelling at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
This course explores narrative structures in video games — how games tell stories through character development, player choice, gameplay mechanics, and environment design. Students also create their own interactive storylines.
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Alien Languages (Constructed Languages) at University of California, Berkeley, USA
This course studies invented languages like Klingon (Star Trek) and Elvish (Lord of the Rings). It looks at how languages are built from scratch — including grammar, syntax, and phonetics — and what they reveal about human cognition and culture.
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Spycraft & Espionage in the Modern World at University of New Hampshire, USA
From the Cold War to cyber-espionage, this course examines the history and techniques of global intelligence operations. Students study case files, watch spy films, analyze espionage tactics, and even simulate spy missions.
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Canine Cognition at Duke University, USA
This psychology course studies how dogs think. Topics include problem-solving, emotion, communication, and the evolution of dog-human relationships. Students even work directly with dogs in lab sessions.
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The Sociology of Pizza at Syracuse University, USA
Pizza becomes a cultural lens in this course. Students explore the history of pizza, its role in migration and globalization, food justice, small business economics, and how a simple dish can reflect broader social issues.
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