Past-Month-And-A-Half-Of-My-Life Special, Course One: Awesome College Courses

I'm an incoming senior in high school. Collegiate madness is inevitable. I've just about rounded out my list and am getting started on applications. Amidst my search are the courses below, mind-blowing offerings from some mind-blowing institutions.

Property, Boston University
Aaron Garrett, CAS (Philosophy), and Wendy Gordon, LAW
Could you own the ocean? If you alter a song written by someone else, when (if ever) should it become your property? If you let land lie fallow when others are needy, do they have a right to use it? Should a harmless crossing of a property boundary be considered wrongful? These are some of the sorts of questions and problems involved in thinking about property, one of the most pervasive, important, contested, and slippery concepts in our world. This course will approach the concept of property from three main perspectives: the history of ideas about it, philosophical disputes about it, and current legal issues involving it

EXP-0004-F: Religion and the Graphic Novel, Tufts University
A. David Lewis
Is Superman based more on Moses or on Jesus? Can reading a comic book be a religious ritual? This course will consider the influence of religion outside of the churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques – particularly in popular culture, and especially in comic books and graphic novels. We will explore such questions as why the divide between religious and secular society is as messy and enmeshed as the space between words and images in a comic and, why, according to several cultural scholars, Americans have a surprisingly limited "religious literacy" in even detecting references, allusions, and inspirations from faith in popular culture and art. Our work will be grounded in several award-winning graphic novels the study of which will enhance students' sensitivity and skills to deepen their third-party appreciation of both religion's and the medium's active engagement.

SPAN-339 Religion/Politics/Ethics in Spain, Georgetown University

Zarate, Marla

From the coexistence of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religions in the Middle Ages, to the subsequent radical defense of Catholicism, to the contemporary trend toward secularization, the history of Spain is fraught with tensions among religion, politics, and ethics. Is freedom of thought possible in societies where religion permeates public life? Should the state suppress religious influence? Does this imply loss of moral values? These questions continue to create conflict among nations and cultures today. In this course, we will approach those issues through analysis and discussion of texts by the greatest Spanish thinkers.

The Figure of The Badass In Literature and Film, Cornell University
Juffer, Jane
The Road Warrior. Rambo. Ellen Ripley. Coriolanus. All walk alone. All stand up for what’s right. All are Badasses. But what exactly makes a “Badass,” and what does it mean to be one? This course will examine our conception of the Badass through many mediums: we will engage with literary texts, critical essays, and films. Through these works, we will seek to better understand what exactly the Badass is, and how he or she intersects with issues of gender, race, technology, sexuality, and cinematic representation. Writing and revising will form an integral part of this course, allowing you to develop and work through your own analyses. Texts may include Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, Old English poetry, Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, The 6th Day, Mad Max, and Aliens.

Graffiti and Murals, UIUC
From Bronx walls to the Berlin Wall, from ancient palatial decorations to spray-can art, murals and graffiti have been revolutionary political tools, objects of aesthetic contemplation, and vehicles for identity formation. Primarily a lecture course that examines ancient and early modern cases from different cultures, as well as focusing on modern examples from Latin America and the USA.

...College is delicious.