Yes, you can study that: 6 Awesome college courses you didn’t know you could take.
Seminole State College is changing the default mindset from “I have to go to class” to “I can’t wait to go to class!” by offering a selection of unique courses that’ll make you jump at registration to secure a spot.
From modern and mystical classes like Tiny Home Design and Harry Potter Humanities to fascinating and otherworldly courses like Chemistry of Food and Oceanography, you have a wide array of subjects that will keep you captivated all semester.
Chemistry of Food and Cooking
Science and mushrooms have this in common: Not everyone likes them. Though a chemistry class may not be able to change an aversion to mushrooms, this new course helps students acquire a taste for science.
Chemistry of Food and Cooking is the perfect way to learn the science behind everyday things that you don’t consider “sciency,” like cooking and baking. Offered through the college’s Grindle Honors Institute, this class exposes students to the principles of chemistry through experiments that answer questions such as: What makes a cookie chewy? Why do onions make you cry? Why does toast turn brown? Are gummy bears combustible?
Tiny House Living
Move over, McMansions. Tiny houses are today’s trend. They look like the name suggests—miniature houses. They’re cozy, less pricey, sustainable and environmentally friendly, and they occupy about 200 square feet.
In fact, if you’re a fan of HGTV’s “Tiny House Hunters,” you may have seen the Seminole State campus in one episode that documented two students’ journeys toward creating and building their own tiny homes to move into post-graduation.
This August, Seminole State will begin offering Tiny House Living: Less is More, a course that will introduce students to the Tiny House Movement and the basic concepts, design principles and construction considerations for “living small.” Students will be provided a scaled “Tiny House” kit to design and assemble as a final project. You can take this new course to learn what interests you most about this housing trend.
Harry Potter Humanities
For Harry Potter and literature fans, your dream college class is here. The Harry Potter as Culture and Literature class focuses on Harry Potter as a subject in arts and humanities.
The course examines the products and scope of the Harry Potter series, as well as its cultural aspects, including how art and culture continually influence one another. And students research and write about Harry Potter in an academic context. Changing staircases, magic wands and invisibility cloaks are, unfortunately, not included.
Introduction to Oceanography
What are the physical, chemical, biological and geological characteristics of the world ocean system? And what is Florida’s unique relationship with the ocean environment?
In Introduction to Oceanography, you’ll learn about the unique underwater world, including how to distinguish between a global ocean and named oceans, describe the internal compositional and physical structure of Earth, identify the features of the ocean basins, differentiate marine biological groups such as plankton, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, and more.
Plus, Seminole State takes advantage of being within an hour of the coast by offering field trips to Sebastian Inlet State Park, so you can get your hands wet and experience some of the principles covered in the class.
Biology in the Amazon
If you’re feeling adventurous and want to take your studies abroad, check out “Biology in the Amazon,” a trip to the Peruvian Amazon over spring break. Study the biological diversity of the Amazon River and surrounding areas by helping with field research. Adventures include cruising down the river at night in search of caimans, observing the vast array of biodiversity from atop a canopy tower and taking an ethnobotanical tour to explore all the plants used for a variety of reasons by the locals.
History Meets Science
This class is a new way to mix two of your favorite subjects: history and science. As the name implies, this course for Grindle Honors Institute Students, is an introduction to science and European history during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Students will examine major historical events, actors, ideas and cultural trends and strengthen their skills in writing, reading and critical analysis.
Each historical theme for study will correspond to a concept in science so that students can approach architecture, military engineering and other elements of period life with modern scientific knowledge.
