趙青奇

大學(xué)四年，誰(shuí)都上過(guò)幾門(mén)無(wú)聊透頂?shù)恼n，當(dāng)這些課貼著“必修”的標(biāo)簽，就更讓人痛苦又無(wú)奈。不過(guò)，如果你的大學(xué)課程是關(guān)于碧昂斯，關(guān)于貝克漢姆，關(guān)于哈利·波特，關(guān)于真人秀節(jié)目，那你還會(huì)瞌睡連連嗎？這些都是某些國(guó)外大學(xué)真正開(kāi)設(shè)的課程。如此與時(shí)俱進(jìn)又接地氣的課程，想必沒(méi)有幾個(gè)人會(huì)翹課吧？

Forget law or medicine—Pennsylvania University has just launched a course in “wasting time on the internet1）.” Yes really. This rigorous-sounding intellectual series involves students communicating with each other for three hours a week via social media and chat rooms only， with the subsequent conversations contributing towards “substantial works of literature.” And we thought Biochemistry was difficult ...

Amazingly， Pennsylvania is not alone in dreaming up a zany2） （and suspiciously non-academic-sounding） course option. From the study of David Beckham to the existential meaning of fat， here are nine university courses that may not get you a job， but would definitely make for entertaining lectures ...

忘掉法學(xué)或醫(yī)學(xué)吧——賓夕法尼亞大學(xué)剛剛推出了一門(mén)關(guān)于“在網(wǎng)上虛度光陰”的課程。沒(méi)錯(cuò)，真事兒！上這門(mén)聽(tīng)上去很?chē)?yán)謹(jǐn)并費(fèi)腦筋的課程時(shí)，學(xué)生每周只需要通過(guò)社交媒體和聊天室交流三個(gè)小時(shí)，由此產(chǎn)生的對(duì)話要有助于形成“言之有物的文學(xué)作品”。我們過(guò)去還以為生物化學(xué)課很難……

令人驚訝的是，想出這種奇葩（而且聽(tīng)起來(lái)疑似與學(xué)術(shù)無(wú)關(guān)的）課程的高校并非賓夕法尼亞大學(xué)一所。從大衛(wèi)·貝克漢姆研究到脂肪的存在意義，本文介紹的九門(mén)大學(xué)課程可能不會(huì)幫你謀到工作，但課堂上絕對(duì)妙趣橫生。

碧昂絲政治學(xué)

We can think of many people whod happily watch Beyonce and her bootilicious3） moves for free—let alone get credits for it. But her sultry4） videos and lyrics now carry the potential of academic prowess5） thanks to New Jerseys Rutgers University and its Politicizing Beyonce course.

Not quite as easy as it first seems， students must compare Beyonce to the work of authors/activists Alice Walker6） and Sojourner Truth7）. Still， any excuse to watch “Single Ladies （Put a Ring on It）8）” on re-loop ...

想來(lái)，很多人樂(lè)意不花錢(qián)就可一睹碧昂絲的風(fēng)采和她那撩人的舞姿——更別提還能因此獲得學(xué)分了。但現(xiàn)在，碧昂絲的那些勁爆視頻和歌詞也具有了潛在的學(xué)術(shù)價(jià)值，這多虧了新澤西州羅格斯大學(xué)及其開(kāi)設(shè)的“碧昂絲政治學(xué)”一課。

這門(mén)課并沒(méi)有乍看上去那么容易，學(xué)生要將碧昂絲與作家兼活動(dòng)家艾麗斯·沃克和索杰納·特魯斯的作品進(jìn)行比較。不過(guò)，這下想要循環(huán)觀看《單身女郎（定情戒）》就不愁沒(méi)有借口了……

辛普森一家與哲學(xué)

Touted9） as a “fairly rigorous” course， this two-unit class at the prestigious University of California at Berkeley examines the hit cartoon series through the eyes of Nietzsche， Plato and more—asking weighty questions such as what does Homers infamous Doh10） utterance really say about his existential self？ Is Marges voluminous hair life-affirming11） or a symbol of the degradation of society？ Or so we imagine ...

美國(guó)名校加州大學(xué)伯克利分校推出的這門(mén)兩學(xué)分的課程標(biāo)榜稱(chēng)“相當(dāng)嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)”，該課程從尼采、柏拉圖等眾多哲人的視角剖析這部熱播動(dòng)畫(huà)片，提出一些重要問(wèn)題，比如：霍默那句盡人皆知的口頭禪“噢”究竟是如何表達(dá)他的存在主義自我？瑪姬的濃密長(zhǎng)發(fā)是傳達(dá)著積極向上的含義，還是象征著社會(huì)的衰退？或者這些是我們的假設(shè)……

大衛(wèi)·貝克漢姆

This 12-week module at Staffordshire University was offered as part of the BA in Sports， Media and Culture， and included heavyweight topics such as Becks ever-evolving hairstyles， the state of his marriage to Posh and his status “as the object of a great many fantasies.” Thats certainly one text book wed enjoy leafing through.

這門(mén)為期12周的課程是英國(guó)史塔?？ご髮W(xué)體育、傳媒與文化學(xué)士項(xiàng)目的一部分，涵蓋了不少重要話題，比如小貝不斷變化的發(fā)型、他與時(shí)髦辣妹的婚姻狀況以及他“作為萬(wàn)千幻想對(duì)象”的地位。這門(mén)課的教材我們肯定會(huì)喜歡翻閱的。

僵尸研究

We enjoy a good zombie movie as much as the next person， but if you really have a thing for12） animated corpses， head to the University of Baltimore where a dedicated course allows students to “get ready for a zombie apocalypse13）” by writing horror scripts， watching zombie flicks and drawing storyboards of their ideal monster movies. Gold star for the killer14） idea.

好看的僵尸電影人人都愛(ài)，但如果你真的對(duì)活死尸情有獨(dú)鐘，不妨前往巴爾的摩大學(xué)。該校專(zhuān)門(mén)開(kāi)設(shè)了一門(mén)課程，讓學(xué)生撰寫(xiě)恐怖題材的劇本、觀看僵尸電影、繪制他們心中理想的鬼怪電影的故事梗概板，以此讓他們“準(zhǔn)備好迎接一場(chǎng)僵尸大戰(zhàn)”。這個(gè)絕妙的主意該發(fā)金星獎(jiǎng)?wù)乱幻丁?/p>

肥胖研究

The term “chewing the fat19）” takes on a whole new meaning with this course offered by George Washington University in the US. The class examines concepts of fatness and obesity through the realm of film， literature， anthropology and history， throwing the “cultural baggage” of overweight people firmly into the spotlight.

“磨嘴皮子”這個(gè)俗語(yǔ)因?yàn)槊绹?guó)喬治·華盛頓大學(xué)推出的這門(mén)課程而呈現(xiàn)出完全嶄新的含義。該課程從電影、文學(xué)、人類(lèi)學(xué)和歷史的領(lǐng)域研究肥胖的概念，將胖人的“文化包袱”牢牢地置于公眾視野的焦點(diǎn)中。

論戰(zhàn)法官朱迪

If you find yourself screaming at the TV at the sheer injustice of Judge Judy15） and the like， its time to enroll at the University of California， where Arguing with Judge Judy： Popular “Logic” on TV Shows will allow a channel for your frustrations. The course picks apart16） popular logical fallacies17） on reality TV shows， examining why the small-screen audiences decide on the concepts of social justice that they do. Sadly， it hasnt got as far as Jeremy Kyle18） yet but where theres life， theres hope.

如果你因?yàn)椤斗ü僦斓稀愤@類(lèi)節(jié)目里的全然不公現(xiàn)象對(duì)著電視機(jī)怒吼，那么你是時(shí)候入讀加州大學(xué)了，這里的“論戰(zhàn)法官朱迪：電視節(jié)目里的大眾‘邏輯”這門(mén)課可以給你提供吐槽失望的渠道。該課程針對(duì)真人秀節(jié)目里的大眾邏輯硬傷挑刺，探究為什么電視觀眾對(duì)于何為社會(huì)公正做出他們那樣的決定。遺憾的是，課程還沒(méi)有達(dá)到杰里米·凱爾那樣的程度。不過(guò)，只要這門(mén)課存在就有戲。

嘎嘎小姐與名氣社會(huì)學(xué)

In no small boast to the stars ego， Lady Gaga has been awarded her very own degree course at the University of South Carolina. Run by what sounds suspiciously like a Gaga groupie20） masquerading21） as a college tutor （Professor Mathieu Deflem has been to see the singer in concert 30 times）， the unit gets students to “engage in substantiated scholarly thinking” on Gagas meteoric22） rise to fame. Then they all dance in the lecture theatre aisles to her greatest hits （or so we like to think）.

嘎嘎小姐在南卡羅來(lái)納大學(xué)擁有了一門(mén)關(guān)于她本人的學(xué)位課程，這對(duì)這位歌星來(lái)說(shuō)是非常值得夸耀的一件事。上這門(mén)課的大學(xué)老師聽(tīng)起來(lái)很像是嘎嘎的狂熱粉絲假扮而成（馬蒂厄·德弗蘭教授看過(guò)30場(chǎng)嘎嘎的演唱會(huì)），課上學(xué)生要對(duì)嘎嘎的迅速走紅“進(jìn)行實(shí)質(zhì)性學(xué)術(shù)思考”。然后，他們會(huì)在階梯教室的過(guò)道里伴著嘎嘎最火的歌曲一起跳舞（或者我們?cè)敢膺@么想）。

哈利·波特與幻想時(shí)代

If youre a muggle23） who wants to be a wizard， prepare for a disappointment. The Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion module， available as part of the BA in Education Studies at Durham University， doesnt teach spells and Quidditch24）—instead the series of 22 lectures and 11 seminars looks at how J. K. Rowlings novels reflect prejudice and citizenship in modern society. Not quite as thrilling as Hogwarts， but a good excuse to re-visit the books.

如果你是個(gè)想當(dāng)巫師的麻瓜，還是做好失望的準(zhǔn)備吧。英國(guó)杜倫大學(xué)教育研究學(xué)士項(xiàng)目所包含的“哈利·波特與幻想時(shí)代”這門(mén)課不教咒語(yǔ)和魁地奇——而是通過(guò)22次講座和11次研討會(huì)來(lái)探究J. K. 羅琳的系列小說(shuō)如何反映現(xiàn)代社會(huì)的偏見(jiàn)和公民身份。盡管這門(mén)課不及霍格沃茲魔法學(xué)校的課程那么刺激，卻提供了一個(gè)重溫小說(shuō)的好理由。

水下編籃子

Contrary to what the name suggests， you dont need a divers license to enroll on this module. Offered at a range of universities in the US， including the Reed College of Portland and the University of California， it involves crafting baskets by dipping them in water and letting them soak. Recently， the term “underwater basket weaving” has come into usage to refer to a course thats deemed to be worthless—which were sure holders of the qualification appreciate.

與課程名字所暗示的相反，上這門(mén)課你并不需要潛水執(zhí)照。包括波特蘭的里德學(xué)院和加州大學(xué)在內(nèi)的美國(guó)眾多高校都開(kāi)設(shè)這門(mén)課，課程內(nèi)容是將籃子浸在水中濕透后再來(lái)編。近來(lái)，“水下編籃子”這個(gè)說(shuō)法開(kāi)始被用來(lái)指人們認(rèn)為沒(méi)有價(jià)值的課程——相信手里持有該資格證書(shū)的人都能心領(lǐng)神會(huì)。