The craziest courses Spring semester has to offer

‘Who else gets to call Grand Theft Auto homework?’

Registration season is once again upon us.

Struggling to find a class to fill a gap? Well how about you peruse our guide to the wackiest or most wonderful classes NYU has to offer.

Ethics and Technology

“Ethics and Technology” is a class offered through the Tandon School of Engineering, and it combines “several views of technology and ethical theories”. You can get deeply contemplative about what technological developments are doing to us, and not necessarily just the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. Kevin Lin, a student at Tandon, considers it to be an “eye-opening” class.

Pros: Have educated responses for any dinner party.

Cons: The workload can be fairly heavy…

Introduction to Computer Programming

Offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, it will make all your Zuckerberg-esque dreams come true… maybe. It’s “a gentle introduction to the fundamentals of computer programming, which is the foundation of Computer Science”. If you’re looking to go further into this field of study without prior experience, it’s a prerequisite so you’d have to take it anyway. Whether or not you’re deciding what to do you with your future or looking to complete part of your general education requirements, programming makes up such a massive part of how we move through the world, and having some kind of understanding of it wouldn’t hurt.

Pros: Become a computer programmer!

Cons: Despite being a beginner class, it’s not the easiest. Beware, there will be some kids who know a little programming and act like they already work at Google.

Pro tip: Craig Kapp is considered a God among NYU professors. Check out his Rate My Professor page, it’ll blow your mind.

Games 101

For those interested in learning about the origin of Games, or in entering other classes within NYU’s Game Center,  this class is your holy grail. Various game genres, such as sports or adventure, are discussed within each lecture. The  games range from early boardgames such as the Royal  Game of Ur to physical games like boxing, and all the way to the Legend of Zelda franchise. According to John Hwang, a Sophomore at Tisch, “It’s a class filled with contagiously passionate professors in an exciting department”. He added you get to “learn practical things about game design in the process”.

Pros: You get to play games for “education”— who else gets to call Grand Theft Auto homework?

Cons: You have to split your time between WSP and Brooklyn — the traffic can be killer.

Workload: A weekly ten-question quiz and 500-word essay homework  assignment – is that barely even a page?!

International Politics

If you’re curious about the exclusive International Relations degree, or maybe you want to work in the UN, this class is the prerequisite for them all. Don’t enroll hoping to understand the political maneuverings of the world — you’re just going to be hit with a shit ton of game theory. Yes, you can spend an entire semester on game theory. According to various students, the content of this class depends hugely on the professor, so make sure you find a good one!

Pros: You’ll have a firmer grasp of Game Theory then you ever imagined possible.

Cons: Professor quality can be pretty low—  get on Rate My Professor pronto.

Science of Happiness

Science of Happiness is known to be an easy class, and everyone loves it. The workload is light: readings and weekly one to two-page writing assignments. After Writing the Essay, we all know that feels like nothing. Rachel Lambert, a student at Tisch, said, “It relates to real-life so you learn a lot, but the material isn’t too difficult at all.” I’ve had other people who’ve taken the class tell me it’s life changing and good for learning how to deal with stressful experiences, and as college students I think we know more about stress than we do relaxation. It’s also counts as a gen-ed. Easy, fun, and useful? Go for it.

Pros: Be happy, be free, love life.

Cons: If you’re in CAS, contrary to popular opinion, this does not fulfill any core requirement. Sorry.

 

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