赵青奇

大学四年，谁都上过几门无聊透顶的课，当这些课贴着“必修”的标签，就更让人痛苦又无奈。不过，如果你的大学课程是关于碧昂斯，关于贝克汉姆，关于哈利·波特，关于真人秀节目，那你还会瞌睡连连吗？这些都是某些国外大学真正开设的课程。如此与时俱进又接地气的课程，想必没有几个人会翘课吧？

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 ...

忘掉法学或医学吧——宾夕法尼亚大学刚刚推出了一门关于“在网上虚度光阴”的课程。没错，真事儿！上这门听上去很严谨并费脑筋的课程时，学生每周只需要通过社交媒体和聊天室交流三个小时，由此产生的对话要有助于形成“言之有物的文学作品”。我们过去还以为生物化学课很难……

令人惊讶的是，想出这种奇葩（而且听起来疑似与学术无关的）课程的高校并非宾夕法尼亚大学一所。从大卫·贝克汉姆研究到脂肪的存在意义，本文介绍的九门大学课程可能不会帮你谋到工作，但课堂上绝对妙趣横生。

碧昂丝政治学

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 ...

想来，很多人乐意不花钱就可一睹碧昂丝的风采和她那撩人的舞姿——更别提还能因此获得学分了。但现在，碧昂丝的那些劲爆视频和歌词也具有了潜在的学术价值，这多亏了新泽西州罗格斯大学及其开设的“碧昂丝政治学”一课。

这门课并没有乍看上去那么容易，学生要将碧昂丝与作家兼活动家艾丽斯·沃克和索杰纳·特鲁斯的作品进行比较。不过，这下想要循环观看《单身女郎（定情戒）》就不愁没有借口了……

辛普森一家与哲学

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 ...

美国名校加州大学伯克利分校推出的这门两学分的课程标榜称“相当严谨”，该课程从尼采、柏拉图等众多哲人的视角剖析这部热播动画片，提出一些重要问题，比如：霍默那句尽人皆知的口头禅“噢”究竟是如何表达他的存在主义自我？玛姬的浓密长发是传达着积极向上的含义，还是象征着社会的衰退？或者这些是我们的假设……

大卫·贝克汉姆

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.

这门为期12周的课程是英国史塔福郡大学体育、传媒与文化学士项目的一部分，涵盖了不少重要话题，比如小贝不断变化的发型、他与时髦辣妹的婚姻状况以及他“作为万千幻想对象”的地位。这门课的教材我们肯定会喜欢翻阅的。

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.

好看的僵尸电影人人都爱，但如果你真的对活死尸情有独钟，不妨前往巴尔的摩大学。该校专门开设了一门课程，让学生撰写恐怖题材的剧本、观看僵尸电影、绘制他们心中理想的鬼怪电影的故事梗概板，以此让他们“准备好迎接一场僵尸大战”。这个绝妙的主意该发金星奖章一枚。

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”这个俗语因为美国乔治·华盛顿大学推出的这门课程而呈现出完全崭新的含义。该课程从电影、文学、人类学和历史的领域研究肥胖的概念，将胖人的“文化包袱”牢牢地置于公众视野的焦点中。

论战法官朱迪

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.

如果你因为《法官朱迪》这类节目里的全然不公现象对着电视机怒吼，那么你是时候入读加州大学了，这里的“论战法官朱迪：电视节目里的大众‘逻辑”这门课可以给你提供吐槽失望的渠道。该课程针对真人秀节目里的大众逻辑硬伤挑刺，探究为什么电视观众对于何为社会公正做出他们那样的决定。遗憾的是，课程还没有达到杰里米·凯尔那样的程度。不过，只要这门课存在就有戏。

嘎嘎小姐与名气社会学

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）.

嘎嘎小姐在南卡罗来纳大学拥有了一门关于她本人的学位课程，这对这位歌星来说是非常值得夸耀的一件事。上这门课的大学老师听起来很像是嘎嘎的狂热粉丝假扮而成（马蒂厄·德弗兰教授看过30场嘎嘎的演唱会），课上学生要对嘎嘎的迅速走红“进行实质性学术思考”。然后，他们会在阶梯教室的过道里伴着嘎嘎最火的歌曲一起跳舞（或者我们愿意这么想）。

哈利·波特与幻想时代

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.

如果你是个想当巫师的麻瓜，还是做好失望的准备吧。英国杜伦大学教育研究学士项目所包含的“哈利·波特与幻想时代”这门课不教咒语和魁地奇——而是通过22次讲座和11次研讨会来探究J. K. 罗琳的系列小说如何反映现代社会的偏见和公民身份。尽管这门课不及霍格沃兹魔法学校的课程那么刺激，却提供了一个重温小说的好理由。

水下编篮子

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.

与课程名字所暗示的相反，上这门课你并不需要潜水执照。包括波特兰的里德学院和加州大学在内的美国众多高校都开设这门课，课程内容是将篮子浸在水中湿透后再来编。近来，“水下编篮子”这个说法开始被用来指人们认为没有价值的课程——相信手里持有该资格证书的人都能心领神会。