For undergraduate students at Rice University, apart from their regular class work, the new academic semester is full of unique courses.
Designed and taught by fellow undergraduate students and overseen by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), this semester, the university is offering 25 diverse and unique courses on different topics ranging from Houston Beer, to The Art of Trash Cinema, to the History of Hip-Hop.
Most of the courses are taught in the evening and many include field trips across the city. The dean of undergraduates approves each course that is proposed by student teachers after they successfully complete a compulsory pedagogy course (COLL 300).
“It ranges from the very scholarly to more skill-based,” said Robin Paige, adjunct associate professor of sociology and assistant director of the CTE.
“A lot of the students have said that just going through COLL 300 has really helped them think about how much work it is to put together a course and, therefore, if they want to become professors they understand a little bit better.”
Other courses offered by the university this semester are Cognitive Neuroscience and Theater, Cantonese Language & Culture, Blockchain Beyond Bitcoin, The Cost of Consuming, The Culture of Tea and Hawaii: Beyond the Brochure.