Spruce up your spring schedule with these nine classes

Taking only major-specific courses every semester is a great way to burn out. Whether spring 2024 will be your eighth semester or your second at Miami University, the recently updated course list offers plenty of options to add a bit of fun to your schedule. The classes below offer a mix of interesting topics and low-stress options to help break up the stress of required classes.

HST 259 — Introduction to the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma

With two sections both meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:15 p.m., there are plenty of slots for students to learn more about the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. The course looks at the tribe’s history and present-day Myaamia culture, a particularly important topic for Miami students to understand as the university is built on the historic lands of the Myaamia people.

ATH 190 A — Investigating the Paranormal

Are you fascinated by ghosts, UFOs and other unexplained phenomena? You’ll have to get up early to learn about these topics and more next semester because ATH 190 A runs 8:30-9:50 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.

While the course list for spring 2024 doesn’t list a description, the description from spring 2022 promises a look at some of the most popular paranormal topics in Ohio — including Bigfoot and Mothman — through the lens of the scientific method. Oh, and it culminates with “hands-on experience with ghost hunting gear.”

RUS 137 — Magic and Power in Russian Folklore

If reading Tolstoy and Dostoevsky isn’t quite your speed, RUS 137 may be a better starting point to learn more about Russian culture with less dense readings. The course description promises to examine everything from charms and incantations to jokes and “folk ditties.”

With this class, you can knock out one of several humanities or intercultural perspectives requirements while getting familiar with everything from Russia’s ceremonial poetry to graffiti. The class also has an honors section that runs concurrently with the standard section, both at 1:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

SLM 120 N — Nature Fit

If those options all sound a bit too studious for what you’re looking for, SLM 120 N may be the right fit for you. In this class, subtitled “Physical Activity in the Great Outdoors,” you’ll get exposed to a variety of outdoor activities from yoga to mountain biking. This two-credit hour sprint course runs from Feb. 12 through May 17, and you can choose between a 1:15-2:20 p.m. slot and a 2:50-3:55 p.m. slot.

SLM 140 M — Broomball

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If the great outdoors isn’t your thing, the Sports Leadership and Management Department still has you covered with Broomball. With six sections to choose from, you’ll have no lack of options to learn how to play one of the most popular intramural sports on Miami’s campus.

ART 140 — Beginning Glass

If you have a couple of extra hours in your schedule and you’ve been looking for a creative outlet you may never get the chance to try again, sign up for one of three sprint courses in beginning glass blowing.

ART 165 — Beginning Metals

Just like Beginning Glass, this course could serve as an introduction to an art form you’ve never experienced before. However, there is less risk of burning yourself with molten glass this time around.

MUS 218 — Beginning Guitar

Have you been “learning to play guitar” for the past eight years without ever picking up the instrument? Well, you can finally get over that initial hump with this course. One of the few specific instrument classes open to non-music majors, the department is offering three sections next semester, each of which meets just once a week for the one-credit hour class.

FST 360 S — Star Wars: Force, Culture and Sci-Fi

Its recent losing streak aside (cough, “Ahsoka,” cough), Star Wars has had a massive impact on culture for nearly 50 years. You can geek out with fellow fans — and maybe a few critics — in this film studies class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:05 a.m., with screenings on Tuesday nights at 5 p.m.

scottsr2@miamioh.edu