If you’re looking for a class to spook you all semester this Halloween season, the University of Arizona has opened up three of the spookiest classes offered this upcoming spring semester.
PAH 150: Weird Stuff: How to Think About the Paranormal, the Supernatural, and Other Mysterious Things
This course dives deep into the world of the paranormal and weird using critical thinking and a content-heavy curriculum.
According to Eddy White, the public and applied humanities associate professor teaching the class this semester, he wanted the class to be focused around asking questions to understand what it means to be a part of the human condition.
“We’re taking a close look at why people believe some supernatural and paranormal things,” White said. “We’re also learning about things that maybe they haven’t been exposed to before.”
White also discussed how at the beginning of the semester the students take a quiz ranking different ideas they believe in. At the end of the course they will take the quiz again to see if how they think about the same ideas has changed.
Daniel Swan, a student taking the class this semester, said that even though he is a skeptic, it is very interesting to learn about what people believe.
“I don’t believe in Bigfoot, I don’t believe in demons or angels, or any of those kinds of things,” Swan said. “The part that I can appreciate is I can see why people like what they like or believe what they believe, because everybody’s perceptions are different.”
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FTV 150: The Haunted Screen: Understanding the Horror Film
This class studies horror film from many different countries and cultures, analyzing the genre’s film methods.
“Really, it’s a class about looking at international cinema and horror as a way to kind of understand more about the world,” said Joshua Gleich, the School of Film and Television assistant professor running the class. “If you understand what people are afraid of, you actually learn quite a bit about other countries.”
Gleich discussed how one of the first things the class talks about is why people are interested in horror films and why people pay money to get scared by a movie.
“You can kind of indulge in some of the things that I think we all deal with, or ways we think about the world through a movie,” Gleich said.
GER 273: Wicked Tales and Strange Encounters: German Romanticism and Beyond
Exploring 19th-century German literature, students in this class read and analyze strange motifs and themes.
Graduate student Sina Meissgeier took over the class after German Department assistant professor Joela Jacobs, the course creator, curated the content. According to Meissgeier, she has been following in Jacob’s footsteps in trying to emphasize critical thinking skills throughout the class.
“What would Freud say about Halloween as an American holiday?” is the quiz question that Meissgeier will hand out this Halloween week. According to her, the students will have to explore the ideas of death and love within the culture to answer the question.
Felicity Hodge, a pre-pharmacy student taking the class, discussed a lot about how she enjoys the weird and obscure stories.
“Honestly, in this class, it’s always kind of been Halloween.”
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