My daughters have just returned from two weeks at the Summer Enrichment Program held every year by the University of Northern Colorado. The program is conducted on campus for about 250 gifted and talented students for the purpose of expanding their horizons beyond the normal classroom curricula.
While the course offerings include everything from battling robots to poetry slams, what amuses and inspires me every year are the creative course titles. This time they included:
Zombies Attack! — a course about designing survival strategies in the event of a catastrophe. Others are:
DO NOT Read This Book — a course about why people want to ban books and the impact on society along with first amendment rights.
We Need a Hero! — a course about how society selects its heroes and what we can learn from their characteristics.
The Good, The Bad and the Undead: Werewolves and other Supernatural Creatures — Use your imagination.
Each course lasts for 90 minutes a day for two weeks, giving students a chance to delve significantly into a particular interest. Having spent years in the fields of education and training, I want to know why adults have to tolerate such titles as Communication 101 and Basics of Web Design. Why not have fun? Why not get a little silly? Why not get over the pretense of being serious and meaningful, especially around young learners who have grown up as entertainment and stimulation junkies? We all need a chuckle at times. Course titles are a good place to start.