LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I’m a shy person, but I’ve never had a problem with school, and because of that I thought college was going to be a breeze. That is, until I had to dance to an Indian pop song for a grade.

During the first week of Appreciation of Dance, the class had to mimic the movements to a song called “Tunak Tunak Tun.” I started thinking to myself, “Would I have taken this class knowing I would be dancing 70 percent of the semester?”

When I first signed up for Appreciation of Dance, I thought I would be learning about the history of different dances around the world, but, boy, was I in for a shock. During the midst of finals, I found myself in the University Theatre performing for more than 50 people to a dance my teacher choreographed as my final grade.

Just because the name of a class sounds like it would be a typical lecture, you might be completely wrong and find yourself in front of a stage dancing like a clown.

I must admit, as timid and shy as I am, I will never forget my experience dancing for a grade, and because of it I started researching different classes offered at FAU.

From drawing naked old men to swordfighting to drinking wine for a grade, FAU has some strange and unusual classes.

This special issue is designed to show students unique classes offered at FAU that are not the typical boring lectures.

Anyone can watch a Jackie Chan movie and imagine themselves as a karate-kicking ninja, but only students taking Karate at FAU have to bow to their professor before kicking him in the face.

The figure drawing class at FAU hires models to pose naked for three hours. When outside students think of naked models, they assume they are all attractive, but some of the models are senior citizens.

With all the one-of-a-kind classes offered at FAU, students with disabilities have found ways to overcome their challenges and enroll in classes just like any other students.

Annmarie Bedard, a legally blind student, is taking the walking class this semester. Although she is unable to see, she does everything a student with sight can do, independently. Read about some of the classes she takes here.

I thought I knew what classes at FAU are all about, but after conducting the research for this issue, I realized some of those beliefs were wrong. I thought Jogging would be an easy class, but students taking the class found it to be really difficult, and, in fact, most of the students taking it were doing it for personal reasons. I thought that someone who was taking World of Wines would only be taking it to drink wine for a grade, but it’s actually a difficult course where the students only taste less than one ounce of wine each class.

Just keep my experience in mind the next time you register for classes. Don’t assume they’re all mind-numbing lectures, because you might find yourself dancing for a grade.