Registration for fall classes will begin soon, and those who fear another semester of required curriculum and general indecision may want to take a closer look at course descriptions.
UB has a multitude of programs that aren't just made up of textbook assignments and quizzes. Descriptive Astronomy is a good example of how students have a chance to get away from the pen and paper. Listed as PHY 121, the course is a two-semester sequence made up of lecture and lab sessions. It satisfies the general science requirement, but most importantly, allows students to use the 10-inch Mead telescope on the roof of Fronczak Hall.
"The class generally has about 150 students, so I can only give them each one chance a semester to use the telescope," said Bernard Weinstein, Ph.D. and professor of PHY 121 this semester. "Still, they see some nice things. They get to see things better than Galileo saw them."
According to Weinstein, the class attracts students from all majors and interests, some with the simple desire to learn more about stargazing. In the end, they get a comprehensive overview that covers all aspects of astronomy. It includes lessons in cosmology, basic stargazing, how the solar system was formed, how galaxies are formed, the history of astronomy and even the concept of life on other planets.
"Cosmology is probably the most popular topic that we cover," Weinstein said. "The Big Bang Theory and photos from the Hubble Telescope incite a lot of interest in the students."
While Weinstein and his astronomers look toward the heavens, back on the ground, Officer David Chernega of the University Police Department teaches a totally different sort of class. Called "Self defense for women," his class teaches young women how to defend themselves from sexual assault, listed as ATH 136.
"I started teaching this class in '99 and it has been full every time," Chernega said. "I have had to force students in every semester."
The course, which is based around techniques in rape aggression defense, trains women how best to avoid a violent situation.
Each semester, Chernega takes on the task of breaking it to women that if they fight a man one-on-one, they will be outmatched.
"Some women get mad when we tell them, 'If you fight a man, you're going to lose,'" Chernega said. "But no man is going to attack a woman who is bigger than him, so we teach [the women] how to fight dirty."
According to Chernega, the class equips its students with multiple techniques and options for various types of assault, so they can choose which methods they are comfortable with. He teaches important 'dirty fighting' techniques such as pain compliance and mechanical damage.
Lessons are complete with demonstrations and even a simulation, in which the pupils put their learning to use on a padded attacker.
If learning self-defense tactics doesn't seem interesting, it may be just as safe to take refuge in the classroom of Basic Painting, ART 211.
Here students can learn that contemporary painting takes more than the technical skills that enable the replication of images, according to David Schirm, associate professor of visual studies.
"Students are led through a series of problems that are thought provoking, demanding, but also enjoyable," Schirm said. "These problems allow students to do a good bit of self-discovery in the arts through exposure to unfamiliar artists."
According to Schirm, the students who enroll in this course are generally art majors; however, in the past two years the art department has opened its doors to students who wish to minor in one of its disciplines.
"We did this because we felt that there were a number of students at UB who had both interest and talent in the arts but for a number of reasons did not feel they could pursue the arts full-time," Schirm said.
There are plenty more courses at UB that may interest those who are planning otherwise uninteresting schedules for the fall. Method Acting, History of Rock Music, Technical Theatre and Creative Writing Fiction are all worthy of closer looks.
Those who want to take the search for intriguing classes into their own hands can do so by visiting MyUB and browsing through course descriptions.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
