-Riya Ganguly
From studying Harry Potter to exploring the possibility of finding alien life in the universe, education has expanded its boundaries in offering a multitude of unique and offbeat courses, giving students interesting alternatives to the conventional engineering, medical and honours streams. If you wish to take up a unique interest or break free from the paths of conventionality to carve a unique niche for yourself in this rat-race world, here are some of the most unique and bizarre courses you can study.
Fantasy Worlds
If you are one of the millions of Potterheads or Game of Thrones fans around the world, your unending knowledge on trivia can finally be put to its ideal use. The National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata began offering the 45-hour degree course on Harry Potter titled “An Interface between Fantasy Fiction Literature and Law: Special Focus on Rowling’s Potterverse” from 2018 to fourth and fifth-year law students, delving deep into the literary and legal traditions of the much-beloved fantasy fiction series.
Game of Thrones, which has accumulated one of the largest fanbases over the years is another such course offered by the University of Glasgow along with Harry Potter by the Centre for the Fantasy and the Fantastic, additionally teaching students conversational Dothraki (language used in GoT) and Klingon.
Tea Tasting
A tea lover’s dream come true, this course offers detailed aspects to tea manufacture and quality, as students are taught to determine tea taste and quality before its sale. Ranging from three months to a year, tea tasting courses are offered in several universities across India such as Dipras Institute of Professional Studies, Birla Institute of Futuristic Studies, Indian Institute of Plantation Management and Assam Agricultural University.
Astrobiology
If you relish in partaking in debates about the existence of extra-terrestrial life, this course is perfect for you! Astrobiology is the interdisciplinary scientific field probing the origins, evolution and future of life in the universe, aiming to determine and detect if extra-terrestrial life exists in the universe. Some of the college which offer Astrobiology courses include the Indian Astrobiology Research Centre, Mumbai (India) University College London and Imperial College London (UK) and Pennsylvania State University and Princeton University (USA).
Elvish
Universities around the world teach global languages, but what if you could study the fantasy Elvish languages created by Tolkien in the Lord of the Ring universe? The University of Wisconsin offers a language course to the LOTR fans to study the Elvish and Orkish languages, which have their bases in real languages thus enabling them to be taught and spoken.
Pet Grooming
Take your obsession with your pets to a new level with this pet grooming course. Offered in Mumbai in the Pet Grooming Academy and the Whiskers and Tails Franchise, this course is relatively new in India and offers a chance to all the pet lovers to take charge of their pet’s grooming, health and well-being. The course teaches proper pet hygiene, training, health and safety techniques, allowing its students the scope of pursuing a career in the burgeoning industry of professional pet grooming.
Mountaineering and Adventure Education
Explore the wanderlust and adventurous spirit in you with these mountaineering and adventure sports courses. From rock climbing to water kayaking, these courses are the ideal starting point for venturing to the great outdoors and embarking on exciting expeditions with the survival skills taught in these courses. Mountaineering courses are offered in India by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling while more expansive adventure education courses are offered in foreign universities such as Plymouth State University and Green Mountain College in Vermont, USA.
Puppetry
One of the oldest forms of entertainment and a convenient medium of bonding and moral education to children, puppetry can be studied as a professional course in the Calcutta Puppet Theatre and Mumbai University in India, and the University of Connecticut in USA. Teaching. Usually offered as either a part-time course after school graduation or a master of fine arts degree, puppetry courses can help you develop a unique passion and learn about as well as preserve its rich cultural history.
Museology
Have the mystery and history surrounding museums always captured your interest? Were you intrigued by Larry Daley’s adventurous escapades in the Night at the Museom trilogy? If yes, Museology is the course for you. Offered by the University of Calcutta and the National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology, New Delhi, Museology (also known as museum studies) educates students about the management and organization of museums along with the documentation and security of the artifacts housed within its galleries.
Zombie Studies
For all the fans of the zombie genre in movies, TV shows, books and video games, there is a zombie studies course offered by the University of Baltimore, giving you the opportunity to write horror scripts for your envisioned horror film in place of conventional evaluative essays. Delving deep into the representation of zombie apocalypses depicted in popular culture, this course will help you gain an in-depth understanding of the gore and popularity of zombie culture, and possibly prepare you for a zombie apocalypse in the distant future!
Alcohol Technology
Considering the large and expansive alcohol industry around the world, alcohol technology is a burgeoning and lucrative field to explore. Dealing with technical aspects of alcohol manufacturing such as brewing and distilling, the alcohol technology course is offered by the Vasantdada Sugar Institute and Gargi Agriculture Research and Training Institute in Maharashtra and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Teaching industry productivity and development of cost-effective and high-quality alcohol, this course is popular amongst the younger generation as it also entails alcohol tasting for the wine enthusiasts.
