The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) wants its students to go broad and deep in their studies. If you’re looking for classes to fill your curriculum, why not take unique courses at UPenn? This article lists 15 classes across different disciplines that you might be interested in checking out.
- Unique Arts and Humanities Courses at UPenn
- Unique Science and Technology Courses at UPenn
- Unique Social Sciences Courses at UPenn
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Takeaways
Unique Arts and Humanities Courses at UPenn
UPenn’s arts and humanities departments offer many classes that combine creative practice with critical inquiry. These courses often approach familiar topics from fresh angles, making them ideal for anyone who enjoys thinking outside traditional academic boundaries.
1. RELS 0080 Religion and Sports: Sacred Games and the Spirit of Competition
At first glance, it might be hard to place religion in the noise of sports. However, if you look more closely, you might notice NFL players praying or other international athletes engaging in their own rituals. In this unique UPenn course by the Department of Religious Studies, you’ll look at real-world cases to try to answer questions like “Can a sport be a religion?”
By treating games as social rituals, the course can show you that sports can be considered an example since they bring people together. You’ll explore fans’ and athletes’ perspectives, and debate whether sports teams function like religious communities.
2. COMM 2014 Visibility, Circulation, and the Everyday Life of Images
Images are everywhere, from social media to TV and billboards. In this class at UPenn’s School of Communication, you’ll start with the question: “What do images do in the world?” From there, you’ll learn to analyze pictures and media as active forces.
From there, you can expect to study how an image in different sources like film, ads, and social media can spread ideas like nationalism or feminism, or how people use pictures to shape their own identity. Through readings and projects, you’ll learn to evaluate and contextualize images in historical and contemporary forms.
This could be one of the best unique courses at UPenn for you if you want to sharpen your visual literacy since you’ll learn to see how the pictures around you carry meaning and influence society in everyday life.
3. MUSC 0182 Music and the Exploration of Consciousness
In William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience, he said: “Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different.” This unique UPenn course by the Department of Music aims to explore that quote by answering the question, “What if music can open us to new states?”
You’ll use insights from anthropology and neuroscience to study everything from meditative chanting and yoga music to ecstatic dance and out-of-body experiences. By looking at such experiences, you’ll try to understand how music has been used with religious, meditative, and mind-altering practices in different cultures.
Part of experiencing this class is also participating in voice and breathing exercises and basic meditation during class.
4. THAR 0104 On the Stage and in the Streets: An Introduction to Performance Studies
Do you believe that everything can be viewed as performance? This unique course by UPenn’s Theatre Arts Program will use examples like the musical Hamilton, RuPaul’s Drag Race, political protests, and even Queen Elizabeth’s funeral to show that they all have elements of performance.
You’ll ask big questions like “What is performance?” “What do theater and daily life have in common?” and “How does performance enact or question power?” You’ll encounter readings that introduce key theories of performance, which you’ll apply to case studies from concerts and sporting events to social media trends.
By the end of the semester, you’ll understand how even ordinary activities like a speech, a ceremony, or a viral TikTok involve elements of staging and audience.
5. COML 0015 Writing the Self: Life-Writing, Fiction, Representation
How do people craft identity through story? In this unique UPenn course by the Department of Comparative Literature & Literary Theory, you’ll study a wide range of genres (such as memoirs, novels, films, and celebrity autobiographies) to see how authors use narrative to understand who they are.
Discussions will mainly center on how form and language shape identity. You’ll answer questions like “How does writing in another language affect your sense of self?” Or “How does switching genres (memoir vs. novel) change a story’s meaning?”
You might also pay special attention to voices that are often marginalized, exploring how life-writing helps people express racial, gender, or cultural experiences.
Unique Science and Technology Courses at UPenn
UPenn’s science and tech courses tie cutting-edge topics to broader themes, connecting technical content to health, society, and the environment.
6. NRSC 0045 A Neuroscience Perspective on Brain Aging
How do our brains change as we grow older? If you’re concerned about brain health or curious about longevity, this unique course by UPenn’s Department of Neuroscience will show you the science behind aging and help you evaluate myths versus reality in how to keep your mind sharp.
You’ll learn about the biological basics of brain aging, like neuronal changes and neurodegeneration. You’ll also look at how lifestyle factors (like diet and exercise) and genetics all affect cognitive health.
You can also expect to explore the social side of brain aging. For example, you might distinguish “normal” aging from diseases like Alzheimer’s, and consider how culture affects the treatment of elders.
7. MATH 0025 Geometry and Art
Math is everywhere, including visual art. You don’t need to have amazing art skills or be a math whiz to enroll in this unique course by UPenn’s Department of Mathematics. All you need is curiosity and a willingness to try logic, although you should ideally also remember some of your algebra and trigonometry to truly enjoy the class, as it may get quite math-y at times.
The course covers incidence and projective geometry (how lines and planes intersect) and shows how Renaissance and classical artists often unknowingly used those ideas to create perspective drawings. You can also expect to actually sketch, trace, and draw perspective lines on famous paintings or photographs to reveal the hidden math in the art.
8. BIOL 0004 Killer Viruses: What Threat Do They Pose in Contemporary Society?
The human race has seen so many viruses in history, but this unique UPenn course by the Department of Biology will focus on recent examples. These include SARS, HIV, West Nile, and Ebola viruses. Alongside that, you’ll also discuss what could happen if dormant viruses like smallpox re-emerge.
You’ll learn fundamental virology, like how viruses infect cells, how our immune system responds, and how vaccines work. The class also teaches you how viruses spread through populations (considering cultural and economic factors) and how scientists predict or contain outbreaks.
With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, this course will help you separate fact from hype and understand real-world problems like emerging diseases or biosecurity threats.
9. HSOC 0100 Emergence of Modern Science
Science has changed so much throughout the centuries. This unique course by UPenn’s Department of History and Sociology of Science takes you on a journey through the last 500 years of scientific discovery.
You’ll study big names in science like Newton, Galileo, and Darwin, and learn how their ideas solved problems and even caused controversy. For example, you might explore how Galileo’s telescope findings challenged religious beliefs or how the Industrial Revolution was enabled by physics breakthroughs.
This course connects science to its cultural context, and you’ll learn to ask how scientific ideas related to religion, art, politics, and philosophy of their time.
10. EESC 1060 Natural Disturbances and Disasters
You’ve already seen how powerful nature can be, but this unique UPenn course from the Department of Earth and Environmental Science will also teach you the geology behind events like earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and hurricanes.
Aside from how they occur and what causes them, you’ll also look at the ecological damage and the human/social consequences. You’ll also learn methods to mitigate risks (building codes, evacuation planning) and how to estimate a disaster’s “cost” to society.
You should certainly consider this course if you care about environmental hazards or climate change. It helps you understand and respond to disasters, combining field geology with discussions of community resilience and policy.
Unique Social Sciences Courses at UPenn
UPenn’s social science offerings include classes that connect personal experience, politics, and society in interesting ways. These courses encourage you to question everyday assumptions and global trends.
11. SOCI 0006 Anxious Times: Social Change and Fear
There is an ancient Chinese curse that translates to “May you live in interesting times.” In this class at UPenn’s Department of Sociology, you’ll examine why anxiety seems to be everywhere today.
The class explores how psychologists and scientists define anxiety compared to depression, and looks at what cultural or technological factors (like media, work stress, or social change) may be increasing it. You can also expect to discuss evolutionary theories (like why fear might have once helped survival) and how public attitudes toward anxiety have changed over time.
This would be one of the best unique courses at UPenn for you if you’re interested in psychology or social issues. Not to mention, it also helps you understand your own emotions in a broader context of society and history.
12. PHIL 1360 Philosophy of Sport
If you’re a sports fan who likes to question the ethics of the game, this unique UPenn course by the Department of Philosophy will use philosophical tools to address questions that come up in athletics. Some of those questions can include:
- Should competitions be divided by sex or ability?
- Why do sports have certain rules and when should they be changed?
- Why do people participate in sports?
- Is it ever okay to take performance-enhancing drugs?
You might also encounter questions on what virtues athletes should show and those relating to the integrity of a sport and its athletes.
This class will give you a new perspective on sports by framing debates like doping, cheating, and fair play in philosophical terms.
13. LING 0054 Bilingualism in History
Language is constantly changing, as you’ll see in this unique course by UPenn’s Department of Linguistics. Here, you’ll see how multilingual societies have shaped languages, realizing how contact between speakers of different languages whether through trade, education, or conquest is actually the norm worldwide.
When people mix languages, sometimes languages die out, new ones emerge, and the grammar of languages can shift dramatically. This course will ask you to reflect on the parts of a language that are most likely to change under different conditions.
You’ll also explore how societies have viewed bilingual speakers historically and how major events like colonization or immigration waves have reshaped the linguistic map of places like the US.
14. INTR 1001 Transnational Issues in Global Politics
If you have always been curious about the big-picture view of how events in one country can affect people everywhere, then you can consider this unique UPenn course from the International Relations Program. This intro to international relations covers the big global challenges of our time, such as climate change, nuclear proliferation, genocide, and human trafficking.
You’ll discuss concepts like trade and diplomacy, and learn how to analyze and understand the complex dynamics involved in global politics. By knowing the basics of international issues, you’ll be able to assess news and policy debates about the world and understand how nations, NGOs, and people interact on the world stage.
15. ANCH 1202 The Ancient Economy
Greece and Rome were in some ways like the first “global economies,” doing long-distance trade and inventing coinage, while still being agrarian and unequal societies. In this unique course by UPenn’s Ancient History Program, you’ll use historical texts, archaeology, and even scientific methods to examine factors like population, trade networks, and industry in antiquity.
From there, you’ll answer questions like “Can modern economic theories apply to ancient times?” This class combines history and economics to show how money, labor, and trade really worked thousands of years ago.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is unique about UPenn’s curriculum?
UPenn’s curriculum is unique for its interdisciplinary approach and structured flexibility. For example, the College of Arts & Sciences’ curriculum wants its students to take classes across a wide range of disciplines while also having a specialized education.
2. What majors is UPenn best known for?
Some of the majors UPenn is best known for include Business, Social Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, and Computer and Information Science.
3. Are there online courses at UPenn?
Yes, there are online courses at UPenn, primarily through the College of Liberal and Professional Studies for online degree and certificate programs. However, professors also teach MOOCs via platforms like Coursera and edX for non-credit courses that are open to everyone.
Takeaways
- UPenn believes its students can live humane, productive, and fulfilling lives when they have a general and specialized education. As such, you have the freedom to fill your curriculum with classes that you’re genuinely curious about.
- There’s no objectively “best” course to take since what’s best for you will depend on factors like your strengths, interests, and academic and professional goals.
- Did you spot a class you’d love to take at UPenn? Consult a private admissions expert who can guide you in building a strong college application to improve your chances of being accepted.
