By Jen Forse | Staff Writer
Baylor’s schedule of classes offers more than the standard courses required for a degree. Tucked among core requirements and major-specific classes are courses that explore topics ranging from anarchism in American history to podcast writing and the relationship between religion and sports.
The university offers a wide selection of classes and sections each semester, including special-topic courses and unique sections of the common core curriculum. Many of these classes are interdisciplinary, allowing students the opportunity to explore different areas of study within their program.
For freshmen, some of the most unusual options can be found within common core requirements, including history and research writing courses.
Professor William Franks teaches a section of the core HIS 1300 course called “Anarchy in America & Beyond.”
“It’s a section of the common core history class freshmen take that looks at America’s place in the world through the lens of classical anarchists,” Franks said. “We talk about early anarchist thinkers, their ideas and how these ideas played out in the world through historical events. The history department has a number of wonderful instructors and professors teaching a variety of fascinating things.”
Professor Tracy Hoffman is teaching podcast scriptwriting for the first time as a special topics course within the English Department’s creative nonfiction program.
“Some students are new to podcasting, and others are professionals, so we have a wide range of skill levels,” Hoffman said. “If it goes well, then I’ll definitely want to repeat the special topic another time.”
One of Baylor’s more unusual courses, Religion and Sport, was recently featured by 106.3 The Buzz in a list of unusual courses offered at Texas colleges. Associate Professor Andrew Meyer’s class REL 4396 explores religious ideals and Christian character traits through the lens of sport and society
The 50-minute-long class thrives on student engagement, Meyer said.
“Every student gets a different experience than anybody else who’s taken the class,” Meyer said. “The students pick six character traits that are Christian in nature, and we look at how they relate to the world of sport.”
While traits such as obedience may appear in multiple semesters, Meyer said the student-led nature of the course brings new perspectives to classroom discussions.
“The students always change and so new students always bring new perspectives than maybe I hadn’t even thought of,” Meyer said.
Meyer has taught the course since 2013. Its discussion-based format developed over time as he reconsidered how students could engage with the material.
“At first the class was a lot of lectures and reading,” Meyer explained. “Then after being named an Academy for Teaching and Learning fellow in 2017, one of our charges was character in the classroom.”
During the first three weeks of the fall semester, students have discussed whether sports can be considered a form of religion and how sports and religion differ, Meyer said.
“Some of my post-grad work was on post-modernity and looking at sport as a replacement for official religion,” Meyer said. “A lot of sports philosophers ask whether sport is a folk religion, although sport might not answer ultimate questions of existence like a quote-unquote religion.”
Meyer said the course can be especially relevant to students studying kinesiology, but students interested in the intersection of religion, philosophy and sports may also find the material useful. The course is listed as requiring an upper-level understanding of the subject.
