The Quirkiest College Courses in America

Quote of the Week:

“The whole world is about three drinks behind.” – Humphrey Bogart

Fact of the Week:

When the temperature rises above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the Cistus plant can spontaneously burst into flames. This is not a flaw of the plant native to the Mediterranean area, but rather a competitive edge that evolved after millions of years.

The resulting fire burns other plants in the area, thus eliminating competitors. Though the Cistus plant dies, its seeds rupture and fall to the ground. By encasing its seeds in flame-resistant capsules, the plant ensures they escape harm. The smoke and heat then trigger germination of the next generation of Cistus.

Nature Bites and The University of Bristol contributed to this article.

News Update:

Redwoods Tree Climbing, offered at Cornell. Via Cornell Outdoor Education

With the college school year wrapping up, many students are happy not to think of exams and courses for another few months. The time to enroll for next semester’s classes, however, is just around the corner.

Every school has a few unique classes that raise some eyebrows, and last year Fox News compiled a list of some of the quirkiest classes currently or recently offered around the country. Here’s a few of our favorite:

Tree Climbing is offered at Cornell University and teaches how to get up into any tree, how to move around, and how to climb to another tree.

“Harry Potter: Understanding Good and Evil” is taught at High Point University and discusses the fine line between good and evil in both historical figures and the wizarding world.

UCLA offers a class called “Dealing Tactfully with Difficult People,” in which they teach exactly that.

Penn State’s “Cow to Cone” class is now in its 130th year of existence. It teaches how ice cream is made and was taken by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield—yes, the famous Ben and Jerry.

The University of Wisconsin offers a class called “Clap for Credit,” a music class in which you do just that: clap for one credit. Students can take it up to three times.

“Introduction to Surfing” is offered at Pepperdine University. The class is taken right on the beach in Malibu, California.

Fox News contributed to this article.

Sports Update:

Via The Los Angeles Times. Credit: Torrey Purvey

The final sixteen teams are set for the Women’s Division I Softball tournament. Number one-seeded Oklahoma remains the heavy favorite to win the title. The Sooners are 54-1 and are on a 46-game win streak. They’ll face #16 Clemson in the Super Regionals.

UCLA, the 2nd-ranked team, was eliminated in Regionals after a 3-2 loss to Grand Canyon and 2-1 loss to Liberty. The Bruins ended their season with a 52-7 record.

Other seeded teams eliminated in the regional round were #10 LSU and #13 Arkansas.

The next games begin this Thursday at 7pm EST.

This week, instead of a riddle, we’ve included the link to the latest strip of Cliff Notes Comics. For the most accurate representation of college, there’s no better place:

http://cliffnotescomics.com/