“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity,” said by Aristotle.
Technology is evolving every moment. With the advancements in the world of technology, the world of education is also changing. New and interesting courses are arising every year. Within the last twenty years, the time has witnessed an enormous change in the world of education and a huge number of courses which no one could have ever imagined that could exist two decades ago. Almost most of us have spent our childhood playing video and computer games and many of us still spend a huge lot of time in moving joysticks and gaming consoles. One generation before us could not imagine that a course will be available for their child, where they would be taught to design and program games for computer, PlayStation/Xbox and other devices. Two generations ago, people were unaware of what computer games were.
People might not have imagined about these modern courses some time ago, but there are actually some of those courses which people in the 90’s used to dream of. Most of the 90’s kids were fascinated by these things, bored by school curriculums and they have all wished if courses like this could exist in real. A career in gaming art was something people have fantasized since then. Thanks to some of the major universities in the world which have designed some amazing courses while keeping in mind the fantasies of the 21st Century kids. The Universities and their courses which could actually change your life are as follows:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Technology and Imagination
World’s one of the most prestigious universities for studying technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has designed a course on science, technology and society concentration which explores on the relationship between tech innovation and creative faculty. This course helps pupils to study the historical developments in technology and the minds behind the ideas and it will also help them to infer how technology stimulates imagination and vice versa. Educators said that the course is basically a fun way for the bookworms to fulfill their English requirements. The course strictly focusses on the history of technology and science, literary and cultural theory and also imaginative writing. The readings of this course ranges from the old romantic poems to recent novels and the topics include mainly scientific instrumentation, utopianism and space travel.
- University of Southern California: Level Design and Development for Video Games
One of the most well-known universities for learning Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California is quite popular among educators for instructing students in the theory, art and practice behind film, television and new media. The course in video game design and management minor requires seven courses (24 units) for completion, and instructs students in level design, game-play control, multiplayer, user interface, game mechanics and storytelling. This course also has a sister curriculum, known as the video game programming minor which teaches students to write code and programming game engines.
- University of California, Berkeley: The Beauty and Joy of Computing
This is one of the most amazing type of computer science course designed for the enthusiasts who are aiming to learn the nook-n-crook of computer programming, yet afraid about the difficulties of learning that. The University of California, Berkeley, focuses strictly on the history, social implications, great principles and the future of computing. It also focuses on the beautiful computer applications which had a great contribution in changing the world through empowered discovery and enormous progress. Through this course, the students will get to learn the joy of programming a computer through the use of a friendly and graphical language.
- Harvard University: Science Facts and Science Fictions
Another most prestigious university in the world, Harvard University is offering some of the amazing courses which will motivate one to learn and enjoy at the same time. The University’s Department of the History of Science believes in studying science through the lens of science fiction. In this course, students get to read sci-fi novels, watch sci-fi films and discuss among themselves about the relationship between artistic representations and technological advancements.
Malcom X said, “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” Educators are innovating new courses to bring in more students into the world of education and make education system more interesting. Courses like Technology Entrepreneurship from Carnegie Mellon University and various other courses like Media and Social Psychology, Social Media and Virtual Communications, are offered from various universities to encourage people to be part of the education system.
– Rajarshi Chatterjee