What was the worst (or, most boring) college course you were ever required to take/attend?

Just curious, do you believe the rich pay people to take courses for them? Like princes of old had other boys to take their whippings? Seriously.

I had to endure one semester of Social Science class. It was boring after we finished the discussion of philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. The latter part is even more boring since the philosophers are more on the religion part.

@skfinkel: Seriously?

I went to the U of M in the Twin Cities, and on occasion, some students actually paid other kids to attend classes for them, or even take final exams for them, because in those days (the late 1960s) two factors “figured in” to that:

1. You didn’t have to show “positive ID” to enter the examination room, and,

2. The person proctoring the final exam, was rarely the Professor who actually taught the class.

September 2, 2008, 2:47 PM EDT

Biology of STDs. That was… graphic. And hard. And boring. And… graphic.

Materials Engineering. Agreed on the boring and hard.

The History of Philosophy. I can’t begin to describe how excruciating it was to sit through that class. I took it because I kept hearing about the “horrors” of the other basic philosophy classes, so I decided that this would be better. I like history, so how bad could it be, right? OH. MY. STARS. It was so boring I had trouble staying focused. Had it not been for my friends Dave and Marty, I don’t know that I would have survived. I squeaked a “B-” but it was not a good class. shudder

I took calculus and had an absolute idiot for a professor. The class would catch all kinds of mistakes he made. “Uh, isn’t that supposed to be the limit of f of x, as x approaches [whatever]?” (pause) “Yes. Oh, yes..” Plus, he was boring and when he tried to tell a joke no one even knew it was a joke. =|

I also had a really awful history professor. He didn’t make the class enjoyable at all (and I usually love history). Boring as fuck. He also wore super tight Wranglers which weren’t appealing. Yuck.

I took an art-history class that was far too early in the morning. I could get myself there
but then they would turn out the lights and I would almost go back to sleep. But not
quite. I could stare at the slides on the screen and my hand could write notes.
The trouble was that I didn’t have quite enough awakeness to move my arm as well as my
fingers, so each day’s notes were all in one very dark Spot on the top part of the page.

Philosophy

Mr. M: Did you not like the topic or the teacher? I always thought philosophy was pretty cool.

@Allie, I guess the Professor mostly, but he influenced our opinion of the subject matter.

Bach to Rock. yech. 3 hours (continuous) of “classical music.” Tons of papers where we had to analyze different compositions and I still managed to not remember anything. The professor, though very passionate about the music, was really boring. Not to mention, even if he heard so much as a turn of a page, he would yell “NO NOISE PLEASE!” I got through that class by doing a lot of Sudoku puzzles.

The Age of (something old). I’m an English Major, and pretty open minded, but the professor sat on the desk for 3 hours each Wednesday night, looked at the ceiling and talked in a monotone voice – no eye contact, no discussion, no interaction whatsoever. It was hell, and although I became enamored with Boethius, I was bored to tears.

Organic Chemistry. Blech.

It seems for most people it was the teacher, not the subject that was the problem-at least the Social Science classes.

Philosophy, History and English classes should be absolutely fascinating because it is all about how people think and feel and what in their environment molds their very essence. Basically that fascination brings us to Fluther.

Of course, as a Social Science teacher, I may be a bit biased about my subject. The absolute worst classes in the world, bar none, are pedagogical classes.

First classes teaching people how to teach are usually divorced from reality. They take a study of students in a completely homogeneous group, often in a ‘laboratory’ classroom with a dozen pupils and work out a theory of teaching. Then they demand that this theory be used in a class of 35 mixed culture, mixed race, mixed ability students.

Then the theory completely changes on average every 5 years so you have to sit through even more classes that make no sense. ARRGHH!

Oh no…I must say…for my answer, the subject was equally boring.

Programming macromedia director, software that was bound to make place soon. Still had to learn all the coding. So pointless!

Business Law! A condensed version covering the basic principles would have been interesting, but the details, the precedences, the paragraphs were remarkably dull to get through.

Ugh! I took Business Law in high school. I dropped it after a week and a half. What a waste of my life.

Slightly off-topic, but I remember when, in high school, this GUY signed up for HOME EC.

Everyone laughed at him and called him all kinds of disgusting names, and questioned his sexual orientation.

But not for long…

One day, after a whole bunch of name-calling, he suddenly spun around and said, “You guys are MORONS! Did you ever stop to think WHY I signed up for HOME ECONOMICS?”

When we told him that we didn’t know, he said, “Because I am the ONLY GUY, in a classroom with THIRTY GIRLS! I have all those delicious babes, ALL TO MYSELF, and I if I could get by with signing up for WOMEN’S GYM CLASSES, I would do THAT, too!”

He then stormed off, leaving the rest of us guys with our jaws hanging open.

The next school year, EIGHTY-FIVE GUYS signed up to take “Home Ec.”

September 3, 2008, 3:46 AM EDT

Ha, that’s awesome. Plus when he picks up a chick he can cook a good dinner. Bonus!

When he was in that class, I found out later, he was ALWAYS having girls come over to him, offering to “help” him with all kinds of things, and they were always saying, “Luke, would you please sample these cookies I baked?”

The FIRST day of class, the guy told the teacher and “the babes,” that, “I am here, because I believe this class will help me to become a better husband, and I can be of more help to my wife, around the house.”

The guy was a freaking GENIUS!!!!!!!

September 3, 2008, 3:52 AM EDT

I still don’t buy it. I think he was gay.

He had more dates with chicks, than any guy in the entire school, INCLUDING the football players.

September 3, 2008, 3:54 AM EDT

Whoa, I sit corrected.

You should. LOL

Sometimes, that which APPEARS to be a certain way, isn’t.

This guy was on the track team and set the school pole vaulting record.

September 3, 2008, 3:56 AM EDT

did he use a pole? j/k

To this day, with “my hand on The Book,” the Home Ec classes in that school are totally co-ed.

September 3, 2008, 3:58 AM EDT

Sedimentary Rocks with a professor who sounded like Ben Stein. “Bueler…”