Many college students find themselves stuck, staring at their university’s course catalog and wondering which elective class will get them an easy A. They don’t necessarily want to take an elective class; they just need the credits to get by. Well, this very well could be you. So, when it’s time to pick an “underwater basket weaving” class, as they say, you may stumble across some unique courses you never knew existed. Here are three bizarre, actual college classes that you can really sign up for in college!
#1 Learning to Fail – Duke University
When Dr. Aaron Dinin began posting about his class’s “failure challenges,” the course quickly gained attention on social media for teaching students how to fail.
Throughout the semester, the professor gives students a series of impossible tasks to do, such as completing a 1000-piece puzzle in 30 minutes or constructing an exact replica of a cathedral out of donuts.
How do you earn an A? Fail!
Interestingly enough, Duke University is an incredibly prestigious school, with an acceptance rate of about 6% and an average GPA of 4.2, according to Coursera. So, if you were accepted into Duke University, you probably aren’t very experienced with failure.
One could argue that this seemingly ridiculous class is helpful for students. Learning to Fail (0r CMAC252 in the Duke Course Catalog) is actively being taught, along with the online course Dr. Dinin launched in response to the overwhelming interest shown by the online community. For a single credit, this course is a popular, easy A elective, where the traditionally dreaded concept of failure is approached with open arms.
#2 History of sci-fi films – WWU, Duke University, UC Riverside, UC Irvine…
Unlike the previous class we mentioned, you couldn’t fail the History of Sci-Fi Films if you tried.
As per the WWU course catalog, students watch 8-10 science fiction movies in class, and then discuss the movie with their peers a couple days later. They are graded based upon 3-5 sentences or bullet points about each movie, and the occasional slideshow about the sci-fi movie of their choice. By taking this class, you will learn about how films like “Star Wars” and “Forbidden Planet” reflect the culture of the time they were created in.
Unlike Learning to Fail, which is a Duke University specific course, the History of Sci-Fi Films is a more popular class you can find at a few California colleges, such as UC Riverside, UC Irvine and Cal State LA, which, not by coincidence, are all located near Hollywood and the movie-making industry. You can earn up to five credits by essentially just sitting back and watching movies in class.
#3 Underwater basket weaving – UCSD
While it isn’t an official academic course you can earn credits for, this recreational class was formed based upon the original joke of taking a hypothetical “Underwater Basket Weaving” class for easy credits.
In 1996, this joke became reality.
To this day, the class is run by various instructors and is still taught at the UCSD pool. In this instructional course, students sit by the shallow end of the pool with their instructor and learn exactly how to weave wicker baskets underwater.
“Why underwater basket weaving?” some may ask. The better question is, “Why not underwater basket weaving?” You never know, if sea levels rise and we are all submerged in an endless ocean, who will be able to weave themselves a lifeboat? Someone needs to have the skill. They are currently accepting students for the spring and summer courses of 2026, and pictures of past classes can be found here: https://uwbw.org/. To sign up and become a certified underwater basket weaver, visit the UCSD recreational course catalog here: rec.ucsd.edu
