{"id":725,"date":"2026-10-19T14:36:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T19:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/?p=725"},"modified":"2026-10-19T14:36:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T19:36:06","slug":"5-unique-university-of-iowa-classes-you-didnt-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/2026\/10\/5-unique-university-of-iowa-classes-you-didnt-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Unique University of Iowa Classes You Didn\u2019t Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Your academic journey is more than just your major. With over 200 areas of study to choose from, you\u2019ll have plenty of opportunities to explore new interests, build new skills, and discover topics you never knew you loved.<\/p>\n<p>Looking for something different next semester? Check out these five unique classes you can take.<\/p>\n<h3>Trip to Belgium, France, and Switzerland &#8211; FREN:1500<\/h3>\n<p>No passport, plane ticket, or French language experience required. Instead, you\u2019ll take an imaginary journey through the French-speaking regions of Belgium, France, and Switzerland, exploring famous landmarks, local traditions, and unique cuisine. Who knows? Maybe it even inspires your next study abroad adventure.<\/p>\n<h3>Persuasive Stories: Harry Potter &#8211; RHET:2070<\/h3>\n<p>10 points to Gryffindor! The magical world of Harry Potter can teach us so much about the real world. In this course, you\u2019ll explore how the beloved fantasy series influences culture, identity, and the way we think about big ideas and issues. By learning about the various themes woven throughout the wizarding world, you\u2019ll discover how storytelling can help you find your voice.<\/p>\n<h3>Digital Media and the Future of Sport &#8211; SPST:2101<\/h3>\n<p>Always checking scores? Waiting for the announcer&#8217;s call? Watching highlights long after the game ends? This course explores the many ways we engage with sports today. You\u2019ll discover how technology, social media, storytelling, and fan communities have transformed the way we watch, follow, and talk about sports.<\/p>\n<h3>Playwriting &#8211; THTR:2301<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cTo be, or not to be, that is the question.\u201d Shakespeare knew how to keep an audience hooked. Now it\u2019s your turn to define that hook. Explore the art of playwriting, learn about the building blocks of great stories, and bring your own ideas to life on the page. You never know; your next script might be worthy of a standing ovation.<\/p>\n<h3>Games, Culture, and Society &#8211; COMM:2059<\/h3>\n<p>Video games are more than just entertainment. Video games have grown far beyond where they started and where they were even ten years ago. Now, video games are an influential factor in the way people connect and communicate in everyday life. Explore how gaming continues to evolve the way we interact with the world around us.<\/p>\n<p>These five courses are just a glimpse of what\u2019s possible at Iowa. No matter what you choose to study, you\u2019ll have countless opportunities to explore new interests, broaden your perspective, and make your academic journey uniquely your own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your academic journey is more than just your major. With over 200 areas of study to choose from, you\u2019ll have plenty of opportunities to explore new interests, build new skills, and discover topics you never knew you loved. Looking for something different next semester? Check out these five unique classes you can take. Trip to Belgium, France, and Switzerland &#8211; FREN:1500 No passport, plane ticket, or French language experience required. Instead, you\u2019ll take an imaginary &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/149"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=725"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":726,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725\/revisions\/726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}