At Western Washington University, students are diving into some of the most unique and unexpected classes in higher education. While many universities are known for offering the typical mix of courses in fields like history, biology and business, Western has become a university for students seeking to expand their horizons with something a little more unconventional.
One option is to explore general university requirements (GUR). Humanities 122, Medieval and Early Modern Europe, is a class offered to students looking to fulfill their humanities requirements.
“I was going through humanities classes that you could take that would fulfill my GUR requirement, and I’ve always been interested in medieval Europe,” second-year student Layla West said. “I took this class because I was like ‘Europe, that's gonna be knights and the black plague and castles and all of that, I was really excited.’”
Another humanities GUR choice is Nomads of Eurasia. The class is taught by Edward Vajda, a professor who teaches courses on historical linguistics, word formation, Russian language, culture and folklore and Inner Eurasia's nomadic peoples.
Vajda received his Ph.D. in Slavic Linguistics at the University of Washington and was awarded his university's Excellence of Teaching Award in 1992 and the Paul J. Olscamp Distinguished Research Award in 2011. His research primarily focuses on Ket, a language spoken by fewer than 50 people near Siberia in remote areas near the Yenisei River.
“I’m concentrating on an area of the world that’s not very well known at all and not even considered to be a catalyst for history,” Vajda said. “It seems like it’s kind of a very specialized, little niche discipline, but in fact it’s pretty important for everything.”
Erin Petrov is a 2024 Western alumna who got her bachelor’s degree in sociology and her minor in Russian-Eurasian studies. She had the opportunity to take Nomads of Eurasia with Vajda.
“He educates people in such an interesting, unique way,” Petrov said. “This was definitely my favorite class that I took from him.”
Nomads of Eurasia is only taught every two years and is a unique course that offers students an experience that can’t be found at most other institutions, showcasing a subject brought to life by the unique expertise and vision of its instructor.
For Petrov, taking a Russian course at Western was both enriching and practical, offering her an opportunity to deepen her understanding of the language and culture in a way that transcended her personal background.
“If you want to challenge yourself and you wanna learn about something new, this is definitely a class you should take,” Petrov said. “It was specifically beneficial just because it is my history and where my people come from.”
Another class pushing the boundaries of traditional education is Psychology 116, Human Sexuality. West described the class as one the best classes she had ever taken.
From the course description on Western’s website, Psychology 116 teaches students about human sexual behavior from biological, psychological, social and cultural perspectives.
“I learned so much about my own anatomy from a man,” West said.
Reflecting on the often unspoken and uncomfortable aspects of education, West shared her experience with the class that pushed boundaries and challenged norms.
"It's definitely weird and will make you uncomfortable,” West said. “Nobody wants to talk about that when you're going through sex ed in high school or middle school. A lot of people don't really understand how important it is to know about that stuff."
Western's commitment to diversifying its curriculum is part of a broader trend among universities nationwide to offer students the chance to explore unconventional subjects and broaden their intellectual and creative horizons.
Vajda said that at other universities there are plenty of courses in the history department that teach about Russia, Europe and South Asia. “Connecting all of those together is something that is probably unique to my course,” Vajda said.
While traditional subjects still dominate the majority of academic programs, these courses reflect the idea that education can and should go beyond the standard lecture and textbook.
Kaitlyn Ward (she/her) is a senior at Western. She is a newswriting & editorial journalism major getting her minor in psychology. You can most likely find her making coffee or going on hikes! You can reach her at wardk25@wwu.edu.
