Posted by Andrew Shi
As part of an ongoing reassessment of the College's core requirements, the administration earlier this week announced that incoming freshman will be required to take a one-credit course in addition to their seminar. The course will meet once a week and will be run by peer mentors with oversight from seminar professors.
"How to Make a Bag of Popcorn," will survey the mechanics and science behind popping popcorn. Topics will include "what makes those kernels pop," "where on the bag it says for how long to microwave for," and "how to just wait three minutes and thirty seconds to make sure your bag of popcorn doesn't start smoking and cause a fire drill at 3:30 in the morning on a Wednesday night in the middle of February when I have a test the next day."
Professor Jacobs of the History Department, who chairs the curriculum committee that recommended the class to the administration, says that he and his fellow committee members believed no student should graduate without a bit of common sense.
"Although this sort of vocational training is uncharacteristic of a liberal arts school, we on the committee believe the skills that will be learned in this course are imperative to the success of Skidmore's students."
The course, however, was not the idea of anyone on the committee but rather proposed by Campus Safety to the committee.
When asked what was the impetus for their course proposal, Peter Linus of Campus Safety said, "the fire department is getting pissed."
"How to Make a Bag of Popcorn" will be brought into effect with the incoming class of 2018.