First-years will have more seminars to choose from than ever before next year, with courses including “What is College?” and “You Are What You Eat.”

Harvard students may not have been assigned summer books yet, but for bored beach bums or over-anxious first-years desperate for fresh reading material, the Registrar’s Office recently released a 1,000-plus page course guide for the 2006-2007 school year. Many are old favorites (or perennially-dreaded prerequisites), but the 15 courses here were eye-catching enough for their slightly wacky names, notable professors, or significant curricular changes to make them most worthy of your shopping basket next year.

English 90qh, “Exotica in Renaissance Drama.”

Put away the Playboy and rest assured that the English department hasn’t left Harvard undergraduates high and dry now that newly-departed Cowles Associate Professor of English Lynn M. Festa’s “Sex and Sensibility in the Enlightenment” is just a relic in the CUE Guide archives. English Lecturer Marie K. Rutkoski’s fall semester class on Renaissance dramas will include lit staples by Freud and Foucault. According to the course description, “the culturally foreign, madness, and the supernatural” will all be explored. Sounds sexy.

Engineering Sciences 221, “Drug Delivery.”

This advanced level Engineering Sciences class is a case of false advertising. While your TF’s won’t be bringing you Adderall to help you study, they will have you reading case studies of current pharmaceutical products. But beware, the list of prerequisites takes longer to read than going to UHS for a prescription refill.

Folklore and Mythology 106, “Witchcraft and Charm Magic.”

Though not in time for Halloween, the spring semester’s “Witchcraft and Charm Magic”—from the Folklore and Mythology department—may be right up the alley of those in the Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association. Undergraduates hoping to learn some of the charm magic described in the course guide might even be able to try it while studying for exams. This new course taught by department chair and Professor of Scandinavian and Folklore Stephen A. Mitchell will also explore the history of neo-paganism.

Psychology 1002, “Morality and Taboo.”

The Psych department may have finally one-upped the professorial trio of Summers, Sandel, and Friedman from 2005’s Social Analysis 76, “Globalization,” by offering Psychology 1002, “Morality and Taboo.” The course’s professors—a one-two punch of Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology Steven Pinker and the Law School’s Frankfurter Professor of Law Alan M. Dershowitz—will likely draw lots of students with their popularity (not to mention that the popular Positive Psychology, Psychology of Leadership, and Human Sexuality are ALL not offered this spring.) Regardless, the subject matter of Psychology 1002 will hold its own and spur the interest of those interested in debating morality and social conventions.

Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality 1122, “The Romance: From Jane Austen to Chick Lit.”

If last spring’s Kaavyagate was any indication that Chick Lit is in, then the Women, Gender, and Sexuality department has certainly taken notice. “The Romance” will compare classic Austen novels to modern revisions such as Bridget Jones’s Diary. Just don’t expect “How Opal Mehta...” to be on the syllabus.

Historical Study A-74, “Contemporary China: The People’s Republic and Taiwan in the Modern World.”

Ex-Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby makes his return to the lecture hall with this core class on 20th-century China. Impressive as a guest lecturer in classes over the past few years of his deanship, students will likely flock to see what Kirby has to offer in A-74 for many reasons. According to the course guide, the class aims to answer in three parts the question of what social, economic, and political problems remain in China today.

Social Analysis 10, “Principles of Economics.”

For the first time ever, Social Analysis 10 (better known as Ec 10) is a divisible course—that is, students don’t have to sit through Beren Professor of Economics N. Gregory Mankiw’s year-long class and can opt to take just one semester.
Non-economics concentrators who are interested in taking part of this introductory class will surely rejoice that they aren’t stuck for a full year.

Government 90zb, “Terrorism.”

Another new course for undergraduates this year is the government department’s seminar, “Terrorism.” It’s about time the university offered a class on this hot topic, and for non-freshmen who can’t get into Government Lecturer Jessica E. Stern’s freshmen seminar, this class appears to offer a very intriguing look at the many causes of terrorism, its evolution, and its ethics.

Humanities 10, “An Introductory Humanities Colloquium.”

Changes to the curriculum continue with the addition of humanities and general education courses, but take them now because they are only “transitionary” and won’t be around forever. At the top of the list is the tag team of Cogan University Professor Stephen J. Greenblatt and Bass Professor of English and American Literature and Language Louis Menand, who will co-teach Humanities 10, “An Introductory Humanities Colloquium.” The reading list provided in the course catalog makes this class sound like a 90-minute version of a moral reasoning class, but those who want to concentrate in the humanities discipline are urged to take it anyway. If nothing else, this class will give students up-close-and-personal access to two campus bigwigs.

Freshman Seminar 21m, “Evolution on the Wing: The Butterflies and Moths.”

Freshmen wishing to channel the youthful days of catching caterpillars and watching them spin and hatch from cocoons might be taken with this new seminar. While the course guide doesn’t promise participants will grow their own butterflies, it does state that the course will answer the question, “why are butterflies pretty?”

Freshman Seminar 21v, “The Weirdness of Quantum Mechanics.”

It’s refreshing to see honesty in the title of this new freshman seminar. Quantum mechanics is, in fact, very weird and Baird Professor of Science Gary J. Feldman knows it. According to the course guide, quantum mechanics “simply makes no sense.” Freshmen up for a challenge, take note.

Freshman Seminar 30o, “What is College and What is It For?”

For freshmen who have applied, been accepted to Harvard, moved into Harvard Yard, and are still confused about what they are doing, this seminar comes to the rescue. Full disclosure: Paul J. Barreira, the director of behavioral health and academic counseling at Harvard University Health Services, and James N. Mancall, assistant dean of the freshmen, are the instructors. Regardless, clueless first years looking for help can find solace in this class.

Freshman Seminar 36l, “A Cultural History of the Banana.”

The title of this course alone can’t help but stir up some giggles in this freshmen seminar. Freshmen interested in how bananas have “shaped cultural texts” likely won’t be reading “Curious George,” but they will examine political and economic issues between the US and Latin America.

Freshman Seminar 44i, “The Golden Age of Piracy.”

The registrar, seemingly just back from Johnny Depp’s new “Pirates of the Caribbean,” is now offering a new course, “The Golden Age of Piracy,” as a freshman seminar. Pirates take “center stage” and freshmen will get to learn about globalization from the 16th to 18th centuries. Lecturer Mark G. Hanna is no Keira Knightly, so do try to concentrate, freshmen.

Freshman Seminar 49z, “The Art of the Impossible: Political Leadership in the 20th Century.”

Before freshmen jump head first into UC races, they should take serious notes in Williams Professor of History and Political Science Roderick MacFarquhar’s new class. This seminar on modern political leadership will look at examples of leaders who have “wreaked great havoc.”

—Staff writer Bari M. Schwartz can be reached at bschwart@fas.harvard.edu.