Besides classes like biology and statistics, there are plenty of fun alternatives that can count toward your degree, too.
The kinesiology department offers classes like tennis, weight training and golf, as well as 14 other activities that count toward the wellness course general education requirement. In addition to these options, the department also offers some lesser-known opportunities for meeting this course requirement. Students have the opportunity to learn proper swimming techniques, play pickleball, learn self-defense and so much more. From rock climbing to hunting and gun safety, the kinesiology department will provide students with new skills, while also helping students complete their degree.
Beginner and intermediate swimming, for example, offers students the chance to learn various techniques and strokes through the 1-hour course. Harding alumnus Parker Morrow recalled his time in the class.
“Joining the swimming class was the easiest choice I’ve ever made,” Morrow said. “I’m not one for golf and I quit tennis lessons after day three, so seeing the swimming option was like finding my saving grace.”
Another class offered by the kinesiology department is self defense training. Graduate student Jansen Thacker had the chance to improve her self-defense skills.
“I no longer feel helpless,” Thacker said. “I feel empowered. I always left the class feeling better prepared to fight and survive in defensive situations. Unlike other recreational activity courses, it offered real-life survival skills and knowledge from trained professionals.”
While many of these courses are less discussed among students, one of the smaller classes has piqued several students’ attention. Pickleball and badminton offer a fun, competitive surge to students looking for a place to blow off steam and have a lot of fun. All while earning college credit.
“I think it’s the best game/sport ever invented,” pickleball instructor and head men’s and women’s tennis coach David Redding said. “It’s very easy to learn but tough to master. Players with very little sports experience can have a bit of success with just a little bit of practice.”
These three courses, as well as tennis, rock climbing and weight training, are available to every student on Harding’s campus. For more information, go to pipeline.harding.edu.
