September/October 2010 Issue

6 Wacky Classes

From the science of Harry Potter to how to argue with Judge Judy.

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Also read: The rest of the 2010 MoJo Mini College Guide, plus the 2009 MoJo Mini College Guide.

Course load seem a little heavy? Consider padding your schedule with something on the lighter side.

Arguing With Judge Judy (UC-Berkeley)
Learn about rhetoric through “arguments made by the litigants that are utterly illogical, or perversions of standard logic, and yet are used over and over again.”

Extreme Nutrition Makeover (Western Carolina University)
“Design your own personal eating plan (chocolate cream pie included).”

The Science of Harry Potter (Frostburg State University)
“Examines the magical events in J.K. Rowling’s books and explains them through the basic principles of physics.”

International Summer Camp Traditions (University of Georgia)
“Did you know that in recent history, 90 percent of Russian children attended camp?”

How to Watch Television (Montclair College)
“About analyzing television in the ways and to the extent to which it needs to be understood by its audience.”

Hedge Funds: Their Purpose, Strategies, and Social Value (Princeton University)
For the aspiring Wall Street tycoon. Investment strategies included.

Also read: The rest of the 2010 MoJo Mini College Guide, plus the 2009 MoJo Mini College Guide.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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