10 weird and wonderful university courses

The lecturer of Zombie Studies is Arnold Blumberg. He wrote a book on zombie movies so is quite the expert on the topic, allowing students to watch classic zombie films and read zombie comics as part of the course.

In 2000, there was a big media backlash to Professor Ellis Cashmore introducing a module where students could study David Beckham at Staffordshire University. Football Culture is still a module within Sport, Media and Culture and the lecturer has since defended its inclusion, pointing out that Film Studies was once an absurd concept to employers.

Known as one of the more traditional universities, Durham offers a unit in 'Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion' as part of Education Studies. Students can look at topics such as 'Muggles and magic: the escape from the treadmill and the recovery of enchantment' and 'Gryffindor and Slytherin: prejudice and intolerance in the classroom'.

Trekkies everywhere will be beaming at the news that Georgetown University offers a course in 'Philosophy and Star Trek'. Students can attempt to get their most pressing questions answered such as 'Is time travel possible?' and 'Could we go back and kill our grandmothers?'.

If you've got a penchant for all things phallic then Occidental College is the place to study. They offer a course entitled 'The Phallus' which allows students to look at everything from 'The whiteness of the phallus' to the 'lesbian phallus'.

A masters course in 'Psychology of Exceptional Human Experiences' allows students to look at Ghostbusters. The lecturer, Tony Lawrence, said back in 2006 "I went to see Ghostbusters when I was a kid and I thought that would be a great job. Of course the reality is a bit different, but that's when I became interested. We don't tell students what to believe but we help them investigate."

Queen's University Belfast offers an open learning course in 'Feel the Force: How to Train in the Jedi Way' which teaches the real-life psychological techniques behind Jedi mind tricks, as well as examining the wider issues behind the Star Wars universe, like balance, destiny, dualism, fatherhood and fascism.

Embedded within the MA in History at Nottingham University is 'The Robin Hood Studies Pathway'. Students can 'learn about the tales and ballads of one of England's most enduring medieval heroes.' They'll also get the chance to undertake an extended research project on a related work

Alfred University in New York offers "Maple Syrup - The Real Thing" as an honours seminar. The class looks into the profession of making maple syrup and how little has changed the production process

The University of Glasgow offers students the unique opportunity of a fully-funded doctoral studentship on the 'History of Lace Knitting in Shetland'. On completion, the student will be registered as a postgraduate at Glasgow University and will benefit from the extensive doctoral training programme provided for all research students.