September 3, 2026
UCalgary Admissions and Recruitment
What if Your Favourite Things Could Be Part of Your Future Degree?
What if the things you’re already interested in could become part of what you study at university? At the University of Calgary, your classes can take you far beyond the subjects you might expect to find in a university course. You could explore what makes a horror movie scary, look at how video games tell coming-of-age stories, unpack the world of celebrity culture, investigate how natural disasters are portrayed in popular culture, or dive into the history of anime and manga. For future UCalgary students, these courses are a chance to take something familiar and look at it from a completely new perspective.
UCalgary Admissions and Recruitment
What if Your Favourite Things Could Be Part of Your Future Degree?
What if the things you’re already interested in could become part of what you study at university? At the University of Calgary, your classes can take you far beyond the subjects you might expect to find in a university course. You could explore what makes a horror movie scary, look at how video games tell coming-of-age stories, unpack the world of celebrity culture, investigate how natural disasters are portrayed in popular culture, or dive into the history of anime and manga. For future UCalgary students, these courses are a chance to take something familiar and look at it from a completely new perspective.
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Ever wondered why we love being scared?
If you’re the person who watches every horror movie that comes out — even when you know you’ll regret it later — you might enjoy exploring the genre from an academic perspective. Julia Chan, an assistant professor in UCalgary’s Department of Communication, Media and Film, teaches The Horror Film, a course that examines a range of horror subgenres, including slashers, techno-horror and found footage. But the course goes beyond the scares. Students use theoretical and analytical approaches to explore what horror films can reveal about collective fears and anxieties. So that movie you watched last weekend? There might be a lot more going on beneath the surface than you realized.
Can video games tell us something about growing up?
Video games can be more than entertainment. They can also tell stories, explore big ideas and reflect experiences that many of us recognize. Derritt Mason, a professor in UCalgary’s Department of English, explores this idea in Video Games and Bildungsroman. The course looks at what the coming-of-age story — a literary genre that has been around for centuries — can teach us about video games, and what video games can teach us about the genre. Students explore these connections through two types of games in particular: house-exploration games with horror elements and 2D platformers. It’s a chance to look at games you might already love through an entirely different lens.
What can Britney Spears and K-pop teach us about fame?
Celebrity culture is everywhere — from Hollywood and music to social media and influencer culture. But how exactly does someone become famous, and how does that fame change over time? Alora Paulsen Mulvey, a sessional instructor in UCalgary’s Department of Communication, Media and Film, explores these questions in Celebrity Culture. The course traces how fame has been constructed, circulated and consumed, from Hollywood’s golden age to today’s influencer culture. Students examine case studies including Britney Spears and K-pop idols, while also exploring how AI is reshaping posthumous fandom. And the way students demonstrate what they’ve learned is a little different too. Instead of traditional exams, they can explore these ideas through video essays, podcasts and TikTok series.
What does a disaster movie get wrong about natural disasters?
We’ve all seen them: massive storms, earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters playing out on the big screen. But how much of what we see in popular culture actually reflects the science? Marius Georgescu, an associate professor in UCalgary’s Department of Earth, Energy and Environment, explores this intersection in Science of Natural Disasters in Popular Culture. The course examines how geoscience is portrayed in the media, with a particular focus on natural disasters. Students learn about the causes and drivers of these events, as well as how they can be predicted, prevented and mitigated. The course also looks at how media portrayals can help — or hinder — our understanding of natural disasters and how we respond to them.
Into anime, manga or Japanese video games?
If you already spend your free time watching anime, reading manga or playing Japanese video games, you can take that interest into the classroom through Introduction to Japanese Popular Culture. Ben Whaley, an associate professor in UCalgary’s School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures, teaches the course, which explores major forms of popular culture in Japan from the 20th and 21st centuries. Students can explore everything from manga and anime to modern Japanese literature, Japanese cinema and contemporary video games. It’s an opportunity to explore the history and cultural context behind some of the entertainment you may already know and love.
If you’re the person who watches every horror movie that comes out — even when you know you’ll regret it later — you might enjoy exploring the genre from an academic perspective. Julia Chan, an assistant professor in UCalgary’s Department of Communication, Media and Film, teaches The Horror Film, a course that examines a range of horror subgenres, including slashers, techno-horror and found footage. But the course goes beyond the scares. Students use theoretical and analytical approaches to explore what horror films can reveal about collective fears and anxieties. So that movie you watched last weekend? There might be a lot more going on beneath the surface than you realized.
Can video games tell us something about growing up?
Video games can be more than entertainment. They can also tell stories, explore big ideas and reflect experiences that many of us recognize. Derritt Mason, a professor in UCalgary’s Department of English, explores this idea in Video Games and Bildungsroman. The course looks at what the coming-of-age story — a literary genre that has been around for centuries — can teach us about video games, and what video games can teach us about the genre. Students explore these connections through two types of games in particular: house-exploration games with horror elements and 2D platformers. It’s a chance to look at games you might already love through an entirely different lens.
What can Britney Spears and K-pop teach us about fame?
Celebrity culture is everywhere — from Hollywood and music to social media and influencer culture. But how exactly does someone become famous, and how does that fame change over time? Alora Paulsen Mulvey, a sessional instructor in UCalgary’s Department of Communication, Media and Film, explores these questions in Celebrity Culture. The course traces how fame has been constructed, circulated and consumed, from Hollywood’s golden age to today’s influencer culture. Students examine case studies including Britney Spears and K-pop idols, while also exploring how AI is reshaping posthumous fandom. And the way students demonstrate what they’ve learned is a little different too. Instead of traditional exams, they can explore these ideas through video essays, podcasts and TikTok series.
What does a disaster movie get wrong about natural disasters?
We’ve all seen them: massive storms, earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters playing out on the big screen. But how much of what we see in popular culture actually reflects the science? Marius Georgescu, an associate professor in UCalgary’s Department of Earth, Energy and Environment, explores this intersection in Science of Natural Disasters in Popular Culture. The course examines how geoscience is portrayed in the media, with a particular focus on natural disasters. Students learn about the causes and drivers of these events, as well as how they can be predicted, prevented and mitigated. The course also looks at how media portrayals can help — or hinder — our understanding of natural disasters and how we respond to them.
Into anime, manga or Japanese video games?
If you already spend your free time watching anime, reading manga or playing Japanese video games, you can take that interest into the classroom through Introduction to Japanese Popular Culture. Ben Whaley, an associate professor in UCalgary’s School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures, teaches the course, which explores major forms of popular culture in Japan from the 20th and 21st centuries. Students can explore everything from manga and anime to modern Japanese literature, Japanese cinema and contemporary video games. It’s an opportunity to explore the history and cultural context behind some of the entertainment you may already know and love.
Your interests can take you somewhere unexpected
University isn’t just about studying the subjects you’ve already learned about in high school. It’s also about discovering new interests, asking bigger questions and finding unexpected connections between the things you care about and the world around you. At UCalgary, we’re all about curiosity, creativity and turning “what if?” into “what’s next?” Whether you’re exploring a new subject, developing an idea or looking at something familiar in a completely different way, there’s room to think differently here. So, what would you want to study?