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From ghost stories to climate entrepreneurship, 9 fascinating new classes at UC Berkeley

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Based on UC Berkeley News · Aug 26, 2026

UC Berkeley’s fall semester introduces nine new courses spanning Afrofuturism, climate entrepreneurship, historical horror, and robotics, blending interdisciplinary learning with real-world applications.

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Key points
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Learn about the span of new fall semester course offerings, including classes touching on cutting-edge research, modern ethical dilemmas and literary works across the centuries.
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This week, UC Berkeley students will settle into lecture halls and around seminar tables for their first classes of fall semester.
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While some courses will be longstanding prerequisites, others will be brand new, designed to equip students for a rapidly changing world and to think deeply about it.
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Some students will dive into the past, reading 14th-century Chinese horror stories, while others will think about the future by engaging with the work of Octavia Butler or programming autonomous robots.
Key numbers
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The Plant and Microbial Biology department offers a 10,000-year course on crop domestication, led by Professors Becky Bart and Patrick Shih, culminating in student pitches for sustainable agricultural startups.

A new Afrofuturism course taught by composer Matthew Taylor examines how artists like Janelle Monáe and Prince envision alternate futures, linking 14th-century blues to modern science fiction. Students will analyze music, literature, and film to explore cultural narratives of hope and resistance across generations.

The Plant and Microbial Biology department offers a 10,000-year course on crop domestication, led by Professors Becky Bart and Patrick Shih, culminating in student pitches for sustainable agricultural startups. Guest lectures from biotech founders and ethical discussions frame the intersection of ancient techniques and modern innovation.

Geography lecturer Chase Hobbs-Morgan’s seminar emphasizes community-engaged research, requiring students to attend local events and complete a walking tour of Alcatraz as part of a module on Native American activism. The course aims to foster collaborative scholarship beyond academic settings.

A graduate-level psychology course taught by Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton pairs films like *Get Out* with academic studies to dissect prejudice, while a data science seminar examines the societal impact of wearable tech and consumer genetics. Robotics and economics courses round out the offerings, addressing AI navigation and gender wage gaps through rigorous, interdisciplinary study.

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