World Building Classes-- What would they be?

[Revision]

So! What do you think would be included in a major in world building, if such a thing ever were to exist? Keeping in mind that one must study the whole of the universe to really understand everything, a task that can never be accomplished, what are the most important core classes? Let's see if we can create eight semesters of World Building!

I'm going to start with Intro to Biology and Astrobio for the list. What can you all think of?

 

[Malkuthe Highwind]

I would say Geology is a must. History would be a fantastic asset. Theology would be a nice way to get a feel of how religion is set-up. Mythology and Folklore and Linguistics are two more that I think would be great and Astronomy is another that would help great. :D

 

[Revision]

I think psychology classes are definitely needed. Understanding how humans work will help when working on other races.

 

[Chemifox]

I can't think of a class that wouldn't be useful for world-building! Sociology is a must to see how people work on a more massive scale! All of the other social sciences are applicable and important as well. I also think biology (especially zoology/botany) would be great for building an ecosystem that works. And, yes, geology is very important! Meteorology might also help out a lot combined with geography to create realistic weather patterns and biomes if that is a goal.

Then there could be the world-building specific classes - things like looking at published works and analyzing the elements of their world, categorizing, evaluating them for effectiveness, etc.

 

[Hecate Trivia]

CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

I mean, this one is super duper obvious. It's the study of cultures, guys, and it's also super interesting in general. You could talk about the characteristics of culture, explain the relationship between subsistence techniques and the role of women in that culture, and so much other stuff. Like, fubsjdusjasdasdaa, I'd be super psyched.

 

[Xan]

(Super late to this post, but it caught my interest.)

ECONOMICS! :D

I find that most forget to leave this part out. Without it, the world would crumble
and no god or goddess can save it.

Trade is important. Currency is important. and to get a more in-depth understanding of how a world works, one needs to know basic things - distribution of resources, for example - or food production. Most world problems (yay conflict!) stem from some sort of economic problem. And most of those have far-reaching effects.

Take for example a kingdom suddenly increasing its taxes. If people can't pay, the kingdom demands their first born. People don't like it. People fight. People die. Slave race is born.

Lots of secondary effects there. :D

 

[Minibit]

101: Geology/geography; a study in land formations and ecosystems

102: Zoology/Anthropology; creating an assortment of animals and sentient beings to populate the world

103: Economics; trade systems, depressions, and classes

104 (Optional course for fantasy/scifi builders): Magic and Power Sources; designing and implementing any fictional power source

201: Early History: The world's inhabitant's evolution and settlements, placing cities and other major man-made items

202: Sociology: Designing holidays, traditions, dress, cuisine, and other cultural aspects

203: Modern History: Major events and wars that define the culture and atmosphere at the time of the story

 

[Jubisu Akuma]

all seem like greet ideas but I feel something is missing.

 

[Kestrel]

Depends on how in-depth you wanna go and what kind of world you want to create. Still, I'd mostly echo Minibit here, but I do wanna add that a good understanding of the relation between geology and evolution is absolutely crucial in building a believable world. Dwarves are short and stocky because that makes them more compact and sturdy, essential when mining which is hard and dangerous work for example, though the best examples are found in nature. Study the evolution of penguins before you study that of humans.

But honestly, when we're talking world-building, no knowledge is ever really lost.