Disclaimer: all articles featured in this issue are fake in celebration of April Fool’s Day
April 1, 2026 | Abbi Duhart | News Editor
Starting next academic year, Western is adding three new majors and two new minors to its curriculum for students to potentially choose and pursue.
The first new major being offered is puppetry. This is a 62-credit major in which students will learn all about the skill and art behind creating masterful puppet shows. Within the major, students will be required to take various courses, such as the history of puppet theatre, puppet design 101, puppet storytelling and linguistics in puppetry. Additionally, students will have to take a certain number of elective courses that fit into the major, with some options being shadow puppetry, ventriloquism and the role of puppets in therapy. Pursuing this major prepares students for many post-grad careers in the puppetry industry like puppet script writing, set design, directing and the classic puppeteer option.
The second major that will be offered is ornithology, with a possible concentration in duck herding. Ornithology is the study of birds in all of their aspects, such as their anatomy, lifestyle and evolution, and the concentration allows students to focus their studies on the art and intricate process of duck herding, a popular profession in Oregon. Anyone who feels intensely drawn toward large beaked, loud waterfowls and feels at home rounding up their flock should consider this major.
The last major coming next fall is Klingon. Students have reported disappointment in the lack of a linguistics major, and, in response, the university decided to take the root of linguistic studies that students want the most and make this into its own major. Within the Klingon major, students will learn all about how to speak, read, write and understand Klingon — the language most often seen in the Star Trek universe. Students pursuing this major will take various classes surrounding the history, structure, linguistics and everyday use of the language. Faculty emphasize that the real-world applications of this major are endless and students who graduate will have no issue finding a job.
One of the new minors coming in the fall is palm reading. This is a 191-credit minor and will teach students the art and science behind the lines and shapes within one’s palm. Within this minor, students will learn how to read palms in order to accurately predict one’s character, personality and possible future events.
Finally, the second minor that will be offered is backflipping. Though this minor is built for those who are more athletically inclined, faculty reassure that anyone can learn to do a backflip through this minor. Students will take sequential classes in which they slowly learn how to do a backflip through concrete steps, like somersaulting and rolling. Students can also take elective classes to learn things such as the history of backflips and how to do a backflip in different locations.
These new majors and minors are great options for those who can’t decide what to study, and the university predicts that they will also attract many new prospective students. For more information about majors and minors, students can look at the Western website.
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
