Psychology is the science of mind and behavior. Many psychologists and psychology enthusiasts have blogs where they share discoveries, ideas, news, and opinions. These blogs can serve as a useful introduction to the field of psychology and as a way to stay current in the field. Aspiring psychologists, established professionals, and curious learners will all find something worthwhile on this list. Only blogs active in 2011 were considered for inclusion.

Without further ado, in alphabetical order, here are our picks for the 25 most interesting and useful psychology related blogs of 2011:

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Archaeologists study past human societies through the analysis of material objects they left behind. Many archaeologists and archaeology enthusiasts have blogs where they share discoveries, ideas, news, and opinions. These blogs are a great way to learn about the world of archaeology and stay on top of the latest research and discoveries in the field. Whether you are an aspiring archaeologist, an established professional, or just curious about the subject, you are sure to find something interesting and useful in the blogs on this list. Only blogs active in 2011 were considered. So, without further ado, in alphabetical order, here are our picks for the thirty top archaeology related blogs in 2011.

A Hot Cup of Joe – Get your daily cup of archaeology, anthropology, science, and skepticism here.

Aardvarchaeology – Dr. Martin Rundkvist, Swedish archaeologist, skeptic, speaker, father, tells it as he sees it.

AlunSalt – What does archaeology tell us about what the ancients thought about the sky?

Ancient Bodies, Ancient Lives – Fascinating thoughts on the archaeology of sex and gender.

ArchaeoPop – Traces of the past in the popular culture of today.

Archaeoblog – Anthony Cagle’s commentary on archaeological happenings has been serving up old news since 2004 A.D.

Archaeolog – An archaeology collective discusses the latest in archaeology.

Bible Places – Biblical geography, history, and archaeology.

Calixtlahuaca Archaeological Project – Informal reports from current archaeological research at Calixtlahuaca, a large urban center of the Matlatzinco culture, closely related to the Aztecs.

Digging Digitally – Archaeology finds and digs, data sharing, digitally enabled research, and education.

Dirt – Archaeology, higher education, and baseball.

Egyptology News – News about ancient Egypt from prehistory to the end of the Coptic period.

Elfshot – Notes from a Canadian archaeologist and flintknapper.

Kris’s Archaeology Blog – K. Kris Hurst’s attempt to take archaeology to the public.

Middle Savagery – A Berkeley archaeology PhD candidate speaks her mind on fieldwork and theory.

Mick Morrison – Thoughts on archaeology, heritage and web-geekery from an Australian archaeologist.

Old Dirt–New Thoughts – New thoughts on archeology and education.

Paleo-Future – Musings from an “accidental expert” on past visions of the future.

Past Thinking – Past Thinking is a blog about where the past meets the future, covering archaeology, history, computing, and where they all meet.

PhDiva – Dorothy King is  ”Cordon bleau trained archaeologist bluffing her way through military history” and working on a book about ancient women and war.

Ritmeyer Archaeological Design – Archaeological designers on the latest research, analysis, and products in Biblical archaeology.

Roman Archaeology – Current archaeology and research into the remains of Roman and Byzantine civilizations from Mary Harrsch.

SEAArch – Southeast Asian archaeology news.

Seandalaiocht – Irish archaeology from Brian Dolan.

Sexy Archaeology – Exciting and appealing archaeology.

Stone Pages Archaeo News – Comprehensive news on the latest finds and digs around the world.

The New Archaeology of the Mediterranean World – News and views on Mediterranean archaeology.

The Tell es-Safi/Gath Excavations Official (And Unofficial) Weblog – All about the Tell es-Safi/Gath excavations and more.

Viking Archaeology Blog – The latest news and views on the archaeology of Viking culture.

Where In The Hell Am I? – A Texas contract archaeologist takes to the blogosphere.

For many students, colleges and universities are more than just stuffy stepping stones full of study that one must cross on the way to a lucrative, lifelong career. In fact, the majority of college students across the US are involved in a wide range of completely optional extracurricular activities from volunteer work to athletics to fraternity beer pong tournaments. Students are also free to start their own sponsored clubs, and while many such clubs are just an extension of a particular academic program (like a Computer Club or Accounting Association, for example), others are simply strange organizations that are centered around off-the-wall activities that no sane human being should be dedicating their precious limited time toward.

9. The Quidditch Club, Various Colleges

Ah, Harry Potter; one of most beloved and most read series of fantasy novels in the history of fiction that is enjoyed the world over as more and more adults are getting lost within the simplistic world of Potter than the children the books are aimed at. While the novels themselves are mostly derivative and clichèd rehashes of the giants of fantasy who have come before, there is one unique idea: the sport of Quidditch. At its base, the sport is a cross-breed between basketball and dodgeball that consists of two teams of wizards who ride magical flying brooms around an arena attempting to pitch a ball through their opponents’ rings at either end of the field. Despite not having the ability to fly and despite the sport being entirely fictional with few rules, students at many colleges nationwide have assembled Quidditch clubs and teams in order to play the sport on a regular basis. And yes, even while being hopelessly tethered to terra firma in the real world, the collegiate players do still use ordinary, totally non-magical brooms, ridiculously tucked between their legs as they run around the field in an audacious display of dorkitude. Remember, these are technically adults.
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For those seeking a Catholic education online, the options can be overwhelming. As online education continue to grow in popularity and credibility, more and more Catholic colleges and universities are offering online college degrees.

Why Use Our Online Catholic College & University Rankings

Some of these online Catholic schools are accredited, high-quality institutions with a serious commitment to their student’s spiritual and academic growth. Sadly, others are little more than degree mills looking to exploit people’s desire for an online degree in order to make a quick buck–wolves in sheep’s clothing, so to speak.

That’s why we’ve put together this list of the top 10 online Catholic colleges and universities for 2011. We’ve done the work of sifting the wheat from the chaff of Catholic online schools so you don’t have to. Continued…

For those seeking an online Christian education, the options can be overwhelming. As online education continue to grow in popularity and credibility, more and more Christian colleges and universities are offering online college degrees.

Why Use Our Online Christian College & University Rankings

Some of these online Christian schools are accredited, high-quality institutions with a serious commitment to their student’s spiritual and academic growth. Sadly, others are little more than degree mills looking to exploit people’s desire for an online degree in order to make a quick buck–wolves in sheep’s clothing, so to speak.

That’s why we’ve put together this list of the top 10 online Christian colleges and universities for 2011. We’ve done the work of sifting the wheat from the chaff of online Christian schools so you don’t have to.

How To Use Our Online Christian College & University Rankings

That said, you are the only one who can decide which online Christian college or university is the best fit for you. Our rankings of the top online Christian schools is meant only as a guide, a starting point for your journey in Christian education. Continued…

You won’t be able to drink it on some of these campuses, but hey, that’s not worse than graduating with six figures of debt.

The cost of a college education is something that many students grapple with on a daily basis and is often prohibitive for those who aren’t as economically well off as others. Luckily almost all colleges have financial aid options for the cash strapped among us which vary from standard loans to grants to scholarships. Some schools however go a step further and offer to waive tuition costs completely which means that anyone can get a competitive college education totally gratis – that is, as long as prospective students meet some very specific, and sometimes very strange, criteria.

6. Berea College, Kentucky

Berea College, a liberal arts school located in the middle of Kentucky, is a fairly unique college in that it provides a full-tuition scholarship to every student that is accepted to study there (worth about $25,000), and in some cases, even pays students to attend. Like anything that sounds too good to be true, there are a number of catches to this enticingly open door into the world of higher education. First, prospective students must come from low income backgrounds and actually require financial assistance to attend the college, so miserly cheapskates looking to save a buck are out. Second, students must show strong academic potential by achieving a high score on the SAT (1400+) and have maintained a lofty high school GPA. Also since Berea is a Christian school, it helps to actually be Christian and enjoy talking about God’s place in Calculus class. So if you’re a poor, God fearing genius living in the middle of Kentucky, you have a shot at attending Berea college completely on the house. That is, as long as you’re willing to live in Berea’s optimistically odd “Ecovillage” where apartments are made of straw bales and sewage is recycled to fill the swimming pool; and also don’t mind working the required 10-15 hours a week on campus in a position chosen for you that ranges from dish washing to toilet cleaning. Still sound like a good deal?
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According to the legendary business and management guru Peter Drucker, the value and convenience of online classes and degrees make them the future of higher education.

Drucker certainly has the data on his side. Online classes and degree programs continue to grow in popularity every year. The 2010 Sloan Survey of Online Education shows online education grew by over a million students just in the past year, an increase of 21%, the largest single-year growth on record. This far exceeds the 2% growth in higher education enrollment overall. The total number of college and university students taking at least one course online is now over 30%.

The Advantages of Online College and University Degrees

There are many reasons for the dramatic increase in online degree program enrollment. More and more adults are returning to school in order to upgrade their skills and gain some advantage in an increasingly competitive job market. A high school diploma no longer holds the same value that it used to. Having a college degree is now more necessary than ever for securing a decent job or advancing in a career.

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There’s No Such Thing as an “Easy” College Degree

Earning a college degree is a lot of work. Despite the promises of online diploma mills, there simply is no shortcut to a college degree. Whether pursuing an online degree or a traditional on-campus degree, getting a real college education takes a significant investment of time and effort. Anyone who tells you it will be easy is either ignorant or lying.

More than 40 Degrees

But Some Degrees are Easier Than Others

That said, not all college degrees take the same amount of time and effort. Maybe you’re like many people and intimidated by the perceived difficulty of earning a college degree, unsure that you’re up the to the task. But since, all things being equal, it’s far better for your job prospects and long-term earning potential to have a college degree than not to have one, rather than avoiding college altogether, why not simply choose the easiest college degree major you can find? Who knows? It may turn out to be a lot less difficult than you think. Maybe you aren’t intimidated by college, but just not interested in school. You want to earn a college degree and the benefits that go along with it with as little effort as possible. There’s nothing wrong with that. Less work and less time spent studying means less stress and more time to do the things you really want to do.

It Mainly Depends On You

Of course, determining which degree will be the easiest for you depends alot on your own personal abilities and the particular school you choose to attend. Some people are naturally good (horrible) at math, others are good (or horrible ) at reading. Such natural strengths and weaknesses will help determine which majors are more or less difficult for a particular person. Some schools are far more rigorous and demanding than others. This too will influence the difficulty of a degree.

Determining Which Degrees are Hardest and Easiest in General

Still, with these caveats in mind, a recent study on the average GPAs and attrition rates associated with different college majors tells us something about which degree majors are easiest and most difficult in general. The study, by an economics professor at Wake Forest University, looks at the average grade distribution for 20 different college degree majors over a ten year span (1997-2007) at an unnamed “elite” liberal arts college. It makes sense that the higher the average grades assigned in a degree major the easier that college degree probably is (in general). The reverse is likely true as well: the lower the average grades assigned, the harder the degree major. Based on that reasoning we came up with the following list of the top 10 easiest and hardest college degree majors. In general, math and science based degrees are more difficult than liberal arts degrees, with some exceptions (computer science ranks as one of the easiest, while philosophy and political science are among the hardest).

The 10 easiest college degree majors based on GPA

1. Education
2. Language
3. English
4. Music
5. Religion
6. Sociology and Anthropology
7. Art
8. History
9. Computer Science
10. Philosophy and Religious Studies

The 10 hardest college degree majors based on GPA

1. Chemistry
2. Math
3. Economics
4. Psychology
5. Biology
6. Geology
7. Philosophy
8. Geography
9. Physics
10. Political Science

Boring, unathletic, antisocial, fashion-challenged, politically retrograde, culturally backward, religiously extreme…the list of homeschooler stereotypes is seemingly endless and almost entirely negative. Despite the growing popularity of the homeschooling movement in the United States and around the world, homeschooling and its graduates continue to be viewed with suspicion, and not a little condescension, by the mainstream.

But as our list of the world’s 15 most extraordinary homeschoolers shows, the homeschooling population is extraordinarily diverse, defying every attempt to shoehorn them into a single mold. The homeschoolers on this list are geniuses and jocks, conservatives and progressives, fundamentalists and hippies, scientists and artists. They are rural and urban, American and international, abled and disabled, black, white, Asian and multiracial.

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Colleges and Universities often ask for and receive donations from private individuals, companies and former students that they use for various improvements to the campus. While most donations are given to the schools with the acknowledgment that the money will be used as they see fit, a few eccentric donors have made sure specific strings were attached to their money so as to make sure it was used exactly how they wished no matter how insane it may seem to others.

7. A Toilet Full of Inspiration

Just don’t forget the danger of thinking too much: hemorrhoids.

Venture capitalist and businessman Brad Feld sought to give back to the university program that had worked so well for him, while at the same time inspiring future generations of students to excel even in their most vulnerable moments like streaking and losing at Beer Pong. After his donation was rejected from his own alma mater MIT, Feld waited for the perfect opportunity to arise which came at the University of Colorado’s newly constructed technology annex. Feld gave the school $25,000 under the condition that he have a plaque erected outside of the brand new men’s restroom featuring his name and the appropriately inspirational quote: “The best ideas often come at inconvenient times – don’t ever close your mind to them.” So the next time a great idea pops into your head from out of nowhere while dropping a deuce, remember to thank Brad Feld and don’t forget to flush.
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