Sounds like your professor was a card-carrying Fortean!

I think a course like the one you described should be a requirement in all high schools.

When I was in college I took a course on critical thinking science in which students picked a topic generally considered on the fringe of science or outright pseudoscience and then were expected to write a thorough paper analyzing the claims and counter-claims surrounding it.

I wrote a 15,000 word paper on Immaneul Velikovsky's claims. Other people took on UFOs, astrology, Linus Pauling's vitamin C claims, etc.

IMO this was really an excellent way to teach this sort of material. The weird thing was the prof. was definitely a believer, but a very critical one. So he knew all about the standard UFO hoaxes, but was very active in MUFON and other groups and was convinced that the were legitimate UFO sightings.