If you view classes simply as a mechanism to learn a particular subject, then there's little difference between an in person course and a MOOC.
While course titles give some indication of what classes will be about, a good professor can make any subject interesting. Instead of trying to pick courses based on title and subject, I've asked my favorite professors to recommend other professors who they think I should take classes from. Then, I've tried to take as many classes with these recommended professors as possible. In a sense, the less I know about a given subject the better because I have the most to learn from a great professor.
For me, classes are about more than just learning the material covered on the syllabus. They're opportunities to get to know professors, who can hopefully become friends and mentors.