Even though we are heading into finals week, you can’t forget about picking your classes for next semester. No comment about the timing… but we are sharing our recommendations to make the process just a little bit easier. Something else that will make it easier this time around: no modules.
These are the classes that we would suggest taking, or consider taking as a backup:
- ENG 102: CC: Invention of Adolescence
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It feels weird to be recommending courses when I will not be registering for classes for the first time in four years. Perhaps that makes me even more qualified to convince you to take an English and art class before you graduate. Although I have not taken Invention of Adolescence (which is a Conn Course) with Professor Rae Gaubinger, I have taken a higher level course with her in the past. Professor Gaubinger is one of my favorite English professors at Conn and her 100-level course for the Fall is a great opportunity to enroll in one of her classes. This particular class will look at various adolescent narratives as platforms to communication sexuality, gender, innocence, class, race, and family.
It will meet Tuesdays and Fridays from 1:15 to 2:30.
– Elizabeth Berry ‘21
- ART 101: Concepts in Two Dimensions
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My second course recommendation is a classic: Concepts in Two Dimensions with Professor McDowell. While I had a different professor when I took this class my first year at Conn, I can attest that your figure drawing, still-life sketching, and watercoloring will only improve by the end of the semester. This 100-level art course is required to enroll in other art classes at Conn, so if you are interested in more advanced classes, this is a great place to start.
It will meet Mondays and Thursdays from 8:45 to 10 am.
– Elizabeth Berry ‘21
- AMS/ENG 201D: Intro to American Studies
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I am currently wrapping up my work for Intro to American Studies this week, and it is definitely one of my favorite classes of the semester. Professor Neely is an amazing professor, and it is clear that she is passionate about the subject matter as well as the well-being of her students. She has been understanding in terms of workload and assignments in light of burnout and overall stress from going to college throughout a pandemic. Although I have her class in the morning, I am always excited and energized to attend this class. Our class discussions are engaging, and the class almost feels like a book club (albeit a more intense, academic book club than the ones I am used to). The assigned readings and novels touch on a variety of topics that connect back to American history as well as current events. It is truly an interdisciplinary class that covers a lot of ground while remaining engaging. If you are interested in English or History, I highly recommend taking this course.
It will meet Tuesdays and Fridays from 1:15 to 2:30.
– Sarah Hennig ‘24
- HIS 237: Early Modern Europe, 1500-1750
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I took the second part of this course, Modern Europe, 1790s-1990s, last semester, and though, it was a remote-based course without any weekly meetings or lectures, it was still super fascinating. However, it will be taught by Professor Forster, who I had for the required History major course, The Historian’s Craft, and he really enjoyed his lecture style. Admittedly, I’m a little biased because I have a kind of obscure interest in 1700 European history after taking a Romanticism English class and watching a lot of probably not-so-accurate TV shows about that century, but I would still like to just throw this suggestion out there. P.S. You don’t have to take any other History courses before taking this one.
It will meet Mondays and Thursdays at 10:15 to 11:30 am.
– Elizabeth Vinson ’21
- ECO 305: Globalization of Urban Poverty
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I took this course last semester and thought this course was super interesting because it combines history and economics together. It also talked about some of the issues that are currently causing poverty as well as how the past has influenced the present.
It will meet Mondays and Thursdays 2:45 to 4.
– Jasmine Li ‘22
- ENG 317: Black Women Writers
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I may or may not have been a bit underwhelmed when I saw the upper-level English classes being offered next semester. And then I got an email about this class, and I would definitely be taking this class if I wasn’t graduating. It’s being taught by Professor Kate Rushin, who is a poet and was a guest professor last year. I took her Reading and Writing Poetry class (which I also recommend), and she is such a knowledgeable and inspiring professor. I was very excited to see her on the list to teach a 300-level course. As the course description says, it will consider “contemporary thought and activism regarding representation, beauty, gender and sexuality, intersectionality, immigration, Black Atlantic collaborations, and Afro-Futurism.” Plus, the readings include two of my favorite Black female authors that I have read in other classes: Paule Marshall (The Chosen Place, The Timeless People) and Octavia Butler (Parable of the Sower). It definitely sounds like an amazing class, so if you are looking for an English class (though, unfortunately, you will have to take ENG 150 and 250 before taking this class), I would strongly recommend this one.
It will meet Tuesday and Fridays at 1:15 to 2:30.
– Elizabeth Vinson ‘21
Good luck with pre-registration. May the odds be ever in your favor!