So maybe you’re a first year looking for an interesting class that won’t tank your GPA, but is hard enough that you’ll walk away knowing you have learned something new. Or maybe you’re a fourth year that wants to balance out your last semester with some classes that you have always wanted to take but could never fit them into your schedule. Whatever your circumstances are, you have come to the right place. Here is a list of great classes to take at UVA and why you should take them.
Black Femininity and Masculinity in the Media
I took this class the summer before my first year and absolutely loved it. Not only is the professor, Lisa Shutt, wonderful, but I walked away from this class knowing more about stereotyping, specifically racial stereotyping, in the media than I have ever learned before. On the plus side, a lot of your homework consists of watching quality movies and funny shows, for example The Boondocks, that will make homework seem less tedious.
Oral Interpretation:
Do you like public speaking? Well if you do, this is definitely the class for you. And if you don’t, this class is a great way to get you out of your comfort zone. Richard Warner is an amazing professor in the drama department and a master of making you comfortable with being uncomfortable, all without pushing you to the point of anxiety. In this class you can work on how to command the attention of a room when speaking, and how to clearly and affectively deliver your message.
Sexuality and Sports
You don’t have to be an athlete or a feminist to enjoy this class! Learn more about how sports and various sports figures have been depicted over time due to their sexuality. Ponder over the ideas of how they could have been treated if they were of the opposite sex and why sexuality plays such a big role in defining someone’s identity through sports. A similar course that is just as intriguing is Women, Gender, and Sport: A History of American Female Athletes.
Theology, Ethics, and Medicine
Do you love playing the devil’s advocate or talking about the hard stuff? Then this course if perfect for you. In this course you discuss ethical principles that are accepted by many Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, abortion, the implications of suicide and assisted suicide, as well as public health issues surrounding AIDS, bioterrorism and the most recent virus, ebola.
Poetry Writing
I’m definitely not the next Shakespeare but I enjoyed this class because it was low-key and allowed me to write poems about things that were going on in my life. A poem was due every week, but every student is graded on his or her improvement throughout the semester, not how his or her poetry matches up to the next student. In this class I was able to fine-tune my writing skills and really enjoy hearing the original work of my classmates.