Having free time in your schedule to take a class that actually interests you is every college student’s dream. The issue that then arises, though, is what class to actually take. The Virginia Tech timetable can be very intimidating, and the small descriptions given of each class can leave you with more questions than answers. We had our members round up the classes that they enjoyed most during their time at Virginia Tech. Hopefully, this can serve as inspiration for your future schedule.
- TA 2024 – Intro to Acting
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“I’m an engineering major, but I have always loved theater and mainly acting. I did theater all throughout high school. I was really sad to say goodbye to it in college, but taking this class allowed me to continue with my love for acting in my first semester in college. I made amazing friends and was able to work on my acting skills at the same time. My professor was awesome and super understanding. That may have been the last time I act, but it was a great way to say goodbye. I really recommend taking this class if you’re not a performing art major since it’s a nice little break from other classes while also working on your acting skills.”
- HORT 2144 – Indoor Plants
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“I got so many free plants and it was a super easy class. The workload for the class is very light and I learned how to properly take care of my plants.”
- Good Preparation, Purchasing, and Management
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“This class, by far, is my absolute favorite class I have taken at Virginia Tech. Not only did I learn so many things about cooking that I did not know, but it was an easy class to develop relationships in. I got extremely close with tons of my classmates and the professor. To be completely honest the syllabus for this class terrified me and I did not want to be in it at all. After completing the course, I was genuinely sad to be done, if I could take this course all over again, I 100% would.”
- ENGL 1704 – The Harry Potter Phenomenon
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“The Harry Potter Phenomenon was the coolest class I’ve ever taken at Virginia Tech. We read all seven books, spin-offs, fan fiction, and the Fantastic Beasts series and dissected each book, chapter by chapter. My professor was so passionate about the Wizarding World and truly made each class magical. She had fun activities planned, brought in treats all the time, and got me into Harry Potter low-fi music. If you are a Potterhead, this class is for you.”
- PHIL 2304 – Global Ethics with Jerry Burkette
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“I took this course in the second semester of my freshmen year and Prof Burkette is incredible. His course made understanding philosophy simple, understanding that some needed an introduction to the content. We actually watched ‘The Good Place’ on Netflix for homework and in each class, he connected our textbook content to the show! It goes along with the course the whole way through, plus it’s a great show anyway. Textbooks were easy to read and all projects were group work which fostered a better community in the classroom. In the end, the final project was to teach the course about a pillar of philosophy, which was super fun and creative.”
- ENGL 2634 – Writing and Social Justice
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“A very creative and open class approaching difficult concepts/topics in social justice and movements. We examine art’s impact on social justice, equity, and equality and the course assignments include open-ended projects like video research projects, poetry projects, and a micro-anthology on the topic of your choice. The course is meant to encourage each student’s ability to think outside the box and get abstract in discussing “controversial” and important topics like feminism, gender-based violence, police brutality, the impacts of social media, etc.”
- AFST 4354 – Topics in Africana Studies
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“My favorite class ever. Polanah is the best professor and will inspire you to open up your mind to knowledge that is suppressed universally, touching on why we don’t question our realities and understanding that there is more than one reality out there. Truly emphasizes that reality is defined by one’s personal perspective and that life outside of America is incredibly different and teaches students how to decolonize their lifestyles and language. He works through the course to unpack stories of “the unimaginable,” witchcraft and natural healers, various technologies, and what they do to our brains/culture, etc. Also forgot to mention he does not believe in traditional grading and aims to push the university towards better structures to upkeep student performance.”
We hope these reviews from members of our chapter help you all to better find hidden gems among the course offerings here at Virginia Tech.