600.101 Computer Literacy
Want to be a wiz at PowerPoint? Computer literacy is the class for you! Although many may have learned these tools in middle school you can still get credit for them in college.
While the title of this class is kind of funny, the course does teach useful, everyday skills that could be helpful for a variety of careers and projects. Students learn everything from word processing to the Internet to elementary programming.
200.101 Intro. to Psychology
Although the amount of actual science taught in Introduction to Psychology differs depending on the professor, the material is still pretty basic. The class is a lecture without section that meets three times a week. Students' entire grades are based on two midterms and a final, all of which are multiple choice. There is a large amount of reading for the class, and the textbook is a little dry, but you get to watch videos of original experiments, some of which are a little creepy for a Monday morning.
200.146 Animal Behavior
Not only is this classes taught by Professor Ball, a great professor in the Psychology and Brain Sciences department, but it is a N credit that doesn't involve proofs or organic chemistry. The class, which is graded on tests and one paper, is considered easy but interesting. Although the class focuses generally on animals, you find out the answer to several mysterious questions, like why do people in warm climates eat spicy foods. You will also learn more about birds, Dr. Ball's specialty, than you ever wanted to know.
270.201 Sustainability: Scientific and Religious Perspectives
This class, taught by Professor Fisher in the Earth and Planetary Science department and cross-registered with Public Health, is divided into a philosophical and scientific look at how the world uses its resources. The one text for the class discusses the history of the universe and students are asked to write essays reacting to the reading each week. Much of the grade is based on a term paper, but the paper doesn't have to address science in any serious way. It's the only class offered at this school where you can read Kant and religious philosophy and get science credit.
The classes is only taught every few years, so when you see it, try to get it. Professor Fisher is also a passionate and interesting professor and will get you involved in class discussion, even if you've never had a passing thought about sustainability. But be prepared to examine the boundaries between religion and science.
270.114 Guided Tour: The Planets
This class, designed "primarily for non-science majors" according to the registrar's Web site, gives a brief overview of astronomy and includes a little bit of physics and chemistry. The lecture is sometimes taught by a graduate student, but the professor is knowledgeable and gives good lectures when he's there. Students take four tests, but the lowest grade is dropped. Although the class has gotten harder in the past few years, its still a better choice for an N credit than Calculus III.
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