With registration coming up this week, the Student Life editorial board offers recommendations for classes you should (or shouldn’t take) this fall. Looking to find something fun? Trying to finish up a distribution requirement? Love geology? We did the work so you don’t have to.

Mindfulness in Psychology and Eastern Philosophies: Sophomore Seminar

I’ve made it my mission to take as many classes with field trips as possible, mostly because all of my classes seem to be in poorly lit basements with those annoying desks that are attached to the tables. This class had some of the best field trips of all. We did meditation in this church located just on the Delmar Loop, we woke up early on a Sunday (I swear, it was worth it) to go to the Mid-America Buddhist Association in August, Mo. and we went to our professor’s house during reading week for a year-end celebration. Most important of all, the class fulfilled that pesky Language and Cultural Diversity requirement.

—Ella Chochrek, Editor-in-Chief

Writing and the Law

Do you like to discuss the increasing politicization of our legal system? Do you want to read dry court decisions? If you said yes to either of these questions, then Writing and the Law is for you. As you could probably guess, this class is all about teaching you how to dissect complicated legal syntax and present it for different audiences. The soapbox awaits as you get the opportunity to write impassioned arguments for or against court decisions that no one but your professor will read. It’s the academic equivalent of yelling into your pillow.

—Aaron Brezel, Managing Editor

Creative Non Fiction

Do you keep a journal? Is your journal writing just so great that you need a way to show other people your journal writing without it being weird? Do you like to read other people’s journals? If so, you should take CNF. For writers looking to explore themselves or make sense of the world around them, this is the perfect class. If you didn’t say yes to any of those questions, you should still take CNF because the teachers are dope, and the reading is interesting and relevant. And anyway, learning to write well about real things is what people in the business school call a “marketable skill.”

—Noa Yadidi, Managing Editor

Introduction to Digital Humanities: Cultural Analysis

As an indecisive but decidedly non-humanities major, I came into this school year looking for a Writing Intensive that would keep me awake. With Digital Humanities, I found the perfect fit! Cross-listed in the American Culture Studies, Comparative Literature and English Literature departments, this class delves into the complicated relationship between the STEM world and the humanities. And don’t let the words “Writing Intensive” scare you off; there were only two individual papers and one group paper. When I took it, there were only nine people in the class, which made a cozy environment to discuss weekly readings, which usually just turned into discussions about all forms of media and big data. One week, we even had a “video game class,” where we explored the emerging field of video game analysis.

—Aidan Strassmann, Managing Editor

Modern Humor Writing

Going to be upfront here: I have not taken this class and cannot take this class. But I want to be able to live vicariously through my friends, so I want everyone else to take this and then teach me how to write humor. Imagine yourself as Aziz Ansari (ignore that “Master of None” is more cringe-y than funny) or as Tina Fey (back in the “Saturday Night Live” glory days). Write that memoir you’ve always wanted to but never had the time for—just tell me all about it because I will be fulfilling my Natural Math and Science requirement instead.

—Wesley Jenkins, Senior Cadenza Editor

Computer Science I

I’ll be honest, coding can seem scary before you actually get into it. I dreaded taking this class, but now I’m planning for more computer science courses. Once you start, it’s just like learning any other language—break it down into bits and pieces, and you’ll get it pretty quickly. The class is well-taught, and you’ll learn to solve problems in new ways, even if you don’t continue further with the subject. At best, you’ll learn a useful skill and have fun with the projects. At worst, you don’t have to go to class Tuesdays!

—Rohan Gupta, Senior Sports Editor

Geology of National Parks

Listen: I’m not very good at science. I’m not even very interested in science. So, it takes a lot for me to sit here and recommend a science class. Geology of National parks is the rare exception. You will actually learn some geologic concepts—continental drift, the formation of mountains—but you get to do so in a fun way, through the lens of national parks. There’s an entire week dedicated to pictures of the various geologic wonders of Hawaii. The only real risk of the class is that you might accidentally spend lectures planning out very expensive road trips to see the parks in the slides. If you needed any more convincing, sometimes the class slides are accompanied by classic rock songs that fit in thematically with the parks being discussed, and that’s pretty cool.

—Jon Lewis, Senior Sports Editor

Introduction to Linguistics

I know you enjoy reading. How do I know this? You are currently glancing over a freshman’s recommendation on what course to take. You can’t be reading this for genuine advice. Since you like to read, are you curious about how you’re able to understand what this says? What about why “You can understand this” while “Sentence a this correct is” is gibberish? You can find the answers to these questions and any other queries regarding language in Introduction to Linguistics. Since language permeates nearly every facet of the human experience, a background in linguistics provides insights into nearly every other field of study. Want proof? Check out how many “-ology” sub-fields linguistics has: phonology, morphology, etymology, phraseology and more. Plus, you’ll learn how to read wәt ðıs sεz!

—Jeremy Goldstein, Copy Chief