With course registration coming up, the editors of Student Life are here to save you the stress of finding the perfect class for a certain requirement, subject, or interest. 

WGSS 3470 – Law, Gender, and Justice
This course might be the most engaging course I’ve taken thus far at WashU. The content spans from topics on consent, healthcare, abortion, gender and marriage equality, and family, labor, and immigration law. The course is co-taught by three law students all from different backgrounds, and they each take topics that they are passionate about, making each section of the class equally engaging. I highly recommend this class if you are interested in legal studies, but also if you are just interested in learning more about gender and equality.

— Hannah La Porte | Managing Scene Editor

ELIT 314 – Topics in English & American Literature: Alienation and Transformation in Modern Literature & Contemporary Music
Anyone who loves to think and talk about music and writing will find this class interesting. You’ll explore contemporary authors and music artists side by side, including Lady Gaga, Virginia Woolf, David Bowie, Oscar Wilde, and Kendrick Lamar. Professor Finneran is passionate, animated, and eager to hear her students’ insights. With a healthy dose of theory and plenty analysis of music videos, live performances, lyrics, and costumes, this class gives you the time and space to completely nerd out about your favorite music artists and writers in a way that most classes won’t. Plus, you’ll have “Changes” by Bowie stuck in your head forevermore.

— River Alsalihi | Forum Editor

PSYCH 3604 – Cognitive Neuroscience
I genuinely can’t recommend this class enough. This class inspired me to declare a Cognitive Neuroscience major. Zach Reagh is such an awesome professor and explained things in a way that felt very approachable. He is very understanding and funny. Professor Reagh truly strives to make his class engaging for the students. The topics in this class are just fascinating. You get to learn the neural underpinnings of perception, language, movement, hearing, and more.

— Hannah Much | Managing Sports Editor

SOC 2010 – The Roots of Ferguson: Understanding Racial Inequality in the Contemporary U.S.
The Roots of Ferguson is the class that made me want to be a Sociology major. It’s a class I believe everyone at WashU should take during their undergraduate career, especially as students living in St. Louis. Throughout the semester, Professor Rosenfeld presents concepts that contribute to students’ general understanding of how racism exists in the United States the way it does. He presents concepts (like what is race?) and the events leading up to the Ferguson uprisings as a microcosm of the state of racism across the country and uses examples in St. Louis and beyond. It’s a super interesting class and one of the most meaningful ones I’ve taken so far. If you want to learn more about race in the United States and be able to better situate yourself in St. Louis, do not hesitate to take this class!

— Kate Theerman Rodriguez | Forum Editor

GLOBAL 3020 – Global Futures
Global Futures is an interesting course that introduces students to WashU’s global studies department and the variety of courses it offers. The course explores different topics from throughout the modern world ranging from war to economic and social issues. This class highlights the interconnected nature of the world and equips students with the tools to continue studying an increasingly globalized society. Regardless of your major, this is an interesting course for students who want to understand the world we live in.

— Lewis Rand | Editor-in-Chief

ARTARCH 1171 – First-Year Seminar: Beethoven and van Gogh: Myths of Creativity, Genius and Madness
For those interested in music, art history, and their intersectionality, this is the perfect class for you. Between studying van Gogh and the ways in which he utilized color to convey emotion to attending symphonies and listening to how Beethoven showcased intensity throughout his music, this class always turns up the energy. Whether learning critical writing skills, sharpening your public speaking abilities, or deciphering archival documents with your peers, the experiences you get out of this first-year seminar are extremely valuable. The professors facilitate a welcoming environment and it is a fun first niche college class to take.

— Sophie Schwartz | Scene Editor

WRITING 2100 – Creative NonFiction Writing 1
If you are interested in writing at all, I highly recommend this class. It gives you a chance to develop your writing style and learn how to talk about your life. The prompts you are given help you think more deeply about your life and personality, while the readings help you understand other people. Like Fiction Writing 1, you get to learn about writing, but with Creative NonFiction Writing 1, you don’t have to worry about the more imaginative aspects of creative writing. The realism element makes it a lot less overwhelming, and the professors are understanding and willing to work with you individually.

— Lyn Wilkins | Forum Editor

ART 2321 – Intro Photo: Black+White Photography
I want to more broadly recommend taking any introductory Sam Fox course, because they’re super beginner friendly and fun! You get the opportunity to spend a semester diving into a completely new creative skill and you’ll walk away with a body of work that you can have forever. You do not have to be a Sam Fox student to take these classes, no prior skill is required, and all of the professors that I’ve had for Sam Fox courses are also super friendly and understanding. If your schedule is full of intense classes, it can be nice to engage in something more creative that you can either continue to pursue after the course ends or never think about again.

— Bea Augustine | Design Editor

ANTHRO 3316 – Speaking with Skeletons: Recovering Identities through Forensic Anthropology
As a Sam Fox major, science and math are often far from my mind. But, of course, there is the dreaded NSM credit that needs to be fulfilled… This course felt like a good option, and I was pleasantly surprised with how engaging and informative the content is. Who would have thought someone could have so much fun measuring tibias and femurs in order to determine sex estimation? The professor,Thomas Cody Prang, creates thoughtful lectures and wants to see you succeed in his class. If you have even the slightest interest in forensics, anthropology, or building a biological profile (or just need that NSM credit), I would highly recommend this course.

— Lucia Thomas | Managing Illustration Editor

BEYOND 1009 – Beyond Boundaries: The Art of Medicine
The Art of Medicine was one of those classes that I genuinely looked forward to attending each week. Taught by two teachers, one from Sam Fox and the other from the Italian department, the class explored the history (and future) of medicine through an artistic lens. This Beyond Boundaries class had a range of majors: pre-med, public health, even me, the sole art major of the bunch. Teaching is split up between the pair of teachers with lectures from both alternating every other day. One day you could learn about the four humors of the body and the next learn about Damien Hirst’s pharmacy artworks. Although this is a first-year only class, if you know someone coming to WashU next year who needs an extra, interesting class to fill their schedule, look no further!

— Mac Motz | Photo Editor

BIOL 3700 – Animal Behavior
ITAL 4100 – Mamma Mia! Motherhood, Maternity, & the Female Reproductive Body in the Italian Cultural Context
“Animal Behavior” is easily one of the chillest classes at WashU. You learn a lot about animals, evolution, and spend the majority of time watching animal documentaries. The exams are all online and open note, so they’re very doable. It also counts as an upper-level biology course, so it’s a great choice for pre-meds! But if you’re also just interested in animals, environments, or ecology, definitely take this class. The professor is also really nice and engaging! (It does require a biology prerequisite though).

“Mamma Mia” is my favorite class I’ve taken at WashU! The content is super interesting, the work is very doable (and mainly consists of short two to three page papers and engaging presentations). Professor Messbarger is an incredible professor because of how passionate she is about health, Italian culture, and reproductive health. Her lectures are always very fun and engaging, and I always leave the class feeling fulfilled and amazed. This class covers many topics such as health, politics, history, language, and much more. I can’t recommend it enough.

— Isabella Diaz-Mira | Managing Photo Editor

CLASSICS 3410 – Ancient History: The Roman Republic
This course is great for anyone who has an interest in Rome, the classics, film studies, art history and archaeology, or even politics. Though highly lecture based, the class doesn’t just stick to dry recitations of military exploits or dull explanations of historical figures. Instead, Rome is explored through art, architecture, first-hand reports of archaeological digs, and dramatic histories written by Romans from the early imperial era. The class explores the truth behind the “fall” of the Republic and what truly made the Roman state so long-lived. Christopher Erdman brings a lot of energy and humor to the course — his genuine enthusiasm for the topic is evident in his lectures.

— Elle Ludwin | Scene Editor

AMCS 3720 – Topics in American Culture Studies (Asian American Visual Literatures and Popular Culture)
It’s easy to think of visual culture as solely based on what we can see. But what about what is invisible — or even hypervisible? AMCS 3720 is a discussion driven class breaking down issues of hypervisibility, visibility, and invisibility of Asian Americans by analyzing popular culture (films, stand up comedy, graphic novels, etc.) often inviting special guests who are experts in their topics. Professor Ghosh makes an incredible effort to cater to student’s interests and is very open to new ideas. She very much encourages you to apply what you learned in class awarding you extra credit when you visit Asian American related events.

— Marceline Lee | Illustration Editor

EDUC 3050 – Education, Childhood, Adolescence, and Society
A great fit for anyone interested in education or sociology, this course covers the experiences of children and adolescents within society from historical, sociological, psychological, and political perspectives. Even if you are not interested in working with children or educational policy, it is important to understand and evaluate how our institutions and attitudes shape our concept of youth and what it means to be a “child.” This course is mostly small group discussion broken up by self-guided projects analyzing policy, social norms, and schooling through the lens of your own experiences and interests. Who knows, maybe it will make you a better parent in the future.

— Alexander Dering | Photo Editor

PUBHLTHSOC 1000 – Foundations in Public Health
With a new School of Public Health and undergraduate public health major, now is the perfect time to take this introductory class. The course covers a range of topics that sit at the intersection of medicine and social sciences, including population health, social determinants of health, and epidemiology. There are also about 10 presentations from local experts in the public health field explaining current health issues that St. Louis faces. Overall, the lectures are very informative, making you realize how almost everything can impact people’s health.

— Ben Ollendorff | Sports Editor

SOC 2060 – Punishment and Inequality
If the United States leads the free world, why are so many Americans in prison? This course is a deep dive into mass incarceration in the United States. You’ll learn about the history of our criminal legal system, how racial injustice is central to our carceral state, the role of policing, and much more. There are readings before each class, but they definitely feel manageable since they are often drawn from popular sources like books. Although it’s a lecture course, each class is engaging because you’ll have small and full group discussions daily. This class presents a different perspective on criminal justice than you might see in the news and I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in law, politics, and/or social justice!

— Maddie Morgan | Forum Editor

EEPS 2020 – Introduction to Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science
This survey course covers many interesting parts of the EEPS department, including volcanoes, ice sheets, and the habitability of other planets. Plus, it satisfies the natural sciences and mathematics (NSM) and the applied numeracy (AN) requirements for Arts & Sciences students without significant math work beyond algebra. Professor Jen Smith not only delivers excellent, engaging lectures, but also bakes treats representing various geologic processes for the entire class! Consistent, interesting, real-world scientific work made this course always worth looking forward to, and the volcanic chocolate cupcake I got after the final was delicious!

— Jake Isenberg | Scene Editor