Coming into USC I honestly saw General Education requirements as a drawback that stood in the way of me and my degree. However, a few classes in particular fully changed my mind. The classes I’ll talk about below are classes that I found myself looking forward to, sometimes even more than my technical classes. I also want to note that the professors who taught these classes really contributed to my experience, and I would highly recommend taking these GEs with them if you get a chance!
MUSC 115gp: Western Music as Sounding History
I took this class in Spring 2024 with Professor Rotem Gilbert. I truly think she made this class accessible to everyone, regardless of their musical background. I found it super interesting to travel through history and see the development of Western music as a product of art and culture during these times. I also loved how she took the time to learn everyone’s names (not an easy feat in a class of 100!) and allowed for different students to share their talents by singing, playing instruments, and more as it related to the course.
PHIL 166gw: Current Moral and Social Issues
I took this class in Fall 2024 with Professor Jacob Ross. I loved the format of this class since it was largely discussion oriented. This was another class that felt tailored to student interest despite having more than 100 students. Jake would ask us what topics we found most fascinating from a philosophical standpoint and then use those as a starting point for his lectures. I also thought the weekly assignments (instead of having midterms/finals) was a nice way for me to continue thinking about the in class discussion. This class really pushed me to think deeply about my personal morals and how they relate to the life I live.
PSYC 100Lg: Introduction to Psychology
I took this class in Fall 2024 with Professor Patricia George. I loved Professor George’s behavioral approach to this subject. Though we discussed things like parts of the brain and more biological topics, we spent a lot of time on the presentation of psychology. Taking this class helped me understand my emotions and the science behind how I act, which I think is a powerful tool to have for people from any background. This class didn’t have any midterms/finals and instead included 3 papers. I preferred this style of assessment because it allowed me to explore the topics I was interested in rather than having to memorize anything.
