Picking Classes: Some Recommendations from a SLU Blogger

This week registration for new classes began. As you might know this is the last time I'll ever register for courses at St. Lawrence. Now that I've finally lived through nearly 7 full semesters of classes I thought I'd share with you all some of my favorites. (And if there are any current students reading this, keep these in mind as you put together your future class schedules)

1.     Religious Studies 102: Religion & Science

By far my favorite course that I've taken at SLU, it examines a question that many people have pondered at one point or another: can religion and science be reconciled? In our current day and age religion and science appear to be polar opposites. They are thought of as two entirely separate theories of knowledge about the world. This course walks students through history examining the dialogue that has been carried out between religion and knowledge about the world around us. Every topic from astronomy to geology to ecology to quantum physics are discussed. In the end, students are asked to compose a paper defending their thoughts on whether or not science and religion are compatible in the 21^st century.

2.     Art History 256: Art & Nature

A close second for favorite class in my book. This class also follows the progression of history to examine how humans have interpreted the natural world through art and literature. The material traces all the way back to the age of the Babylonians up to the present with contemporary artists like Andy Goldsworthy. It's very interesting to see the links and indications between the literature and political dialogue of each era and how that was reflected through art. This was my first experience with an art history course and I must say I highly recommend this type of class to anyone who is interested in viewing the connections between art and nature in true liberal arts fashion.

3.     Film Studies 263: Australian Cinema

Only in college could you find a course like this. In this class we viewed more than 30 Australian films throughout the entire semester. Film is an incredibly powerful medium for understanding social issues and contemporary political dialogue. Topics such as sexuality, nationalism, and racism all were all in Australia were covered by our film curriculum. And yes, there's plenty of eye candy for those Hugh Jackman/Heath Ledger/Nicole Kidman fans out there.

4.     Philosophy 302: Symbolic Logic

When I tell people that I'm majoring in Philosophy, there's a lot of questions about the practicality of a major like that. If there was any course I've taken that has not only been interesting but useful, it's this one. Symbolic Logic is great for people with an analytic type of mind who can see the progression of logic from one argument into another. Hence, why many of my philosophy counterparts have gone on to law school. Symbolic Logic discusses sentential and predicate logic in depth and examines some historical symbolic proofs in philosophy. The course is also dual listed with Math and Computer Science!

5.     First Year Seminar 188: African Life After Work

A unique title for a completely unique class. My first year seminar (the second semester of the first year program) discussed sport and leisure in Africa and their social and historical implications. What really added to the relevance of this course when I took it in the Spring of 2010 was that the World Cup was being played in South Africa that year; the first time the tournament had taken place on the African continent. The course provided extensive in-depth knowledge of African history and current issues through the lens of sports which rarely is examined in traditional academia. And to put in a plug for the First Year Seminar program in general, by donating an entire semester to the completion of a research paper, I ended up with 20 pages of some of the best writing I've done in college.

6.     Geology 217: Dinosaurs

Just so you all didn't think that I took nothing but humanities courses I thought I'd throw in a recommendation for a science class too. The title says it all: it's a class all about dinosaurs! This course not only familiarizes students with dozens of different dinosaur species but includes student guided lectures on different dinosaur orders, experiments on dinosaur anatomy, dinosaur skeletal reconstruction, and discussions on the geological significance of these extinct megafauna. Go beyond what you learned in your picture books 15 years ago!