For the first time in eight semesters, the day of the release of the Course Offering Directory, now known as the Schedule of Courses, will have little to no impact on my academic life. Instead I will have to look on with ever-heightening envy at the swarms of students who are able to choose their academic courseload for another semester rather than shuffling off into the real world. That being the case, and being unable to sit the festivities out entirely, this column will be devoted to my recommendations of courses for undergraduates based on those that have been offered in fall semesters past.
One course that should not be missed, particularly by those soon to enter the era of total independence is Prof. Karin Bonding’s Personal Finance class. Offered to non-Commerce students as a primer in wealth management and basic financial independence, it is an experience not to be missed, particularly by those who are easily overwhelmed by the language and complexity of the financial world. This course is incredibly informative as well as eminently practical.
For non-rising fourth years, and for those more interested in paintings than portfolios, History of Art I is not to be missed. This course teaches among other things the basic language for the study of art, allowing students to feel competent to engage it in any context. The class is incredibly enriching in terms of the art to which one is exposed and the clarity of information given about it. While Art History 101 can be looked at as a universal experience for college students, it ought not be missed. Similarly, for those looking for an enriching experience with art, Prof. Francesca Fiorani’s Italian Renaissance Art and Prof. Lawrence Goedde’s Baroque art classes provide a wonderful introduction to those artists we’ve all heard of but never studied carefully.
We have the privilege of going to school in Virginia, a state saturated with the legacy of our nation’s past from the colonial period until the present. Two courses speak especially well to this period and are near and dear to my heart as an American history major. They are Prof. Michael Holt’s Coming of the Civil War class and Prof. Gary Gallagher’s United States Military History. Our state was pivotal in both of these eras. It produced formative presidents and thinkers, from Thomas Jefferson to the less noted John Tyler and Zachary Taylor, as well as the leading military figures in our early history, from George Washington to Winfield Scott to Robert E. Lee. We are also within two hour’s drive of no fewer than 10 Civil War battlefields, as well as the signal victory of the Revolutionary War. Gallagher said he believes that visits to battlefields, which he incorporates with his courses, give students an experience that cannot be replicated in the classroom.
Courses in American history can help students appreciate their surroundings as well as enrich then with an understanding of the culture in which they live. Prof. Julian Bond’s History of the Civil Rights Movement class takes the experience of the American South into the twentieth century. Bond’s first-hand experience as a leading activist during this defining era of the last century is an opportunity uniquely available to University students and should not be missed.
There are myriad other courses worthy of consideration. Prof. Kenneth Elzinga is a University staple, and his Introduction to Microeconomics needs no introduction. Often overlooked gems included Prof. Bill Wilson’s Christian Vision in Literature, the three introductory seminars in English literature, and any course offered about Russian literature. These are outstanding courses that don’t often get consideration outside their respective majors, but provide breadth to any collegiate experience.
I would finish with this piece of advice regarding course selections. If there is something you want to take, take it now; don’t put it off for another year when you feel that you will be more prepared or will have less work. Professors come and go, and the SOC changes accordingly. Thus, by the time you are ideally situated to take a specific course, it may not be available. This has happened to me at least twice, once with a professor going on sabbatical and another time with a professor leaving for another position. If you want to maximize your course experience, take the courses you want now. And enjoy them, because the opportunities to simply sit back and take courses are limited, and pass quickly.
Robby Colby’s column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at r.colby@cavalierdaily.com.
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