21 Classes to Take before You Graduate

Enrollment season just got a whole lot easier.

Published in

Forge

18 min readNov 12, 2020

It’s that time of year again when the leaves turn red, temperatures drop, and UVA students begin to feel higher-than-usual levels of resentment towards SIS. In other words, it’s course registration season.

As a mostly student-run organization, we know just how difficult course planning can be. We also know that it doesn’t have to be this way. That’s why we rounded up twenty-one unique recommendations that fulfill a variety of academic needs– from GPA boosts to real-life skills, and everything in between.

Check out the complete list below!

Note: * = traditional curriculum requirement, ** = new requirement

EASY As

ENTP 1010: Startup — Introduction to Entrepreneurship

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Bevin Etienne, Charles “Chip” Ransler
Description: The Startup class is a 14-week course-plus-simulation designed to provide students with not only the basic tools and vocabulary of new ventures, but also a sense of what it feels like to start, fund, and manage such a venture. The course, by way of in-class case discussions, mentored group work, and startup simulations introduces students to a broad range of issues faced by founders and funders of both for-profit and non-profit ventures.
What fans are saying:

“I loved it. Chip Ransler and Bevin Etienne were great. If you show up and do the work, you’ll do very well.”
“Super informational — learned a lot and wasn’t too difficult!”

Requirements met: Entrepreneurship minor prerequisite
Notes: Restricted to 1st and 2nd years; see course website for more information.

SLAV 2350: Dracula

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Stanley Stepanic
Description: An introduction to Slavic folklore with special emphasis on the origins and subsequent manifestations of vampirism. Western perceptions, misperceptions, and adaptations of Slavic culture are explored and explicated. The approach is interdisciplinary: folklore, history, literature, religion, film, disease and a variety of other topics.
What fans are saying:

“No longer counts as second writing requirement, BUT a great Non-Western class! Also, just a great class in general. EASY A!!!”
“There’s a reason this class is posted about on every ‘top courses for UVA students’ website. It. Is. Awesome. Not only is Professor Stepanic one of the coolest instructors I’ve had at UVA, the material is super interesting, and the grading is EASY… I highly recommend you take Dracula during your time on Grounds!”

Requirements: Non-Western Perspectives*; Artistic, Interpretive, & Philosophical Inquiry**; Cultures & Societies of the World**

PSYC 2700: Child Psychology

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Amrisha Vaish
Description: Introduces the biological, cognitive and social development of the child. Topics include the child’s emotional, perceptual, and intellectual development; and the development of personality and socialization. Students can participate in an optional discussion section. An optional weekly review session is offered for those who wish to attend. Prerequisite: PSYC 1010 strongly recommended, top students will be fine without it.
What fans are saying:

“One of the easiest and best classes I have taken at UVA. Professor Vaish is so approachable and really wants her students to do well. She does have clicker questions which require you to attend the class. Her class moves quickly and typically has a lot of videos and fun conversations about child psychology. If you want to take child psych, wait until Professor Vaish is teaching it! The spots move quickly so prioritize this class and go on the waiting list if you can. 10/10 class!!”

Requirements: Social Sciences*; Living Systems**; Social & Economic Systems**

Humanities for Non-Humanities Majors

ANTH 2280: Medical Anthropology

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ✅
Professor(s): Anna Eisenstein
Description: The course introduces medical anthropology, and contextualizes bodies, suffering, healing and health. It is organized thematically around a critical humanist approach, along with perspectives from political economy and social constructionism. The aim of the course is to provide a broad understanding of the relationship between culture, healing (including and especially the Western form of healing known as biomedicine), health and political power.
What fans are saying:

“This is the best course I’ve ever taken at UVA. Professor Scherz is an absolutely amazing lecturer, and so interesting to talk to during office hours. There is a lot of reading, but it’s really not necessary to do well in this class. I read the articles because I found them extremely interesting, but could’ve definitely gotten away with not doing them at all. Discussion sections were nice because the TA really encouraged you to think more abstractly about the concepts. Midterm and final are both easy if you take decent notes and pay attention during class. The 2 short papers you write are also graded extremely fairly. This course is not designed to be tricky; Professor Scherz genuinely wants her students (many of them pre-med) to understand that there’s more to medicine than science. If you are a pre-med student or interested in bioethics or public health, take this course!!! It was the highlight of my semester!!!”

Requirements: Social Sciences*, Cultures & Societies of the World**, Science & Society**
Notes: Reviewer recommends Prof. China Scherz, who last taught the course in Fall 2019. Anna Eisenstein will teach in Spring 2021.

SOC 2230: Criminology

Spring 2021? ❌
Discussion/Lab? ✅
Professor(s): Rose Buckelew
Description: Studies socio-cultural conditions effecting the definition, recording, and treatment of delinquency and crime. Examines theories of deviant behavior, the role of the police, judicial and corrective systems, and the victim in criminal behavior.
What fans are saying:

“Prof. B is so sweet! She is very personable and makes a point out of familiarizing herself with all of her students. Some of her policies can seem a little childish at times, such as assigned seating, but this class is very manageable as long as you stay on top of the light readings and take notes. Even the longer readings (only 20–25 pages) weren’t bad to read because they contained so much interesting information. The course consists of mostly completion grades, meaning as long as you put in effort you can easily pull off an A. Also, Prof. B is super receptive to feedback and made changes to her syllabus according to student comments halfway through the semester. I also really enjoyed how participation was a large percentage of the grade, because people were always talking and engaging with the material during class and no one is on their phones/laptops, so it’s a really great learning environment. Overall, I got a lot of out of this course and think that the interesting content combined with the easy A and nice professor makes this a class worth taking.”

Requirements: Social Sciences*, Social & Economic Systems**

MUSI 2070: Popular Musics

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ✅
Professor(s): Karl Miller
Description: Scholarly and critical study of music circulated through mass media. Specific topic for the semester (e.g. world popular music, bluegrass, country music, hip-hop, Elvis Presley) announced in advance. No previous knowledge of music required.
What fans are saying:

“I have no music background and decided to take this class to fill my fine arts requirement. However, I fell in love! Professor Miller is so engaging and really cares about what he teaches. He also picks up to date music mixed with some popular music of the past to make this class super engaging… The class has 4 take home assignments, including the midterm and final, and is doable and also a lot of fun! HIGHLY recommend!”

Requirements: Artistic, Interpretive, & Philosophical Inquiry**

STEM for Non-STEM Majors

ASTR 1210: Intro. to the Sky and Solar System

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Michael Skrutskie, Ilse Cleeves, Zhi-Yun Li
Description: A study of the night sky primarily for non-science majors. Provides a brief history of astronomy through Newton. Topics include the properties of the sun, earth, moon, planets, asteroids, meteors and comets; origin and evolution of the solar system; life in the universe; and recent results from space missions and ground-based telescopes.
What fans are saying:

“Skrutskie did a really good job teaching the basics of astronomy to students who’ve never had any prior experience in it before. He’s a pretty cool guy; he always brought in props like dry ice to show us how different things worked in the solar system, and at one point propelled himself across the room on his rolling chair. Tests are easy: just read the notes he posts online and you’re set. Labs can also be interesting: I really enjoyed learning all of the constellations, and it wasn’t hard at all.”
“This was one of the easiest classes I’ve taken at UVA... I did not read the textbook or study much more than one day for the exams. It was a lot of fun and Prof. Cleeves seems like a very kind, approachable person with a passion for the subject matter. I would highly recommend this class.”

Requirements: Natural Science and Math*; Chemical, Mathematical, and Physical Universe**

CS 1112: Intro. to Programming with Python

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Jim Cohoon
Description: A first course in programming, software development, and computer science. Introduces computing fundamentals and an appreciation for computational thinking. Prerequisite: Students must have no previous programming experience. Note: CS 1110, 1111, 1112, 1113, and 1120 provide different approaches to teaching the same core material; students may only receive credit for one of these courses.
What fans are saying:

“Jim is the man. This class was great for anyone who wants to learn to code or just needs that degree requirement. Homework is easy and helps you practice skills, exams were totally doable, the TA’s are very helpful and I truly think anyone can understand the material at the perfect pace this class moves in. Love me some Cohoon.”
“Cohoon is great, really cares about the subject and the students. For me, the class was a little tricky in the beginning, but became easier as it went on. The TAs are amazing and very helpful. I’m not a huge fan of CS, but Cohoon made it very enjoyable. If you have to take CS for a req or have no experience, take 1112 with Cohoon!”

Requirements: N/A
Notes: Instructor consent required.

PHYS 1050/1060: How Things Work

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Gordon Cates
Description: For non-science majors. Introduces physics and science in everyday life, considering objects from our daily environment and focusing on their principles of operation, histories, and relationships to one another. 1050 is concerned primarily with mechanical and thermal objects, while 1060 emphasizes objects involving electromagnetism, light, special materials, and nuclear energy. They may be taken in either order.
What fans are saying:

“Lou Bloomfield is ICONIC. Not only is he the GENIUS behind Lou’s List, but he created this whole class from scratch. The textbook was written by himself and he came up with all of the examples/information. He posts the lectures online meaning you don’t have to come to class; however, I always ended up going because he uses class time to do experiments like throwing liquid nitrogen on the ground and setting bubbles on fire. Problem sets are worth 30% of your grade so do well on them- the questions are weird but do-able. The exams are a piece of cake- he posts ALL of the previous exams on his webpage and he repeats questions from old exams on his new ones. Overall a great professor/person who hates SIS just as much as his students. Lou Bloomfield: the man, the myth, the LEGEND.”
“Any of you non-science people still struggling to complete a science requirement? Well look no further — How Things Work is here to teach physics to those whose of us who cringe at the word alone. Not only will this class leave you cringe-less, but the lecture is actually fun! Professor Bloomfield is known to do cool experiments and demonstrations during class that will wake up even the sleepiest of students. In addition to being an interesting lecturer, but he’s an all around great professor too. Students love him so much that he’s become fondly referred to as ‘Grandpa Lou.’” (OneClass)

Requirements: Natural Science and Mathematics*; Chemical, Mathematical, and Physical Universe**
Notes: 1050 is offered only in the fall, and 1060 only in the spring. Gordon Cates will teach the course in Spring 2021 (Louis “Lou” Bloomfield hasn’t taught it since Fall 2019).

Applicable to Real Life

LASE 3200: Humans of Capitalism

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): David Flood
Description: This course explores what it means to work as a human in our contemporary economy. On our way to understanding the job market as a liberal arts major, we will explore some of the deeper issues that arise from contemporary demands that result in predictable dilemmas for humans. The goal of the course is to think both pragmatically and theoretically about what it means to be a worker.
What fans are saying:

“Professor Flood is an effective communicator and an overall great guy; you can tell he cares deeply about his students. The course content is extremely applicable to both college life and post-graduation life. You do a lot of mini projects regarding career paths, cost of living, graduate programs, etc., and so it’s definitely worth the time. I will say the class was a little more difficult than anticipated, mostly because the concepts you’re learning are brand new to the average 3rd or 4th year. Nevertheless, pulling out a B is very doable, and as a Liberal Arts major, it’s extremely helpful to explore potential paths you can pursue if you’re worried about your chosen major; Flood helps you realize that just because you’re a Philosophy, Spanish, or History major, there’s still a variety of options out there for you.”

Requirements: N/A

COMM 2730: Personal Finance

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Dorothy Kelly
Description: An introduction to personal finance, focusing on financial decision-making and financial wellbeing. Students will develop the knowledge and skills to analyze common financial situations and develop a financial plan. Topics include short-, intermediate-, and long-term planning; budgeting; taxes; credit; debt; insurance; stocks, bonds, and mutual funds; diversification; 401(k)s, IRAs, and HSAs.
What fans are saying:

“Dot is awesome! Seriously one of the most practical classes I have taken at UVA. Learn about mortgages, 401ks, credit cards, all the necessary basics. And Dot loves her students and actually wants them to succeed. Literally I still email her regularly for interview and job advice. Very manageable work load and easy tests. Can’t recommend enough!”

Requirements: N/A
Notes: Restricted to non-COMM 3rd and 4th years

COMM 1100: Understanding the World of Business

Spring 2021? ❌
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Robert “Bob” Kemp
Description: A business course open to all non-commerce majors. Not appropriate for students who have taken COMM 1800. This course introduces the “language of business,” knowledge & skills in the areas of strategy, finance, accounting, & marketing. Ideal for students who wish to complement their coursework in other majors. We will use lecture & current events to develop critical thinking, problem solving, & analytical skills to address emergent business issues.
What fans are saying:

“Professor Kemp is a great lecturer and an even better person! He genuinely cares about his students and wants to help you understand the material by telling funny stories and relating things to you and your life. The class covers the basics of accounting, finance, banking, etc. and I think it is a must take for everyone because you learn the basic understanding of many topics. Definitely recommend as the workload is minimal (reading) and the exams are straightforward.”

Requirements: N/A
Notes: Restricted to non-COMM and non-Pre-COMM students.

Interesting / Relevant

EVSC 1450: An Inconvenient Truce - Climate, You and CO2

Spring 2021? ❌
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Deborah Lawrence
Description: Carbon is the building block of life, the way we trap the energy of the sun to feed all biological systems, and the way we power human civilization. It is also the driver of global climate change. How does the climate system work? How has climate changed? How will it change in the coming decades? What are the likely impacts on humanity and the ecosystems on which we depend? What can we do about it? We explore climate change, top to bottom.
What fans are saying:

“Super relevant class and super interesting. Great for non-STEM majors because there’s not much math!”
“BEST CLASS I HAVE EVER TAKEN. I may be biased because I came in interested in studying envi sci, but Professor Lawrence was the factor that really cemented that interest so that I declared the major. If you like envi sci, definitely take this course BUT I also would highly recommend that anyone, regardless of interest or ability in science, to take this course because of the practical applications of the knowledge… Being able to understand basic climate science and environmental issues is crucial in this day and age. The exams were a little hard at times, but they were very doable and there was barely any homework at all. I loved this class and it is my go to recommendation for others based on how useful and enjoyable it is for anyone to take.”

Requirements: Natural Science and Math*
Notes: Offered only in the fall.

PLAP 3140: Mass Media & American Politics

Spring 2021? ❌
Discussion/Lab? ✅
Professor(s): Paul Freedman
Description: Examines the role of mass media in the political process including such topics as print and broadcast news, media and election campaigns, political advertising, and media effects on public opinion and political participation.
What fans are saying:

“If you can take any class with Freedman you wont regret it. His energy is so uplifting and he can wake you up in lectures. He is so passionate and he has funny remarks about some presidential elections. His office hours are as if you are talking to a lifelong friend. You learn about campaigning strategies, twitter, fake news, news sources, and really anything relating to politics and media (film, ads, social media, photos, speeches, newspapers, broadcast, etc).”
“This is a really fun course; one of the best politics classes I’ve taken. The lectures are pretty enjoyable. Prof. Freedman shows lots of videos/political ads, and he is super engaged in what he’s teaching. Everything you learn seems very applicable in real life (ex. net neutrality).”

Requirements: Social Sciences*; Artistic, Interpretive, & Philosophical Inquiry**; Social & Economic Systems**

COMM 3410: Commercial Law I

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Sherri Moore
Description: Introduces the American legal system, emphasizing contracts, torts, agency, corporations, and partnerships. May be taken prior to enrollment in the McIntire School.
What fans are saying:

“This class is probably one of the most talked about classes at UVA. Don’t let the title betray you, it’s really just an introduction to what the U.S legal system is, the types of law that exist, and basic knowledge that anyone who goes to school in this country should have. To top it all off, Sherri is an amazing professor with an amazing life story and will make sure her students succeed 100%. You’ll love going to every class, and if you pay attention to the nuances of the law, you’ll get an A.” (Yash Tekriwal)
“She was, no joke, the best professor I’ve ever had. She was wonderful, knowledgable, hilarious, and just plain cheerful and kind. She’s one of the professors that I feel like I’ll remember when I’m old and still think back to her final lecture. She really taught me a valuable lesson in that class and, spoiler alert, wasn’t about comm law.”

Requirements: N/A
Notes: Restricted to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years.

Eye-Opening

HIUS 3654: Black Fire

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ✅
Professor(s): Claudrena Harold
Description: This course examines the history and contemporary experiences of African Americans at the University of Virginia from the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the present era.
What fans are saying:

“This class is a must take — offers a great overview of the black experience at UVA in particular. Prof Harold is incredibly engaging as well! (Also there is no homework).”
“This class was amazing. I loved every moment of it. It is not only eye opening about UVA’s roll in integration and race relations, but about higher education in general. The class is very easy, with fun, short readings each class, a few writing responses, and a few quizzes and tests. There is a big group project at the end, though she said she might be changing that in the future. Although this class fills up quickly, I would recommend taking any of Professor Harold’s classes; she is an extremely intelligent and well-spoken woman.”

Requirements: Historical Studies*, Historical Perspectives**, Social & Economic Systems**

RELG 2660: “Spiritual But Not Religious” - Spirituality in America

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ✅
Professor(s): Matthew Hedstrom
Description: This course asks: what does “spiritual but not religious” mean, and why has it become such a pervasive idea in modern America? We’ll study everything from AA to yoga to Zen meditation, with stops in Christian rock, Beat poetry, Abstract Expressionist painting and more. In the end, we’ll come to see spirituality in America as a complex intermingling of the great world religions, modern psychology, and a crassly commercialized culture industry.
What fans are saying:

“I LOVED this class. I am a chemistry major and took this to fulfill some college requirements, and I loved it so much that I decided to minor in religious studies. The material is slow in the first part of the course, and the readings are tough because they’re so old, but the entire class is fascinating overall. Hedstrom is a great professor, and he is obviously so knowledgable and passionate about his work. I was also lucky enough to have an equally amazing TA as well. The class requires plenty of reading, and the three papers aren’t necessarily easy to write, but learning in this class seriously opened my eyes and changed how I think about the world. Highly recommend.”
“Amazing class! Incorporating everything from spirituality and meditation to LSD and modern art. This class will make you re-think everything about America and is extremely thought provoking/artistic/beautiful.”

Requirements: Historical Studies*; Historical Perspectives**; Artistic, Interpretive, & Philosophical Inquiry**

Wild Card / Try Something New

KINE 1720: Dance for Fitness

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Diane Whaley
Description: Course covers the basic steps, vocabulary, and variations of dance in various fields. Students learn basic techniques based on ballet and modern dance. Through daily warm-ups and exercises, students gain strength, flexibility, endurance, and coordination.
What fans are saying:

💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

Requirements: N/A
Notes: 1 credit; CR/NC grading.

RELJ 3490: Jewish Weddings

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Vanessa Och
Description: As we study the ritual of the Jewish wedding ceremony from antiquity to the present day, we will see how notions about marriage, gender relations, and the normative family are displayed and challenged. In particular, we will be investigating the establishment of innovations in the contemporary Jewish weddings (traditional, liberal, same-sex and interfaith) in America and Israel.
What fans are saying:

“LOVE LOVE LOVE! The class is so interesting and Prof. Ochs is one of the best professors I have had so far. She is super nice and patient, and will take your year, your experience with religious studies and so forth into consideration when grading. That being said, she focuses more on your overall progress and the efforts you put into… Many thought it was a fun and easy A class, but the truth is it is very interesting but not necessarily an easy A. I would recommend it to those who are interested in the subject matter and who are willing to spend time on it.”
“I took this simply to fulfill my non-western perspectives requirement and I am so thankful I did. It sounds silly to take a class about a simple ritual, but really you learn so much about Jewish culture and tradition. This class has opened up my eyes to something I never really thought about before and has enriched my understanding of something I never wanted to understand until now. I would really recommend taking this course, especially if you know nothing about Judaism… In addition, Vanessa Ochs is an amazing and caring professor… It is a very intimate class and you have to be willing to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. Most of your grade is group work: creating a wedding booklet and putting on a wedding. But don’t let that scare you because it is very laid back. You should definitely try it out if you can.”

Requirements: Non-Western Perspectives*; Artistic, Interpretive, & Philosophical Inquiry**; Cultures & Societies of the World**
Notes: You get to stage a Jewish wedding on the Lawn. Enough said.

ARTS 2000: Introduction to Studio Art

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Amy Chan, Matthew Shelton, James Scheuren
Description: An introductory course, divided into three segments, which serves as a prerequisite to all studio courses. In Drawing students will learn observational drawing and how visual thinking connects with the hand. The Conceptual segment will exercise creative problem-solving skills and teach students to engage in critical discourse. The Digital segment teaches basic technical skills and digital tools including still and moving image and sound.
What fans are saying:

“Class is split between 3 units. The professor you enroll with teaches 2 of those units and then you switch to another professor. Final grade is the avg. between your 3 unit grades. I only had Matt for the digital skills unit, and he was okay. He provides readings that are pretty short but you definitely don’t have to read them. The digital unit with him was based on one project a week and then everyone’s work is shared in class for discussion/critique on the due date… Matt’s really chill with grading in that he lets you grade yourself. At the end of his unit, he sends out a form and you give yourself a grade with a detailed explanation as to why you earned it.”

Requirements: Historical Studies*; Historical Perspectives**; Artistic, Interpretive, & Philosophical Inquiry**

KINE 1000: Introduction to Mindfulness

Spring 2021? ✅
Discussion/Lab? ❌
Professor(s): Diane Whaley
Description: Mindfulness practice is bringing full, non-judgmental attention to what is happening in the present moment. Classes include instruction in four core practices: body scan, mindful yoga, sitting, and walking meditation. The practical application of mindfulness in mind-body awareness, health maintenance, mindful eating, stress reduction, and communication will be explored through exercises & group discussion.
What fans are saying:

“If you feel like you have struggled with stress for the past couple of months or longer, this class will teach you meditation strategies focused on living in the present.” (UVA Peer Health Educators)

Requirements: N/A
Notes: 1 credit; CR/NC grading.

Did your favorite class make the cut? We’d love to hear your suggestions at hello@joinforge.co. In the meantime, happy enrollment!