At the University of Mississippi, students are introduced to an array of majors and curriculums ranging from art history and astronomy to rhetoric and religious studies. While there are many paths of study and majors that differentiate students from each other, one academic experience unites the student body: general education courses.
Every student is required to complete some variation of general education courses in order to graduate, but sometimes it can be overwhelming to figure out which ones to take based on class sizes, course difficulty or how the course would pair with classes in a student’s core curriculum.
A few students across various majors recommended courses for their peers, whether they are oblivious to what course is a right fit for them, are searching for a last minute switch or are looking for an “easy A.” UM students have the opportunity to add the following courses, and any other courses that have space availability, to their schedule through their MyOleMiss portal until Jan. 31. From that day until Feb. 7, courses can still be added, however, the student must attain instructor approval to join. The official drop date is March 8.
Sophomore computer science and history major Brock Bigham recommended ENG 220: Survey in Literary History for an English literature credit. Bigham explained that it is not difficult to get into this course because the lecture sizes are very big. The class has two lecture classes during the week and a third discussion-based section with a smaller class size.
“We’re given a reading to complete prior to each lecture, and then during the discussion class we discuss the readings we were assigned. We read classic poetry, turn-of-the-century literature and analyze the effect that the text had on the time it was written,” Bigham said.
Junior theater arts major Zion Sims suggested HST 120: Intro to European History to 1648 for a history credit. Sims described the class as “pretty interesting” covering topics like “the beginning of man, the birth of various kingdoms and dynasties and religion and various cultures that emerged.” She recommended the class because it is not “too difficult to complete” given the subject matter.
Junior chemistry major Mikhyla McGee suggested MUS 103: Introduction to Music as a fine art course. McGee explained the class grade is “based more on participation rather than right or wrong,” which she favors because she believes “music and the arts are largely subjective.”
“As long as (students) do the work, come to class and prove that (they learned) something, (they’re) very likely to pass the class with a good grade,” McGee said.
Kaitlyn Clayton, a senior theater arts student, recommended the science course LIBA 150: Integrated Science I. Clayton appreciated the class having a built-in lab instead of having a separate meeting time for lab work.
“It’s a science class for non-science majors, so it’s accessible to people who aren’t STEM-oriented,” Clayton said.
Clayton also recommended MATH 120: Quantitative Reasoning for those looking for a math course. Clayton enjoyed the class because it takes a different approach as “it focuses more on problem solving and pattern recognition compared to a class that’s more algebra based.”
Junior Katy Chen, who majors in both psychology and interdisciplinary studies on the pre-med track, suggested SOC 101: Introductory Sociology I for a social sciences credit.
“It was a super chill class,” Chen said. “There were weekly quizzes based off of videos we had to watch, and I think there were four tests. All of the tests, the midterm and the final questions were all from the weekly quizzes.”
If any of these courses sound interesting, students have the opportunity to add classes for an extended amount of time due to the delay in the start of the spring semester. The deadline to add courses on a space available basis is Jan. 31 or until Feb. 7 with instructor approval.
