It’s no surprise that Brandeis offers a whole slew of unique courses, but with so many to choose from, often times students miss out on great opportunities. Below are summaries of some of Brandeis’ interesting and unconventional classes, as told by Brandeis students.
Name: Jasmine Olins
Recommended Class: Fundamentals of Environmental Challenges
Professor: Daniel Perlman
“It’s led by a really passionate and engaging professor who is in love with the earth and all the people on it. He is dedicated to improving the environment and making sure that the next generation feels the same way. The class includes interesting lectures about the varying challenges today’s environment faces. The most interesting part of class is the tree walks where you get to walk around campus and learn about the trees in our own local environment. Also, you’re encouraged (but also required) to find a place in the woods that you return to every week to connect with and observe its changes.”
Name: Katie Reinhold
Recommended Class: American Musical Theater
Professor: Ryan McKittrick
“It’s the history of the American musical and the common themes that have existed in musicals throughout time. The class focuses on issues that have occurred throughout America’s history as well as basic human issues. It’s not just musicals and theater but rather it’s musicals that have had relevant social impacts during their time of production. I love it because I’m not a theater major but it allows me to phase out of being a [high school] theater kid by letting me participate in one last theater-centric activity.”
Name: Lucy Miller-Suchet
Reccomended Class: Global Perspectives on Health
Professor: Alice Nobel
“The class looks at public health around the world and all of the factors that contribute to health, the spread of disease, and the role of the government in preventing illness. My favorite part is the unique perspective the class offers because it’s taking fundamental health issues and looking at them through a global lens. It also covers a wide range of interests so that people involved in many different fields can get something out of the class.”
Name: Courtney Garvey
Recommended Class: Italian Films, Italian Histories
Professor: Alice Kelikian
“This course covers Italy’s social and political history throughout the 20th century as told through the films that were being produced during the time period. Each week we were assigned a film that coincided with the major themes and events that we were learning about in class. The films were interesting and entertaining in their own right, covering topics from fascism to gender roles, but they were also powerful in that they acted as unique learning tools for discovering Italy’s history.