This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UVA chapter.
Now that you have frantically filled up your class schedule with whatever was still available, you have some more time before classes actually start to shop around a little and see what else is out there. It’s not too late to completely reconfigure your schedule several times over. Plus, if you are only enrolled in 9 or 12 credits (or less, in which case yikes!) you have time to find back up classes or even classes you want to take more than the ones you are number 47 on the waitlist for. Here is a list of a few classes and seminars that are still available that might entice you:
- ENCW 2600 – Fiction Writing: This is an introductory level seminar into fiction writing that the university offers several sections of every semester. There is still one section open on MWF from 9:00 to 9:50. Of course this is not the most ideal time for anyone, but it might just be worth it. You don’t need any prior writing experience, and it would be a fun way to challenge yourself whether you enjoy writing academically, creatively, or not at all.
- MDST 2810 – Cinema As An Art Form: This class consists of a lecture and a lab that meets once a week in which you watch different movies. You watch classics and more modern works in order to learn about various aspects of film and cinematography. In how many classes can you say that about a third of your class time is spent watching movies?
- RUTR 3360 – Books Behind Bars: This is a Russian in translation literature class in which students read and discuss books alongside residents of a local juvenile correctional facility. I have heard from classmates who have taken it that this might be the last semester it is being offered and it currently has no people signed up (according to Lou’s List). This class is supposed to be an extremely moving, life-changing opportunity. This class is both a Russian in Translation class and a Liberal Arts Seminar.
- SOC 2320 – Gender and Society: This class offers a sociological perspective on the wage gap, transgender rights, family dynamics, and much more. You think about how society constructs gender, and different aspects of life that you might not even consider to have anything to do with gender. I am currently taking this class right now, and it is engaging, interesting, and makes me think about both my own life and broader issues in new ways.
- PAVS 4500 – Multiple: There are several pavilion seminars still available right now for students from any discipline. These classes are very small and topics vary from The Doctor to Daily Life to UVA and other UNESCO World Heritage sites. These seminars are a unique experience for UVA students that everyone should try to take advantage of if possible.
- AMST 2753 – Arts and Cultures of the Slave South: This is both an art history and American studies class that focuses on not only visual arts, but its intersections with history, culture, music, literature, and more. This may be a particularly interesting class to take at UVA, where we are very aware of how slavery contributed to the foundation of our university.