Being a second semester senior is bittersweet. On the one hand, I’m super excited to graduate and move onto the next stage of my life. On the other, I can’t imagine what it will be like leaving Kenyon. It was strange choosing my last semester of classes back in the Fall, and it feels very weird to not be choosing another semester’s worth of classes in the coming weeks. I have taken some absolutely amazing classes throughout my four years here. So, in honor of class registration, I thought I’d share my very favorite classes I’ve taken at Kenyon.
The Assault of Laughter (ENGL 103)
The Assault of Laughter, taught by Professor Grace, was the first English class I took at Kenyon. I was pretty sure that I wanted to major in English my freshman year, but this class definitely sealed the deal. In the class, we read a variety of books and poems and discussed the humor used in them. Beyond the books, we also utilized a variety of other forms of media in class, such as watching a sketch by Eddie Izzard or comparing Dave Chappelle’s comedy skits about race to the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Professor Grace also offered to read drafts of our essays before they were due, something super helpful for a freshman English class that definitely improved my writing. The class was so much fun to go to each week, and I highly recommend it to any freshman interested in English, or any non-major wanting to try out a fun English class.
The Sankofa Project: Theory and Practice of Urban Education (AMST 330)
In the Sankofa Project, taught by Professor Peter Rutkoff, you don’t just learn about urban education, you get to witness and practice what you are learning. The class involves two trips to Cleveland to visit the Cleveland School of the Arts, an urban arts high school; once during Fall Break, and once for a week at the end of Winter Break. We each got paired with high school teachers and got to see how they taught. At the end of the class, we put together a class project, open to the public, to showcase what we learned. Throughout the semester, we also regularly had speakers from a variety of educational backgrounds come to talk to us about their experiences in the education field. I highly recommend this class to anyone with an interest in education, whether you want to become a teacher, or whether you are just concerned with America’s education system.
Decolonization and Violence (ENGL 266) and Transnational South Asia (ENGL 370)
I grouped these two classes together since they’re taught by the same professor (my incredible advisor, Professor Fernando) and are about similar topics. Before coming to Kenyon, and before taking Decolonization and Violence my sophomore year, I had frankly never read a novel written by a non-Western writer. Both of these classes focus largely on South Asian writers, and I have learned so much through taking them. The novels I have read in these classes are incredibly interesting, and they have taught me so much I did not know about South Asian culture and history. I didn’t just learn how to analyze texts in these classes (though they definitely taught me that too!), I learned more about the world and about cultures I had previously not really considered. I highly recommend any South Asian literature class taught by Professor Fernando–you will learn so much about another culture while reading texts that are thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and important.
Immigration, Citizenship, and National Identity (PSCI 355)
Immigration, Citizenship, and National Identity, taught by Professor Powers, was a class I ended up in by chance. At the beginning of the semester in which I took it, I had been searching for an extra class (having dropped one of mine), and this one seemed interesting and had extra spaces. It ended up being the best choice. I learned so much in this class about immigration. We read heartbreaking stories of immigrants, learned the many reasons people choose to immigrate and talked about a lot of the politics surrounding immigration. We also completed a project in which we were given a real case from the Immigrant Workers Project of an immigrant trying to gain asylum. We had to complete research and find articles to support the immigrant’s case. It was really cool to do a project in which we were actually doing real work to help real immigrants. The class is really rewarding, and always relevant, so I’d recommend it to anyone with an interest in immigration or politics in general.
Public Policy (PSCI 310)
Despite its deceptively plain name, Public Policy, taught by the amazing Professor Erler, was one of my best classes at Kenyon. The reason was twofold. Firstly, Professor Erler is just such a fun professor. She constantly told us funny stories while simultaneously teaching us so much. And secondly, the class is just super interesting. Admittedly, I am a politics nerd, but it was just so cool to learn about how policy actually gets passed in our country. After the class, I felt so much more informed about what was going on in America. Additionally, at the beginning of the semester, we each chose a particular policy area we wanted to focus on (like education policy, healthcare policy, etc.) and all of our essays throughout the semester were about that particular policy area. By the end of the semester, I felt like an expert in my policy area. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone with an interest in politics.
Well, those are the best classes I’ve taken at Kenyon over my four years here. If you’re still searching for an extra class for next semester, I highly recommend checking one of these out! Good luck with registration!
Image Credit: Feature, 1, Writer’s Own, 3, 4, 5