The Fall 2025 course selection is here! it’s time to start thinking about what classes you will be taking next semester.
On March 27, Brown offered admission to 1,511 prospective members of the Class of 2029, joining the already committed 907 early decision admits. Just three years ago, I was part of this regular decision cohort, and I remember receiving my acceptance with excitement and curiosity about the opportunities that Brown has to offer. While there are many things I love about Brown, one of my favorite things about Brown and something that initially stood out to me during the college application process were Brown’s course offerings and open curriculum.Â
In the open curriculum, undergraduate students have ample freedom to choose their own path in their academic journey, and there is no core curriculum or strict requirements. While all concentrations have their own specific requirements, they are designed to also allow students to explore several different disciplines. There are truly so many amazing courses available taught by talented faculty and visiting professors, and you never know what trying something new will lead to.Â
Here are a few of the unique courses being offered at Brown next semester:Â
1. AFRI 0420: Cannabis Legalization: Race, Education, and PolicingÂ
Cannabis legalization is a hot-button issue in many states across the country and, with its increasing legalization, has become increasingly seen as an investment product by venture capital firms. This course specifically seeks to analyze cannabis policies from the perspective of race disparities in the selling and policing of cannabis-use. Furthermore, the class will bring in local politicians, nonprofit leaders, dispensary founders, and more guests to further understand this complex issue.Â
2. ANTH 0066J: So You Want to Change the World?Â
Many students come to Brown wanting to alleviate systemic issues and change their communities and the world more broadly. This course examines these efforts to address global problems and the “development” institutions associated with them from an anthropological perspective. Relying heavily on ethnographic research, students will be asked to analyze global social inequalities and their root causes. As a first-year seminar, this course will prepare students to think critically and take on a new perspective in other disciplines of study and help them hone their reading, writing, and analytical skills.Â
3. PHP 1880: Meditation, Mindfulness, and HealthÂ
This course seeks to introduce students to how practices like meditation and mindfulness impact health, especially when the subject has an underlying illness. Combining scientific research and real life practices, the class also seeks to teach students mindfulness techniques that they can use in their daily lives. This class seems like a great introduction to public health in a more accessible and fun way, as well as a great way to learn practices that can help reduce stress and improve your health as a college student.Â
4. ITAL 0975: Let’s Eat, Italy: Italian History and Culture through Food
Odds are if you’re American, you know the prominence of Italian food and culture across the country (Providence especially has several amazing Italian restaurants in Federal Hill). This class seeks to look at how food has shaped Italy and Italian culture and vice versa. Specifically, the course will delve into how food connects memory and identity and the various historical, economic, and social factors that shape cuisine. Not strictly sticking to Italian cuisine, the course will also examine the cultural significance of Italian-American cuisine and how it has further shaped Italian-American identity while serving as a cultural tie to Italy.Â
5. ENGL 0710U: Funny/Not Funny: Taking Comedy Seriously
This English class seeks to examine what comedy is as a genre, what makes comedy “work,” and what makes comedy fail. This course further explores how comedy is shaped by the political, social, and cultural currents of the time it is created. Looking at a variety of mediums from television and film to novels, students will try to understand the risks that comedians run and why they do so in the first place. This course will also put special emphasis on comics from underrepresented and disenfranchised backgrounds.Â
These are just a few of the amazing course opportunities being offered at Brown next semester. For the full course catalogue, check out Courses@Brown.
Here are the best classes to take your first year at Brown for the most fulfilling first-year academic experience!