Currently I am a first semester sophomore at the College of Charleston, a liberal arts institution, and so far the majority of classes that I have taken have been general education requirements and introductory level classes for my marketing major. However, there have been a few classes in particular at C of C that I have enjoyed, or learned from more so than others, and I would say were some of the best classes I’ve taken here at The College.
1. Academic Writing
My first semester freshman year, I took Intro to Academic Writing with Professor Katy Goodman. Professor Goodman was an amazing teacher and made a topic that at first sounded unappealing, wildly interesting. She taught me how to conduct valid research, write an analysis, write an annotated bibliography, and properly write in both APA and MLA format. The reason why I enjoyed this class so much was that Professor Goodman allowed us to pick every topic for the four papers that we had to write throughout the semester. By picking my own topics, I was able to write an analysis of a fashion advertisement and annotate a Vogue article. By applying the principles of academic writing to concepts that I previously found interesting, I found that the assigned papers were easier to write because I was interested in what I was doing and it drastically improved my overall writing style.
2. Martial Arts
The same semester that I took Intro to Academic Writing, I also took Martial Arts. I love the fact that students are able to take workout classes for credit. In Martial Arts, I not only learned how to do a round-house kick and properly punch but I also learned a good deal of self-defense. Our instructor made sure that everyone in the class was able to flip a grown man onto his back, and properly take down an armed opponent before the semester was over. I also made some pretty cool friends in the class which is always a huge bonus.
3. Interdisciplinary Composition
My second semester freshman year I took another class with Professor Goodman. This course was called Interdisciplinary Composition and has been my favorite class thus far in college. The course focused on writing within one’s career field. For example, throughout the semester I conducted a professional interview, made an advertisement campaign, learned how to write a professional email and wrote another Vogue article analysis. Professor Goodman always ensured that class was lively and interesting. She would host classes outside on warm days, and Skype in her friends who work at gaming companies and fashion magazines to talk to her classes about how writing is relevant to their careers. She would meet with each of us individually to help us assess the projects we were working on and offer us advice on how to make the pieces better. The final for the class was to create a resume and a cover letter, that we would then have at hand to give to future employers. The class was incredibly useful for learning the basics of professional writing and catered towards individualized majors.
4. Business Law (BLAW)
I am currently taking Legal Environment of Business or BLAW. The class is mandatory for nearly all business majors and rightfully so. I have learned so much about the backgrounds of businesses and the legal matters involved with being successful. Students have to debate a lawsuit once a week, which familiarizes students with public speaking and research. My favorite part about the class is that our main project is to create a business. For the business we create we have to come up with a business plan and financial analysis. I have loved working out the details of my business and speaking with my classmates about their projects. The transition from gen-eds to classes specific to my major has been awesome and I can’t wait to see what is in store for me in semesters ahead.
Overall I have really enjoyed a lot of the unique classes that I have taken since starting college. I highly recommend that all of you collegiettes get out there and take some classes that interest you! Trust me, you won’t regret it!