The weeks before class selection at Penn State beg the question of: which general education class is the easiest and most enjoyable for me to take, even though I have no interest in the topic at hand? What’s a class I won’t hate and that won’t be a casualty to my GPA?
Everyone has to take their fair share of general education credits to expand their knowledge beyond their chosen major (aka the classes that actually interest them). Sometimes, these can be a great addition to your major courses or a fun outlet for stress, but other times, these classes end up being more work than Rate My Professor says they will be.
Here are all of the general education classes I’ve taken at Penn State, ranked by how likely I’d be to recommend them to you!
- INART 110: The Dramatic Arts in the Mass Media
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Requirement Fulfilled: Arts (GA)
My favorite online class by far was INART 110, or as I like to call it, TV class. Each week, we had to watch an episode of a different genre or time period of a TV show, complemented by a discussion post and a quiz. We were introduced to some classics, like “I Love Lucy,” but we also got to watch “Futurama” and “The Flintstones.” In all honesty, this was a pretty cool class, and I actually enjoyed doing the work for it.
- SOC 30: Sociology of the Family
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Requirement Fulfilled: Social and Behavioral Science (GS)
Thank you, Stacy Silver, for one of my favorite and most-recommended gen-ed classes. The grade was based on six quizzes (which were easy if you studied with the review sheet), four essays (so short, so easy) and some extra credit. The material was fun to learn, the discussions were engaging and what you learn actually sticks with you beyond the class.
- RHS 100: Introduction to Disability Culture
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Requirement Fulfilled: Social and Behavioral Science (GS), International Culture (IL), United States Culture (US)
I absolutely loved this course and my professor, Dr. Henry. From what I learned in this class, I was inspired to double minor in Rehabilitation and Human Services (RHS) and Disability Studies. There are a few group projects, which admittedly can be a gamble, but the class was discussion-based, and I never had to take notes.
You learn so much in this class, and the material is genuinely interesting. I would recommend that anyone, regardless if you need the credit, take this class.
- PSYCH 100: Introductory Psychology
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Requirement Fulfilled: Social and Behavioral Science (GS)
As a Psychology major, this was the first psych class I took at Penn State. It essentially mirrored the AP Psychology class I took in high school, but I still sat in the second row of the Forum Building so I could pay better attention.
I find psychology interesting (duh, it’s my major), but be careful — this class varies in difficulty depending on the professor you have, as well as how engaging the content is.
- AA 120N: Introduction to Art Therapy
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Requirement Fulfilled: Arts (GA), Social and Behavioral Science (GS), Interdomain
This was an easy and fun web class to take and included weekly journal entries where you could submit the “artwork” of your choice — I usually submitted a digital design or got my feelings out with a marker and some paper. There were weekly quizzes and discussion posts, but nothing too crazy.
- METEO 3: Weather Revealed: Introductory Meteorology
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Requirement Fulfilled: Natural Sciences (GN)
Of the three natural science courses I took, this was by far the most interesting while still being an easy A. This class is all about being a “better weather consumer,” and I can say that I am now, after taking this course. And don’t worry, it’s web-based too.
- KINES 77: Yoga for a Lifetime
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Requirement Fulfilled: Health and Wellness (GHW)
After buying a pretty pink yoga mat for this class, I thought I would really get into it. In reality, the yoga subscription required for this online class was expensive, and the videos had me watching at 2x speed because I didn’t have time to actually relax and do yoga. I learned some cool principles and yoga poses in this class, but each week came with a reflection that I was rushing to do every Sunday.
- JST 10: Jewish Civilization
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Requirement Fulfilled: Humanities (GH), International Culture (IL)
This class was perfect for me, a Jewish student trying to learn more about my history, although I wasn’t a fan of the “no electronics policy” or the extensive slideshows and readings in each class. When I was younger, I went to Hebrew School at my Temple, but I wouldn’t say I really digested the information.
In this class, I, along with my friend Isabella, was able to take the class more seriously and really understand more about Jewish heritage and culture. My parents were also pretty happy to see me taking this class. I will say, good luck with the work and exams (with written essays) — that was the only downfall of this class.
- NUTR 100: Nutrition Applications for a Healthy Lifestyle
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Requirement Fulfilled: Health and Wellness (GHW)
This class was definitely interesting and would’ve been helpful had I paid more attention. There are no exams for this class, but there are weekly open-book online quizzes and three projects, as well as mandatory attendance, as there are TopHat questions to be answered in class. I honestly wish I had gotten more into this class, because it’s a super important topic, especially for college students.
- GEOSC 10: Geology of the National Parks
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Requirement Fulfilled: Natural Sciences (GN)
This class was moderately interesting, for a class essentially about rocks. Dr. Richard Alley is so passionate about geology, and it really shows through in the way the class is formatted.
- EGEE 101: Energy and the Environment
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Requirement Fulfilled: Natural Sciences (GN)
Can you believe it? Yet another online natural science course. All I remember from this class was how much I used Quizlet and how I was unprepared for the amount of math I was supposed to be doing.
- THEA 101N: Performance and Society
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Requirement Fulfilled: Arts (GA), Social and Behavioral Science (GS)
As a self-proclaimed “theatre kid” who took several theatre classes in high school, I thought this would be interesting and a breeze, but I was sorely mistaken. This class is about how art and culture shape each other, but even as a fully web-based class, it was way too much work for a class I was taking to fulfill an arts credit with no stress.
- COMM 118: Introduction to Media Effects
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Requirement Fulfilled: Social and Behavioral Science (GS)
I chose this course during my Freshman Year Orientation, not knowing anything about the course, other than that it was a communications course. My professor was genuinely great, but I couldn’t tell you what this class was about or anything I learned, other than the fact that, for some reason, we talked about VR?
This isn’t a bad class by any means, but learning about the variety of ways in which we perceive and are influenced by media messages just wasn’t my jam. Is it important information? Yes, of course. Was I bored and a little confused in class sometimes? Also yes.
There are some general education classes I never got around to taking, but have been recommended to me several times. These include: CSD 218 (American Sign Language I), KINES 82 (Action Methods for Stress Management), HPA 57 (Consumer Choices in Healthcare), RHS 226 (College Student Mental Health and Wellness) and of course, the forever popular, ANTH 140 (Anthropology of Alcohol).
Next time you find yourself needing a random general education class, consider one of these. May the odds be ever in your favor in the LionPath scheduling war.