New collegiette on campus? We’ve got you covered! Here are a few of our fellow Sacred Heart students’ favorite classes at the university:
1. Creative Writing with Dr. Zdanys
“In Dr. Zdanys’ Creative Writing class, students are required to write their own creative writing pieces– poems, short stories, monologues, song lyrics, letters, or whatever else students may so choose. Students then discuss their work with the class. They are also required to submit weekly short papers analyzing poems and short narratives by various authors. Although writing and reading personal creative pieces like poetry to peers may seem nerve-wracking, Dr. Zdanys creates a welcoming environment for his creative writing students. I am currently enrolled in the course, and I can honestly say I feel completely comfortable sharing my work with the class. Even more importantly, Dr. Zdanys conducts his class in a workshop-like manner. When we submit our pieces to Blackboard prior to class, Dr. Z reads them immediately and hands them back to us with suggestions rather than required edits. He understands how personal each piece is to the author and thus never requires changes to be made before submitting our final portfolio. In class, Dr. Z is there as our colleague, making class discussion both interesting and easygoing. His main goal is to heighten our creative minds, which, in turn, improves our writing each week. I would definitely recommend taking this course– you will not regret it!” – Colleen O’Melia
Some light reading? Don’t mind if we do!
2. Individual and Society: Human Community with Dr. Marks
“In this Political Science common core class, you will learn about intriguing concepts from the 7 Deadly Dilemmas to the citizenship test, from US government/geography to Hobbes and Locke philosophy. In addition, Dr. Marks has us look into current events as well. Every week, each student emails him a summary about any political current event. The interesting part of the assignment is that the summary can’t be any longer then the length of the tweet; no more than 140 characters. He lets us express our personal feelings with curse words (if necessary), hashtags, and more. Coming up with them and keeping them so limited can be difficult, but it’s a very cool assignment, I believe. While this class is a graduation requirement here at SHU, I highly recommend striving to take the course with Dr. Marks. Dr. M is a great teacher; he makes the class interesting and interactive in order to captivate us and keep us focused. The content that this course entails make not sound completely appealing, but Dr. Marks uses his technique, humor and interesting questions to keep the class moving along. This class may not interesting to everyone, but regardless, the class is required, therefore you might as well do your best to enjoy it, and I know you will with Dr. Marks! – Victoria Caputo
3. Scientific Discovery: Human Community with Dr. Stopper
“This class really has you thinking about evolution and catholic views/religious theories that argue that and life’s existence. Hands on class when doing experiments, which is fun. Everyone gets good grades and works really hard because it is so well liked. The class is a common core, so it must be taken at some point. When that time comes, I definitely recommend Dr. Stopper! He is a great teacher who makes the concepts of the class really interesting for us. He is a nice and understanding guy, making the class enjoyable for all.” – Nick Ballas
4. Anatomy & Physiology Lab with Dr. Bellows
“Dr. Bellows is a really understanding, smart and loving man. He explains the bones and the muscles very well. Outside of his teaching career, Dr. Bellows is a chiropractor, so he really does know what he’s talking about. When he is describing a part of the anatomy to us, he will tell us stories about his hands-on work with that particular body part. It’s really fascinating to hear those real life experiences, and even exciting because it helps me see that I can do that someday too. It’s really cool to think that someday that can be me.” – Taylor Crosby
5. Music in America with Professor Tate
“I would definitely recommend this class for anyone who needs to take a humanities course. It’s so cool to learn about the different types of music, such as folk tunes, jazz, ragtime, country, etc. Professor Tate teaches us how the different genres have been processed through American history. We talk each genres type of pitch, tone, voice, parts, etc. The class is interesting, but it’s even better having Professor Tate as a teacher. There’s no homework, no papers; just interesting in class teaching and a couple of easy tests. Anyone who knows Professor Tate knows he’s the best! If you sing, play an instrument, or even just have a passion or love for music, this class is definitely a must take!” – Paula Traver
Is it the teacher or the class itself that makes these courses so popular? We can’t tell. Regardless, these classes have been recommended by real SHU students, so be sure to use their advice when you go to register for spring semester next week!
Have a favorite class that wasn’t mentioned? Email Colleen O’Melia at omeliac@mail.sacredheart.edu to fill us in on more amazing classes offered at Sacred Heart University.