Registration season is upon us! As a senior graduating this semester, I thought I would share some of my favorite classes from my time at VCU. These are in chronological order (not ranked).
Keep in mind this is skewed as I’m a political science major and media studies minor. But, if you have to take a political science, communications or honors course for any requirements, I would recommend you take any of these, they’re great!
- MASC 203: Journalism Writing
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I took this course since it was a choice among the required options for my minor. Out of the three communications types: PR, advertising and journalism, journalism was the one I was most interested in learning more about.
Professor Mary Ann Owens kept us on our toes and entertained in the Zoom-ridden class (I took this course in Fall 2020). Even though it was online, the course kept me interested in school during the pandemic.
After taking it, I became more interested in writing and AP Style. This translated to my applying and getting accepted into Her Campus.
- POLI 315: Courts and Politics
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I also took this class in the Fall of 2020. Similar to the above course, Courts and Politics kept me interested in school even though it was during the pandemic.
The pandemic gave me a lot of time to reflect on what I was doing in school and what I want to do post-grad. Law school was always on my mind, but this class gave me some confidence that I could do it.
The course is set up similarly to a law school course, very reading and writing heavy with a particular focus on “theories and models of judicial decision-making in the Supreme Court, focusing on judicial structure and procedures, policy-making analysis, political ideology, and judicial activism.”
Dr. John Aughenbaugh taught this course. His classes are notoriously challenging, but he is a good professor with a dry sense of humor (check out his podcast “Civil Discourse” if you want to get an idea of how he teaches).
- POLI 316: Women & the Law
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This course also solidified my desire to go to law school. The positive atmosphere Dr. Deidre Condit creates in her courses really encourages you to want to learn and connect with other students as well.
Also reading and writing heavy, the course itself touches on some very important historic and current legal-related topics. They include “equal protection, sexual violence, the particular rights of women of color and lesbians, reproductive rights of women of color and lesbians, reproductive rights, women criminals and women in the legal profession.”
I vividly remember at the end of the course Dr. Condit speaking to us and encouraging the class (consisting mostly of women) to go to law school and continue to make strides for equality and inclusivity in the legal profession.
- POLI 301: U.S. Parties and Elections
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This was an interesting class, very relevant to today’s current events. It was also probably the best setup for a class I’ve taken.
Dr. Alexandra Reckendorf doesn’t waste your time. It wasn’t too difficult or time-consuming but was purposeful with assignments and readings being engaging and straightforward. Dr. Reckendorf directed these discussions well, keeping everyone engaged even when the political conversations got off-topic and heated.
There weren’t any wild tests or big projects and our grades consisted mostly of preparing for and then participating in the in-class discussions about the material. We read books including “Compromise in an Age of Party Polarization” and “How the Tea Party Captured the GOP: Insurgent Factors in American Politics.” We were put in small book club groups to talk about the books and relate them to the course.
Also, side note… my boyfriend and I met in this class (LOL).
- HONR 399: Reacting To The French Revolution
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I signed up for this course with a friend and we had a great experience in it together. It was a six-week, one-and-a-half credit in-person course. For a lot of people in the class, it was their first time in the classroom since the pandemic. This made the class even more fun and unique.
Everyone in the class was assigned a real-life “character” from the French Revolution (I was King Louis). At every class meeting, we would collaborate with our factions to try and win or defeat the revolution. In the end, the king was killed and the revolution won (sadly, for me). It was a lot of fun and a great way to bond with other honors students.
Scott Brueinger, the Dean of the Honors College, taught this class. We got to connect with him on a more personal level and establish a relationship. It was the first time he taught this class at VCU so we were all learning as we went and we got to give him feedback at the end. Check out my article about Honors Module Courses for more information about this class.
