I think there are more important things than literature
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the concept of gen-eds, and many of us have likely even struggled with them. As an English major, a biology requirement may seem like the end of the world, and the same goes for STEM majors who have to take a literature class. The purpose of gen-eds does make sense – they provide a much more well-rounded education. However, sometimes the choice of gen-eds by universities seems out of touch and therefore disdained by most students, as they seem to just add extra stress without any added benefit. I agree with this perspective, as I’ve struggled with taking science and literature classes that I truly have no interest in. While gen-eds are valuable tools to provide students with knowledge outside of their major, I believe there are better, more useful classes to do so. I have a few in mind that I think would benefit students as a whole:
1. Political Science 104: Introduction to American Politics and Government
Though it’s easy to be frustrated and disillusioned with current politics, the government is a part of everyone’s lives that is not going away no matter how much we try not to care. As we get older, we will continue to be impacted by the government and political system, and I believe it’s important to have a basic understanding of what is going on. Though some of us may have had civics classes in high school, very little is likely remembered, and a more current class on politics is always beneficial. From learning about voting, elections, founding documents, political parties, governmental branches and more, this class holds information that every adult citizen should know.
2. Nutritional Science 132: Nutrition Today
Though this counts as a biological science class, it is far more helpful than you’d think. Nutrition Today provides an overview of how our bodies process foods and the different mechanisms of foods we encounter on a daily basis. I never thought I would enjoy this class, and some may even be wary that the topics may be triggering, but the class is designed well to combat much of the negative myths surrounding food and actively acknowledges the harm of diet culture and media. It instead goes into the biological workings of different foods and what is and is not considered “healthy” – and it’s probably not what you think. Even as someone who is not too much into health or fitness, this is incredibly useful information to know, and it may change the way you look at food for the better.
3. Economics 102: Principles of Macroeconomics
Though this may be unpopular for some, I believe macroeconomics is a subject that is incredibly helpful for being a proper consumer in today’s world, which we all are, whether we like it or not. Unlike micro, which focuses on individual firm activities, macro involves the whole economy. Though it may be incredibly boring to some, we’re all going to need to deal with money and living in the national and global economy, and this class goes over concepts such as GDP, interest rates, foreign investment, the banking system and more. As adults, it is helpful to understand what these terms mean when they’re thrown around in the news or political campaigns, or even when we need to deal with banks and interest rates, loans, stocks, or bonds. It may not be everyone’s favorite subject, but we can’t deny how prevalent it is in everyday life.
4. Statistic 301: Introduction to Statistical Methods
Though I’m not sure anyone wants to take stats, including myself, I do believe statistics is a very underrated subject to know. Though a lot of higher-level math education focuses on calculus, statistics is more applicable for everyone, even if your career has nothing to do with STEM. And a lot of social science majors already require statistics in addition to STEM majors – economics, political science, psychology, sociology – but I think it should be even more widespread. Statistics infiltrates our lives everywhere; it’s in the news we watch and the articles we read all the time, and it’s important to actually understand what all those numbers mean, and what good statistics are. Many studies and headlines can be extremely misleading if you don’t understand the process to get those numbers. Knowledge of statistics allows everyone to be a better consumer of information, which is another thing we cannot avoid in the current age of media.
Though there are many more classes that students can benefit from, I believe these four would be some of the most beneficial. And there are some current requirements that I approve of – I believe a Communications B requirement to develop writing skills is important, as well as the ethnic studies requirement that can widen your worldview a bit. But as far as science and literature, many college students already have some experience from high school that’s as in-depth as they’ll really need. There are some more niche classes in university that could benefit students and prepare them for real life outside of their careers, and they might as well count towards a degree!