Cool 1&2 Unit Electives Offered Spring Semester

By Lauren Brose ‘15

Last year I wrote a blog post highlighting all of the cool, interesting electives that I wish I was able to take during my time at USC. To be honest, my course load was so packed with classes required for graduation, I didn’t get a chance to take advantage of the great electives USC offers. Even though my time here as a student has come to an end, I hope to live vicariously through all my friends who are still here! If you’re looking at your courses right now and realize you have 2 leftover units our tuition includes, check out these classes! They’re currently being offered this upcoming Spring! Good luck everyone & Fight On. ♥  

Freshman Seminars

These are great for incoming freshmen students! They cover topics that serve as a solid launching point for the rest of your college experience. Students can take up to 4 units and they’re all on a Credit/No Credit grading basis. Here’s a couple classes that caught my eye when I dug around the Schedule of Classes. 

• FSEm 100: Launching a Start-Up (2 Units) | Fri 10:00-11:50AM
  

• FSEM 100: He Said, She Said, They Said: Making Sense of the Opinion Makers and Making Up Your Own Mind (2 Units) | Mon 2:00-3:50pm
  

• FSEM 100: The History of the Book (2 Units) | Tue 2:00-3:50pm
  

There’s a ton more Freshman Seminars available !!

If you’re looking to improve your health and wellness

• DANC 362: Pilates Mat Class (2 Units) | Tue, Thu  2:00-3:20PM

Mat exercises designed to promote healthy movement practices, develop strength, balance, flexibility and coordination.

• DANC 185: Hip-Hop Dance (2 Units)
• Friday 12:00-1:50PM
• Tue, Thur 3:30-4:50PM
• Mon, Wed 5:00-6:20PM
• Friday 10:00-11:50 PM
• Mon, Wed 2:00-3:20 PM
• PT: 530a: Therapeutic Exercise (2 Units) | Wednesday 1:00-4:00PM
  

• PHED 104a: Self-Defense (1 Unit)
• PHED 160: Stress Management for Healthy Living (2 Units)

Instruction on the effects of stress as it relates to work, sport and academics; coping strategies are discussed and applied through physical conditioning interventions.

• Mon, Wed 1:00OPM-1:50PM
• Tue, Thu 1:00PM-1:50PM
• Mon, Wed 2:00-2:50PM
• Tue, Thu 2:00-2:50PM
• Mon, Wed 12:00PM-12:50PM
• Mon 3:00-4:50PM
• Tuesday 3:00PM-4:50PM
• Wednesday 3:00-4:50PM
• Thursday 3:00-4:50PM
• Friday 10:00-11:50AM

• Variety of Sports are being offered too!  (1 Unit)
• Volleyball
• Tennis
• Table Tennis
• Soccer
• Golf
• Basketball
• Swimming

If you want to get your creative juices flowing

OT 310: Creativity Workshop (2 Units)

Theories and practice of the creative process in varied media, genres and occupations. Explores creativity in the arts, sciences, professions, evolution, daily life, and culture.

• Mon 11:00-11:50AM

• Wed 12:00-1:50PM

• Fri 10:00-11:50AM
• ARCH 106x: Workshop in Architecture (2 Units)

Introduction to the ways architecture is created and understood, for minors and non-majors. Hands-on discussion and laboratory session with some drawing and model building. Not available for credit to architecture majors.

• Friday 1:00-2:50PM
• Thursday 10:00-11:50AM
• CTWR 431: Screenwriters and Their Work | Tuesday 7:00-10:00 PM

Detailed investigation of a specific screenwriter’s style and the works they’ve influenced. Lectures include screenings and visiting screenwriters.

If you want to make yourself more attractive for the professional world

• THTR 421: Public Speaking as Performance: A Course for Non-Actors (2 Units)
  
• Mon 2:00-3:50PM
• Mon, Wed 4:00-5:50PM
• THTR 122: Improvisation and Theatre Games (2 Units)

Individual and group exercises to free the actor physically and emotionally and to stimulate creativity, imagination, and self-expression.

• ASCJ 220: Annenberg Experimental (0-4 Units; 8 Max) | Tuesday 6:30-9:40 PM 

Cutting-edge, experimental, experiential, interdisciplinary, results-based classes taught in new ways and places. Not for major credit for COMM students.

• ASCJ 440: Engaging Urban Communities in the Digital Era (2 Units)  | Tuesday 4:0O-5:50PM
  

Explores how to engage urban communities through participatory journalism and communication strategies. Focuses on pioneering digital journalism, social media, and community organizing initiatives.

ITP 125Lx: From Hackers to CEOs: Introduction to Information Security (2 Units)

Introductory course in computer security. Fundamentals of information security management. Threats to information integrity. Ethical hacking concerns and practice. Policies and Procedures. Not available for major credit in engineering.

• Monday 5:00-6:20PM or  6:30-7:50PM
• Tuesday 11:00-12:20PM, 7:00-8:20PM or 8:30-9:50PM  9:30-10:50PM
  
• Wednesday 10:00-11:20AM or 11:30-12:15PM
  

• Thursday 9:30PM-10:50PM or 11:00-12:20PM, or 9:30-10:50PM

• IP 090x: Introduction to Adobe Photoshop (2 Units)

Basic concepts of colors; color calibration tools; scanning, importing and exporting images; painting, editing, fill, and type tools; using layers, masks, filters, and color correction. Not available for degree credit. Graded CR/NC.

• Tuesday 5:00-7:50PM
• Monday 5:00-7:50PM or 3:30-6:50PM

• ITP 102x: Introduction to Creative Information Technologies

Creative technologies. Computer Graphics. Internet and Web. Mobile Systems. Digital Audio and Video.

• Mon, Wed 12:00-12:50PM
• Friday 11:00-11:50PM, 1:00-1:50PM, or 3:00-3:35PM
• ITP 104Lx: Web Publishing

Web publishing using HTML, CSS and other Web technologies. Concepts and theory of Web site creation, page layout and production. Introduction to advanced topics. Not available for major credit in electrical engineering or computer science.

• Monday 6:00-7:20PM or 7:30-8:50PM
• Tuesday 5:00-6:20 or 6:40-7:50PM
• Tue, Thu 11:00-12:20PM
• Tue, Thu 12:30-1:50PM

• ITP 109x: Introduction to Web Publishing

Introduction to object-oriented software design for business problems. Creation of console applications, windowed applications, and interactive Web applets. Not available for major credit in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science.

• Tue, Thu 2:00-3:20PM
• Tue, Thu 12:30-1:50PM
• Mon, Wed 10:00-11:20AM
• Wed, Fri 10:00-11:50PM
  

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