The Best Classes I’ve taken at USC
By Cole Sulivan ’18
I don’t want to call myself an expert, but I am a senior now. So for all of you young, bright-eyed underclassmen looking to pick the perfect schedule—or even for seniors who want to go out with a bang—here are the best classes I’ve taken at USC. The ones that you should absolutely take before you leave South-Central Los Angeles.
ACCT 410 Accounting Fundamentals for Non-majors
Alright, this isn’t a crowd favorite, but like vegetables, it’s good for the soul. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty worried before I walked into the classroom. But pretty soon, my debits equaled my credits and I was singing the praises of accounting (off all things) in this Trojans 360 post. I took my accounting class with Regina Wittenberg Moerman who I really enjoyed. Take this class with her. It’s not an easy A…but that’s not the point. You’ll learn more. And that’s what we’re all here to do.
MOR 385 Business, Government and Society
This class counts for a GE AND a diversity credit. But that’s not why you should take it. One tip-off that it was a great course was when I was the only underclassman in the room when I wanted in. Seniors get to choose their schedule first so it’s a good sign when they all gravitate toward one class. Each week this class had a different real-world case study and we had to consider each topic from varying points of view. It not only taught me a lot about each topic we studied, but also helped me learn strategies on how to think critically.
POSC 452: Critical Issues in Law and Public Policy
POSC 130: Law, Politics and Public Policy
I think these two classes form a crucial lesson: the professor can make (or break) a class. Both of the professors I mention above made their class wonderful. Jeb Barnes, the public policy professor I had for these two classes (and a third!) made these classes interesting. Everyone has their own professors that just “click” and for me that is Professor Barnes. His Socratic style required me to do my homework and learn the subject and enabled me to converse about public policy issues on a higher level. Plus, as a consequence of taking his graduate seminar, I now know everything there is to know about political gerrymandering and it’s thrilling.
If you’re in the midst of making your schedule right now, I advise you to take these classes. They made my time here at USC great. But more than that, I have two pieces of advice. The first is to seek out good professors. Ratemyprofessors.com should be open on your computer as you register for course.
But the biggest piece of advice is this: try new things, try new professors, and when you find one that clicks: stick with it. Those connections are worth it and broaden your educational experience even further.
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