The Best GE’s I’ve Taken in Multiple Categories
by: Dara Udobong ‘23
So I’ve been around the block (if I I do say so myself), and after almost 3 years of higher education and only 2 more GE’s to go, I’d say I have an above average grasp on some of the best GE’s to take in select categories. Getting your class schedule together is one thing, but picking just the right GE that fits in with your core classes is a whole different ballgame. With the breadth of choice afforded to us with our general education classes, who wouldn’t want to pick the right one? And I know, I know—sometimes, it all comes down to the professor. That’s why in this article, I’ll be including some of my best GE’s to date with an awesome professors to match. You only have 10 shots at this (or less), so make it count:
GE-A: The Arts
(1 Course Required)
ART 141xg: Creating and Understanding Visuals – Professor Charla Elizabeth
I haven’t had the chance to colour and draw for an assignment in years. Using basic art methods and features, Professor Charla guides you through the creation of art through your own perspective, and encourage you every step of the way! Don’t have art materials? No problem! The classes required minimal basic materials that could be bought at your local art supply, the USC bookstore, or Amazon. It was the perfect break I needed in between my core classes.
Other Student Suggestions:
CTCS 190g: Introduction to Cinema
“Gateway to majors and minors in cinematic arts. Technique, aesthetics, criticism, and social implications of cinema. Lectures accompanied by screenings of appropriate films.”
DANC 280g: Introduction to Dance as an Art Form
“Gateway to the minor in dance. An interdisciplinary overview of dance relating to the aesthetic and art in various subjects. Applications of the elements of dance studies, art criticism, and viewing productions to explore topic such as architecture, photography, poetry, technology, cinematic arts, sports, medicine, and more.”
THTR 197g: Comedy and Performance
“Comedy and Performance traces the history of comedy in performance from its earliest incarnations to the present day.”
MUSC 210g: Electronic Music and Dance Culture
“The origins and development of EDM and its relatives such as disco, house, techno, rave and electronica, focusing on cultural and technological influences.”
MUSC 320mgw: Hip-Hop Music and Culture
“A history of hip-hop music from its inception to the present: its musical processes and styles, as well as attendant social, political and cultural issues.”
GE-B: Humanistic Inquiry
(2 Courses Required)
CLAS 151gp: Legacy of Rome – Professor Stefano Rebeggiani
Still can’t believe I was blessed enough to get this class—especially since I picked it up the first week of the new semester. A Roma native himself, Professor Stefano injected his humor into every lecture, providing diverse source material for Roman history and making each mythological account more interesting than I remember them being. If you love learning about the triumphs and falls of one of the greatest empires to ever dominate the world, as well as the mythology that surrounded it, this is definitely a class for you. This also doubles for GE-H: Traditions and Historical Foundations!
Other Student Suggestions:
AMST 301gp: America, the Frontier, and the New West
“Introduction to an interdisciplinary study of American political, cultural and social life with a particular emphasis on the Western United States as a region.”
HIST 108g: Histories of South Asia
“History of South Asia from the tenth century to the present day; examines imperialism, capitalism, nationalism, and immigration.”
PHIL 100g: Central Problems of Philosophy
“Explores questions about human beings and their place in nature, including questions about knowledge, mind and body, freedom and determinism, and the existence of God.”
PHIL 166gw: Current Moral and Social Issues
“Critical study of controversial social issues such as abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, war and terrorism, sexual morality, affirmative action and economic justice.”
PHIL 260g: Ethical Theory and Practice
“Explores various conceptions of morality and what makes actions right or wrong, together with the implications of these views for concrete ethical issues.”
ENGL 298g: Introduction to the Genre of Fiction
“An introduction to the close reading of fiction and the understanding of the genre as an aesthetic and historical phenomenon.”
ENGL 172g: The Art of Poetry
“Introduction to the pleasures and power of poetry, exploring elements drawn from high-points of English poetry, and the lives and works of major poets. Duplicates credit in ARLT 101g.”
ENGL 176g: Los Angeles: The City, the Novel, the Movie
“An exploration of the culture, vibrance, heritage, mythology, variety, and pathology of a city that was born in hopes and captured the worlds imagination. Duplicates credit in ARLT 101g.”
SWMS 219gp: Introduction to Feminist Theory
“Emergence of feminist thought from the Enlightenment to the present; historical development of female subjectivity; advancement of womens rights; feminisms from alternative ideological perspectives.”
GE-C: Social Analysis
(2 Courses Required)
Other Student Suggestions:
SSCI 165g: Human Populations and Natural Hazards
“Introduction to the complex relationship between human development and natural hazards, which are increasingly causing damage and displacement to human populations throughout the world.”
PSYC 353g: Close Relationships
“Scientific perspective of close relationships: intimate relationships, friendships and others, evolutionary and biological bases of attraction and love, historical, social , cultural influences. Prerequisite: PSYC 100. (Duplicates credit in PSYC 359)”
IR 101xgw: International Relations
“Basic concepts of world affairs for non-majors. Development ofcompetency to understand and critically evaluate global relationsand international events, stressing empirical approaches. Not available for major credit.”
HIST 225g: Film, Power, and American History
“U.S. motion pictures as both a response to and comment upon major events, problems, and themes in 20th century America.”
EASC 160mgp: China and the World
“Advanced-level introduction to China and its relations with the wider world in historic and contemporary perspective.”
SOCI 150gm: Social Problems
“Analysis of factors in current American social problems: crime, delinquency, prostitution, family disorganization, race relations, and mental illness.”
AMST 135mgw: Peoples and Cultures of the Americas
“An introduction to cultures and people in the Americas; the social, historical, economic and cultural formations that together make up the Latino/a American imaginary.”
ANTH 263g: Exploring Culture Through Film
“Concepts of social anthropology, using filmic representations of societies throughout the world. Gateway course for the Anthropology major.”
ANTH 371mg: Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs
“Youth gang dynamics and their effects on institutions. Comparative analysis of Asian, African, and Mexican American gangs.”
GE-D: Life Sciences
(1 Course Required)
Other Student Suggestions:
PSYC 165Lg: Drugs Behaviour Society
“An integrative systems perspective of drugs; including their historical, economic, and cultural importance, psychopharmacology, addiction, relationship to crime, and therapeutic use in treating psychological disorders.”
GE-E: Physical Sciences
(1 Course Required)
Other Student Suggestions:
ASTR 100Lxg: The Universe
“Survey of the universe: planets, satellites, comets, stars, nebulae, galaxies. Practical component includes planetary observations and dark-sky field trip. Not available for major credit.”
GEOL 105Lg: Planet Earth
“Geologic structure and evolution of planet earth. Principles ofplate tectonics, rocks and minerals, processes of mountainbuilding, continent and ocean formation, earthquakes, volcanism,development of landforms by running water and glaciers. Lecture, 3hours; laboratory, 2 hours. One all-day or two-day field triprequired.”
GE-F Quantitative Reasoning
(1 Course Required)
MUSC 102gw: World Music (Professor Scott Spencer)
Looking for a light-weight fun class + a fun professor? Well you’re in exactly the right place. I didn’t just love this class, I had fun with it too. You didn’t need to have prior experience with a musical instrument or know how to read sheet music for this class; everyone’s welcome. In fact, I believe that was one of the most diverse classes I’ve taken at USC thus far (in terms of the different majors present in the class). One huge take away of this class for me was the fact that I was able to relate my major — economics — to all of my papers. By writing about music through an economical and business perspective, I was able to build a portfolio of papers and articles that I can use in the business industry or in other areas of my studies.
General Education Seminar
(GESM)
GESM 120g: The Apocalypse in Literature, Art, and Film (Michael du Plessis)
Yet another class I picked on a whim, and easily one of the best decisions have made thus far at USC. This class explores apocalyptic narratives in literature, media, and film—from your favourite comics to your most dystopic movies. We learnt about global perspectives of the apocalypse in mythology and current affairs. If you haven’t fulfilled your general educational seminar, look out for this one! Had so much fun with this class, and the fact that the course load isn’t heavy didn’t hurt either.
Other Student Suggestions:
GESM 120g: Anime, Comics, and the Japanese Experience of the Second World War (Professor Benjamin Uchimaya)
“Interpretation and analysis of works of the imagination, exploring language, thought, and cultural traditions in relation to one another. (Satisfies GE-B, Humanistic Inquiry) Open only to Freshmen.”
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