New semester sees increase in Friday class

USC’s implementation of the new General Education curriculum, which took effect with this year’s freshman class, has led to an increase in classes. USC students have noticed the changes in class scheduling, particularly in the amount of Friday classes that have been added in several of the University’s departments.

The increase in classes is due in part to the need to offer courses to students who are still completing the previous General Education graduation requirements while offering new courses to the incoming class, according to registrar Frank Chang.

The Office of the Registrar has been pushing for faculty to begin spreading their courses out across the five-day week to ameliorate the shortage of space and class capacity issues USC has been experiencing.

“To offer more courses, the University must use its classroom space efficiently, which means that courses must be offered every day of the week,” registrar Frank Chang said. “A Monday to Friday academic week allows students to spread out their classes, as opposed to having to cram all courses over two or three days.”

Some departments have experienced more of an uptick in the amount of Monday, Wednesday and Friday classes that are required for students to complete their major.

“This is the most loaded Friday class schedule I’ve had at USC,” said Sophia Gatsios, a senior majoring in international relations.

Gatsios noted that some of her friends in the major have shared her experience.

“If there aren’t any more options I think people will eventually move into the [Friday] sections and accept them,” she said.

The School of International Relations in Dornsife was more receptive to changes in class scheduling. The director, Richard English, said the department has shifted several course sections to Friday.

“We’re scheduling the classes and timing them without prejudice,” English said. “We have popular and important classes that are also being scheduled Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So in some cases you can’t avoid — if you want to be an IR major — taking some of them.”

Though English noted that there has been some initial grumbling from students about enrolling in sections of courses scheduled on Fridays — especially Friday afternoons — he said the department as a whole has not experienced major problems with the changes. This fall, the international relations department has approximately 350 students enrolled in Friday classes and does not anticipate that number decreasing in future academic semesters.

“We cannot see any trends [in which] it’s hurting our enrollment or people are choosing other majors or not taking the classes they need because of this,” English said.