Five must-take classes to brighten up your fall schedule


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Photo courtesy of flickr.com

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

With registration fast approaching, you might be wondering what classes to take and how to craft a perfect schedule. If you’re a senior, odds are you’re going to have the freedom to take electives, and you most definitely should take advantage of the awesome classes USC has to offer. Here are five fun/popular/interesting classes you should consider if you have room in your schedule.

  1. Theatrical Film Symposium (CTCS 466)

Professor: Leonard Maltin

Not only does legendary film critic Leonard Maltin teach this class, but also you get to watch a movie EVERY SINGLE WEEK. And more often than not, an interview with a director or a writer or an actor follows the screening. Shout out to Professor Maltin and his connections to the movie industry! The class meets once a week on Thursday nights for four hours.

  1. Espionage and Intelligence (IR-304)

Professor: Maura Godinez

With stellar RateMyProfessors reviews (an overall quality of 4.6 with many comments that say the class is arguably the best in the IR department), Professor Godinez brings her previous experience in the CIA to the classroom. Open, covert, clandestine and counterintelligence programs are some of the topics covered during the semester. Although the class is no walk in the park, students say that the effort put in translates into a rewarding experience that may even change your perspective.

  1. International Relations: Introductory Analysis (IR-210)

Professor: Steven Lamy

Coming in a close second in the IR department is Lamy’s class. Highly regarded by former students, Professor Lamy is an incredibly passionate and knowledgeable professor that’s enthusiastic about what he’s teaching. Tip: visit him during office hours if you’re a little weary at first of his classroom environment.

  1. Beach Volleyball (PHED 138)

Professor: Julia Sprague

You get to play volleyball in Santa Monica every Friday with the nicest instructor ever…I think that pretty much sells the class. Tip: sign up for the morning surfing class and the noon beach volleyball class to make your friends on the East Coast extremely jealous as you get to partake in the typical SoCal day…weekly.

  1. Ceramics (FACE-112)

Professor: Tanya Batura

I don’t know about you but I never got the chance to take a cool art class in high school, so I think ceramics would be super fun to take especially since Professor Batura boasts a 5.0 rating on RateMyProfessors (only 2 reviews but hey who’s counting?). This class also allows you to check out Roski, an area on campus that you have probably never been to unless you’ve gotten on acai bowl at Nekter, which definitely doesn’t count.