Donald: Create a variety in your schedule

With registration now opening up for all students, you may be distraught when that perfect class that has sat nicely in your planner for weeks fills up right before your registration time. Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. In case you haven’t already planned backups, here a list of some super interesting classes that may not have crossed your mind, but that you still may have a chance of getting into. I’ll start with some COM electives you can take, but also branch out into CAS classes that can fulfill your freshman/sophomore requirements or your CAS concentration:

• Online Radio Newsroom (JO 435)
  • Ever wonder what it’s like to produce a radio broadcast like you hear on NPR? We have a class for that! In online radio newsroom, you’ll have two-and-a-half hours to produce a 30-minute radio broadcast with your classmates. It sounds intense, and it is, but every week you’ll get a different role on the team, and by the end of the class you’ll have a number of great audio packages that you can use when applying to jobs and internships.
• Hitchcock (FT 535)
  • Obsessed with movies made by Alfred Hitchcock? Ever want to take an entire course on his work? Next semester’s film analysis course will be solely focused on the work on the “Master of Suspense.”
• Media Disruption (CM 561)
  • Are you a PR/AD/Mass Comm student looking for a way to break through the mold of traditional media? Then take this special topic course in mass communication that is being offered in the fall. Besides, you’ll sound cool to your friends when you say, “Sorry guys, I have to head to my media disruption class.”
• Urban Sociology (SO 244)
  • In urban sociology, you study the way cities affect the way people interact with each other. I took this class last fall, and during one of my favorite lectures in the course, we examined the suburban lawn and how it affects relationships in suburbia. For one assignment, I had to sit at Central Square for an hour and people-watch to get field notes. This is a fun way to fulfill your social science requirement!
• The Politics and Policy of HBO’s The Wire (PO 313)
  • If you’re a fan of HBO’s intense drama “The Wire,” then this is the perfect course for you. Taught in the political science department, you watch the entire series and then have discussions and assignments about the policies and politics discussed in the show. If you’re great at binge watching, this might be the perfect class for you.
• Intro to Creative Writing (EN 202)
  • You may be worried since we have 4 English requirements as COM students. However, a super fun way to fulfill one of those requirements is to take Intro to Creative Writing. Whether you’re an aspiring poet or you just want to try writing your first play, this class is an engaging and creative way to fulfill one of your freshman/sophomore requirements.
• Existentialism (PH 248)
  • Curious about what “existentialism” actually is? Ever been inspired (or creeped out) after reading Nietzsche? Not sure of what any of this means, but interested to learn more? Then the existentialism course being offered in the fall by the philosophy department might be the perfect fit for you! We all have to take at least one philosophy class to fulfill our requirements, so why not take a class where some of the topics discussed include depth, superficiality, boredom, anxiety, and adventure.
• Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and other Natural Disasters (ES 140)
  • Although many of us COM students may not be too scientifically-inclined, we do need to take at least one math, computer science, or natural science course in addition to our statistics requirement. A super interesting way to fulfill that block in your courses would be to look over at the earth science department. While fulfilling a general education requirement, why not explore super interesting disasters like earthquakes and volcanoes and learn the science behind them?