The selection of spring semester classes is quickly approaching. Before you know it, you will have to make a decision on which classes are best suited for your major. Of course there are courses that are typically taken by business majors, art majors, science majors and more. However, believe it or not, there are many courses at St. Joe’s that may not be connected to your major, but are still engaging and entertaining, and may benefit your career search as well as your overall life skills in one way or another.
History Rocks!
Interested in the history of your favorite music style? The course, “History of Rock and Pop,” is the perfect choice for you. In this course, students will learn about the history of the most popular music and the way it has changed from the mid-twentieth century to present day. The focuses of this course are on the genres of swing, doo-wop, rock and roll, soul, funk, disco, heavy metal and punk.
Skylar Dorenkamp is a business student who has taken many electives unrelated to her to her Food Marketing Major. She has taken “Philosophy of Religion and Serious Comedy” as well, on top of this History of Pop and Rock course. Because of this positive impact and experience that she has had, she is interested in taking more. Skylar says she is now interested in taking something related to “design and fashion.”
Dorenkamp ‘21 says that “it’s been cool listening to music and understanding the impact it has had on history and how the music has been brought up from issues around the world.”
MTF 142 History of Rock and Pop (3 credits)
Attributes: GEP Art/Literature
The Power of Plants
Plants may seem like a bland and uninteresting subject, but have you thought about how plants have a direct impact on you and society? This course explains how plants are used for things like food, fiber, medicine, and even recreational activities. This class is open to all students except students with a major in Biology.
BIO 162 Plants and Civilization (3 credits)
Attributes: Undergraduate
Unleash Your Existing Creativity
This course isn’t just for students with a major in art. It encourages students to paint, draw and sculpt with mediums like charcoal, pencil, paint, and clay. Creativity is an element that most employers seek in the hiring process. Taking this course would be beneficial because it provides the opportunity to be creative.
ART 121 Introduction to Studio Art (3 credits)
Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate
Nikes, Netflix, and More
In this course, students will discuss modern pop culture and media from a sociological perspective with a focus on music, talk shows, and sporting events. One topic of study is the influence of pop culture and technology; this includes fads, impact on identity, and production and consumption. This class is beneficial to students because the study of this subject keeps them up to date with modern pop culture and allows them to be aware of the strategies used to impact their decisions.
SOC 252 Media & Popular Culture (3 credits)
Attributes: GEP Social Science, Undergraduate
Philosophy of Sports
When you think of sports, you typically do not think of philosophy. In this course, students will focus on relevant, ethical topics. Recently, these topics have included enhancing drugs, college athletics, and government funds to support professional sports teams. This is beneficial to not only students interested in sports, but it is beneficial to all students because it gives the opportunity to apply what you learned in your required philosophy course to the popular subject of sports.
PHL 326 Philosophy of Sports (3 credits)
Prerequisites: PHL 154
Attributes: Ethics Intensive (New GEP), Undergraduate
Cinema takes over the Classroom
Interested in film and movies? This course focuses on the study of cinema with the connection to art, industry and technology. Students will focus on film related to aesthetic construction, which includes narrative structure, cinematography, design, editing and sound. Students will also learn to analyze historical and modern day film. This is beneficial to students because it will allow them to understand and apply certain aesthetic aspects of film to possibly advertisements and social media posts for large companies.
MTF 191 Introduction to Film (3 credits)
Attributes: GEP Art/Literature
Registering for the Future
On a recent poll taken on Instagram, 67 percent of the students at St. Joe’s have taken a class not related to their major. In another poll, 83 percent of the students who have not taken unique courses are interested in registering for one. Clearly, there is a significant amount of students who want to use their abilities outside their major. For the future, keep these courses in mind!
For more information on how to view elective courses, watch the following video:
