Like a Pro: Gen-Ed Recommendations

Students at UNH will soon be picking their classes for the spring 2010 semester and I have decided to give some advice on the general education courses I have taken. Please remember that classes may differ depending on the professor, but usually the level of difficulty remains the same. 

MATH 420 (Finite Math): If you took discrete math in high school this class will be very easy. Most of the grade is based on three exams, with quizzes and homework making up a smaller portion. The homework usually doesn't take more than 15-25 minutes and the quizzes are easy if you attend the lectures. The exams can be hard because they cover a lot, but attending lectures and doing the homework will keep you from having to stay up all night studying.

PSYCH 401 (Intro to Psychology): I was in 200-person lecture that was based on four exams (20 percent each) attendance (15 percent) and the last 5 percent was for participation in an out of class study by a psych major. The lectures basically outline the book chapter by chapter, and they are actually pretty interesting. This class is easy as long as you take decent notes and attend the lectures.

POLT 401 (Politics and Society): This is by far the worse class I have ever taken in my entire life. It revolves around reading political philosophy including Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, among others. The three exams make up most of the overall grade so one poor score can be hard to recover from. I had Professor Haight who was very enthusiastic but was not that clear when interpreting the readings during the lectures. I taught myself more the day before the final by using online resources (Wikipedia and Spark Notes) than I learned all semester. I would not recommend this to a non-major.

HIST 406 (Modern US History): I actually really enjoyed this class. It started out slow but once we got to the 1920s and beyond that, it became really interesting. My class had three two-page papers with a third larger paper on a historical novel plus the midterm and final. There was also a 10 percent attendance grade so if you're one to skip classes I would not recommend this class. If you can write decent essays, this class should be an easy B or higher.

HIST 421 (Ancient Civilizations Pre 16th Century): I had Professor Couser who described this class as being an "easy C with a few Bs and fewer As."  In my section we didn't take one test or quiz and it was completely based on essays and participation in discussions. Even the midterm and final were take-home essays and if you use notes from the lectures they are actually pretty easy. If you're good at writing solid analysis papers in three to five pages, this class should be a breeze. 

MIRC 407 (Germs 101): Germs is a highly requested class here at UNH because it is very easy and it can actually be quite interesting. This class does involve some "busy work," especially the group projects, which feel like a huge waste of time. I would recommend this class because it definitely helps out the old GPA. Germs in a nutshell: wash your hands. Did I mention there are no exams?

NR 435 (Contemporary Conservation Issues): Professor Bill Mautz, who is arguably one of the best professors on campus, teaches this class. NR 435 is a very easy environmental science class that basically covers everything, including Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth" and much more. Although the lectures can be boring and the exams are hard, one-page essays and blackboard quizzes that can be retaken make for an easy A.

ESCI 501 (Intro to Oceanography): This class revolves around four exams worth 20 percent each and a lab grade worth 20 percent. The exams are not too hard and the labs are pretty easy. Plus you get to go on a boat, but compared to other science general education courses this class can be more challenging. I found oceanography to be the most interesting science I have taken, but compared to Germs and NR it was also the hardest.

MUSI 401 (Intro to Music): This class is boring, but should fill up your fine arts general education requirement without too much trouble. As long as you keep track of the quiz dates this a great class to take if you like to skip class. Most of the quizzes are identifying certain songs that are found on CDs that come with the book. Professor Urquhart is very enthusiastic about this subject, but it seems as though he would prefer to be teaching music majors.

LATIN 401/402 (Intro to Latin): If you are required to take a language I highly recommend Latin. All three of the intro professors are very helpful. The best thing about Latin is that it is not spoken, so you do not have to worry about performing in front of your classmates.

Stay classy, not UMassy,
The New Hampshirite

The New Hampshirite is a mysterious UNH student who entertains much of the campus with his politically incorrect and realistic accounts of student life in Durham. You can find his blog at http://unhblog.com.