As a senior, I’ve already finished up most of the classes I need. So what do I do for Shopping Period, the time when Yalies have the chance to visit any class they want? While I know the main classes in my schedule, I’m using my last open slot to try out something outside my usual focus. Here’s a couple of cool finds from this term:
East Asian Studies 454: Economic Policy Lessons from Japan. Even though its in my major, I don’t really have the background in Econ for this class. But it’s taught by Stephen S. Roach, who (in his spare time outside of lecturing at Yale) is a senior executive with Morgan Stanley, and also head of the investment bank’s division in Asia. Kind of a big deal.
Geology & Geophysics 222: The Origin of Everything. It’s a study of major scientific origin hypotheses, including the origin of the universe, galaxies, the solar system and planets, continents, oceans, atmospheres, magnetic fields, and mono- and multicellular life. This one is especially interesting because its not taught in lecture format like most science classes―it’s a seminar where each week, a student prepares their own presentation on different theories on the origin of X, introducing the evidence that supports or disproves it, and then the class debates.
Evolutionary & Ecological Biology 246: Plant Diversity and Evolution. I used to be an EEB major, so I really enjoy this kind of class with a specialized focus into some kind of life. There’s also an accompanying laboratory to dissect all kinds of specimens from the bryophtes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms to examine the features that distinguish each taxon.
Film Studies 407: The Cinema of War. This class asks questions about the effects of military actions on combatants, civilians, and those left behind. The first meeting featured clips from Saving Private Ryan, Joyeaux Noel, and the Trojan Women, so it folds a big span of history into every screening.
History of Science, History of Medicine 225: Medicine and Public Health in Latin America 1820-2000. The focus in this class is the relationship between disease and public health with constructing statehood. It also examines ways that medicine (and its inequities) form new concepts of race and ethnicity. Everyone who took this class last year raved about it.
That sample of classes doesn’t even scratch the precision of the huge range of 2000+ courses Yale offers. If any of that piques your interest, you can see complete listings of classes at yale.edu/oci.