Early December is always the season for course registration. As one of the most important components of your college life, the courses you take determine how you live through a semester to a great extent: do you enjoy what you are learning? Do you like the professor’s teaching style? Are you happy with your classes? Are you struggling? In this article, I present 30 Bates students’ answers to what their favorite course at Bates is.
Laboratory Physics: I struggled a lot, but I learned a lot. I am a Physics major.
Organic Chemistry: Labs were fun. I am a Chemistry major.
Electricity and Magnetism: I learned a lot of fun things. I am a Physics and Math double major, but I think Math is boring.
Chinese 102: I like learning new vocab, and I’m half Chinese. I am a Biology and Chinese double major.
This Land is Whose Land: The professor is really cool. I am an Environmental Studies major.
Music of Asia and the Pacific: It teaches me how to understand music from other cultures, which is so cool. I am a Biochemistry major.
Bio 195: Toxicology is super interesting. It makes me want to major in Bio. I am a Biology and Asian Studies double major.
Short term on Education Research: I got chances to interview people and develop my own research. I am an English and German major.
STEM Scholars: It gives space to do creative work. I am a Biology major.
China in Revolution: I learned the history of my country from a different perspective. I am a History major.
Modern Dance: It is very relaxing, like having conversations with your body. I haven’t decided my major yet, but most likely Dance and Theater.
Ceramics: I like to avoid my other responsibilities by throwing pots in the studio because it’s productive and distracting. I am a Psychology major.
So many. I love them all. I am an Asian Studies major.
Native American History: The professor is an amazing storyteller and a very kind and lovely human being. I am a Neuroscience major.
DCS 211: I learned multiple computational languages and had the opportunity to deal with real-life problems. I am a Physics major.
Neuroscience seminar called Embodied Cognition, Technoculture, and The Future of Identity: It is a very interdisciplinary and creative course. I am a Neuroscience major.
Macrosociology with Professor Ben Moodie: I like the readings. It was during the lockdown, but his in-person office hours were very supportive. I am a Neuroscience major.
Linear Algebra: Professor Katy Ott is an amazing professor. I’m a Physics major.
Creative Nonfiction Writing: I love writing. My intended majors include Biochemistry and English.
Religion, Violence, and Nonviolence; Myth Folklore, Popular Culture; Zen Art: I had very engaging class discussions where people would disagree and debate, and the professors would tell people when they were wrong, which made classes more competitive and high stakes in a fun way. I am a Religious Studies major.
Film Theory: Jon Cavallero is an awesome professor, very down to Earth and understanding! I am an English and Philosophy major.
Sociology of Health and Illness: It is very important for any pre-med student. It includes in-depth discussions of the American health system. I also like Organic Chemistry. I did collaborative work with my classmates, so I made a lot of good friends in that class. I am a Biochemistry and Theater major.
All my Spanish language classes, also including the Spanish tables: My Spanish really got improved throughout three semesters at Bates. I am a History and Spanish major.
Linear Algebra with Chip Ross: I like the professor. I am doing chemical engineering at Columbia.
My FYS, Making Sense: The Social Significance of Sensory Perception: It gave me a new way of thinking about the world. I also like music composition because we did music composition. I am a Psychology major.
Theater design class, costume design, scenic design, and Intro the Theater Technologies: I love theater and Professor Micheal Reidy and Professor B. Chris McDowell. I am an Art History major.
Short term on Japanese Traditional Japanese Theater: It’s a chill class, and I know more about my culture. I am a Psychology major.
Flamenco: You don’t need a reason to love Flamenco. I love the community, my peers, everything. I am a Psychology and Dance major.
Medieval Worlds: fun lectures and a reasonable amount of work. I am a History and Asian Studies major.
All the courses that gave me easy A’s, and DCS 201—I haven’t got an A yet, but I will. I am a Math and Physics major.
Here are the 30 answers I collected by randomly asking people what their favorite course is. The answer reflects three patterns:
Firstly, by randomly picking people I met and asking what their major is, I found that 17 out of 30 people have at least one major in STEM disciplines; 12 out of 30 people have at least one major in humanities disciplines; 4 people are psychology majors. 12 out of 30 people have two majors.
Secondly, what really surprised me is how long people think about their answers. When I asked, “What is your favorite course at Bates so far,” some people pondered for two minutes and couldn’t give an answer. Some people directly said “there is definitely one” but couldn’t give an answer.
Thirdly, thinking about their favorite courses, most people think about how much they learn in the course, the professor, freedom of expression in the class, and whether the course made them want to major in that discipline.
What about you? What is your favorite course at Bates? Leave it in the comments!
