“Oh, the classes I’ll take!” you’ll say as you inspect the term’s course list. You picture yourself raising your hand with pride, answering questions even seniors in your class can’t fathom. Emblazoned with A’s and citations, your first report card from Dartmouth will be tacked to your fridge at home. But before you even reach that point, you must brave Banner Student and navigate the murky waters of registering for courses. My advice — take one class you know you’ll love, one that will fulfill a distributive requirement and one that is completely random. Beware the rumored “layup” class, for one man’s layup is another man’s D+. Finally, tell yourself it’s okay if you don’t have a 4.0 in your first term of college. You will get there. Or maybe you won’t, and that’s okay, too. Most importantly, take risks, tear it up and know that you’ll figure it out along the way. Here are some of my picks for top freshman fall classes.
EARS 06:Environmental Change
(At the 11 hour)
For those of you looking for one of those so-big-I-can-arrive-20-minutes-late-with-a-poptart-hanging-out-of-my-mouth classes, this course is for you. Find your 10 best friends and sign on up. Because this is a big class and one that tackles the pesky science distrib, plenty of students go into it thinking, “Science is boring. I’d rather online shop.” However, all you naysayers will soon find yourselves engrossed as you learn what global warming really is, how convection ovens work and how many ice cubes you’d have to carry up a glacier to replace a melting ice cap (hint: a lot). Lectures are recorded and placed online for those who miss class or wish to refresh their memory — but don’t use this as an excuse to skip. Whether you’re a science person or not, I guarantee you’ll learn at least one useful factoid to impress your future in-laws.
HIST 25.02:The United States and the World, 1865-1945
(At the 11 hour)
Most of us could explain what happened during the Civil War and name a few major World War II battles, but what about Reconstruction, the rise of populism and the Scopes Monkey Trial? This course explores a period of American history that we all wanted to cover in APUSH but didn’t have time for, or were too busy writing novels in blue books to remember. Forget all the memorization you did in high school and indulge in a history course simply for the fun of it — I know it sounds fishy, but trust me, I’m a junior. Expect a lecture style class with about 30 people, exams and most likely a paper or two.
LING 01:Introductory Linguistics
(At the 12 hour)
If logic and language had a baby, it would be this course, a study of language, grammar, speaking and so much more — it appeals to both novel readers and MENSA members. After watching videos, completing worksheets and attending lectures with 50 to 75 of your classmates, you will finally understand why your Uncle Jerry says “pop” instead of “soda” and why it’s okay to use “like” as a filler. Most people have never taken a linguistics class — or cannot even define linguistics — so this course is a must for the intellectually curious. For those whose anathema is math, consider taking this course to fulfill your QDS distrib. You may just find you want to stick around and become a linguistics major, and don’t forget to mind your p’s and q’s.
THEA 10.07: The Sound of Silence: A Chekhov Writing Workshop (cross-listed with COCO 04.02 and RUSS 38.01)
(Class time to be arranged)
Public speaking is the number one reported fear in America, so it comes as no surprise that many Dartmouth students would rather run 118 laps around a bonfire than speak onstage. However, this class is more than just a theater course. It focuses on the plays of Chekhov and film adaptations, culminating in students writing and reading their own Chekhov-esque plays. Still worried? Don’t be, because these classes tend to have fewer than 20 people and operate on the it’s-okay-if-you’ve-never-acted-before principle. You may not immediately be a Chekhov or a Clooney, but you’re sure to discover your budding artistic potential.
WGST 10:Sex, Gender and Society
(Multiple sections offered at the 9L, 12 and 2A hours)
This is not your average introductory course. Don’t worry about anxiously scanning throngs of unruly students in a lecture hall to locate your tripee — you will find yourself in a class with about 20 people. You have most likely never met any of them because they will come from all corners of campus. You will sit among rowers, singers, budding politicians and burn outs, some of whom will already be equipped with feminist jargon like “agency” and “mutuality,” and others who won’t know a woman from a wombat. But you don’t have to be a woman to take this course, and you don’t have to be a feminist. The class is run like a typical English class, incorporating readings, discussions, films and presentations. Final projects may replace exams and are open ended so that you can study topics that interest you. The course may seem out of your comfort zone, but it’s worth it.
