Classes Have Begun...

I'm taking 5 courses this semester at La Salle. For a while taking 6 courses was a consideration, but I figured with everything else I'm doing it would be too much to handle. The 5 that I decided on all seem interesting so far, although I've only been to 4 of them. I go to the last of the 5 on Monday nights, and since we started classes on Tuesday this week, I have to wait until next week.

I'm taking "Religion Is..."on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 to 10:50AM. It is a world religions course focused on an analytical approach to religions instead of a catechetical approach. We'll be covering the standard religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. We'll also be looking at what, exactly religion is, and we'll be looking at other religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Indigenous religions. I've heard some horror stories about the class, since many people have taken it because it's a required Honors Program course, but my first impression was pretty good. I know the professor is a strict grader, but I feel like I'll do well in the class.

I'm taking "Ethical Issues in the Life Sciences" on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12 to 12:50PM. This course, I feel, is going to be tied for my favorite course, as far as first impressions go. The professor seems engaging and the material of the course is going to cover things like genetical ethical issues, stem cell research, in vitro fertilization, and other such issues that effect the life sciences. It's a small class, only 9 people, which is great, too. I love smaller classes because you get more of an intimate and involved setting, as opposed to my next course which is...

A Sociology course called "Urban Development" on Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 to 10:45AM. I'm really excited about taking this course. I had the professor for two of my classes last semester ("Principles of Sociology" and "Race Relations"). I absolutely love this professor and I love the material that he covers. I'm really looking forward to this class. It fulfills a requirement for my Sociology major, as well. I also have this professor for another one of my classes this semester, as well, although he is sitting in as a "co-professor."

That course that he is co-teaching is called "Argentina: Education and Economic Justice - Opportunities for Empowerment" on Wednesday nights from 5 to 7:45PM. It meets only once a week, and is a course I'm taking for my Leadership and Global Understanding minor. I think this might be my favorite course for the semester. It's a great group of students, the professor (and co-professor) is awesome, and the course material is going to be really interesting. We then travel to Argentina over Spring Break for 10 days, which I am really excited about.

My final course which is on Monday nights from 6:15 to 9:05PM is "Global Art: Art of India, China and Japan." I haven't been able to go to it yet, so I haven't met the professor or been able to gather a first impression, but the material looks interesting, and so I'm excited about it, as well.

As of right now I'm a Sociology and Art History double major with a minor in Leadership and Global Understanding, but I may drop the Art History completely in order to take electives junior and senior year instead of cramming my schedule full with my degrees. If I continue with my degrees at this point, I'll have no space whatsoever for any other courses, and there are courses in Economics, Political Science and Spanish that I'd love to take. So I'm still debating on what I'm going to do in terms of keeping or nixing my Art History secondary major.