Best Class Ever
Ice cream, ziplining, and duck, duck, goose – Carolina classes inspire students and stretch their minds in unique and unexpected ways.
We asked Carolina students about their favorite classes. Here are the standouts that made their semesters unforgettable.
If you want real-world knowledge
- “I had the opportunity to work in the hospital on a rehab floor with patients, and actually get to use the skills I have learned.”
Nursing Care of Adults - “I was fully funded to live in Los Angeles for a part of the semester and had the opportunity to intern at one of my favorite emerging companies.”
Practicum in Entrepreneurship - “This course exposed me to various laws impacting how the U.S. has approached climate change and why we’re struggling to combat greenhouse gas emissions. The professor told incredible stories as examples and the class led to an awesome summer research opportunity.”
Environmental Law and Policy
If you learn best by doing
- “This class took hands-on learning to another level — we played duck, duck, goose on the quad to demonstrate political frameworks of leadership.”
Leadership in Educational and Non-Profit Settings - “There was a super fun project where we did a whole assessment and treatment plan with a fictional character like they were a client.”
Introduction to Clinical Psychology - “I not only learned how to write poetry, but I also learned how to be more observant of the world and more thoughtful. Poetry is pretty trippy sometimes, but it’s awesome!”
Introduction to Poetry Writing
- “Our final exam was a group research project that simulated the results of March Madness with statistical analysis and classification techniques. We created models based on the teams’ season-long statistics to predict a winner for each tournament game.”
Introduction to Data Science - “We partnered with the N.C. Botanical Gardens to survey a new plot of tree land they acquired, read Walden, discussed the agency of nature and trees, and went zip lining for homework! This course challenged my understanding of nature and allowed me to gain experience with identifying trees and plants.”
Science and Literature
If you love to think deeply
- “We discuss moral questions, debate different concepts, and try to understand how these moral theories relate to our history and could be used to improve things like legislation moving forward.”
Moral Reasoning and How We Live - “The class made me think a lot about my privilege. The world makes way more food than we need, and so much of it goes to waste when people are going hungry. We have to find a way to fix that.”
Sustainable Local Food Systems - “We investigated the political, economic, and cultural factors that shaped Black music in the United States. For my final paper, I explored Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade,’ and her use of Black musical genres to highlight themes of Black love, trauma, anger, masculinity, and femininity.”
Introduction to Black Music
If you value connections
- “Professor Vachuduova is one of the best scholars and people I’ve ever met. She made me feel at home in each of her classes and office hours.”
Democracy and International Institutions in an Undivided Europe - “One of the only classes where I can recite every lecture and story the professor told, word-for-word.”
Sports and American History - “This was a course with a focus on queer stories. I learned so much about queer history and methods for studying and viewing the world through a queer lens, and I felt an authentic sense of community in this course!”
Historical Approaches to American Studies - “Professor Cabowsky had us meet at Maple View Farms and bought everyone not just a scoop of ice cream, but a full pint. We sat in the sun with his dog Bert. It was an act of kindness that showed how much he cared for us on a personal level.”
Case Studies in Public Relations
- “Professor Daniel Gitterman put energy in to make our first year the best it could be – from holding additional office hours to holding a Dunkin’ Donuts picnic. We are actually having a reunion for this course – complete with bagels, coffees, and big smiles!”
Policy Entrepreneurship and Public/Private/Non-Profit Partnerships - “I am a STEM major, so I do not take many English classes, but this is one of my all-time favorites. Professor Cushman would make class more conversational instead of lecturing at students. The cool thing about the “Canterbury Tales” is that it’s written in Old English. At first, it sounds funny when read aloud, but the professor encouraged the whole class to read together so nobody would feel singled out, and we collectively laughed. We also played games like Jeopardy to review for midterms so overall it was an amazing class.”
Chaucer