Hoos Favorite Classes

Whether you are a prospective or admitted student, you might be wondering what classes UVA students love. The summer interns are here to share with you our favorites. Don't fret if none of these sound interesting to you; there are so many fascinating classes taught by incredible professors available here!

You-Jin: My favorite class that I have taken out of three years in UVA is SOC 2220: Social Problems with Professor Ian Mullins. This course helps students to familiarize with the conventional approaches through which sociologists study social problems related to environmental contamination, health, and politics. I totally recommend any students to take this! It is a very good, general information that would be helpful in our daily lives since social problems are applicable for everyone to understand and acknowledge that they are happening around us. I really appreciated how Professor Mullins focused on applying our knowledge and concepts to our current situation of social problems around us, so it truly felt like what I was learning was useful. Specifically, for the couple months before the end of the semester, we focused entirely on the coronavirus pandemic.

Students engaged in a lecture hall.

Ben: Though it’s hard to choose just one, my favorite class that I’ve taken at UVA is HIUS 2003: Slavery and its Legacies with Professor Kirt von Daacke. This course opened my eyes to the “hidden” histories that are locked within the walls of the university, which was predominantly built by enslaved laborers. Through a series of field trips and guest lecturers from all corners of the university, we discussed complex issues like the razing of the Vinegar Hill neighborhood in downtown Charlottesville during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation, the university’s role in furthering the highly problematic field of eugenics, and how the serpentine walls of the Lawn’s gardens were actually designed as sound barriers in order to minimize noise coming from the then-slave quarters. With many opportunities for community engagement and a focus on group-based writing and learning, the class not only taught me information that every incoming UVA student should know, but was a perfect “first semester first year” class in terms of size, hovering around 40 students in a seminar-like style. Through HIUS 2003, I began to question systems of inequality, sparking an interest in a potential wider study of educational and housing-based injustices which I hope to look into through a thesis project within the Political and Social Thought major. If you’re at all interested in history or policy-making, I highly recommend taking this class!

Sam: My favorite class that I’ve taken at UVA is Traditions of Buddhist Meditation with Professor Erik Braun. I took this class on a whim during my third year after I had a few friends tell me how much they enjoyed their Religious Studies classes. Professor Braun was incredibly knowledgeable on the subject and somehow kept the niche subject matter incredibly relevant to everyone. My favorite part of this class was the way it was structured -- it was a discussion-based class and Professor Braun did a great job keeping everyone involved. It was a 9 am class, and I thought I was done with all pre-10 am classes as a third-year, but I had little trouble getting up for this class just because I enjoyed being there so much. Moral of the story: don’t rule out a class just because it’s early! If it sounds interesting to you, go for it, no matter when it is. A good class can be a great way to start the day!

Don’t forget to bring your coffee/tea to that 9 am lecture!

Julia: If you ever get the chance, you HAVE to take PHIL 3810: Sex, Sexuality, and Gender with Professor Elizabeth Barnes. This class is essentially a survey of philosophical issues relating to sexual orientation, consent, and intersectionality, and it was both the most interesting and the most helpful class I’ve taken in my time at UVA. The readings are genuinely interesting, and Professor Barnes takes the time to go over the topics in depth at the beginning of each class before opening it up to a larger class discussion. This class is really great if you have never taken a philosophy class before, or if you are looking for a smaller seminar style class instead of a lecture. It also meets various requirements which is an awesome plus! Professor Barnes genuinely cares about her students and consistently checks in to make sure everyone is doing alright. And, as if you needed any more convincing, Prof. Barnes is a genius. Highly recommend, 10/10.  

Kelley: My favorite class that I’ve taken at UVA was ANTH 2400: Language and Culture with Professor Mark Sicoli. I took this class on a whim my first semester, and I loved it so much that it inspired me to take even more Anthropology classes. Now, I’m an Anthropology major! In this class, we studied how language shapes the world we live in and the tangible impact that it has on how cultural categories like race and gender are constructed and understood in our society. It taught me how to think critically about the language that others use, and especially that I use, every day and gave me a great foundation from which to approach a lot of other classes within my major. This class also helped me make some new friends, as I ended up joining a study group with other first years and RA’s from my dorm--  I will never forget the late night cram sessions that made me feel so welcome in my first semester of college.

Students studying together in a lawn room residence.

Abby: One of my favorite classes I’ve taken at UVa was MDST 3500: History of the Internet with Professor Kevin Driscoll. I took the class not knowing what to expect and ended up learning more than I could have thought. Professor Driscoll taught his class by teaching “alternative histories,” or alternate visions of what the present may have looked like based on theories of the past. The course covered not only U.S. history but how the Internet developed around the world. I learned about the development of the Internet in the government, in social dynamics, and in policy. We even got to design our own website with the goal of it appearing as an early site from the 1990’s. Not only was the class incredibly interesting and engaging, but I left with a vast knowledge of one of our most important modern tools, and a basis for coding skills that have been invaluable to me. 

Leah: EGMT 1530 Real or Fake: The Politics of Authenticity with Professor Sylvia Chong was a thought-provoking and personally engaging course. This class is one of the engagements for students participating in the Engagements pathway of the College Curriculum. In this 7-week long course, we explored and reflected on different identities (i.e. race, gender/sexuality, ethnicity, religion) and how they related to our own experiences. Professor Chong taught me how to see the gray area in who gets to claim certain identities and how to relate to identity on a personal level, even if it is different from my own. For our final project, we each got to explore an identity that interested us and write about it; my group researched the experiences of overweight women in the retail fashion industry and how they navigated shopping while being a size that not all stores accommodate well. 

Another great perk of taking this class was that Professor Chong loved getting to know students outside of the classroom! She took me and some other classmates to Mariebette Cafe and Bakery in Charlottesville to enjoy some delicious pastries and chat about how the semester was going for us. She also brought our entire class of about 30 students tacos from the UVA taco truck on grounds, as a treat, but also because we were discussing how ethnic food relates to identity (think Taco Bell versus authentic Mexican food). I’m so thankful for professors like her who want to engage with students in personal, fun ways.

This photo is of one of the engagement courses in action.

Jada: My favorite and most eye-opening class I’ve taken at UVA is Black Fire with Claudrena Harold. This class explored the history of race and civil rights, specifically at UVA. As a black student, I believe that it is so important to know the history of my University, and this class taught me that the black experience at UVA has not just been one of hardship and oppression, but of joy and triumph. Professor Harold is one of the most engaging and approachable professors that I have ever had the privilege of knowing, and I left this class with a better understanding of UVA’s history and how students have and continue to make a difference. 

To learn more about Black Fire, check out the website, https://blackfireuva.com/

which contains multimedia material documenting the history of social justice and racial equality at UVA.

Mia: One of my favorite classes that I have taken so far at UVA is LPPP 3230: Public Policy Challenges of the 21st century with Professor Gerald Warburg. The course is designed to introduce undergraduate students interested in policy to the political significance and social consequences of the wide range of  policy issues facing the world today. Each week was focused on a different subject: changes in the U.S. Presidency/Congress, Cyber and Drone Warfare, shifts in war powers, Climate Change Policy, Mental Health Policy, Fake News and Trust in the Media, Health Care Reform, Election Security, Voting Rights, Immigration Policy, and National Debt. The wide scope of the class made it quite challenging at times, however, it required us to think analytically and make connections between a wide variety of issues. Outside of just being exposed to all of these policy issues there were several assignments that required us to create policy solutions, and consider how we would get our policy or legislation enacted in such a politically divided time. Additionally, Warburg’s class, as well as many Batten classes, required us to shift our studies and analysis to consider the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and consider how these current events will impact policy objectives. 

Isaiah: My favorite class that I have taken at UVA so far is Introduction to U.S. Healthcare, a graduate level nursing class taught by Professor Rick Mayes. The class explores the complications around how healthcare is financed, organized, and delivered in the United States. We discussed primary health care policies related to public health, mental health, women’s health, bioethics, obesity, aging, and race.  I had a particular interest in the course because of my academic interest as a pre-med sociology major. However, the course is applicable to anyone in the United States that has to engage with the healthcare system. Currently, the course has been even more applicable to my life due to the rise of the novel coronavirus. I highly recommend this course to any pre-med, pre-dental, or pre-health student. Professor Mayes is a great teacher and has so many real life experiences that will make you love going to class each day.  Class rating: 10/10, Professor rating: 10/10.

Thanks for reading! If you are curious about what classes we offer here at UVA, you can check out Lou’s List, a site created by a UVA professor for students to browse courses online.