Registering for classes is one of the most daunting tasks that college students will repeatedly face throughout their academic careers. For new students in particular, the extensive catalog of courses to choose from, paired with the confusing set of requirements for each degree program, may leave students feeling overwhelmed and intimidated. On top of this dilemma, since the registration process operates on a first-come-first-serve basis, students may feel a sense of urgency to pick the classes that are most convenient for their desired schedule. However, this hasty method doesn’t allow students to accurately weigh out all of their options and determine which courses are best suited for them.
To save students some valuable time, here are five undergraduate course descriptions pulled directly from UTEP’s academic catalog that are worth a second glance. Whether you’re a nursing major or a theater major, odds are at least one of these classes will fit the course requirements of your degree plan.
1. Sociology: Global Health (SOCI 4346)
Global processes-such as migration, urbanization, environmental change and economic interdependence spread diseases and later health conditions. To deal with these challenges, new ways of thinking about health are demanded. This course explores health and disease in global terms, with a special focus on the most vulnerable. It covers issues such as the causes and consequences of health disparities, how global processes play out in local communities and how cross-cultural perspectives can help us understand and address disease.
Recommended background: ANTH 1302 or SOCI 1301. (SOCI 4346 is the same course as ANTH 4346.).
Credit Hours: 3 lecture hours
2. Zoology: Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles (ZOOL 4476)
Fish, Amphibians, and Reptiles … Classification and natural history of fish, amphibians and reptiles.
Credit Hours: 4
Total Contact Hours: 3 lab hours, 3 lecture hours
Prerequisites: BIOL 1108 with a D or better AND BIOL 1306 with a D or better
3. Psychology: Psychology of Human Sexuality (PSYC 2305)
Psychology of Human Sexuality … (Common Course Number PSYC 2306) A study of human sexuality on a broad range of levels. Topics will include the biological and hormonal factors that affect sexual behavior, developmental aspects, sexual differentiation, various types of sexual behavior, sexual dysfunction, cultural differences and a comparison of sex-related differences in abilities.
Credit Hours: 3 lecture hours
4. History: Pyramids & Prophets (HIST 3339)
“Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine … examines the distinct series of circumstances which led to the development of civilization in the Ancient Near East. Emphasis is upon the government, society, religion, art and manners that evolved through the eras of Stone Age nomads, Bronze Age temple-states and Iron Age kingdoms.”
Credit Hours: 3 lecture hours
5. Psychology: Drugs of Abuse and Behavior (PSYC 3346)
“This course provides a basic understanding of how drugs impact the brain to produce their behavioral effects, and is designed to be an introduction to the principles of pharmacology. This course emphasizes abused drugs as well as drugs used for the treatment of psychological disorders, and will focus on the biological underpinnings of drug action; however, economic, political, and cultural pespectives will also be discussed where appropriate.”
Credit Hours: 3 lecture hours
If any of these courses have piqued your interest, before jumping the gun, it’s important to double-check that the classes you are registering for will actually count toward your degree plan.
For more information and guidance, you can schedule an appointment with your academic advisor or generate a degree evaluation on Goldmine under the “Student Records” section.
Margaret Cataldi may be reached at [email protected]
