The top 10 classes all Pitt students should take before graduating

Trust your classmates on this one

One of the most important things in college, other than partying and watching sports, is taking classes. And so one of the biggest questions we wrestle with each semester, is which classes to take.

Each major may have their separate requirements, but general education requirements are still a thing. On top of that, there are some classes that all major should take, even just for life purposes. You don’t have to be a psych major to take a psych course, and you can be a chemistry major and still learn about Austrian history.

Here are the top 10 classes Pitt students should take, as told by Pitt students.

Social Psychology with Anna Nieuwenhuis

“I personally gained a lot of insight as to how people work and how they respond in certain situations with other people. You learn about innate bias you may have, how you deal with inner conflict, as well as how you can influence others.”

-Christian Thomas, senior

Cultural Anthropology with Rich Scaglion

“I think it really exposed me to dramatically different cultures and understanding their development and how they came to be what they are. He always stressed that ‘different’ doesn’t mean ‘uncivilized,’ and pushed us to look beyond our ethnocentrism and view other people objectively.

“He also is a wonderful guy and has had incredible experiences living in places like Papua New Guinea and just has such great stories to share.”

-Maddie Jazwinski, Junior

Vienna 1900 with Amy Colin

“Vienna 1900 was easily the best class/experience I’ve had at Pitt. Amy Colin teaches a lot of material but at a relaxed pace and with very low stress. And we took a week-long trip to Vienna, Austria during spring break.

“The entire trip was paid for, including flights and a 4-star hotel in the middle of the city. Without a doubt, it’s the thing I’ll remember most about my time at Pitt!”

-Brian Fedorka, Junior

Photo courtesy of Brian Fedorka

Drugs and Behavior with Debra Artin

“It’s about drugs and the brain and it’s fun. I learned about what my brain is like on drugs, and a lot of them make my brain seem like a superhero.

“It’s an intro to neuroscience course so you actually do learn important stuff, while also learning the dangers of bad things like heroin. That said, I learned other drugs aren’t as scary as people say, and might actually have real medical benefits. (I.E. magic mushrooms have a real clinical purpose in treating PTSD.)”

-Tyler Hensley, Junior

Public Relations Writing with Pam O’Brien

“It’s not a bullshit class. It’s not all fun and games and you can’t ‘get by,’ but you will, without a doubt, learn how to write professionally for PR. It is a life class – not just some random crap. You will come out of the class with the knowledge of how to write as an adult.”

-Erica Spaeth, Junior

Art of Making with Joseph Samosky

“You get to make projects with guidelines that provide very little structure, so you allow for your creativity to take the lead. Often students go above and beyond and make some SICK innovations.

“I think three students from the first class filed for patents on their inventions. I’m sure that you can look the class up on YouTube to find more. My friends rave about it pretty often. I really wish I could have taken it.”

-Max Polec, Senior

Sociology Societies

“It’s a super easy class with really interesting material. We studied rap culture, why college students drink so much, and race relations.

“The teacher also plays music before and after class, and the in-class movies are pretty good.”

-Catherine Gee, Junior

Any social work course

“I think students should be required to take a sociology or social-work course because this is where other students and I have expressed learning the most about systems that perpetuate society, and also marginalization, what it looks like in the US, and how we can be citizens who decrease its effects.”

-Daneya Johnson, Junior

Argument with Calum Matheson

“It really changes your mindset on how to take in information you are given, and how you are persuaded everyday. He’s a fantastic professor and he’s so good at what he does. Its a really awesome class that is so relevant to real life.”

-Ellan Dunbar, Sophomore

Public Speaking with Dave Deluliis

“Learning to speak in public is so important for life.”

-Emily Yarish, Sophomore

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