Elective Courses My Friends and I Enjoyed Taking Outside Our Majors

Coming into university, I didn’t know that I had to take some classes (electives) that weren’t related to my major. It was such a shock to me, and I had no clue where to start. This is why I’m going to help you out by giving you an idea of what these courses can look like. I asked some of my friends to help me out so you can get to know some of our favourite courses outside of our majors!

I met her when classes were online through a group chat for a psychology course. Now I get to see her every week and we sit together in another psychology class we are taking together. She’s a third-year Social Work student and is pursuing two minors, one in Psychology and another in Sociology. Amanda loves to cook, watch TV and spend time with friends. Let’s see which courses she enjoyed the most outside of her major: 

Sociology of Sports (SOC 505) - This course was a great pick for her as it contributes to completing her minor in Sociology. Growing up, Amanda and her siblings would always discuss sports, so she quickly grew fond of this course. Professor Stephen Sheps did a great job of incorporating relevant topics and videos into the classroom. He made it very engaging by giving students the chance to find meaning behind different aspects of sports and relating them to sociological theories!

Drugs and Human Behaviour (PSY 607) - Another fantastic choice as it can help fulfill her Psychology minor. Amanda has a keen interest in pursuing her future education in addiction studies. She learned about the impact of drugs on the body and treatments for related mental illnesses. She highly recommends taking this course if you’re interested in biological and psychological factors involved with drug-taking behaviour. Professor Martin Zack was very helpful to everyone with any questions or concerns, so overall this course is an amazing one. 

Jasmine and I both transferred here from other universities at the same time. We became friends by realizing we were both transfer students in the Faculty of Science orientation Discord. She’s a Financial Mathematics major pursuing a minor in Computer Science. Jasmine is one of the funniest people I know and the most artistic as well. Her handmade clothes and art pieces are truly beautiful! Let’s see what her favourite courses are outside her major:

Personal Financial Planning (FIN 502) -  Jasmine really enjoyed taking this class because she felt as if it helped her to prepare for the real world. Professor Sergiy Rakhmayil is very considerate and gave out a lot of fun bonus assignments. She recommends this class to students who want to further improve on their financial literacy. It gives you the opportunity to learn more about ways to save, invest and better manage your own wealth. 

Economics of Human Behaviour (ECN 340) - It was nice to have a change of pace where Jasmine could focus on humanity. She loved learning about how we make decisions and interact with one another from an economist’s point of view. Professor Thomas Barbiero made this course include very interesting readings that helped you make connections to your daily life. His teaching assistant (TA) was very helpful, and held writing sessions to steer students down the right path for assignments. 

If you don’t know me already, here’s a quick intro: my name is Nishka, I’m a Biomedical Sciences major pursuing a Psychology minor. I love making new friends and trying out different foods. I’ve taken quite a few courses outside of my major, so let’s jump right into it:

Social Psychology (PSY 124) - I’m a psychology enthusiast, so I had to include a psychology course here. I love learning about social dynamics — it’s so easy to relate to your personal life and see why we act the way we do. The readings were very interesting, and Dr. Jason Deska was a great lecturer. I really enjoyed writing an essay where I had to apply one of the concepts we learned in class to a personal event that occurred in my life. It was neat reflecting on my life with my new knowledge, and it reinforced why I want to pursue further education in psychology in the future. 

Music and Film (RTA 180) - I was a bit worried before taking this class because I’m not a pro at music, but boy was I wrong to stress. This class was so much fun! We analyzed clips in films with technical terminology related to the scenes or music present. Professor Cintia Cristia was so passionate about everything she taught, which made everything so much more enjoyable. I loved the assignments we were given too because I got to analyze my favourite movies and learn more about them. I highly recommend this class, especially if you want to take something outside of your comfort zone.

Some electives can be for core courses but these are just some that are outside of our own majors. Professors can also change for courses from year to year but your experience can still be fantastic! If I had to give you some tips they would be to take some fun classes, and take your time to explore everything available and really find what interests you. Happy course hunting!

“See” you soon!

- Nishka