Course sign-up recommendations from the class of 2022

As the deadline for submitting course sign-ups for the 2022-2023 academic year approaches, the class of 2022 has shared some of their favorite classes that they have taken over the past four years. Please be aware that not all of the classes discussed will be available in the coming academic year, as many run every other year. However, when those classes are offered again, keep these anecdotes and recommendations in mind!

 

English

Immigrant Legacies (UAS)

“We always had such cool readings and Lindsey is an amazing teacher. My class was also made up of students who were mostly second- or third-generation immigrants, so everyone was able to offer some really fascinating perspectives. It was a lot more thinking about yourself and how you interpret things, not really about close reading or interpretation of the text, which I really liked. Also, Fat Bear Week.” – Adrian Vaznaugh-Sanchez ‘22

“I really like Immigrant Legacies because we really dove deep into what it’s like being an immigrant to the USA through the lens of 2 very different people. It was a class that I could particularly relate to and I felt that it was always a safe space for me to speak about my experiences but also room for others to make mistakes and gain understanding about the complexities of being an immigrant.” – Kailene Apana ‘22

“Immigrant legacies has the most interesting readings (and most straightforward) out of any English class”
– Emma Chung ‘22

Examining the Good Life

“Examining the Good Life was a fascinating class that looked into a wide variety of philosophies. It challenged the way that I think about myself, my life, and my happiness.” – Teague Millette ‘22

Voices of Incarceration

“I love Courtney and loved connecting with people outside of my immediate space.” – Izzie Ballon ‘22

“I think that Voices of Incarceration was an eye-opening class where I felt that real impact was made. It sparked a passion in me for something I want to pursue later in life. The hard part of it was to balance feeling guilty about almost using the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people – because we were studying them and would eventually ‘move on’ at the end of the twelve weeks – and embracing the opportunity to help them share their story and educate others.” – Nico Dezerega ‘22

Creative Nonfiction (UAS)

“The class had a lot of flexibility with what we wrote about and I felt like I had the opportunity to reflect on and describe my experiences with new structures of writing!” – Chiara Atkin ‘22

“I loved Creative Nonfiction because I really liked having the freedom to write in a judgment-free zone. I especially enjoyed the playlist project that my class did: we picked a bunch of songs that had a specific meaning to us and wrote about what they brought up for us, whether they were feelings, memories, or experiences. It helped me get better at writing about myself from an objective point of view.” – Katie David ‘22

“I really liked how relaxed this class felt. The homework was not very readings-heavy, unlike some other English classes that I have taken, which I appreciated. I also really liked the freedom surrounding the writing assignments.” – Mina Weiss ‘22

“[There was] so much freedom in writing and in general. The class was all about exploring your personal life through writing creatively. The freedom in this class was a breath of fresh air compared to the other extremely dense and analysis-focused English classes at Urban. There was analysis and we did learn about Creative Nonfiction writing craft, however the balance between analysis and personal work time was perfect.” – Keane Davis ‘22

“So far my favorite class at Urban has been Creative Nonfiction. The class had a lot of flexibility with what we wrote about and I felt like I had the opportunity to reflect on and describe my experiences with new structures of writing!” – Chiara Atkin ‘22

Latin American Literature (UAS)

“We read short magical realism stories from Latin American authors, which were very weird in a super interesting way that never felt like a chore and were great for discussion. We watched a couple movies that fit the magical realism genre and there were some creative writing assignments that I really really loved; that class was where I’ve done the best writing I’ve ever done at Urban. I looked forward to it every day and I was really sad when it ended.” – Stella Sears-Bicknell ‘22

“All of my favorite readings at Urban were assigned in Latin American Lit. Amanda really encouraged us to just experience and enjoy the readings (mostly short stories), rather than try to analyze every minute detail. I would highly recommend this class to anyone who wants to take a break from the kinds of reading you do in most English classes at Urban.” – Ryan Steinbach ‘22

“Courtney made so much room in the class for me to feel like I could creatively express myself and make mistakes which is not something I feel like I can do at Urban.” – Caroline Wu ‘22

The Naturalist as Writer: Environmental Change and Justice (UAS)

“I really enjoyed the books that we read, particularly Silent Spring, because it was very informative and was the first significant time that anyone had written about the negative side effects of pesticides. It was a very discussion-based class and I liked how it intersected with the STEM classes that I have taken.” – Athena MacDonald ‘22

“[it had an] easy vibe” – Lauren Edwards ‘22

Introduction to Creative Writing (UAS)

“ [It] felt different to other Urban classes in that you could really write about anything, real or not real. Also it was a great environment to workshop material with classmates and get inspired by other people’s pieces.” – Ava Desouza ‘22

“It was expansive and allowed for a lot of freedom” – Orrie Rindal ‘22

Toni Morrison (UAS)

“The curriculum was really engaging and fun” – Lauren Edwards ‘22

 

History

Modern Middle East (UAS)

“The most informative and thought-provoking class– [we] learned about the Israel-Palestine Conflict through trustworthy sources, balanced perspectives, and enjoyed incredible class discussion. [It] made me want to study international relations in college” – Audrey Mullen ‘22

Contemporary Issues

“I enjoyed the subject of the classes and actually enjoyed listening to podcasts for homework instead of long readings. Our class was centered around the Serial podcast about army soldier Bowe Bergdahl, a former American prisoner of war held captive by the Taliban. Every few nights we would listen to another episode of the podcast, and other nights we would research and reflect upon current events. I really enjoyed taking a class that felt relevant to present life at the time, per the name ‘Contemporary Issues’.” – Chiara Atkin ‘22

Constitutional Law (UAS)

“I felt that [this was one of the classes] that related to the real world the most out of [other] classes I have taken. The projects we did and skills we learned I felt like we would truly use in the future.” – Nico Dezerega ‘22

Asian American History

“[This class] has a documentary project for the final which is really fun” – Emma Chung ‘22

 

Math

Infinity (UAS)

“It was a break-neck math class that covered a lot of very interesting topics. The best part about it, though, was the community in the room. We spent a lot of time discussing the concepts, getting into debates, and bantering.” – Teague Millette ‘22

“Infinity was a really hard math class that covered a lot of diverse, interesting, and difficult topics. I really liked my teacher (Parisa) and the discussions that we had in class.” – Isaac Salzman ‘22

Computer Science 2 (UAS)

“[There is] so much freedom and self-guidance in the class. The projects were larger with longer times to complete them, giving me more freedom and independence of managing my projects with additional classwork.” – Silas Grout ‘22

 

Science

Astronomy

“It was really different from other Urban science classes and considered the world around us in an accessible way” – Orrie Rindal ‘22

Human Anatomy & Physiology

“I felt like it was applicable to different areas of focus like gender studies, human rights, social justice, current events, [and more].” – Izzie Ballon ‘22

“I like understanding things and I like science classes that immediately help me make sense of the world around me.” – Stella Sears-Bicknell ‘22

Infectious Disease (UAS)

“This class was not only interesting because we learn about the science behind infectious disease, but also because we think about it more from an ethical and global standpoint. It’s the type of class that you want to take if you like bio, but it’s one that you leave truly having a better understanding of the global health care system and have a greater sense of disparities and inequities in the health care system.” – Kailene Apana ‘22

“[This class was] super interesting and also really relevant to real-life” – Emma Chung ‘22

Physical Resources (UAS)

“I loved Physical Resources because the teachers are amazing, the material is really interesting – specifically San Francisco’s water facilities, which are really relevant to our day-to-day life – and connects to real-world issues. There are also a lot of intersections with other non-stem classes that I appreciated, like learning about environmental racism.” – Athena MacDonald ‘22

“Real world application” – Nico Dezerega ‘22

Genetics

“[It] felt very relevant and tangible, while also being super interesting learning about sequencing and inheritance.” – Ava Desouza ‘22

 

Arts

Industrial Design

“More generally, the aspect of the class I particularly enjoyed was that the course was very applicable. Being able to design my own “product” using 3D modeling and brainstorm potential solutions to problems was all new and very interesting to me. I’m a huge fan of Shark Tank and have always been intrigued by the idea of innovating for the primary reason of helping the world.” – Kol Bassuk ‘22

Fall/Winter Production

“Community” – Orrie Rindal ‘22