Arts AND Sciences: Favorite Humanities Classes as a Student in the Sciences

Penn’s College, by virtue of its name, consists of two principle parts: The Arts and the Sciences.As a VIPER junior studying physics and material science, I couldn’t be deeper into the branch of the sciences. Yet, much like many of my peers, the humanities as part of the college’s breadth requirement quickly changed from my most feared classes to my most memorable. Below are three of my favorite humanities courses I’ve taken at Penn, in no particular order!

1. HIST/COML: Foundations of European Thought

Beginning with the dawn of recorded European thinking, this course traces the evolution and influence of ancient European thought and its integration into society. From Cicero to the humanists, this course exposed me to so many interesting ideas from centuries prior that echo the sociopolitical situations of today.

2. ENGL: Dark Academia

A super cool first-year seminar (class tailored to first-year students!) on the key books andthemes of literature that influenced the #darkacademia trend. I knew from the very beginning of reading the course description that this class would be one of my favorites. Incredibly memorable it indeed was, from The Secret History to Babel, as we explored the underlying concepts of power, religion, and class hidden behind the mysterious digital aesthetics of dark academia.

3. THAR: Introduction to Acting

In contrast to many of my other classes, Introduction to Acting focused on getting me out of myseat and on the mainstage floor through all sorts of exercises, activities, and hands-on acting.This made it, without doubt, the most fun class of my sophomore spring semester, and a strong recommendation I have for anyone of any major.

I came to Penn knowing that I had any interests beyond my major that I wanted to explore, andthe general education requirement I’ve found to be a hugely rewarding way of both trying new subjects and building off of existing ones. These classes have introduced me to new ideas and ways of thinking, and allowed me to polish up on skills that would be otherwise unpracticed.

At the end of the day, the college is built off of two pillars: the arts and the sciences. And while I am much deeper into the latter, my experience has strongly convinced me that both —and the integration of the two— are superbly fun and undoubtedly valuable.

- Tony T.