The answer is HECK YEAH!
There are requirements to take Liberal Arts classes, such as History, English, Science, etc. And these classes can actually help you figure out your major if you don't know exactly what you want to major in. That's how I was my first year at St. Mikes. I knew I wanted to continue Spanish, but I was pretty far ahead in class requirements, so either a double major or some minors had to be added. But I wasn't sure in what. After taking some requirement classes just for the school, I found the Media Studies, Journalism, and Digital Arts major and everything clicked! Finding your major is one of the most amazing feelings because you've found something you love to study and learn more about.
Which brings me to this semester. If you look at my class schedule, I am taking 3 Media classes and 1 Spanish class, all towards my double major. So my days are filled with classes that are not only interesting and engaging, but that I absolutely love.
One class I want to highlight is my Race, Gender, and Ethnicity in Media class. You can probably guess by the name that this class is going to be interesting. It is taught by Professor Griffith (who is also my advisor and one of the coolest people on campus, in my opinion) and we talk about anything and everything that relates to these topics. We just finished our Gender section and are moving into Race. This class is one of my favorites because we usually sit in a huge circle around the room and are constantly talking and discussing whatever articles we had read the night before and trying to answer questions and define terms.
During our Gender section, what I found most interesting was when we began to dive into transgender men or women, talking about their rights, the perspective of society, and their partners. It was mind blowing to see the difference in legal rights. So much of what I had been giving my attention to was more specific to gay and lesbian rights because they seem to be at the forefront of this fight for justice. More than anything, this class opens my eyes to things that had slipped my mind before or I didn't question because it didn't affect me.
And moving into Race, that realization continues to come up. The other day, we looked at the US Census and what racial categories they use. Looking at the list, it seemed like there was a lot missing, but we also were trying to figure out what exactly made them create these specific identities. We've only been discussing it for a week, but I know that this is going to become a very interesting topic.
So as you can see, classes are awesome! Especially once you get into your major. Sure, there were times that I wasn't too font of the class I was taking (calculus when I hadn't taken pre-calc, but that's another story I'll share later) but once you find your passions and what really interests you, it is the best feeling to be studying subjects that engage, interest, and challenge you.
And that's one of the many reasons I love St. Mikes.
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