Karate. Star Wars, Race, and Rebellion. World Cinema. Beyoncé: Race, Feminism, and Politics. The Witch Hunts in Europe.
There is plenty of fun to be had on the academic side of college.
As a recent Cal Poly graduate, a few of my classes made a lasting impression: an English class on director Alfred Hitchcock in which we watched movies at the Palm Theatre, an ethnic studies class on Black pop culture that analyzed 1990s hip-hop, and a journalism class about sports communication that taught about the rise of Caitlin Clark and other sports heroes.
While students must take the courses required by their major for their degree, some general education (GE) or elective classes—open to students of all majors—in Cal Poly’s catalog teach transferrable skills through a wide range of subjects.
“Those classes are really fundamentally about skills, even though people don’t always realize it,” College of Liberal Arts Dean Kate Murphy said.
I wish I’d told that to my relatives who were surprised I could earn college credit for studying The Birds. No matter what the topic is, students end up learning critical thinking.
“Having that breadth of offerings allows you to not only learn about the content and build foundational skills like oral and written communication but also learn how people who think differently from you approach the same kind of topics from a completely different angle,” Murphy said.
The variety of topics that Cal Poly offers for GE courses gives students a greater chance to find something they’re passionate about. They’ll learn the same skills, just through different subjects.
When students are engaged and interested in their classes, they perform better, Murphy said, which is one reason students benefit from the variety.
“It’s a nice example of how Cal Poly really tries to put student success at the heart of how we think about things,” Murphy said.
She remembered a conversation she had recently with Cal Poly alumni who still remember the witch hunt class, even though they’ve been out of school for years.
The Witch Hunts in Europe is currently taught by Nathan Perry, a history lecturer. The class reads personal accounts of witch executions and interrogations. He said the curriculum challenges students’ preconceptions about witches (no, they did not actually exist) and serves to compare past and present societies.
“They’re fascinated by this topic,” Perry said about his students.
GE classes help make students more well-rounded people, Perry said.
Stepping outside the classroom opens a whole new realm, too. The Kinesiology Department offers one-unit sports classes like golf, basketball, Pilates, and swimming. I had a blast in bowling and pickleball.
Kinesiology Department Chair Todd Hagobian agreed that students take the activity classes to have fun.
“It’s not going to impact your GPA. It does count as an elective, and in that way it’s good because there are students that actually need one or two units,” Hagobian said.
The one-unit classes can be helpful for students looking to meet the requirements to receive financial aid or scholarships. Plus, getting active for a couple of hours each week also helps students take a break from more academically rigorous classes.
The university also offers classes in dance, ceramics, painting, and music. There are countless possibilities for students when creating their education paths—it doesn’t all have to be boring.
“[Students are] never really going to be in this environment again,” Hagobian said. “I think they need to take advantage of not only the academic side of it, but also the social side.” ∆
Reach Sun Staff Writer Madison White, from New Times’ sister paper, at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Student Guide 2025.