These are a series of classes, certificates and other activities recommended by the IE class of 2015 for future generations of students. The page is organized according to the following categories:

1. Recommended General Education classes
2. Other recommended classes
3. Programs and certificates
4. Five College resources
5. Restaurants, clubs and other regional activities

Recommended General Education classes:

Afroam 132 – African American History 1619-1860: It fulfilled my HS requirement. At the beginning of the course, we spoke a lot about the Spanish conquistadors, which definitely tied into SPANISH 322 at the time. I thought the class was well organized and didn’t demand too much work for a 100-level class.

Biology 105 – Biology of Social Issues. It sounded like a really interesting class, and looking back on it, it wasn’t a bad class. We didn’t really go over controversial issues, I took this class thinking it would help me make decisions on certain issues, but we did learn about some interesting social problems that deal with biology. I would recommend this class to students.

I would second the recommendation of Biology of Social Issues. I found it really interesting and it helps to change how you see the world in terms of our effects on the environment and how all forms of life are connected and interplay with each other.

Geograph 100 – Global Environmental Chang: The course is geared towards non-science students and the teacher really goes out of his way to accommodate students like me who hadn’t taken a science course in a while. It’s pretty straightforward as courses go — lectures, three (maybe four) short response papers and four exams.  The exams are all multiple choice and taken twice in class — the first time you take it alone without notes, and the second time you can work with a classmate and use your book and notes. He then averages the two tests to get a final grade.  The teacher was supportive of students who wanted to explore different aspects of the social/science relationship and the things we learned about are so interesting, even if you’re not a “science” person.

Linguist 201 – Introduction to Linguistic Theory: This fulfilled the R2 requirement, and I really enjoyed the class. We examined the syntax of other languages, created many word trees, and got into IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). Now thinking about it, this class was helpful with Spanish Phonetics 378 because I already had a background with IPA. Oddly enough, I found phonetics to be much easier in Spanish than in English. Linguistics 201 was pretty challenging, so it’s not an easy A gen ed, but for me math is awful, so I’m really happy I found this course to fulfill my R2.

I would re-recommend Theory of Linguistics 201 for the same reason. It was incredibly interesting and if you’re looking for an R2 that isn’t math, this is the class to take. It was extremely helpful for Spanish Phonetics, and Lisa Green is a great, enthusiastic instructor.

Microbio 160- Biology of Cancer and AIDS: The name might scare you off, but the class is not only super easy, it’s really, really interesting.  On the downside, it is a large lecture in Furcolo, but you won’t regret it. And more importantly, the book is cheap.

Music 110 – Fundamentals of Theory: It’s an R2, and if you were in band in middle school and/or high school, it’ll be a breeze.

Phil 164 – Medical Ethics: It helps to examine your own values as well as examine from a critical standpoint the different implications of things like doctor assisted suicide, abortion, etc.

Sociol 110 – Introduction to Sociology: For an SB, U, (kill two birds with one stone), I took Sociology 110. This class was extremely interesting and the teacher (Ryan Acton) was good at explaining terms and themes of the class. The class was very basic and easy to follow. Like most other classes the exams require a lot of memorization and studying, however I would absolutely recommend this class, especially because it fulfills two gen-eds.

Wgss 187 – Gender, Sexuality, and Culture: I would re-recommend Biology of Social Issues and AfroAm 132, which I both thoroughly enjoyed, and would add Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies 187 to the list.  Growing up with a feminist mother, I thought that I already knew a good deal about the oppression that women, transgender people, and non-heterosexuals have experienced in the past and still experience on a daily basis, but after taking this class, which only still scratches the surface of women’s studies, I realized how blind I had been to pervasive cultural norms that are extremely problematic.  I would recommend this class if you’re at all interested in social justice/oppression issues in our society.

Theater 140 – Beginning Techniques in Performance: In this class you’ll learn basics of acting, and if you’re afraid of speaking in groups, it’ll help you out tremendously.  You learn monologues and short scenes that you perform in class in front of your peers. It usually meets only once a week and is worth 3 credits.

Transferring credits from a community college: It is valuable for students to know that most gen ed courses taken at a Massachusetts community college will transfer to UMass. There is a program, known as MassTransfer, through which students can transfer their entire associate’s degree as one big package so that they will not have to take any gen ed’s at UMass. This link will bring you to the course equivalency guide, specifically for transfer from Holyoke Community College to UMASS. I was able to take all of my lower-level Spanish classes at HCC, and was able to take 311 during my first semester at UMass. As for specific general education courses at HCC, I really enjoyed Music 140 (Intro to Jazz) and Art 131 (Intro to Art History). I learned a lot in both classes. Courses like these 2 make me think that gen eds are a good thing: when else will I get the opportunity to learn about all of these different subjects? Upon finishing at HCC, I did feel like I had received a very well-rounded education.

Other recommended classes:

Anthro 397 – Grassroots Community Organizing – This is one of the most valuable classes I’ve ever taken. It is a very unique seminar class that is discussion based and student facilitated. It is a five-credit upper-level Anthropology course that carries Honors credit and is open to students across all years, all majors, and all Five Colleges. It’s awesome to be in a classroom with students you might otherwise never interact with! The GCO classroom is a unique and challenging experience in which students take responsibility for their own and one another’s learning, facilitated by well-supported teams of highly skilled student facilitators who have had intensive facilitation training. We study ways that diverse communities use local knowledge and build local and political power to address complex and deeply contextualized systems of marginalization. Students also examine their own diverse identities and shared structural context, in order to become capable of learning from and acting in solidarity with our community and campus partners.  A central focus of the GCO course is the Alternative Spring Break trip, where you go with your class to work with and learn from community organizers and leaders in grassroots organizations who are mobilizing toward social, economic, racial, and environmental justice. I road tripped with my class to Virginia and had an incredible week of learning and exploration.  I am not alone in saying that this class experience was one of the most intense, meaningful, and transformative of their UMass career. It has made me think deeply and in new ways about what it means to be a Spanish major.

Boltwood classes – This class doesn’t fulfill a Gen Ed and doesn’t have to do with the Spanish major. I believe it is part of the community engagement department. Once a week, we spend time with people that have various disabilities, and just hang out with them. The goal of the class is to break the social gap between people with and without disabilities. It is a 2 credit course and it is lead by students. I go to the Bang Community Center in Amherst with about 10 UMASS students, but there are many other groups for Boltwood. Some meet in Amherst and others outside of Amherst. You do have to apply to the program and there are interviews, but I would still highly recommend people to apply. I regret not joining the class earlier. The course work is very minimal, a one page reflection after every week, 3 weekend seminars throughout the semesters, and an overall reflection of the semester.

Catalan 321 – Catalan Culture – This class, taught in Spanish, was my introduction to the language, history and culture of Cataluña, and I believe it’s one of the classes in which I learned the most new information at UMass.  Before taking this class, I had thought that Catalan was some sort of dialect of Spanish, but felt totally enlightened after learning the history of Franco’s oppression, the resurge of art and culture since the end of the dictatorship, and most of all: the language! This class is what inspired me to study Catalan at UMass, and I hope to receive the minor by next semester when I graduate.  My favorite parts of this class were looking at and discussing Catalan art and architecture, and reading La plaça diamant by Mercé Rodoreda, (English title: The Time of the Doves, although I like The Diamond Square a whole lot more) a beautiful classic Catalan novel that takes place during the Spanish Civil War, whose protagonist, Natalia, really resonated with me at the time.

Comp-Lit 391 CA – On Cannibalism – This course was one of the most interesting that I’ve taken during my time at UMass. Many people don’t know that this class exists, but I do suggest taking a look at the Comp-Lit courses on SPIRE because there are some really valuable learning opportunities there. Comp-Lit 391 satisfies an upper-level elective for the Spanish major (300 level) as well as for the Certificate in Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies. We read a lot of great texts and analyzed them from a different perspective. We talked about cannibalism as being far more metaphorical, and I really learned a lot. The professor is very knowledgeable in her subject matter. I definitely recommend looking into this course.

Dance courses for non-majors. If you have any sort of experience with performing (or none at all), I highly recommend taking non-major dance courses. They fill up pretty quickly, but as long as you show up the first day or you make it on the waitlist, they’ll override you into the class.  If you have a background in dance, you might want to consider auditioning for a dance major class instead. The classes are almost entirely based on attendance, and one small paper that’ll take you like 15 minutes to write after watching a dance performance.  They’re really helpful, and they’re only two credits!  More importantly, you can take them pass/fail. There’s really no losing.

Educ 377 – Introduction to Multicultural Education: Although my professor for this course was EXTREMELY disorganized, I feel like I gained a lot of knowledge about teaching in a multicultural setting, which is something that I will hopefully be doing in the near future. We also talked a lot about language use, especially Spanish, in the classroom. What I really liked about the course is that you had to volunteer in Holyoke once a week at an after school program. This really changed my view of teaching.

Educ 497I – Tutoring in Schools – This class was excellent, and I recommend every education minor to take it, whether they would like to be elementary or secondary teachers. The classes were very interesting and useful, and you had to spend at least 40 hours in a classroom as part of the class. The professors, Bob and Sharon, are so sweet and set you up with a teacher.

The teachers Bob and Sharon are great and very caring towards every student. You were required to tutor in a school in the area 40 hours a semester. For students interested in becoming a teacher, this would be a great class to get some experience with it.

Music 191V – Beginning Voice Class – If you’d like to sing, and you’ve never really sung before or have had little experience, this is the course for you.  You meet once or twice a week in group and learn the basics of proper singing technique.  There’s a lot you can learn about listening to others and each others’ mistakes.  It’s just 1 credit, but you do gain some knowledge from it. In the end, there may be some sort of showcase where everyone sings a solo piece.

Audition for the choral department!  If you enjoy singing, and you’ve been in a choir before, I highly recommend joining a choral ensemble.  At the beginning of the semester you audition and are placed in one of the choirs based on your vocal range and ability.  They’re only one credit and you learn a lot about musicality and some theory basics. Email Tony Thornton for details.

Span 397R – Spanish in the U.S. – This is another class I am very glad to have taken because it requires that you volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club of Holyoke. You simultaneously earn University credit and gain volunteer experience, and it has been an invaluable experience to me to not only see how the non-profit works and why (the CEO of the Club came in and spoke with us), but I also gained some invaluable insight into the lives and needs of the Puerto Rican community in Holyoke, and met some absolutely incredible kids that I cherish!

Programs and certificates:

For Spanish majors, I would recommend students to look into the Latin American Studies Certificate and the Modern European Studies Minor. Both are fairly easy to fulfill due to the Spanish major requirements, and will open you up to other classes. Due to the Latin American Certificate, I found a class that included a trip to Guatemala, and due to the Modern European studies minor, I’ll be taking a history course about Ireland, which is a country I’m very interested in, and probably wouldn’t have found it unless I took on the Modern European Studies minor.

I am also completing the Certificate in Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies. The supervisor of the certificate is also the director of the LATIN-AM 398 Practicum: Holyoke Tutorial class, which was a great experience for me. The Certificate is a great way to broaden the kinds of classes to take in relation to the Spanish major.

A certificate that I didn’t end up fulfilling but I would recommend is the Interpretation Studies Certificate. Although it approaches Interpretation from a more theoretical standpoint (problems that may arise, ethical boundaries, etc) instead of from a practical and skill development-based approach, I think it is useful for both developing a knowledge base on the subject and opening the student’s eyes to the varied uses of knowing a second or third language today in the U.S. There also exists a Medical Interpretation Certificate, which is ONE online class, and upon completion you become certified by the UMass Center of Interpretation and Translation and I have been told by the professor that runs the program (Edwin Gentzler) that it directly translates to the test to become nationally certified by the National Board of Medical Interpreters. Just something to think about.

Five College resources:

The Five Colleges are perhaps the most underutilized part of UMass Amherst experience, which is understandable–as by far the largest of the five colleges, and the only university, it is tempting to take only course at UMass and leave the other colleges alone. I caution against doing this–as wonderful as UMass is, my favorite four courses while at UMass Amherst have actually been taken off campus (three at Amherst College and one while studying abroad in Oxford at the Oxford Summer Seminar, which I also recommend if you’re a dual English major or Political Science.) To find Five College classes, think about which subject you want to take a course in–and then ignore the Five College website and instead simply google “Smith College Political Science Course Fall 2015,” or whatever your specific desire is. It’s a lot easier to navigate on their site than otherwise. Then you just scroll through the courses that are offered, and pick the one you like. The process for enrolling in a Five College class is actually rather easy, though people will claim it’s a hassle–all one needs to do is go to the Five College Office in Goddell (second floor when you walk in, directly upstairs from Career Services) and ask for a form to take a class at five college interchange. If this is during registration, what you want to do is leave a number of credits open so that you can take the class–so if I want to take a 4 credit class at Amherst (almost all five college classes are 4 credits,) all I have to do is make sure I only enroll in 14 credits, since the maximum number of credits is 18. This is so that the registrar can enroll you once the forms are processed. I would recommend emailing the professor of the course you want to take directly and making sure you have “instructor’s consent,” to enroll. This is usually not a problem and most professor say “sure.” Now, if you do this during registration you have the advantage of definitely getting a seat, but the disadvantage is you have to go and physically obtain the signature from the Professor at the other college. The PVTA is super easy to navigate though, and honestly it’s nice to leave UMass sometimes so you should just do that. But, if you don’t want to do that, you can wait until the actual start of the semester to start the process, email the professor beforehand telling them you want to take the class, and get the form actually signed by them during Add/Drop. Just make sure you don’t miss the first class! While Five College courses are sometimes challenging, I think it’s valuable to show private college students how intelligent and poised UMass students are, and it’s awesome to be an ambassador to the other campuses, especially when their initial opinions of UMass are sometimes misinformed and stereotypical.

Now in my last semester of college, I find myself wishing that I had taken advantage of the Five College system. I went with a friend to check out the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College, and it was absolutely incredible that a facility with such resources (complete REAL skeletons of Mammoths, Dinosaurs, etc) existed just down the street from us and I never knew. Look into it early!!

Five College classes are awesome!! I’ve taken 2 classes at Hampshire — one called Reading, Writing, and Citizenship about African American educational history and campaigns which was excellent, and one Intro to Statistics class, which also fulfills the R2 gen ed.

At Mount Holyoke I took a great class (Span/PolySci) with an amazing professor (Cora Anderson) called Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Latin America (this also counted towards the Spanish Certificate).

At Smith I am currently taking a Spanish class (SPN 373) called Contesting Feminisms: Transnational and Indigenous Voices Rethinking Latin American Feminisms. The class has been one of the best I’ve ever taken and I recommend taking ANYTHING you can with professor Michelle Joffroy.

In general, taking classes at the 5 Colleges is a really interesting and valuable experience of temporarily joining a different learning community.  There are many similarities and yet each school has its own particular culture, history, and offerings that are an incredible resource to have access to.

Restaurants, clubs and other regional activities:

High Horse for some reason seems to be a place where a lot of the Spanish-speaking academic community gathers (majors, grad students, native speakers)…take advantage! (They also have great beer.)

Try out anything and everything your freshman/ sophomore year.  After you’ve figured out what you really enjoy, narrow it down to 2-3 clubs/organizations/greek life.  You’ll be glad you had a chance to try out that many things, but even happier that you chose to do something you really like.

Audition for the UMass Theatre Guild! The UMTG is the oldest organization on campus, spanning over a hundred years of history.  Every semester, the guild puts together one play and one musical.  It is entirely student run, and is a fantastic learning experience.  Most schools only allow music majors, theater majors or musical theater majors to audition for their shows.  It is a very accepting environment and  truly rewarding.  If you have any experience with acting, singing, dancing, tech work, carpentry, hair and makeup, anything; you’re invited to join!  Auditions and applications occur at the beginning of every semester.  Get on that.

UMBDT (UMass Ballroom Dance Team)  Every Monday, the UMBDT has social dance lessons in the FAC lobby, where you learn to dance to a ballroom dance style (Waltz, Cha Cha, Swing, Jive, Salsa, etc).  It costs about $2 for non-members, and everyone is invited!  If you decide you really enjoy it, you can try out for the UMBDT at the beginning of the semester after.  You are taught to waltz and cha cha, and you then try out by group.  There are rehearsals once a week and coachings.  Also the costumes and shoes are awesome.  There are also competitions all over the country, and it is a great way to meet people and learn to dance.  There is no dance experience required. Check it out on Monday nights!

Take advantage of the beautiful area that surrounds you. Even if you are without a car, take the PVTA to The Notch in Hadley (right past Atkins Market, very close to Hampshire College). The Notch is a great hiking trail with different paths. It brings you to one of the Seven Sisters, a series of mountains that all connect in this area. Especially in the spring and fall, these areas are outstanding. Go out and explore!!

I would highly recommend joining an RSO during your first year on campus. It is easy to feel adrift at UMass, and the students in the RSO’s are quite kind and open because you are communicating a desire to learn more about what they are interested in. I joined the UMass International Relations Club and Model United Nations team, even though I had never done Model UN in high school. I will be brutally honest and say I had a really hard first semester at UMass–I felt alone, and I remember not wanting to go to the dining commons for fear of eating alone. These feelings are natural–not everyone is a party animal that loves freshman year, though I do enjoy a good party–but the best way to break out of that is by making connections. On IRCMUN, I was able to travel to Washington, D.C at a heavily discounted price at the end of October, and met friends who I still talk to to this day. These four day conferences allow you to discuss pertinent topics in international relations past and present (and develop critical thinking, reasoning, negotiation and public speaking skills,) but mostly they connect you with students at UMass and beyond. I eventually became President of the club, and joining at the spring activities expo was likely the one thing that kept me at UMass for four years. So, join an RSO! Any RSO! Though I recommend RSO’s that travel or have an active following or plan an event, as they will require more commitment and as such more interaction.