Campus Conversations

A Few 2-unit Classes Worth Taking

April 10, 2012

Blogger: Abby Chin-Martin

The typical student at Oxy will take 16 units each semester. That's four 4-unit classes.  The last few semesters, though, I've taken 18 units because I've tacked on a fun 2-unit class to the rest of my courses. I will now give you a brief overview of a few of them. Art 327 - Book Arts/Letterpress Printing

  • I'm taking this class right now, and I love it. We meet once a week and have been learning how to use the giant old fashioned letter printing press.  It's been great to have the opportunity to relax and do some art in the midst of my crazy week! Here's a birthday card I made when we did linoleum prints:  

Education 140 - Community Literacy

  • This class was one of my favorite 2-unit classes I've taken so far because I was able to work with kids. Elementary students from schools around Eagle Rock come to Occidental's Community Literacy Center and are tutored by Oxy students. It's a really fun and fulfilling experience, AND you get class credit!

Urban Environmental Policy 247

  • Environmental Problem Solving - There are actually two sections of this class! I've taken each, and they're very different from the each other. In the first class, students serve as Environmental Stewards for the school and work closely with the Oxy administration to initiate positive environmental changes on campus. Groups of 3 or 4 students create a project to help accelerate and achieve this goal. My group organized the Sustainable Moveout; our goal was to reduce waste on campus created by students throwing away unwanted goods at the end of the semester. We created a program that allowed students to donate these items to local non-profit organizations.
  • Sustainable Food Practices - The second section of this class is really unique because it's taught by students. In the class, we learn about gardening and cooking. The course focuses on how to grow, harvest, and eat sustainably. The growing portion of the course mimics a master gardener's course, and the cooking portion of the course teaches students how to properly handle and prepare locally grown food. Another component to the class is volunteering at a local elementary school and teaching kids about gardening and eating healthy.  In addition to educating elementary school students, we also educate our fellow Oxy students.  Just the other week, my friend and I created and served a vegetarian dessert of coconut cream, acai and raspberry puree, and banana on the quad.