From WordPress’s Daily Post Blog comes a question:

What was your favorite class when you were in high school or college?

Bonus: Was it your favorite class at the time you took it? Why or Why not?

It’s rather hard to pick. No, really. I think I have it down to a two which I enjoyed for completely different reasons.

1. Differential Equations with Dr S: I have not worked that hard for a course (other than my senior design course) in my entire college career. And, here’s the kicker: the professor was the source of my motivation. It wasn’t the grade – though I did want an A, I would have been fine with a B but the passion he had for the subject. I’m talking a severe, deep love of everything that differential equations is and can be used to do. He knew most of the class was going into a career in engineering, so the course was focused on specific engineering applications from fluids to circuits to the good ‘ole spring-mass-damper system. Although it was a large class, he had this way of drawing you in, making you want to go up to the white board and watch him solve problems up close. He also didn’t go easy on us; as engineers, Diff Eq is one of the first truly difficult classes we take and he wasn’t going to baby us. Nothing was ever separatable, rarely exact, and often made you search for brain for knowledge of trig substitutions come exam time. But, well, you didn’t care. You wanted to hate him for it, but couldn’t bring yourself to do so because you knew that you knew your diff eq, inside and out. And, thanks to Dr S, you weren’t going to forget it anytime soon.

2. Relgion 102 (Comparitive American Relgious Experiences): Taken the summer before Matt and I got married, I both loved and hated this class when I was taking it. My mind was on wedding planning and I was working and he assigned a crap ton of reading for a six week course. Plus, it was 6 hours a week of class. Ugh. The thing, though, was he didn’t just explain the central tenants of Christianity, Judaism, and Santeria, he really brought you into the cultures of each. He sang traditional songs, read sacred texts, and even brought in a speaker to represent each major branch of each religion. Plus, he was a former priest with a lot of great stories. And, the best part, he forced us all to have open minds, about both our own beliefs (or lack therefore) and those of others. We stayed away from theology discussions in terms of “this is the correct belief” and instead were encouraged to explain what the beliefs of our particular denomination / group / sect are. I still remember a particular Mennonites versus Amish discussion (and another one where I was informed by a classmate that Methodists are just OCD and can’t own up to it).

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So, how about you all? What were your favorite college classes? For my friends who are teachers/profs themselves, what’s your favorite class to teach?