With the course selection window right around the corner, we asked our staff members what they would recommend. Whether you need a humanities, science, or even an art class, we got you covered.

Here are a few courses our staff think are worth checking out.

Peter Williams: METEO 3 (Weather Revealed: Introductory Meteorology)

METEO 3 is my favorite General Education class at Penn State. Fulfilling a Natural Sciences (GN) requirement, this introductory meteorology course is fully web-based, meaning you complete it on your own time in a modular format on Canvas, instead of physically meeting as a class. There are quizzes due weekly, but they are very manageable. You can visit the website and check out the course content before enrolling for the course if you’re not sure if you would be interested. I really enjoyed taking this class in the fall because it allowed my schedule to not be too busy and gave me more time to enjoy my semester. The best part about the class is that you will get updates via Canvas about local weather events interpreted by your professor, a meteorologist! As we all know, living in State College can be quite the experience dealing with our weather, and having each detail explained using terms you can apply to class was very interesting. Overall, I think METEO 3 is the best Gen Ed class because it provides a buffer in your schedule, is fun and interesting, and applies to your everyday life!

Melanie Thalhimer: HIST 130 (The Civil War Era)

I took this class in the fall of my freshman year and finished with a very high A. Overall, it was a very easy course with minimal assignments. The workload was light; I spent about an hour per week on homework. Most weeks, the only assignment was creating a discussion post question based on the readings.
The exams were written, but they weren’t difficult because the study guide essentially provided the answers. On the exams, you completed a “tombstone” explaining who a historical term or figure was. The material also wasn’t new, since most of us had already learned about the Civil War before college, which made the class feel even easier. As long as you kept up with the readings and reviewed the study guide, it was very manageable.

McKenna Murphy: THEA 112 (Introduction to Musical Theatre)

To start, there are no due dates for the class. This allows you to go at your own pace and actually enjoy the lessons without having to rush to complete quizzes before deadlines. The entire class is online, where you watch video lectures recorded by Robert Schneider. Schneider is so hilarious, witty, and passionate about theater that every single lecture, I find myself smiling or laughing out loud. Then, after watching the lectures, you have to take quizzes and midterms that are super simple and taken straight from the videos. I love musical theater, so learning about different Broadway shows and the history of the art is genuinely so much fun. I find myself looking forward to working on this class and even getting ahead on lessons simply because I enjoy watching the lectures. Even if you are not into theater or musicals, I still highly recommend this for a fascinating, yet simple gen-ed.

Emily Bonavita: MUSIC 109 (The Music of the Beatles)

This class is quite easy and has a very light workload. Each week, there is a 20-question quiz, which is straightforward if you complete the modules. This course is offered as an online class, allowing you to take it at your own pace each week. You are only required to participate in two discussion posts throughout the semester, along with one essay, weekly quizzes, and 3 Unit tests. The few assignments that you have to do are simple and easy to complete.

Ella Wehmeyer: CAMS 45 (Classical Mythology)

I took classical mythology in the first semester of my freshman year. I may be a little biased because I already had an interest in Greek mythology going into the class, but I absolutely loved it. If you can take it with Erin Hanses cause she was an amazing professor. I thought it was a pretty easy class and only had exams every so often and two small projects. If you pay attention in class or go over the material before the exams, they aren’t bad at all. I ended the semester with an A-, so I highly recommend!

Sean Regenye: THEA 112 (Introduction to Musical Theatre)

I highly recommend taking Theater 112; it was the easiest class I’ve taken in my three years here. It’s all online and at your own pace. The syllabus says you need to read librettos of ten musicals, but you absolutely do not; all necessary information is on Quizlet.

I finished 90% of the course during sylly week, but had to wait for finals week to take the online final, which is just a combination of the quiz questions you can find online.

Nathaniel Yerage: ASTRO 7N (The Artistic Universe)

Astro 7N was the easiest class I’ve ever taken, and there’s no contest. It’s an asynchronous online class, and the majority of the work is done by playing a video game, where you are taught a bunch of different astronomy concepts and then quizzed about them afterwards by a robot. The rest of the class is art projects, and since art is “subjective”, the only bar for getting 100% is not using AI (and I’m pretty sure some of my classmates did anyway). When I took it, I procrastinated the entire class and had to do everything in a week, and I pulled it off. 10/10, highly recommend.

Lyndsay Camp: GEOSC 10 (Geology of National Parks)

I took this course through World Campus while I was living in Florida last spring semester. Virtual field trips, small typed-up lessons, and quizzes make up the majority of the class. Most of the time, I completed the work while I was waiting in line at Disney World. The workload isn’t extreme, the professor is very understanding, and the content can be pretty interesting. I mean, who doesn’t want to travel the world from the comfort of their own home? It is also entirely online, which helps with busy class schedules.

Kennedy Jones: CAS 175N (Persuasion and Propaganda)

This easily has to be one of my favorite classes I’ve taken so far at Penn State. The content throughout the course is super interesting, and besides two essays, there was barely any work to do. While there were weekly readings, I always really enjoyed what I was reading, so it didn’t feel like too much work.

Brandon Hurley IST 130 (Emerging Technologies in Popular Culture)

IST 130, also known as AI and Art, is a GenEd art credit that lets you explore the uses of AI in the artistic world and how ethically correct it is. I personally really enjoy it a lot, it isn’t too difficult, and the professor is great! Extremely interactive class, despite being 200+ people. All in all, a strong art credit that is also super interesting!

Hannah Guidotti: GEOSC 10 (Geology of National Parks)

It’s an online national parks class; the professor mentions at the beginning that, to teach it, they have to tie it into geology. There are virtual tours of national parks and weekly quizzes, but it’s probably the easiest class I’ve taken ever. The professor sings songs about rocks.

Madison Sosnowski: EGEE 101 (Energy and the Environment)

I would recommend this class to anyone, especially if you aren’t the best at science. The teacher is so forgiving and lets you take each assignment as many times as you want, and the bonus is that it’s a web course!

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You heard it, folks!

These are our staff picks for the best Gen-Eds. Get ready to sign up, especially since some of these classes made the list more than once. You already know they’re going to be competitive.