As I just registered for my last semester and my time at college is coming to an end, I thought I’d review some of my favorite courses at Washington and Lee so far. Compiling this list was difficult, as I’ve enjoyed so many classes — across so many different disciplines. But, the courses listed below are my ultimate top recommendations to all of you, my faithful readers. These classes have spanned my past three years at this school and are guaranteed to expand your brain, steer you towards an unexpected career path, and most importantly make you sound smart and interesting at any dinner party.
Starting strong is Poverty 101 taught by Professor Pickett — the very first class I took at W&L and the reason I came to this school. During Admitted Students Day, I attended a mock poverty course taught by Pickett. This day was entirely virtual because of Covid, but even so, Pickett’s demeanor and teaching style still stood out. I listened eagerly as Pickett described the importance of people at the center of policy and how the Shepherd Center’s mission of respecting each other’s dignity can apply to important political issues. I remember thinking “If this is what college is like, then I’ll jump at the chance to be in college forever!” Professor Pickett more than encourages participation — he encourages the coursework to become a way of life. This course entirely changed the way I see the world and my place in it and I truly believe POV 101 should be required for all students.
My next favorite course is Presidential Scandals, my freshman year spring term course in which we evaluated the presidencies of Warren Harding, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. This course was taught by Professor Strong, an expert in the presidencies. Each week, we focused on a different scandal and the course culminated in a reenactment of Clinton’s impeachment trial. This course was the perfect inaugural spring term as it was energetic and fast-paced while still examining a critical component of our democracy. We discussed what happens when our democracy fails and presidents mess up — and how we remedy this. While Professor Strong is now retired, I would highly recommend taking Professor Alexander’s course, The Presidency, as a worthy substitute.
During my junior year, I took a politics course titled Terrorism, and I understand this is where I might lose some of you all, but Terrorism has been one of my favorite classes I’ve taken at Washington and Lee. In Professor Cantey’s interactive course, we learned about the structure and recruitment process of terrorist groups, what even qualifies an organization as a terrorist, and historical responses to terrorism by the U.S. government. We even hosted the Queen of Torture, Alfreda Scheur, who worked at the CIA during the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Cantey has worked within the intelligence field before, previously studying under George Tenent (the former CIA director) at Duke University, and thus has a nuanced understanding. The reason I value this course so much is because it helped give me direction and purpose in terms of my career choice — it introduced me to the world of counterterrorism and foreign policy.
Lastly, one of my favorite courses was Washington Term, my junior year spring term class. During Wash Term, I interned in Washington for six weeks, fulfilling the program’s mission of “learning democracy by doing it.” While the experience of working in Washington was incredible, the personal growth I experienced in doing so is what I value the most. I became much more confident in myself and my abilities, learning to network with total strangers and advocate for my experience and knowledge in the workplace. Washington is often described as “cut-throat,” but during the summer I spent there, I witnessed more cooperation, collaboration and bipartisanship than ever before. Not only this, but the cohort of students in Wash Term grew incredibly close in a way that I’d never experienced before in a regular course.
While the majority of these courses are politics-related (spoiler- I am a politics major), the experience and insight gained can apply to any student. Each of the courses I mention approaches learning in a dive-right-in, hands-on, all-the-way method. The material isn’t taught to be memorized for a test but taught to be applied to your adult life after graduation. From POV 101, I learned to respect the dignity of every person — in big and small actions. In Presidential Scandals, I studied the mistakes of the past to prevent repeating them in the future. In Terrorism, we learned the important lesson that there are two sides to every story — one man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. And, lastly, in Washington Term I learned that the key to success is to not only have faith in myself but know when to lean on others.
