No, you didn’t read the title wrong- there are in fact SOME courses, even at the University of Toronto, which are a little easier than most. Emphasis on the easy-ER. Although some of your relatives might tell you that going for the easy way out won’t get you very far, here at Society 19 we understand that it’s nice to have a couple of ‘bird’ courses every year to help you remain sane. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of classes at UofT that might help boost your GPA without too much effort! Keep reading for 10 easy courses at the University of Toronto!
1. AST101: The Sun and Its Neighbours
Not only does the title sound interesting, but this is an astronomy course that requires no background knowledge in science or engineering. It is perfect for fulfilling breath requirement 5 for those of us not in these programs!
2. AST201: Stars and Galaxies
Now this one is pretty similar to the course above, but each is only half a credit- that means if you decide to take both, you will have completed breath requirement 5 (The Physical and Mathematical Universes). It also means that you will have at least one course a semester that doesn’t require too much brainpower; if you show up to class and try to listen most of the time, you should ace the test!
3. JEI206: Writing English Essays
Not only is this course super easy, but it can be incredibly useful! You may think you know how to write English essays, but whether that is a correct statement or not, this course is for you. If you are great at writing them, then you’ll do well and this will probably be your favorite of the easy courses at The University of Toronto. If you’re not quite as adept as you thought, you’ll learn some really great skills that will make the rest of your time at university much easier.
4. CLA201: Latin & Greek in Scientific Terminology
Similarly, to ‘Writing English Essays’, this course is one that can help you out for the rest of your undergrad career, especially if you are in the sciences. It might sound scary, but you’ll basically be learning about the origin and formation of scientific words. Spending an entire course learning about these words will take a load off your shoulders when you have to memorise a ton of theories AND terminology in your future science courses!
5. ABS201: Introduction to Indigenous Studies: Foundations, History and Politics
This is probably a course that you’d never think to take unless indigenous studies was your major, which is a perfect reason to take it! You’ll be exposed to something completely different to your other lectures, and can actually spend your time enjoying learning about indigenous studies instead of stressing about the exam, since it’s a pretty easy course.
6. PHL285: Aesthetics
Philosophy seems like a pretty scary subject to most people, but this is not one of the ones you should be scared of. It’s actually a pretty good course for anyone that is interested in any form of art; literature, paintings, film, or music. You often get to watch videos and clips, and the midterm and final are online, take-home exams!
7. SMC219: Mass Media in Culture and Society
A lot of Book and Media classes are good ones to take. There are no tutorials, so you have less hours of class a week, and the lectures never have more than 200 people. Often, such as in this class, book and media classes are discussion based, which might give you a break from listening to a prof drown on in Con Hall. Plus, the readings in this course are ALL online, because the professor doesn’t believe in making students pay for textbooks!
8. GLG205: Confronting Global Change
This is another seemingly ‘scientific’ course that is appropriate for non-science students! It acts as an introduction to Earth System Science and Global Environmental Change, but because it’s just an intro, it’s not too heavy. You’ll learn some basics about the environment, and should get a decent grade while doing it!
9. ENG220: Shakespeare
Again, this is one of the topics that people immediately shy away from, but even for those of us who don’t LOVE Shakespeare, this is a course you should consider taking! Absolutely everything you do during the year is worth 12.5%, so there’s not too much pressure on any of the assignments or exams. The way that the exams are formatted, as long as you read the plays, you should do well. Another benefit is that with the assignments, you get a lot of creative freedom!
10. LIN200: Introduction to Language
As stated in the description, this course can’t be used as an introduction to linguistics… that just goes to show that it is a pretty easy course, because it doesn’t go in depth enough into language to count for the major. It’s pretty much a general interest course, so if you want to learn more about language, take this course!
What are your favorite easy courses at The University of Toronto? Comment below and share the article!
Featured photo source: jasperplanetarium.com and pri.org
