Hey everyone!
I hope you all had a nice weekend. It was even more gorgeous and sunny than usual here in LA so I tried to spend lots of time outside!
So even though this blog is all about Viterbi and my life as a Viterbi student, I thought I’d mix things up a bit this week and blog about my life outside of Viterbi. Specifically, I thought I’d cover non-Viterbi classes.
Although as engineers, we primarily take classes in Viterbi, every engineer takes at least a few classes outside of Viterbi – and some people, like me, actually take quite a few classes outside. Just in case you’re curious about non-Viterbi classes you might take as an engineer, I’ve listed a few of the classes I’ve taken outside of Viterbi, why I took them, and what I thought.
Engineering Requirements Outside Viterbi:
(Note: exact courses vary by engineering discipline – these are the ones I took)
- MATH 125/126/226/225: The calculus sequence. I took Calculus I, Calculus II, Calculus III, and Linear Algebra & Differential Equations as part of my engineering major. These classes are offered through the Math Department in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences.
- PHYS (Physics) 151/152: I also took Physics I (Mechanics & Thermodynamics) and Physics II (Electricity & Magnetism) as part of my engineering major. These classes are offered through the Physics Department in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences.
- CHEM (Chemistry) 105a: Lastly, I took General Chemistry, also as part of my engineering major. This class is offered through the Chemistry Department in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences.
Industrial & Systems Engineering (Operations Track) Major Requirements in the Marshall School of Business:
- DSO (Data Science & Operations) 431: Foundations of Digital Business Innovation. This course covered foundational frameworks for understanding the planning and execution of digitally enabled strategic initiatives. This was actually one of my very favorite major classes – it was a small, discussion-based course, and we spent a lot of time talking about various business cases.
- DSO (Data Science & Operations) 433: Business Process Design. This course covers how to analyze and improve business processes with digital technologies, including the use of cases and business case design.
- DSO (Data Science & Operations) 435: Enterprise Data Architecture. This course covered management of enterprise data architecture including data structures, conceptual data modeling, logical data modeling, structured query language (SQL), and physical optimization of high performance data architecture. This was another one of my favorite classes. You can read a blog about this class here and a blog about a group project I did in this class here.
Just officially submitted our semester-long database project! I couldn’t have asked for a better team #ViterbiClass pic.twitter.com/BZeiVKbN6S
— Juliana Porter (@juliana_porter) December 13, 2014
Anthropology Minor Classes
- ANTH 314: The Nature of Maya Civilization. This was the first anthropology course I took, and eventually led me to minor in the subject. The class was a seminar forum on Maya culture from the earliest form to the present: problems of origins, classic florescence, systems collapse, conquests, persistence, and transformation today.
- ANTH 370: Family and Kinship in Cross-Cultural Perspective. This course was a comparative examination of family and kinship in tribal, peasant, and complex societies, emphasizing non-Western cultures, societal and normative consequences of forms and functions in family.
- ANTH 470: Maya Resiliency. This was absolutely one of the coolest classes I’ve taken at USC. I took this 4-unit Problems Without Passport course abroad in Guatemala. It studied the how the Maya people of Central America have forged a strong cultural identity in both the past and present. You can read more about my experience taking this class abroad here.
After a wonderful first month working in Michigan I’m off to Guatemala for a two week class on Maya Resiliency #ViterbiAbroad — Juliana Porter (@juliana_porter) June 16, 2014
General Education Classes
- POSC (Political Science) 265: Environmental Challenges. This class was an examination of the challenges of environmental problem-solving at the personal, local, national and global scales, focused on the issue of climate change.
- AMST (American Studies) 135: People and Cultures of the Americas. This course was an introduction to cultures and people in the Americas; the social, historical, economic and cultural formations that together make up the Latino American imaginary.
- ARTL (Arts & Letters) 100: Literature of Resistance. This class discussed various resistance movements, and various forms of resistance media. You can read a blog about this class here.
- WRIT 140/ WRIT 340 (Writing): General writing courses taken by all USC students. I particularly enjoyed Writing 340 (Communication for Engineers) as it focused on more technical writing for engineering students.
Creating assertion-evidence slides about ethics of virtual reality for my engineering writing course #ViterbiClass pic.twitter.com/TEXzJKnpxt
— Juliana Porter (@juliana_porter) October 21, 2014
Just for Fun:
- DSO (Data Science & Operations) 462: Managing a Small Business on the Internet. I decided to take this two-unit course in the Marshall School of Business just for fun. It covered foundational knowledge for managing a small business on the Internet including strategies, tools, and resources integrated with hands-on skills for developing a small business website. In this course I actually got to create my own small Internet business and design a website for it using Weebly, WordPress, and several other tools.
- PHED 120A: Yoga. A one-unit class covering an introduction to meditation, breathing techniques and postures as a means towards relaxation; increase muscle flexibility, and understanding of basic anatomy and nutritional guidelines.
This semester I get to start out my Tuesday and Thursday mornings with some yoga! #ViterbiClass pic.twitter.com/4Cqvy8fWmq — Juliana Porter (@juliana_porter) February 19, 2015
As you can see, even though I’m an engineering major, I’ve actually taken quite a few non-engineering classes. Though I generally love my Viterbi ISE classes most, the other courses I’ve taken outside of Viterbi have contributed to a very well-rounded education!
Until next time,
Juliana
[author title=”Author” author_id=””] Button Text
