Last-Minute Gems

As shopping week comes to a close, you might be panicking because you’re overloading on too many hard classes or haven’t found that schedule balance yet. Never fear, because Flyby is here to help! Take a look below at some of Harvard’s gem-iest (meaning easiest) gen-eds —  perfect filler classes for an easy time and a wholesome take on valuable education.

By Flyby Blog

The Ancient Greek Hero: Mythology and Facing Death

With a 2.3 hour workload per week, it’s hard to find a course more gemmy than this one. For class assignments, all you have to do is write five “creative” papers, each no more than a page or two. Other than that, just sit back and enjoy the mythical teachings of this almost mythical class with the legendary Greg Nagy!

The Incas: The Last Great Empire of Pre-Columbian South America

Learn about one of the great ancient civilizations of the world while relaxing for most of the semester! With one midterm, two short mid-semester assignments, and a take-home final, this course will certainly fit well with your otherwise hectic schedule. “The Incas” fulfills Societies of the World, Study of the Past, and even United States in the World.

SWEDISH AA: Beginning Swedish Language and Literature

If you need to fulfill your language requirement, take a look at introductory Swedish! With a low hourly workload (4.2 hours) compared to other languages and a series of raving reviews in the comments section of the Q guide, you should certainly check out out this language gem. As one reviewer put it, this class is “SO GOOD, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.”

The British Empire

Want something that boasts a light workload yet provides genuinely interesting material? As the course catalogue puts it, this class “surveys the empire's extraordinary rise and fall from the American Revolution to World War II.” With so many extraordinary events and cultural legacies covered in this class, you will learn a great deal of valuable history. Beware however: The class is lotteried, so enroll quickly!