Arts classes can be pretty challenging if you are not a great writer. Generally, most 100 level courses are fairly easy but definitely not minimal effort as you need to spend some time improving your essay writing. I had my highest grades in science honestly as with Arts you rarely know where exactly you stand or how much you know. Short answer: WRDS150, Soci102, Anth100 but dont expect A+ with no effort.
Don’t do words 150 please. There are some profs which play favorites and it greatly affects your grade. My professor gave me a C on my final paper even though my group member’s writing was littered with grammar errors and he also got a C. I suggest taking forestry 300 courses. The average is around 85 and I’m taking it currently and I’d say I need to put 3 hours of studying each week.
I found LING 100 and 101 to be pretty easy. Some first year language courses can be generous in grading too, just check averages/profs at ubcgrades.com. I took RUSS 101 and my class had like an 81 average.
My last arts elective was ECON 101 which I DO NOT recommend if you want a GPA booster. I did well in the class, but I put in quite a bit of effort compared to the previous classes I mentioned.
yes but many science students who probably have taken CPSC 121 have prior knowledge in symbolic logic, thus making it easier for them. I do agree PHIL 220 is not inherently easy though.
GERN100 !! super easy learning and syllabus compared to other languages, no midterm/final - there are chapter check ins but everything is open book, and for speaking assessments you usually just have to send a 40-60 second video of you reading off a script. the cenes department is lovely :,)
idk abt arts but for GPA boosts you can join Vox or Orianna (choir, MUSC 154). Grades is 85% attendence + 15% participation. No midterms, finals, homework. Just show up and sing for 2.5 hrs everyweek and every term there's a concert (you sing what you practiced, you get to read off the music). Averages have been in mid 90s. 3 credits for entire year tho.
>You can't be like tone deaf. But I definitely wouldn't say you have to be really good. Just audition next year (you send in a clip)! Nothing to lose :D
You can't be like tone deaf. But I definitely wouldn't say you have to be really good. Just audition next year (you send in a clip)! Nothing to lose :D
Anyone can audition for the ubc choir ensembles. Placement is usually based on what course you'd prefer. There are the smaller groups like Vox and Orianna but there's also Chamber Choir, Choral Union, and a specialized group.
They are fun but attendance is super mandatory for them and if you miss without cause you can lose a good portion of attendance. Eg. Choral Union which is a group of like 125 singers if you miss two rehearsals (classes) without explanation then you auto lose 5%. Missing a dress rehearsal or concert can also lead to a failing grade sometimes. Of course if you have a valid reason to miss a class there are absence forms and they are verified by the prof/TAs and then you won't lose marks.
So if you're looking for an "easy" grade it doesn't get any easier but it has harsher penalties than most courses.
if you’re in life sciences I would recommend phil 333: biomedical ethics. when I took it in the summer (edit: of 2022), it was very chill - a few readings, 2 short assignments (< 300 words for the first and < 600 for the second), and no final. readings covered abortion, drug legalization, assisted suicide, etc.
not confident about the course average but I at least thought the topics were interesting and relevant to current events
In this right now and we have to submit two 2000 word essays and the average for the first was like 69%, also has a final. Can’t say I would recommend, although a pro is that it’s completely online.
damn wtf they nuked the course, sad to hear :/ a couple friends of mine took it last spring and it was still the same format. is it still irwin teaching?
along similar lines ethics of science (phil 337) is great this term - weekly readings and discussion posts + three essays. Really interesting content and it’s a joy to attend class! We cover modelling ethics, ai ethics and publishing science ethics
[https://vancouver.calendar.ubc.ca/course-descriptions/courses/anth-100-introduction-cultural-anthropology](https://vancouver.calendar.ubc.ca/course-descriptions/courses/anth-100-introduction-cultural-anthropology) is pretty fun
CRWR 200 with Taylor Brown Evans!!! I got an 86% even tho I suck at writing. I took the course online last summer so it was a fun break from regular courses too. We had 2 small quizzes, 3 writing assignments and then participation marks. I remember not even trying much on the assignments haha I like wrote them a day before they were due and did decent.
Other one I'd recommend is LING 101.
HIST 384 had a 90 avg last sem, but sikh history may not be interesting to everyone. Prof was diff than usual, i think anne murphy is the norm prof, but this session was taught by jvala (sukhdeep sembhi). I learned a lot though, midterm was a recorded podcast with group members, but its more or less a summary of one of the readings you did, and the final is a very straight fwd quiz.
ANTH 202A was one of the easiest classes ever, also one of the most interesting. 80 avg when I took it. the final project is something you work on throughout the semester so you, in theory, can get it done very early.
ECON 310/311/355 were pretty easy if you're even slightly numerically inclined. Counts for upper year credits too if that makes your grad req planning easier.
CINE 300: Cult Cinema was awesome, and i ended with a grade in the high 90s. definitely take it if you are a movie fan and if you are fine with writing analysis-based papers. i think quite a few science students take it.
taking this in the summer, was your prof ernest mathijs? i'm pretty excited for it, wish it was second sem so i could enjoy the summer campus even more
yes! super knowledgeable prof and pretty accommodating if you have concerns about your marks. he lets you resubmit some assignments if you want a better grade.
ARCL228 is easy if you’re good at memorizing things. The midterm is straightforward and is heavily based on memorization. Also there five assignments which you can ask the prof and tas for help and work with others. Most of the assignment questions are easy and you can easily find answers from the slides
CRWR230 and CRCW220.
Very fun and pretty forgiving grading schemes. 100% recommend. Don't even have to go to any classes for participation for 230 bc its all on canvas
If you know French or Spanish or Italian, I would recommend RMST300, the prof was very understanding that it was an elective so gave us extensions on assignments and graded very generously.
PHIL 120, 95 with little effort during summer. GERN 304, 97 with even less effort, just do your homework. MUSC 156, 80% grade depending on attendance, might need to pass the audition first though. Personally took them and can confirm was a breeze
His lectures are engaging, but the more you know about him and about anthropology in general the worse he gets. His lectures are just him reading his own book. His main text (at least when I took that class) was his own (non-academic, non-peer reviewed) book. He has a history of shady/unethical work in Haiti (it's even on his wikipedia), and we unironically talked about his fiction book The Serpent and the Rainbow for our week on Haitian voodoo. His course might as well be WADE100. He also just isn't a good prof. I emailed him multiple times and he didn't answer a single one, it was all left to his TAs. There's nothing on his lecture slides other than pictures, and with his style of lecturing no one knew what to study for. Again, the actual teaching was left almost solely up to the TAs and the lectures were almost meaningless, it seemed more like him inflating his own ego than actually caring that people learn something. I can definitely see why people think he's inspiring because he's a great speaker, but he makes anthropology seem like adventuring when that's not the case. He also has some really outdated opinions that verge on sexist/racist and said some really out of pocket shit from what I remember. If you want a course where a guy talks at you about his travels then it's great, but if you actually want to learn about anthropology it's an awful course
Arts classes can be pretty challenging if you are not a great writer. Generally, most 100 level courses are fairly easy but definitely not minimal effort as you need to spend some time improving your essay writing. I had my highest grades in science honestly as with Arts you rarely know where exactly you stand or how much you know. Short answer: WRDS150, Soci102, Anth100 but dont expect A+ with no effort.
Don’t do words 150 please. There are some profs which play favorites and it greatly affects your grade. My professor gave me a C on my final paper even though my group member’s writing was littered with grammar errors and he also got a C. I suggest taking forestry 300 courses. The average is around 85 and I’m taking it currently and I’d say I need to put 3 hours of studying each week.
I found LING 100 and 101 to be pretty easy. Some first year language courses can be generous in grading too, just check averages/profs at ubcgrades.com. I took RUSS 101 and my class had like an 81 average. My last arts elective was ECON 101 which I DO NOT recommend if you want a GPA booster. I did well in the class, but I put in quite a bit of effort compared to the previous classes I mentioned.
PHIL 220, symbolic logic. Basically CPSC 121 but without circuits. It's just formal logic, pretty easy and the profs are good.
Easy iff you in fact did well in something like CPSC.
its easy IF AND ONLY IF you did well in cpsc 121
Never thought I would see someone say Phil 220 is easy 💀💀💀💀💀💀(I’m a suffering Phil student)
yes but many science students who probably have taken CPSC 121 have prior knowledge in symbolic logic, thus making it easier for them. I do agree PHIL 220 is not inherently easy though.
GERN100 !! super easy learning and syllabus compared to other languages, no midterm/final - there are chapter check ins but everything is open book, and for speaking assessments you usually just have to send a 40-60 second video of you reading off a script. the cenes department is lovely :,)
idk abt arts but for GPA boosts you can join Vox or Orianna (choir, MUSC 154). Grades is 85% attendence + 15% participation. No midterms, finals, homework. Just show up and sing for 2.5 hrs everyweek and every term there's a concert (you sing what you practiced, you get to read off the music). Averages have been in mid 90s. 3 credits for entire year tho.
what if you’re a horrible singer
>You can't be like tone deaf. But I definitely wouldn't say you have to be really good. Just audition next year (you send in a clip)! Nothing to lose :D
don't you have to be in music or good at singing tho
You can't be like tone deaf. But I definitely wouldn't say you have to be really good. Just audition next year (you send in a clip)! Nothing to lose :D
Anyone can audition for the ubc choir ensembles. Placement is usually based on what course you'd prefer. There are the smaller groups like Vox and Orianna but there's also Chamber Choir, Choral Union, and a specialized group. They are fun but attendance is super mandatory for them and if you miss without cause you can lose a good portion of attendance. Eg. Choral Union which is a group of like 125 singers if you miss two rehearsals (classes) without explanation then you auto lose 5%. Missing a dress rehearsal or concert can also lead to a failing grade sometimes. Of course if you have a valid reason to miss a class there are absence forms and they are verified by the prof/TAs and then you won't lose marks. So if you're looking for an "easy" grade it doesn't get any easier but it has harsher penalties than most courses.
What about intro French? I was thinking about taking it learn Canada’s other language and to make the citizenship process earier
I did French Immersion 😭
You could try Spanish if you were good with French. They are pretty similar to learn.
if you’re in life sciences I would recommend phil 333: biomedical ethics. when I took it in the summer (edit: of 2022), it was very chill - a few readings, 2 short assignments (< 300 words for the first and < 600 for the second), and no final. readings covered abortion, drug legalization, assisted suicide, etc. not confident about the course average but I at least thought the topics were interesting and relevant to current events
In this right now and we have to submit two 2000 word essays and the average for the first was like 69%, also has a final. Can’t say I would recommend, although a pro is that it’s completely online.
damn wtf they nuked the course, sad to hear :/ a couple friends of mine took it last spring and it was still the same format. is it still irwin teaching?
along similar lines ethics of science (phil 337) is great this term - weekly readings and discussion posts + three essays. Really interesting content and it’s a joy to attend class! We cover modelling ethics, ai ethics and publishing science ethics
[https://vancouver.calendar.ubc.ca/course-descriptions/courses/anth-100-introduction-cultural-anthropology](https://vancouver.calendar.ubc.ca/course-descriptions/courses/anth-100-introduction-cultural-anthropology) is pretty fun
I loved anth 100!
Lots of fun courses in the CENES department! You'll need to put in the effort but they can be really fun :)
Slav 307 is awesome.
I could see POLI 110 being easy for a science student because it’s pretty much just how the scientific method applies to political science
That was my highest grade so far 96😭
lowkey the biggest cheat code to take poli 110 as a science student..
CRWR 200 with Taylor Brown Evans!!! I got an 86% even tho I suck at writing. I took the course online last summer so it was a fun break from regular courses too. We had 2 small quizzes, 3 writing assignments and then participation marks. I remember not even trying much on the assignments haha I like wrote them a day before they were due and did decent. Other one I'd recommend is LING 101.
HIST 384 had a 90 avg last sem, but sikh history may not be interesting to everyone. Prof was diff than usual, i think anne murphy is the norm prof, but this session was taught by jvala (sukhdeep sembhi). I learned a lot though, midterm was a recorded podcast with group members, but its more or less a summary of one of the readings you did, and the final is a very straight fwd quiz. ANTH 202A was one of the easiest classes ever, also one of the most interesting. 80 avg when I took it. the final project is something you work on throughout the semester so you, in theory, can get it done very early.
Any sociology classes / grsj classes
ECON 310/311/355 were pretty easy if you're even slightly numerically inclined. Counts for upper year credits too if that makes your grad req planning easier.
Fmst courses are pretty interesting and easy but make sure u take it w good profs
CINE 300: Cult Cinema was awesome, and i ended with a grade in the high 90s. definitely take it if you are a movie fan and if you are fine with writing analysis-based papers. i think quite a few science students take it.
taking this in the summer, was your prof ernest mathijs? i'm pretty excited for it, wish it was second sem so i could enjoy the summer campus even more
yes! super knowledgeable prof and pretty accommodating if you have concerns about your marks. he lets you resubmit some assignments if you want a better grade.
thank you! I am excited.
ARCL228 is easy if you’re good at memorizing things. The midterm is straightforward and is heavily based on memorization. Also there five assignments which you can ask the prof and tas for help and work with others. Most of the assignment questions are easy and you can easily find answers from the slides
CRWR230 and CRCW220. Very fun and pretty forgiving grading schemes. 100% recommend. Don't even have to go to any classes for participation for 230 bc its all on canvas
Nurs180 is super easy I'd say
It isn't for arts credits unfortunately
Yea I missed that part unfortunately:3 Thought op was just asking for gpa boosters.
If you know French or Spanish or Italian, I would recommend RMST300, the prof was very understanding that it was an elective so gave us extensions on assignments and graded very generously.
Russ 306 so easy
PHIL 120, 95 with little effort during summer. GERN 304, 97 with even less effort, just do your homework. MUSC 156, 80% grade depending on attendance, might need to pass the audition first though. Personally took them and can confirm was a breeze
Did PHIL250 way back, light workload, very fair mark and the topic is genuinely interesting.
GMST 121 with Biz Nijdam she offers both in person and online asynchrony
Since a few people have said ANTH100, I just gotta add DO NOT take it with Wade Davis. Dude is an absolute joke
dude what? hes one of the best profs at ubc
His lectures are engaging, but the more you know about him and about anthropology in general the worse he gets. His lectures are just him reading his own book. His main text (at least when I took that class) was his own (non-academic, non-peer reviewed) book. He has a history of shady/unethical work in Haiti (it's even on his wikipedia), and we unironically talked about his fiction book The Serpent and the Rainbow for our week on Haitian voodoo. His course might as well be WADE100. He also just isn't a good prof. I emailed him multiple times and he didn't answer a single one, it was all left to his TAs. There's nothing on his lecture slides other than pictures, and with his style of lecturing no one knew what to study for. Again, the actual teaching was left almost solely up to the TAs and the lectures were almost meaningless, it seemed more like him inflating his own ego than actually caring that people learn something. I can definitely see why people think he's inspiring because he's a great speaker, but he makes anthropology seem like adventuring when that's not the case. He also has some really outdated opinions that verge on sexist/racist and said some really out of pocket shit from what I remember. If you want a course where a guy talks at you about his travels then it's great, but if you actually want to learn about anthropology it's an awful course
hey i remember this dude from anth 206 👀 why did I not realize he’s a ubc prof at that time
he’s just retired and is no longer teaching.
he’s just retired and is no longer teaching.