Want to debate issues surrounding health care and environmental hazards, get your feet wet in campus ponds, compare two Southern playwrights, or understand why ancient Athenians wanted Socrates dead?

At Mount Holyoke, fulfilling distribution requirements (courses outside your major) is a great way to get acquainted with unfamiliar subjects. Here are just a handful of the many challenging courses that satisfy distribution requirements.

Geology 101: Environmental Geology
From floods and earthquakes to acid rain, groundwater contamination, and the greenhouse effect, changes in the environment affect us all. Learn how to recognize environmental problems and develop strategies for addressing them. Taught by Al Werner, professor of geology. Meets a science and math requirement.

Theatre Arts 215: Topics in Performance: Scene Study—Alice Childress and Tennessee Williams
Read plays and present scenes by two twentieth-century playwrights—one African American and female, one white and male—who depicted the lives of Southerners. Taught by Joyce Devlin, professor of theatre arts. Meets a humanities requirement.

Economics 206: Economics of Health Care and Health Service Organizations
Are medical services in the U.S. provided fairly and efficiently? How does the U.S. health care system compare to those of other countries? Taught by John Rapoport, professor of economics. Meets a social sciences requirement.

Classics 106: Socratic Questions
Broaden your understanding of such issues as civil disobedience and freedom of speech and ponder the nature of the “good life” by reading ancient portraits of the controversial Greek philosopher Socrates. Taught by Paula Debnar, associate professor of classics. Meets a humanities requirement.

Biological Sciences 145: Introductory Biology: Nature Harmoniously Confus’d
Intrigued by natural history? Like to get your feet wet or muddy? You’ll have plenty of opportunities as you examine plants, fungi, and animals in the ponds and woods of the Mount Holyoke campus. Taught by Stan Rachootin, professor of biological sciences. Meets a science and math requirement.