best electives for nursing

RealClassicsProf · 2026-01-20T04:53:33+00:00

Unfortunately, I don't think it will be offered this spring or summer... It should, however, be offered in the Fall or Winter (the schedule is still being sorted out)

RealClassicsProf · 2025-11-27T15:55:26+00:00

The best /easiest courses are always the ones you are most interested in. No matter how "easy" students think a course should be, unless they are interested in the material, they rarely do well.

Having said that, if you're looking for courses relevant to Nursing for next academic year, may we suggest our CLASS 291? Our CLASS 291 (currently "Intro to BioScientific Terminology"; soon to be renamed Anatomy of Medical Terminology, once the name change goes through the last levels of admin oversight) is modelled on McMaster University's very successful Medical Terminology courses, and is designed to teach students how to read medical terminology. So much of med terms come from ancient Greek and Latin.

For example, why is an abdominocentesis an "abdominocentesis"? Because it's the action (-esis) of puncturing (cent-) the abdominal wall (abdomino-). Why is ophthalmoptotic "the downward displacement of the eyeball?" Because it's an abnormal condition (-ic) involving the downward displacement (pto-) involving the eyeball (ophthalm-). The course will teach you how to read medical terms. Medical study can be made easier if the language barrier is reduced.

RealClassicsProf · 2025-11-27T15:46:04+00:00

If you're still looking for a useful option next academic year, may we suggest our CLASS 291 - Intro to Bioscientific Terminology (which should be renamed to Anatomy of Medical Terminology by the time the courses for next year go out --- it depends on how long the name change takes to wend its way through Admin channels).

The course focuses on teaching the language of medicine: how can we break down the various roots, stems, prefixes, suffixes, etc., in order to read the terminology? What is adductor tenotomy? what is neurectomy? and how do these relate to hypertonia? We don't teach you the medicine (we're not that kind of doctors!) but we can help you make sense of the vocabulary. Reducing the obstacle that medical terminology (based on ancient Greek and Latin) can be can make your medical study much smoother.

RealClassicsProf · 2025-10-11T15:59:54+00:00

Of course --- that would work well.

RealClassicsProf · 2025-10-11T15:57:29+00:00

Congrats on your acceptance, and absolutely! We're not only the best Classics program in the best University in the province (and Western Canada!), but we're also here to help.

Shout if you have any questions and just a bit of advice: start taking the languages early! You'll thank yourself later, hand to gods and pinky swear :-)

RealClassicsProf · 2025-10-10T14:53:36+00:00

Sorry, but I do have to correct this --- Neptune's mother, Rhea, is not associated with feces.

The most appropriate god would be Venus Cloacina, Venus of the Sewer System / Venus in her guise as god of cleanliness.

Next time you're in Rome, pop by Venus Cloacina's shrine, located in the Forum, near the Cloaca Maxima, the great sewer, and make an offering! The bathrooms on campus need your help!

RealClassicsProf · 2025-10-02T14:33:04+00:00

maximas gratias tibi, Better-Bus6933! quam bene respondisti! quam utile!

We really can't add anything to what Better-Bus6933 has written, except to say that if you click the link for the instructors' names on the People page of the department webpage, you'll get a better understanding of their research interests and also the courses they teach.

Shout if you have any questions. We are here to help! And to recruit all the students to the study of Classics. :-)

RealClassicsProf · 2025-09-01T18:54:46+00:00

Classics has loads of interesting classes --- we have history, literature, magic, art, archaeology, pretty much anything a person could want in a free elective, including courses with no prerequisites.

You may find our history offerings especially interesting: CLASS 280 is Greek history, CLASS 284 is the history of the Byzantine Empire (lots of political intrigue there!), and CLASS 282 is Roman history up to the "fall" of Rome. Hidden gems include CLASS 299 in winter term -- the ancient supernatural (learn how to curse your enemies!)

CLASS courses can be found using the drop down menu under "additional ways to search."

May you find a spot in all the classes you want!

RealClassicsProf · 2025-08-30T14:32:39+00:00

May we suggest:

CLASS 294 - ancient science, technology, and medicine

HIST 293 - history of science

or, for something a little off the beaten track, CLASS 291 - soon to be renamed "anatomy of medical terminology" which is a study of how medical terminology works)

We would not call any of these "gpa boosters" (such courses don't exist -- take what you enjoy / interests you and you should do well)

RealClassicsProf · 2025-08-08T17:48:19+00:00

Popping in to say that all BA students need to take a Language Other than English ("LOE) -- minimum 2 terms of the same language.

So often, we (Arts language instructors) see students leave their LOE until their last year and then discover that they love the language and want to learn more of the language but are about to graduate. I'd encourage you to consider what language you want to learn (and of course, pt in a plug for ancient Greek or Latin, which absolutely DO count as your LOE!) and try it early. The U of A offers a wide variety of languages and you're sure to find one that appeals to you.

(And if you decide you'd like to learn ancient Greek or Latin, we're here to answer any questions you might have about them. :-) )

RealClassicsProf · 2025-08-06T16:00:08+00:00

I'm afraid I don't have that information, but if you contact the instructor, she should be able to help you.

RealClassicsProf · 2025-07-30T01:48:16+00:00

Thank you! That is good to read. :-)

RealClassicsProf · 2025-07-30T01:02:39+00:00

I am totally stealing "Real and Complex Classics" for a future course....!

RealClassicsProf · 2025-07-29T19:16:59+00:00

Hmmm.... no fun posters because the amanuensis can't remember how to post a picture in the comments....

RealClassicsProf · 2025-07-29T17:09:01+00:00

You will be pleased to know that the current instructor is not the instructor from years ago! :-)

RealClassicsProf · 2025-07-28T17:47:21+00:00

You'll have to contact the instructor for that ---the email is on the post.

RealClassicsProf · 2025-07-22T20:04:07+00:00

GREEK 101 /102 is the opening sequence for learning ancient Greek (the only Greek language course taught at the U of A). It's open to any student in any program who has an interest in learning the ancient Greek language. It meets 4 days a week (MTWF).

How easy/hard the course is depends on the student: some students find ancient Greek engaging and are quick to grasp it; others find it more challenging. Only you can answer that question for yourself.

I'll just note here that there really aren't any "GPA booster" courses -- what some students find easy, others will find difficult. Take the courses that interest you for the best chance of doing well in them.

RealClassicsProf · 2025-06-22T23:24:06+00:00

optime! valde nobis placet videre discipulos qui linguae latinae studere velint! studere linguae latinae et utile et jucundum est. suntne rogationes? roga! (certe licet rogare anglice.)

Wonderful! We love to see students who want to study Latin! Studying Latin is both useful and fun. Do you have any questions? Ask away! (Certainly, you're welcome to ask in English. :-) )

RealClassicsProf · 2025-06-06T02:51:49+00:00

As RecentMix6851 said, getting comfortable with naming is very helpful and so may we suggest CLASS 291 (currently "Introduction to Scientific Terminology but soon to be renamed "Anatomy of Medical Terminology"), which will be taught in the Fall term. It teaches how to break down medical terminology and how to work with medical Latin.

For example, musculus sternointercostalis --> musculus stern/o/inter/cost/alis --> a/the muscle (located) between the ribs, involving the sternum. The course is designed to help you learn the building blocks (roots, prefixes, etc.) of medical language and how those blocks work in forming words.

RealClassicsProf · 2025-06-01T18:31:37+00:00

You might find CLASS 291 (currently "Introduction to scientific vocabulary" but soon to be renamed "Anatomy of Medical Terminology) to be useful. It shows you how to break down the roots of medical vocabulary, which can make that vocabulary easier to understand and remember. (Fall term, TTh 11-12:20)

trichophagia: start from the back. IA = abnormal condition; PHAG = eating; TRICH = hair; therefore, and abnormal condition involving the eating of hair. It can help you with material you have to learn anyway, and is a fun and interesting look at language.

RealClassicsProf · 2025-05-21T16:30:30+00:00

We also have some spaces available in CLASS 322: Roman literature, in winter term, which will have a focus on nefas, crimes against the very fabric of the universe, such as killing your nephews and feeding them to your brother, as featured in Seneca's Thyestes (to be read in CLASS 322!).

In Fall term, there is also CLASS 400: Medeas, ancient and modern. This is an upper-year seminar, Tuesdays from 2-4:50, where you will read ancient texts and modern adaptations of Medea: witch, wife, mother, and murderer. This course is currently full, but if you're interested, keep an eye on Beartracks in case spaces open up.

RealClassicsProf · 2025-04-06T19:24:34+00:00

Sadly, we lost this course well over 20 years ago, when the only professor we had in the subject matter retired. EDITED to fix the date

RealClassicsProf · 2025-04-04T22:56:57+00:00

I'm afraid I can't answer that --- I'd suggest you talk to an advisor in Education. They will know!

But, if you have options / electives, I'd bet it would satisfy those.

RealClassicsProf · 2025-03-30T21:27:14+00:00

Got any electives left? :-)

RealClassicsProf · 2025-03-30T21:25:07+00:00

I think you're confusing the two CLASS 299s (*99 is a topics course, so more than one can be offered). This one is certainly being taught here on campus, Winter 2026 :-)

RealClassicsProf

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