In which my dean notices that I've been putting off my ST--Have You?

Course requirements are a different beast for every Princeton student. For many an engineer, it's LAs that are hard to come by. (Hint: A science fiction course can knock out that LA for you--and how!) And it's probably true that for at least some English majors, passing a QR that isn't Stars for Stoners is looking increasingly improbable as the last of high school calculus flees the brain.But for me, it's the ST--or, according to the new course designations announced last week, the STL, or "Science and Technology with laboratory." I took a lab course freshman fall, (ENV 201 labs involve kayaking and counting fish.), but every semester, when it came to course selection time, I let the looming issue of my next five-hours-of-class commitment linger, as I filled up my schedule with SAs.And today, as I rearranged the last semester before my senior year, I was called out on it. My dean sent me and about two dozen of my residential college peers an email reminding us that our "less-than-pleasant" distribution requirements existed, and kindly offering a list of "accessible" STs that we might consider.Anyway, minutes before I received the email, I had actually enrolled in course on climate change that I'm genuinely interested in, an STX. But I thought I'd also share with you a quick list of STs that Woody Woo, English, and Soc majors might have a shot at. There are the basic gut courses, with your typical condescending and sexist nicknames: Rocks for Jocks (GEO 103), Stars for Stoners (AST 203), Clicks for Chicks (COS 109), and Emails for Females (COS 116).But here are a few quality under-the-radar STs for those of us who may have put off that distribution requirement until senior year. Keep in mind that course designations are about to change, so these will soon be "STLs." Not all are offered this semester.ENV 201B Fundamentals of Environmental StudiesIt's the class featured in every college brochure, where students in waders are splashing around in a creek or taking a water sample in the middle of a lake. While many science classes require some basic prerequisites, ENV 201 is a class that's really open to someone who has no background in science, but is interested in environmental issues like climate change and conservation. With a few problem sets, scientific papers to read, and labs, it's still definitely a science class, but one where you're more likely to be thinking about human consequences than about equations.CEE 105 / ART 105 / EGR 105 Lab in Conservation ArtOne student calls this course, which receives an A+ on the Student Course Guide, "perhaps the best ST in the world." For the artists among us, this science course studies "how environmental factors (acid, rain, ice, salts, and biota) damage sculpture and monuments made of stone and masonry, paintings on wood, and sculptures in bronze." And the first lab of the course? A tour of campus.ANT 215/EEB 315 Human AdaptationWhile to my knowledge, Human Adaptation doesn't have a catchy nickname, this course on perhaps the most interesting topic in high school biology is a pretty popular ST for the less science-inclined among us. One sophomore described it as that "anthro course that everyone loves." A Student Course Guide reviewer calls it "an excellent choice for anyone with even a passing interest in human evolution or wanting to fulfill an ST relatively painlessly," and the course listing comfortingly notes: "No science background is required on the part of the student."MOL 101B From DNA to Human ComplexityTaught by "the cutest Nobel Laureate ever," this course for non-biology majors is truly Molecular Biology...101. Readings include articles from the New York Times and Scientific American--material an English major can handle. The class receives an A+ on the Student Course Guide, where one reviewer notes: "All the professors know that people are just taking this class to get an ST, and they make it pretty painless. The labs are easy and interesting, and usually get out at least an hour early."PHY 115B Future PhysicsDesigned for "non-scientists who will someday become our influential citizens and decision-makers," Future Physics is known on some other campuses as "Physics for Future Presidents." If that doesn't get a Woody Woo major excited, what could? The class is aimed at helping the clueless among us understand the very basics of physics and technology required in interpreting scientific information, and one student says it's "really easy," and lectures can be entertaining.NEU 101/MOL 110 Neuroscience and Everyday LifeAnother class without a textbook, NEU 101 is an explainer into how the brain works in everyday life, exploring topics ranging from love, to jet lag, to autism. Readings are "drawn from popular literature at the level of Scientific American Mind and The New York Times." Enrollment is by application, however.