UC Berkeley is a public university which was founded in 1868, so the administration has had plenty of time to perfect courses! In addition, although Cal is the number one public university in the world, with an acceptance rate of 17 percent and is known to be notoriously hard, there are an abundance of course options for students including easy ones to boost GPA. The following is a list of the easiest courses available for students at UC Berkeley.
1. ESPM 50AC – Introduction to Culture and Natural Resource Management
This four unit course will not only cover almost any one of the breadth requirements, but will also cover the American Cultures requirement. Students will learn about Native American life, grass lands and the negatives of cultural appropriation. There is no homework and only one midterm and a take home final with lots of extra credit opportunities.
2. South & South East Asian Studies 39
Students taking this two unit seminar course at UC Berkeley will be exposed to the various music and indigenous dances of different South and South East Asian countries such as the Philippines, and India. Students will be expected to learn a dance routine, as well as complete a final 3 page paper double spaced explaining what you gained from the course.
3. Any Decal Course
These courses range from 1 to three units and are offered as a way for students to explore new fields of interest on a Pass/No Pass basis, so that way their GPAs are not affected. The courses range from how to do henna, to learning web development, to volunteer work.
4. Sociology 150 – Sociological Social Psychology
This four unit course will go into depth about the social impacts of race, religion, gender, and cultural identities, as well as briefly touch on the Salem witch trials. There are also no midterms or final exams, just two short papers, how nice.
5. Philosophy 12A – Intro to Logic
This 4 unit class is structured so that there are no midterms or final exams. There are only weekly problem sets which are open notes, book and friends, and end of the week short quizzes which are fairly straightforward. In addition at the end of the semester the teacher usually brings in cupcakes for the whole class.
6. Psychology 133 – Psychology of Sleep
This three unit psychology class is extremely fun and allows students to understand the true meanings and derivations of sleep. In addition there are fun engagement projects also related to sleep throughout the course. There is also one midterm and final, which are all multiple choice.
7. UGBA 190T – Collaborative Innovation
This four unit class is part of the Big Ideas program and allows students to learn in modules. You will start of from an Art perspective and merge into the business side. Students will collaboratively work with one another in a series of 3 group projects leading up to a final expo.
8. Math 16A – Analytic Geometry and Calculus
This three unit class is quite controversial. It is an “easy” class if you have taken Calculus AB before. The entirety of the class discusses simple calculus concepts and the tests are extremely easy. In addition there are only bi weekly quizzes in discussion sections.
9. Psychology 2 – Principles of Psychology
This course covers the basics of psychology. In addition if you are a student who has already taken AP Psychology in high school, then taking this course will be a breeze.
10. English R1B – Dystopian Fiction
This four unit course involves no midterms or final exams, just four essays based upon a series of four books you read throughout the semester, and all of the books are fun and dystopian. This class is mostly structured to involve intense debates and discussions with students. It also includes watching the corresponding movies to each book, so students can write their essays based on the movies.
UC Berkeley provides students with not only the opportunity to grow academically from their experiences in class, but also with the chance to truly enjoy learning. Some of these classes cover a variety of topics that give students the opportunity to explore new and unique fields of interest!
Unfortunately this list contains false or outdated information. Logic 12a is one of the most difficult lower division classes that Cal offers, and does have both a mid term and a final. Also there are no cup cakes at the end. Cal is a school that requires an immense amount of effort, the easiest classes are the Decal’s which are 1 unit filler classes, usually used by student to fulfill the 13 unit requirement for full time enrollment.