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Many students at Tufts initially view the foundation and distribution requirements for Arts and Sciences undergraduate students as something they should strive to get done as soon as possible so they can focus only on taking the courses they are most interested in or fulfill their major. Some students feel particularly lost when it comes to the Arts distribution, and may not know what course to take because they might not consider themselves very creative or artistic. I won’t discount the fact that there is some wisdom in getting the requirements done early so you can free up your schedule for later semesters. However, in this piece, I hope to convince you that the Arts distribution, in particular, is a phenomenal opportunity to explore a new field that might blossom into a new passion or hobby in your life.

In just the Spring 2025 semester, there are 305-course offerings which fulfill the Arts distribution requirement. These include courses taught on the Medford/Somerville campus and courses taught at the Fenway campus at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. I can’t overstate the diversity of options that you have to choose from. Here is just a sampling: “Latin Social Dance,” “Sculptural Knitting,” “World War II on Film,” “Jazz Orchestra,” “Ceramics Sculpture,” “Advanced 3D Animation,” “Movement as Medicine,” “Introduction to Digital Photography,” “Starting a Novel,” and “Psychology of Music.” Whether you are looking to dip your toes into a new creative passion, continue honing an old one, or just take an interesting-sounding course with your friends, I guarantee you that at least two of the hundreds of course offerings will appeal to you. Some of them could even fulfill a specific part of your major, such as how “Music in Global Perspectives” can satisfy one of the core requirements for International Relations.

During my first semester at Tufts, I took a creative writing course on poetry. I had briefly taken an interest in poetry during my senior year of high school, but it is fair to say that I was still a novice in the subject by my freshman year. The course had twelve or so students and met once a week for a two-and-a-half-hour block. Each week we focused on a certain aspect of poetry and read works from established authors that exemplify those techniques. Then, for homework, we were tasked to write our own poems that highlighted the skills we learned in class. The following week we would read and workshop each other's poems. By the end of the semester, we had a portfolio of poems that had been workshopped and revised. 

This course opened my eyes to an entirely new passion, which has steadily become a deeply important part of my life. Since freshman year, I have taken more creative writing courses and started posting my poetry on Instagram and submitting it to journals. The point being, that it was taking a course that at first I only saw as a requirement for graduation that sparked a deep passion for writing. 

I highly encourage everybody who attends Tufts to look beyond the Arts distribution requirement as just another thing that you have to do before you graduate. It can truly be an opportunity to explore a passion that you have always wanted to try and to learn from people who are the very best at their craft. As long as you make the effort to turn the art requirement into something more, I guarantee that you will walk away from it feeling rewarded.

Photo Credit: Olivia Berlin