arrowsmith24

Being a typical overachieving 12 I started checking out my options for courses next year, and I have reached a dilemma. I would like to take more specific non-introductory classes (in the humanities and social sciences), but I am unsure of the rigor that these courses entail and how much background in the field is necessary to take these courses. For example, if I would like to take Philosophy 37 to explore the discipline rather than taking an intro class, would this be a wise move? Or is it best to stick with intro classes? Is this more of an issue in the social sciences than the humanities? I'm sure it is in the hard sciences.

Also, I've heard a lot about balancing a schedule to avoid loading up on all writing intensive or all reading intensive courses. But how can I tell whether a class is more involved in writing or reading (other than science classes with problem sets)?

Any other advice or fun facts would be wonderful. Thanks!

For all the other nerdy 12's here is an amazing resource for checking out classes
Course Guide | Student Assembly Online

rightnotleft

if there are no prereqs, there is little to no assumed knowledge for a class.

However, for PHIL 37:
"37. Ethical Theory

07F: 10A 08F: 11

This course will be primarily concerned with such questions as What is morality? Are there universal values? and Why should one be moral? and with the responses to them by several contemporary philosophers. The application of ethical theory to some contemporary issues also will be considered.

Prerequisite: Philosophy 1, 2, 8, or 9, or permission of the instructor. Dist: TMV. Driver."

So they expect some intro phil knowledge ... though you can certainly enroll if you want to.

as far as workload goes, the SA guide is pretty much the best resource. No prof is going to admit their class is a cakewalk...

However, to truly get a sense of whether or not a class is right for you, sign up for intro classes when you get a chance to save your spot, and then visit non-intro classes during shopping period (~the first week of classes) and see if that's going to be right for you...and then switch or don't switch. Intro classes can be horrible or amazing depending on the prof and their commitment to teaching an intro class (usually they're cycled through the dept).

in general, most hum/Social Sciences classes will be a lot of work, as far as reading and papers go ... while hard sciences may or may not be depending on the class... some have prob. sets, some don't, some classes have joke labs, others are really intense.

Basically, esp. for Freshman Fall, only take one challenging class ... the other two shouldn't be too much work (moderate) b/c you'll want the extra time to meet people and decide which ECs you want to commit to, and also, you'll be learning how to budget your time.

really, picking 'good' classes depends on your interests and learning style ...

Use the SA guide, and hten if you have more specific ideas, post them here, and i'm sure students will help you out. Also, if you know anyone at D, blitz them (email) ... they'll be more than willing to help you out.

OdysseyTigger

Syllabi available here

https://login.dartmouth.edu/cas/logi...abi/index.html

aerialblue

I profoundly disagree, for a good number of my friends took MATH 71, PHYS 47, and CHEM 57 (and various others) freshman year, without the listed prereqs. With the sciences, it's much easier to tell where you stand due to your high school preparation. However, it's highly unclear to me whether or not an entering freshman is prepared for Phenomenology and Existentialism or ENGL 60 (and interestingly enough...I know someone here who took that his freshman fall).

The reason for all this being, is that few high schools have a comprehensive Philosophy, English, Humanities, or etc. program. And even if some do, they often times fall short of their Dartmouth counterparts. However, I can think of several instances where my high school experience in the sciences and mathematics was much more comprehensive than the one I've had at Dartmouth (mainly in the lower level division). Nevertheless, the higher level classes here have been truly amazing.

arrowsmith24

Thank you for all the advice. It has been very helpful.

Rightnotleft that sounds like a solid strategy that I will definitely use. Thanks!

Aerialblue i definitely agree with your points. All I meant was that it obviously wouldn't be good to skip to advanced topics in the hard sciences if one had no prior knowledge of the field. I took a very rigorous (my brother in college verifies this difficulty using college standards) humanities course through a local university, but since there is no standard in the humanities (like you said) I'll stick to the intro courses.

I have another dilemma. I am unsure of my major and am planning on using my first year to explore a wide range of courses, so I can have more focus in my studies the following year. But it seems that most people fulfill their language requirement freshman year, and doing so creates a problem for me. I will have to take a 1,2,3 sequence which would limit the range of classes I can take. But I've also heard that language classes are also a great way to make friends, so as an incoming freshman that is definitely a plus. I'm unsure whether it would be better to take a language my first year and to be less sure of my intended path of study or to hold off on my language until sophomore year so I am more sure of my future course of study. I am also still debating which language I will take (yes I am a confused and indecisive prefrosh I know haha). Any advice on this issue would be greatly appreciated.