<p>Generally, 1000 and 2000 are courses for first/second-years or nonmajors. 3000 and 4000 are designed for major-level students. 2000 courses tend to be more specialized in topic than 1000 but pretty much on the same level. Similarly, there’s not usually a huge difference in difficulty between 3000 and 4000; in my dept, the large classes for majors get a “3” and the smaller, seminar-style classes for majors get a “4”. 5000 classes are generally open to both upper-level undergraduates and graduate students; the higher numbers indicate a grad class.</p>
<p>As an entering student, don’t worry about the SOC course-- but you should probably take a lower-level philosophy course before jumping straight into an upper-level Plato class. You might do just fine, but such courses are not designed to teach you the basics of writing a college-level philosophy paper, and you could easily find yourself in trouble after it’s too late to drop. Maybe start with Mitch Green’s intro to philosophy, or Jorge Secada’s 2000-level ancient/medieval philosophy class? There’s also a Greek civilization course offered in the Classics Dept. on the 2000 level.</p>
<p>If you do REALLY want to take Plato, make sure your prof knows you’re an entering first-year, and don’t hesitate to make free use of office hours. You also might want to consider taking the class on a C/NC (pass-fail) basis.</p>