<p>Hey everyone, I’m trying to pick out some classes that I could take this fall as a first-year. I am interested in exploring several disciplines that I have not yet had exposure to. If I like one of them especially, I may make it my minor (I already have a major in mind).</p>
<p>I am wondering if you think it’s important to take an intro class in this situation or if it would be okay to take a specific class. It would be easier if I had both options while scheduling. However, I’m worried that if I take a specific class with a topic I already know I like, I may like the class even if I do not necessarily like the general discipline that I’m trying to explore. So I wouldn’t know if I would like enough material in the discipline to make it a minor.</p>
<p>Also, I wouldn’t be exposed to multiple sub-areas within the discipline, so I wouldn’t know what to take next within that discipline.</p>
<p>It’s kind of confusing, I know. But if you have any thoughts on this, I would be happy to hear them. Thank you :)</p>
<p>My very first sociology class was an upper-level course on the sociology of religion. When I studied for the exams, I read the religion chapters in a couple of sociology textbooks meant for a survey-style introductory course. I found those chapters very hard to appreciate: they made sociology sound like obscure abstract nonsense when they tried to condense a book’s worth of thought into one or two sentences. Engaging with the original texts was much more rewarding: I got to see the author’s thought process, his evidence, and I could decide for myself how much merit each of his assumptions and claims had. </p>
<p>I think that topics classes actually teach you more about the discipline: you get to see how people work, not just a collection of topics that they work on.</p>
<p>@pyroza: Yeah, that’s what I thought too. But it seems like some humanities disciplines (like philosophy) allow you to choose from a few specific classes as your first class.</p>
<p>@b@r!um: True, I think I might feel the same way.</p>
<p>As a person that has taken a TON of humanities classes, let me tell you that you will more than likely enjoy the upper level or specific classes as opposed to the intro or survey classes. The professors are usually better (less chance for some crappy TA) and you also will have a better class of student. </p>
<p>Most of the intro classes in humanities are weeder classes designed to keep the jocks in Leisure and Sport Sciences, and get the lazy students to drop out. I took Intro to Philo last semester as a senior, and after taking a ton of upper level Philo classes, I was amazed by the course load. My prof (who I get along well with and who wrote a rec for me for Grad school) laughed when he saw my score on his first test because I had taken him four times before and had always made really good grades; in the Intro class I was getting pounded.</p>
<p>I always prefer “topics” classes, too. I took upper division english literature and history for most of my electives. I didn’t take any intro classes in any of the disciplines I studied besides two or three classes that were required as gen eds.</p>
<p>Thanks for your opinions…It seems like I should lean towards specific, “topics” classes. One more question - how about disciplines like linguistics and cognitive science? Wouldn’t it be important for me to have the foundation of knowledge from an intro class?</p>
<p>It looks like all of the linguistics and cognitive science classes at Pomona this semester require one of the two intro classes for a prerequisite. Not to mention most of them are full already. If you’re considering a Linguistics/Cognitive Science as a major, you’ll have to take both intro classes regardless.</p>