field of study. halp?

[g0ssamer]

every time i talk to my advisors, they tell me to look at a course catalog and pick out all the classes that look interesting to me. i've done that and come up with a list of 60 classes, though i could easily come up with a list of 200. i went in to talk to another advisor on friday, and he said to pick the 20 classes i would want to take the

Comments

[cjthomas]

I can't really comment on the courses, as I'm in engineering. My best advice would be to think about what you want to do after graduation, and pick the course tracks that best equip you for that. Cool research topics are nifty (that's more or less how I picked my own thesis topic), but unless you're planning to get a job in academia and have the leverage to pull that off, it's worth considering how your courses and research will dovetail with your future career.

I'm going with the "chasing tenure" route. Whether or not I can pull it off remains to be seen ;).

historical/societal reasons for why students in the social sciences and humanities just care about getting A's and don't care about actually learning anything. (i would assume that students in the hard sciences/engineering care more because our culture encourages, both ideologically and economically, innovation and entrepreneurial spirits.)In engineering, a depressingly large fraction of the class is there to get a degree that qualifies them for a high-paying job. Things were

[g0ssamer]

I ... don't know you, but you seem to have stalked me through Kate. Hello

[cjthomas]

I ... don't know you, but you seem to have stalked me through Kate. Hello!

Got it in one ;). I read her friends page as part of my LJ-surfing routine, and occasionally respond to posts.

structuring my major around what I do after graduation isn't going to get me very far because I don't really know what I wantThere should be enough common factors to produce guidelines, at least. Things that demonstrate you know how to think (I'm told that employers like philosophy courses for that reason). Things that demonstrate that you have at least some familiarity with the fields or topics that are most likely to be important to whatever you do next. A selection varied enough to look "well-rounded", without looking unfocused/indecisive. I'm handwaving at this point, as I don't know what employers look for for humanities graduates, but hopefully my advice is still at least a little useful

[adamcadre]

I audited that American Studies course in 2006 and thought it was flat-out terrific - good enough that I woke up at 6 am twice a week for four months, which in retrospect sounds like insanity. I was surprised to read that this class is being offered again because the last time I talked to Christine Palmer she said she was inclined to move on to other topics. So obviously I'd strongly recommend it, since it might not be coming around again.

If you do end up taking this one, tell Christine I said hi.

[g0ssamer]

Wow! I'll check it out. I found her on ratemyprofessors.com, but she seems to have wildly polarized reviews, so I'm not sure I'll actually end up taking it, but I'll definitely sit in for the first few weeks and see how I like it.

Do you know of any other good classes relevant to my research focus that'll be offered next semester or later on? (Man, using the term "research focus" makes me sound much more academically rigorous and sure of myself than I am.)

[adamcadre]

Consumerism:

American Studies 10, section 1. I haven't taken this class, but Kathleen Moran was my thesis advisor back in the day, and she's really good.

UC Berkeley:

I don't know of any courses that are entirely about the university, but every fall Kerwin Klein teaches California history and there are usually a couple of lectures about Cal and how it evolved. That's History 127AC.

Polyamory:

Dunno, but I've been listening to the podcasts of Psychology 156, Human Emotion, and there's been some stuff about different types of bonding.

[g0ssamer]

Ok, cool. By "area of research" I actually meant "area of concentration" -- anything that has to do with the themes of power or social behavior that seem to be in the classes I enjoy. I kind of doubt that any classes cover the topics of UC Berkeley or polyamory in sufficient depth to be worth taking.

Talked to my advisor today. He said that most of the classes I enjoy are related in some way to power, so that should be my area of concentration. I think this means I have to read Foucault at some point, but um, I'll live.