<p>So this goes out to the current/past Brown students:</p>
<p>From your own experiences, which classes/professors have you absolutely loved? Are there any that you would definitely not recommend? I’ve heard great things about City Politics, Persuasive Communication, Intro Neuro, and Intro Bio. What are some others?</p>
<p>There are so many amazing courses that I don’t know quite where to start.
Thanks for your recommendations!</p>
<p>I haven’t started yet, but Ive heard really wonderful things about Medical Anthropology.</p>
<p>Fiction I. Both Modern Architecture and Contemporary Architecture. Intro to Acting and Directing (Class of 2015 – GET INTO THIS CLASS. It’s only offered for freshmen, and not taking it this year is one of my biggest regrets thus far at Brown). Geo 22 (forget the name). CS 31. Existentialism. Moral Philosophy.</p>
<p>Professors: Arnold Weinstein, Jan Tullis, Pascal van Hentenryck, Stuart Geman, Hui Wang, Thomas Banchoff, Felicia Ackerman, Ken Miller.</p>
<p>Every class/professor I’ve listed above is based off either my or my friends’ experiences. However, do take everything that this thread will list with grain of salt because I’ve come to realizedthat general opinions don’t always hold true – I wasn’t particularly bowled over by Neuro 1, but I (and the few others I knew who shared my feelings) was definitely in the minority last semester.</p>
<p>Can you elaborate on Intro to Acting and Directing?
Thanks a lot, by the way, your post was extremely helpful!</p>
<p>Geo 22 is HARD!!! Great class though, but definitely pass/fail. It’s with Jan Tullis and Karen Fischer, but I honestly would recommend taking this sophomore year with an easier geo background. Jan expects a decent amount of geology knowledge prior to the class and refuses to answer some questions she deems too “basic.” It can get frustrating…</p>
<p>Writers on Writing is an EPIC FYS. The author of every piece of literature you read comes in and does a reading for your class. It’s about every other week and is awesome!</p>
<p>Christianity in Late Antiquity is really good, too, but Susan Harvey is going on sabbatical for ~1 year or so.</p>
<p>Logic is supposed to be really good with Schechter if I’m not misinformed in the philosophy department.</p>
<p>ENGL 110 is supposed to REALLY help your writing and supposed to be just a good class in general. I haven’t met a person say it wasn’t a good class/improved their writing a lot. It’s a great class for freshmen, regardless of how much writing experience you have. It really helps the vast majority of students here who take it.</p>
<p>Professors: Andy van Dam (how was he forgotten??!?! ANDY FROM TOY STORY :O), Susan Harvey (HUGE name in her field), Forrest Gander, Keith Waldrop.</p>
<p>As for Jan Tullis, she is SO knowledgeable and an amazing professor/person. ~20 freshmen take her class, ~10-14 are her CAP students. It’s very hard, but rewarding and interesting. I wouldn’t recommend this as a very first geology class. Totally my opinion, but I only know one freshman who actually got an A in the class last semester…</p>
<p>Peter Saval in the comp lit department is incredibly brilliant and and amazing lecturer, but I heard he’s on sabbatical next year also</p>
<p>Lit Art workshops are amazing if you get the right instructor for it. I loved Fiction I, and improved my writing while learning a lot about myself. Who woulda thought that would happen just from taking a workshop?</p>
<p>My son (political theory concentrator) would definitely “second” Ken Miller and Jan Tullis. (I swear, he was ready to change his concentration to geology.)</p>
<p>To expand the conversations to other departments, he also raves about Amy Remensnyder (History – medievalist), and Sharon Krause and David Estlund (Political Science). (Might one of them have taught City Politics? He loved that course.) He also enjoyed a political economy course with Mark Blyth (also Political Science), the Scottish fellow who was in the news (NPR) a lot a few months ago, talking about the misguidedness of austerity.</p>
<p>And then there was a constitutional law class, taught by someone from the law school faculty at URI, I think it was.</p>
<p>All the professors I’ve had in the Music department have been awesome. It’s worth taking a class even if you have no thoughts of concentrating.</p>
<p>Also: Biotechnology in Medicine with Beth Anne Zielinski. She’s one of the most friendly professors I’ve ever met, and had the most engaging lecture style.</p>
<p>City Politics is taught by James Morone.</p>
<p>So I’ve been looking at which classes I might take this fall and I was wondering if any of you could offer some advice. Here’s what I’m interested in:</p>
<p>NEUR 10 - Intro to Neuro
LITR 710 - Writers on Writing (FYS)
GEO 22 - Physical Processes in Geology
CHEM 33 - Equilibrium, Rate, Structure
BIO 19 - Development of Scientific Theories: Context and the Individual (FYS)
CLPS 50 - Computing as Done in Brains and Computers (FYS)
Maybe Intermediate French, not sure yet about placement or if I want to pursue it at all.</p>
<p>So obviously I need to narrow this list down to 4 choices. The only one I am 100% sure I want to take is Neuro 10 (I think that’s what I want to concentrate in, at least for now). Is it a bad idea to take 2-3 sciences at the same time (Geo 22, Neuro 1, Chem 33)? Thank you guys so much for your advice so far, I don’t think I would have considered Geo 22 or Writers on Writing without this thread :)</p>
<p>^ Ya I actually wouldn’t recommend taking all three. All are relatively difficult. I took Chem 33 and Geo 22 at the same time and had a lot of work, but nothing too unbearable. You should be fine taking 2 sciences (probably chem 33 since it’s offered every semester and geo 22 is not). Writers on Writing is GREAT and not too much work. Rene is a really engaging professor from what I’ve heard. I loved seeing the author’s readings. It’s a one-of-a-kind class for sure.</p>
<p>The course catalog [url=<a href=“https://selfservice.brown.edu/ss/bwckctlg.p_disp_dyn_ctlg]here[/url”>Catalog Term]here[/url</a>] seems to label very few classes as “Writing - Designated Courses.” Would a class without this designation but which seemingly stresses writing (e.g., ENGL 0110) satisfy the writing requirement?</p>
<p>Also, any opinions on the intermediate Spanish language classes and their instructors? What’s the typical workload?</p>
<p>There is no writing requirement, other than not being flagged as a bad writer.</p>
<p>^ Ah, thanks; I misinterpreted the University’s explanation of the concept.</p>
<p>A year of English is a pre-med requirement, though</p>
<p>@silverturtle: That’s not hard to do :)</p>
<p>I’m going to Brown this fall too as a freshman 
I would like to take courses in fields such as international relations, biomed, history, applied math and chemistry. Can somebody offer me some advice on which classes I should choose??
Thx a lot!!</p>
<p>TranJX: it’d be much easier if you looked at courses (mochacourses.com), then asked us advice. There are so many classes that it’s hard for us to just pull things out.</p>
<p>Color Me Cool: A Survey of Contemporary Graphic Novels was the best class I have taken so far. Unfortunately, it is not being offered next semester. </p>
<p>Simple Art of Murder is also really good. The professor is super creepy and awesome.</p>