<p>Hi, can anyone share individual classes/teachers that you have found or heard to be particularly inspiring at UCSC?</p>
<p>If anyone has other scheduling insight for freshman I would appreciate it, thanks!</p>
<p>I’d recommend these classes for freshmen:</p>
<p>ASTR 2 - Overview of the Universe with Adrianne Steinacker
Prof. Steinacker really cares about her students. I bumped into her randomly several quarters after I had her class, and she still remembered my face (this was in a class of 350 students). She’s really nice, and really cares about her subject.</p>
<p>HIS 80Y - World War II Memories with Alice Yang and Alan Christy (offered in the spring)
I HIGHLY recommend this class. The class focuses on how Japan and the US remembered WWII in the Pacific as opposed to what actually happened in the Pacific War. You may think you know all there is regarding this subject, but you really don’t. This class is amazing.</p>
<p>Classes I WOULD NOT recommend:</p>
<p>MUSC 11B - Intro to Jazz with Karlton Hester -
Prof. Hester is knowledgeable about jazz but he’s a horrible lecturer. Most freshmen are attracted to this class because Jazz is cool and it satisfies THREE GE’s (IH, A, E) but he seriously killed any interest I had in it due to his horrible lecturing style. You have been warned.</p>
<p>PHIL 9 - Intro to Logic
This class also attracts unsuspecting freshman because it satisfies an IH and a Q. However, what they don’t realize is that this class is an extremely hard introductory course. I took it because it was for my major. Half of my class didn’t show up to the final because they knew they were going to fail no matter what grade they got.</p>
<p>Class I would recommend:</p>
<p>Bio80h/BME5 – Professor: Wendy Rothwell
-She is so passionate about her work and will bend over backwards to help her students, especially in a smaller class like BME5 (~60 students). The class takes a tremendous amount of work though, and most of the kids who take it are bioengineering/chemistry majors. If that is a little intimidating, take her other class (bme80h) because you get the same great teacher, but the class is much more simplified and easier to handle.</p>
<p>Class I am not sure I can recommend:
Musc80 – Professor: Lieberman
-This guy is a total nut (in a good way, I think). Somehow, he knows everyone inside and outside of the music business. He has some really amazing stories and can set up some neat guess lecturers (this year he is trying to get Mickey Hart to come). The class is pretty easy. Probably the easiest class I have taken so far. As long as you go to class and read the book, you should be good. It is a fun class to learn about music, but the structure of the class is somewhat underwhelming and it actually gets boring to take a class that takes very little brain power.</p>
<p>Classes I wouldn’t recommend:
-Though I have yet to take a bad class here, I agree with Vicious that mus11b is a good one to stay away from. I know quite a few who are ready to kill themselves because they took that class. He posted his grades on the door for the last midterm. You expect to see at least 10% A’s (condidering it is a music course). There was one A out of some 200 students. Curve or not, you know something is wrong with a teacher if there is only one A in that many students.</p>
<p>Thanks for your comments, they’re very helpful! I’m glad I know to avoid Intro to Logic because I thought that sounded interesting</p>
<p>EART 6- Intro to Environmental Studies. Unless you totally dig math, don’t take it! This class literally broke me down to tears every week. I went to every lecture and almost every optional section and office hours and I still BARELY passed. It’s just a lot of bogus math **** so if you like just environmental issues, this is not the class for you. It doesn’t even count for a Q. It seriously was worse than Intro to Logic in the intensity.</p>
<p>^ Wow an enviromental studies class? That’s good to know, I’d hate to get blindsided as well.</p>
<p>I would like to counter the Intro to Logic comment.
It really depends on the professor. My current professor is AWESOME! Kiaja Mortensen…
So far its been pretty easy for me. I just show up to class, do the homework, (I don’t haven’t studied for any of the tests/quizzes) and I’ve gotten higher than 90’s on every test/quiz. It also depends on the person. It is a lot less philosophy and a lot more like geometry.</p>
<p>Oh very true, AQuaintCafe! I had Sandy Chung and she was really difficult. But the current teacher has gotten a lot better reviews than her. Seriously, it is truly determined by the professor, IMO. I wish I had waited a quarter and not taken it with Chung because she was really intimidating, all 5’2" of her. In a class like that, it’s important for you to be able to ask questions.</p>
<p>Music 11 Intro to Jazz, The Beatles Music Class, Intro to World Music
Music 80 ? The Grateful Dead music class</p>
<p>Lit 61: Classical Myth - learned a lot and professor Bassi is like the cheerleader of the Classics department. She wants students to learn. Tests make you think composed of exams and essays. I love mythology and this class is profoundly interesting if you’re into that. Definitely look over the concepts of aggression and heroic themes.</p>
<p>Psyc 65 and Psyc 80A - Humanistic Psychology and Psych and Religion, respectively. TAKE THOSE classes when you can. Ralph Quinn is a lovable, fun guy to be around. He really wants students to see life in a different light. Easy class, but I’m a science major so it’s fun. It’s a popular freshman class because of all the hype for the professor. You will love it!! Easy class, but definitely enlightening.</p>
<p>Metx 80E - Aquatic Toxicology. Every class is like watching an episode of house. The professor is very sarcastic and fun to listen to. He is blunt in telling you what you need to learn in the class. I learned a lot about toxics that is all around us. Well worth the effort to get that A.</p>
<p>Also try and take Mary Silver’s classes (I don’t know if she stops teaching lower division course). She’s a really nice old lady that knows a lot about planktons.
I would recommend taking Bettina Aptheker’s class (but I believe she stopped teaching Feminist Studies 1 last fall).</p>