<p>For current and former students, what professors or courses would you recommend taking? Alternatively, which professors or courses would you not recommend? Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Math 103: recommends Jafari, Levy, Saper, Bray, Cooke (but he's leaving)</p>
<p>Note: Bray gives good lectures but his tests are somewhat hard. On the other hand, major portions of the final seems like they come from Bray so you'll definitely be prepared</p>
<p>EGR53: who else but Dr. G :D</p>
<p>Chem 23: I think there's only one choice anyway. Dr. Toone is a good lecturer but some of his questions make you go "uhhhhhhhhhhh........" </p>
<p>Chinese 170/171: Professor He (hands down the nicest teacher I've ever met at Duke, very easy class for native speakers)</p>
<p>BME 83: teachers rotate every semester. I had Reichert. Funny guy, uses good analogies. I didn't really mind but he uses ALL powerpoints, so be warned. His tests can be moderately tough but that's because there's so much material to cover. The class itself just requires lots of effort. </p>
<p>Math 107: my teacher was a visiting prof so idk about the regular lecturers. I heard McKinley is a decent teacher</p>
<p>Chinese 182: profs Wang/He/Sun (all very nice teachers) slightly more work than chinese 170</p>
<p>Physics 61: only one lecturer Dr. Socolar. He knows the stuff and he's examples are clear. However, as others have noted...a monotone voice isn't the most stimulating thing to wake up to at 8:30 in the morning. Other than that, he's willing to explain things in detail (whether you want to or not). </p>
<p>Physics 61 Recitation: Dr. Tornow is very nice, if you disregard a somewhat thick German accent. I really liked being in his section. Dr. Lucas Iling is also very nice and knowledgeable with a slight accent (idk from where). </p>
<p>Chem 22: Warren S. Warren is generally acknowledged to be a very hard teacher and his class is generally thought to be unpleasant. Unfortunately, you may not be able to avoid him because the teachers switch off mid semester (or something like that).</p>
<p>I didn't really like Toone or Chem 23, just personal opinion.</p>
<p>Levy was good for 103, but she too is leaving for Harvey Mudd. </p>
<p>McKinley is decent for 107, but we didn't really finish all the material which is a bummer</p>
<p>1.) ACES sometimes has course survey information.</p>
<p>2.) Ratemyprofessor.com (or something like that) might have information as well.</p>
<p>3.) It would help us if you told us a little bit about your major/career plans. Obviously, I don't think you want to hear about all 36 of the courses I took.</p>
<p>I plan on studying economics and pps, but really anything would be great. I'm sure I'm not the only one curious haha</p>
<p>sciences .</p>
<p>1.) In the sciences, generally course timing will have to trump instructor availability. Coursemasters vary enough that it may not be the same ones year-to-year.</p>
<p>2.) In economics, do whatever it takes to get into any course which Nechyba is ever teaching. If you don't have the prereqs, then petition for an exception and explain that you'll take them later. For metrics, Ellickson and Taurazzi are both pretty popular; I took it with Ellickson and had no complaints. Leachman is an amazing enough teacher to more than compensate for her very unreasonable tests. Fullenkamp is hilarious and entertaining, and I learned well from him.</p>
<p>For Math 103, I took Bray, and it is a VERY proof/theoretical heavy class. If you aren't into that/not prepared for something like that I would highly advise another professor (I agree with SBR's suggestions).</p>
<p>Chem 21/22, I agree with bluedevilmike. Honestly just go with what works best in your schedule, because all the professors are decent, and they all teach the same material. It's not something I would worry about. With orgo, I'd say it's a little different, but as a freshman you have your own section so you don't have a choice.</p>
<p>Writing 20, I had Halloran and it was an awesome class. She's an, um, jolly lady, but it always made class SO interesting and discussions were just so easy to get into...she made everyone feel like their comments were worth listening to. Workload wasn't bad either...3 short papers and a final paper...with reading, but it wasn't too terribly bad.</p>
<p>I'd like to suggest, if you're kind of looking for something random, a little artsy to fill an ALP, try a 100-level Art History. I took one to fill a T-Req....it ended up being my favorite class...and now I'm a second major in it! They're awesome, and ALL the professors are so incredibly amazing.</p>
<p>Take a class with C.J Skender - Financial Accounting (Econ 182). He makes accounting fun!</p>
<p>I would take psych 92 (cognitive) if you get a chance- that is the course that got me interested in psych.</p>
<p>EOS 11 with Emily Klein is a good science course for non-majors - she explains concepts very well and it's not too technical.</p>
<p>For math I would avoid 103 unless you are doing engineering, math, or high-level econ. It is very theoretical and technical - I even had one of the best math 103 professors and I was able to do well but it's not something I would ever recommend. Stat. 101 is much easier as a math class but I don't know anything about the lower calculus classes here. </p>
<p>I never had a bad professor here but I would avoid lower level econ classes unless you really want to be a major - it's not something I would do for fun or experience because they tend to be not interesting at all and ECON 55 is very technical.</p>
<p>DO NOT take any econ class with Leachman. She will ruin your GPA. i struggled so much in that class even though i truly believe i mastered the material. i took it with her in fall 2006, and my friends who have fullenkamp this semester are doing so much better than me, simply because all econ classes are supposed to work on some kind of curve (more or less, at least according to my TA's for that class). however leachman is evil and cut us no breaks. out of a lecture of 400 students, i think maybe 10 people had A's going into the final. the final was optional, os therefore the people who had A's werent going to mess up their grade by taking the final.
Leachman is very knowledgable, no doubt. definitely a smart lady who knows the subject in and out. if you took econ in high school you will probably be guaranteed at least a B, but if you are considering econ and have never taken an econ class in your life before, just do yourself a favor and take it with another teacher.</p>
<p>as for ALP courses....</p>
<p>art history- vans meigroet is excellent. very enthusiastic and a fun lecturer (he normally teaches one of the intro courses). ive also heard good things about Bruzelius, who teaches the other intro course.
*note- intro courses are all about memorization. it gives you an excellent overview, but if you are more interested in actually analyzing art to a more specific degreee, definitely consider taking a 100-level. they are usually less work since grades are usually based on maybe 3 or 4 essays or tests, and much more fascinating and enriching than a survey intro course. be warned though, most 100-level art history courses have art history majors who are juniors and seniors in them and they definitely know what they are talking about in class discussions...</p>
<p>Thanks for all the info guys! Any other comments on Econ or PPS teachers?</p>
<p>i hear pub pol 55 is very interesting, but if you are not a pps major, it can seem tedious. there is a global health certificate that many pps majors chose to get too..if youre interested in that</p>
<p>While I affirm the unreasonableness of Leachman's tests, it's absurd to suggest that only 2.5% of her class is getting A's on the last day of classes.</p>
<p>She's worth it. Leachman is the one professor who goes out of her way -- until you get to Graham in 207, I suppose -- to emphasize the nature of economics as a broad-based discipline rather than merely the study of money.</p>
<p>Yes, her tests are unreasonable. Yes, she's a hard grader. Yes, she gave me the worst grade I ever received in an economics class. She was also the professor who single-handedly convinced me to become an economics major, and to this day her opening lecture is still the thing that I look back on to feel a sense of accomplishment in having been one.</p>
<p>I agree with you Mike, but it is true that only 10 students had an A before the final (never heard the number after that). As you probably know, she doesn't curve, and the averages were usually in the low 70's. I believe after the final, the class average was a C+. Besides that, though, I really loved that course, and it is also why I am an econ major (even though I did horribly in it...)</p>
<p>First semester I had:
Math 103: Bray is really cool. His lectures are very easy to understand, and he uses awesome examples that are sometimes even funny! His tests are pretty hard but once you get used to his style, its ok and since he's the course coordinator for all of 103 (at least he was first semester), the final will look oddly familiar...</p>
<p>Chem 151: Dr. Hong was kind of difficult to understand and his writing was somewhat hard to read, but he taught it pretty well. I hear the prof this semester is fairly better tho.</p>
<p>Egr 53: Dr G! Enough said...</p>
<p>Writing: Depends on what subject you take.</p>
<p>This semester:
Econ 55: Nechyba is definitely the best teacher I've had at Duke. He is very articulate and funny. The text for 55 is the one that he is writing right now so the text is basically his lectures and he throws examples of his family in and its all awesome.</p>
<p>Math 107: McKinley is a pretty good teacher. It's his second semester teaching so he still has to work on some stuff, but overall pretty good. I did hear that Lucas gives awesome lecture notes and is the course coordinator so definitely try to get Lucas.</p>
<p>Bio 25: Nowicki, Grunewald, and Motten do the job well... can't complain.</p>
<p>BME 8: Nightingale and Henriquez definitely know what they're talking about. They go at a very fast pace and expect you to be there with them all the way; very good prep for harder BME classes to come. Since its a problem based learning class, they have tons of time to answer questions.</p>
<p>Some PPS Core Classes:</p>
<p>PPS 55D - Everyone takes it, you learn a good bit of game theory/econ, learn to write memos (you're graded on clarity and effective writing), and get a sense of what goes into a policy choice. I had it with Vigdor back before it was pre-req....i.e. I was a first semester freshman with seniors who had put off the weed-out course until their senior year (it's good they finally closed that loophole). As it's a large-ish lecture (110 or so), it's not too representative of other PPS courses - I recommend taking an elective if you aren't sure you want to do PPS. If you're pretty sure, go ahead and take 55D - then you can take the other core courses.</p>
<p>PPS 114 - I had Goss and loved her lectures - she's sharp, informed, and learns the name of everyone in the class. The political analysis techniques you cover are extremely valuable for other courses/internships/life. You will write everything from floor statements to Op-Eds to memos, learning how to get bills through congress, how interest groups lobby, etc. Check this page if you want a sense of her area of expertise (gun control): <a href="http://pubpol.duke.edu/news/in_media.php%5B/url%5D">http://pubpol.duke.edu/news/in_media.php</a></p>
<p>PPS 116 - The ethics topics vary with the professor. Buchanan taught it with a genomics, cloning, humanitarian intervention, and war. This guy knows (and has written about) a ridiculously diverse range of topics. That is, he's published in things from genomics to war fighting. He's kind of random and his lectures can be a bit stream of consciousness, but it's a very manageable and interesting course. </p>
<p>For all the above courses, you'll meet 50 minutes once a week in a discussion section, usually to go over material from lecture/readings (and also usually optional, though it can only help your grade to show up). TAs are undergrads for 55D and Masters of Public Policy students for upper level courses - I've had all good experiences with the grad students, though my 55D TA was new and kind of clueless. Try and switch to an experienced one if you at all can.</p>
<p>Other courses:</p>
<p>Physics 53/54 - Avoid McNairy as a lecturer/recitation instructor. Of all profesors I've had, he's the only one who honestly made me more confused. Get Greenside if possible - he's brilliant, friendly, and will go out of his way to make sure you understand things.</p>
<p>Physics 49S - "The Moo" is awesome. You will basically just talk about science topics - Quantum Physics just happens to be in the title. Freshman basketball players take the course - enough said.</p>
<p>Math 41 - I had Hodel...it's a hard class, but she's there to help you out. You meet 3 days a week, but don't have a "lab" like for 32L.</p>
<p>General advice:</p>
<p>Meet with professors! Go to office hours! They're usually willing to help explain or discuss anything....plus, the face time helps them learn who you are. Show a vested interest in the course and a desire to improve - this will help you do better in the class, especially if you're borderline for a grade.</p>
<p>I am very interested in Public Policy and could someone explain the pre-reqs to start taking classes there? my school didn't offer an economics class (or one with an AP), is it possible to still take Econ 51D (instead of 1D) and then take the PUBPOL 55d?</p>
<p>I believe you'll need Econ 55 as well. 51 and 1D are basically identical courses.</p>