<p>At UVA, each department has courses ranging from 100s to sometimes in the 700s. I was wondering if there is a general rule of thumb when it comes to difficulty between the levels. I want to take SOC 2380 (Race, Gender, Poverty) and PHIL 3110 (Plato). But what worries me is the fact that they are 200/300 level courses that don't contribute to my major other than degree requirements. Is there an actual distinguishable thing to notice between 100 vs 200 vs 300 etc?</p>
<p>Generally, 1000 and 2000 are courses for first/second-years or nonmajors. 3000 and 4000 are designed for major-level students. 2000 courses tend to be more specialized in topic than 1000 but pretty much on the same level. Similarly, there’s not usually a huge difference in difficulty between 3000 and 4000; in my dept, the large classes for majors get a “3” and the smaller, seminar-style classes for majors get a “4”. 5000 classes are generally open to both upper-level undergraduates and graduate students; the higher numbers indicate a grad class.</p>
<p>As an entering student, don’t worry about the SOC course-- but you should probably take a lower-level philosophy course before jumping straight into an upper-level Plato class. You might do just fine, but such courses are not designed to teach you the basics of writing a college-level philosophy paper, and you could easily find yourself in trouble after it’s too late to drop. Maybe start with Mitch Green’s intro to philosophy, or Jorge Secada’s 2000-level ancient/medieval philosophy class? There’s also a Greek civilization course offered in the Classics Dept. on the 2000 level.</p>
<p>If you do REALLY want to take Plato, make sure your prof knows you’re an entering first-year, and don’t hesitate to make free use of office hours. You also might want to consider taking the class on a C/NC (pass-fail) basis.</p>
<p>I think most first years avoid 3000 level classes, so it may be very uncomfortable taking a class full of people with much more college experience under their belt.</p>
<p>FYI: The fourth digit was recently added to course numbers to reflect discussion, seminar, lab, etc. Therefore, 210 is the same as 2100.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! I’ll look into other classes =]</p>
<p>This is what I miss most about UVA–first and second years know their place and respect the course hierarchy. At Stanford, there are no restrictions and I have found myself, as a PhD student, with sophomores in PhD seminars.</p>
<p>I took a 3000 level English class my first semester and got a B+, and a 3000 level French class both first and second semester (one lang, one lit) and got As in both. I also took a 3000 level German in Translation class this semester and got an A. It depends what experience you have, I think, as well as just how easy the class actually is! That GETR class was a walk in the park.</p>
<p>I am very interested in Philosophy, so I don’t mind taking a lower level PHIL class before I take Plato. Besides, it also leaves me open to a double major in PHIL, I have a lot of space in my 4 year schedule (Yes I planned out my 4 years, just to see how much room I have for a double major and such =] ).</p>
<p>@Wahoomb, do those students do well in the courses…? I feel like they would be completely lost in the finer details of the high level courses.</p>