<p>If I want to major in Economics and minor in Philosophy, which courses should I sign up for my freshman year?</p>
<p>What is your math background? What type of philosophy are you interested in?</p>
<p>First, take Econ 1 or 2 (obviously). You can look up the difference in the catalog - [General</a> Catalog - Economics Courses](<a href=“http://sis.berkeley.edu/catalog/gcc_list_crse_req?p_dept_name=Economics&p_dept_cd=ECON]General”>http://sis.berkeley.edu/catalog/gcc_list_crse_req?p_dept_name=Economics&p_dept_cd=ECON)
Note: you can also do Econ in your second semester if you want to get a feel for Berkeley first. You might do better in the class when you’re not just settling in, and you’d be a bit more accustomed to the difficulty of classes here. Remember that Econ 1 is a weeder course. A breadth course might be a good idea. But you’re probably fine doing Econ if you want to get the ball rolling.</p>
<p>Second, a math class or stats class is advisable. You should have at least Math 1A for an Econ major plus Stats is required. (Note: Taking the semester of calc before stats helps quite a bit if stats isn’t really your things. It brings you up to the Berkeley way of doing math; and since stats is important for econ, it helps to know what you’re dealing with at this level).</p>
<p>Third, for Philosophy, I’d advise you take a course to see if you’re really into the subject before moving onto the required courses for a minor. A lot of people say “Hey, Philo’s cool. I’ll take x course” and end up being overwhelmed by the level of abstract thought. if you’re into logic or anything of that sort, take 12A. It is a course in formal and symbolic logic (full of proofs in all their glory); this can only help for econ/math. Otherwise, there’s Philosophy 3 - Philosophy of the Mind to get a decent picture of metaphysics. The guy who tought it last semester was pretty good, although some found him to be boring as hell. 7 - Existentialism in film and lit is not representative of the department at all because it focuses on continental philosophy (literary stuff) versus analytical philosophy.</p>
<p>If you want to knock the lowerdiv prereq out of the way quickly, take either 25A - Ancient Philosophy or 25B - Modern Philosophy. I’d advise 25B since those damned Ancient Philosophers had their heads screwed in backwards on a lot of issues. Plus Professor Ginsborg, who is teaching Modern next Spring is fantastic, charming, and really knows how to explain her ****.</p>
<p>K, that’s all.</p>
<p>If it were me, I would take 25A this semester or 25B next semester, unless if you have a strong interest in logic. Logic in the fall is being taught by Mancosu, who is a genius, but may or may not be a good intro logic teacher. You’d have to sit in and see. As far as Philosophy 7, I’d recommend sitting in on some lectures for the experience, rather than taking it for credit.</p>