L&S Discovery Courses too easy?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>I was looking at the Discovery Courses (<a href="http://lsdiscovery.berkeley.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://lsdiscovery.berkeley.edu/&lt;/a&gt;) and got really excited about Language and Power. Unfortunately, I later realized that Discovery Courses are supposedly meant to fulfill an requirement in a subject a student hates as painlessly as possible. I love social sciences and literature and the arts and am most likely majoring in them. It would probably look bad if I'm taking an "easy" course in the area I'm focusing on.</p>

<p>Does anyone have experience with these classes? Would this course, and the rest of the Discovery courses really be watered down and unchallenging?</p>

<p>Should I just go for a freshman seminar instead?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Take philosophy of mind with John Searle and tell me how it's too easy. And by that I mean, get ready to get your butt kicked. Hard.</p>

<p>It really doesn't look "bad." Take it if it interests you.</p>

<p>I took Physics for Future Presidents and loved it. It was fairly challenging given the amount of stuff we were supposed to remember. I know people who took Astronomy 10 with Fillipenko and loved it. Drugs and the brain is ridiculously popular and liked. Many of these classes existed before given the title "Discovery Courses." The title makes students more awre of them and possibly more interested because of the marketing. </p>

<p>Do a seminar in addition to your discovery course. What is this either/instead thing?</p>

<p>P.S. 4,000 posts. Go me.</p>

3

<p>Jeez, why is phil of mind soooo popular. It is already full? I really wanted to take it.</p>

4

<p>I am an incoming frshman and i was kinda confused on what a frshman seminar is?</p>

5

<p>My roomie is taking Language and Power, and it's a REAL class. The idea behind discovery classes is that it's as "painless" as possible, not because it's a joke class, but because it's interesting and engaging for all. (I'm not saying this is true for every discovery course). But yeah, it requires a lot of work, heavy reading, and my roommate liked it.</p>

6

<p>Thanks! That's just what I wanted to hear.</p>

7

<p>if thats what u WANTED to hear, why ask for advice at all? it seems u just want others to agree with you.</p>

8

<p>Blue Elmo, did you read my first post? I meant I was glad to hear the course was challenging, because I wanted to take a challenging course. I had no idea beforehand if this was actually the case. Please don't jump to random conclusions.</p>

9

<p>Take classes that interest you, get the B+s, A-s, and As. Trust me, taking a "hard" class for the sake of it being "hard", and then getting a C+ or something will hurt you.</p>