<p>Hi :)</p>
<p>Can I have some info on the rigor, difficulty, and quality of the following courses in the APEA? I'm thinking of applying to...</p>
<p>51-260 Design Fundamentals</p>
<p>79-104E Global Histories: The History of Capitalism</p>
<p>80-100E Introduction to Philosophy</p>
<p>85-241E Social Psychology</p>
<p>Also, if anyone has any general thoughts about these courses or about anything else about APEA those are welcome too. Thank you in advance :)</p>
<p>I will try my best to tell you what I know about these courses. I’ve taken the middle two.</p>
<p>51-260: I’m not familiar with this particular courses but design classes at CMU tend to be pretty difficult. I would probably only take this if you have some serious interest and skill, though others will know more than me.</p>
<p>79-104: If you end up going to CMU, this is a course you’ll almost certainly be able to count towards your graduation, either as a required course (if you’re in Dietrich, and maybe some other colleges) or otherwise towards a gen ed. It can vary pretty wildly depending on who teaches it, and there are also different versions of the course (with the same course number). If you take it with the “primary” instructor, Roger Rouse, then you will get an interesting course which is probably unlike any other you’ve taken before. That is, instead of having facts spat out at you, the instructor basically takes each lecture as an opportunity to persuade you of his decidedly socialist views on various topics. Probably not too difficult, but it depends on the instructor.</p>
<p>80-100: A good survey course which will cover a broad spectrum of basic philosophical ideas. Appropriate if you’ve never taken a philosophy course before and have an interest in the topic. It will probably be taught by a grad student, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for “elite” instruction. Generally a pretty easy course.</p>
<p>85-241: I am not very familiar with this course but I imagine it is not too difficult.</p>