<p>So far my son has loaded his plate with CS, applied math and physics classes. All of these require a lot of labs, projects, and focused effort on doing homework. Anyone know of any of these proverbial “easy A” classes Brown is supposed to be full of? Something interesting that could be taken as a 5th class in addition to the work-intense classes he already has scheduled for fall?</p>
<p>Ya…that’s something I want to know, but from what I’ve heard from upper classmen (I just finished freshmen year), there are none. LOL. The “easiest” classes I know–ENGN 9 and ENGN 90 taught by the legendary Barett Hazeltine–are not easy because they’re easy to get A’s in them (only 30% get A’s in both), but because the work is not AS demanding nor difficult to handle compared to other classes. That’s my 2 cents :/</p>
<p>Seems that all over CC I hear how easy it is to get A’s at Brown, and when I come here to actually find some of these classes, I get nothing from those in the know. Intro to sociology? Ecology? Education courses? These are traditional BS classes everywhere. No?</p>
<p>Courses I found easy:
CLPS0010: Elementary Psychology (probably depends on the professor, but not all that difficult a subject matter)
BIOL0170: Biotechnology in Medicine (I have heard that she’s made it more difficult since, but it’s still a pretty easy A)
HIAA0420: Cathedrals and Castles (most people had never taken a HIAA course before)
PHP0320: Intro to Public Health</p>
<p>Other ones:
MUSC0400 - very basic intro to music theory. Great class if you’re interested and have little exposure before.</p>
<p>I’ll add more as I think of them</p>
<p>If he is taking all other classes for credit, he can take one as pass/fail in order not to stress too much.</p>
<p>I had always heard (but keep in mind i am 4 years removed):
Eng 9
Russian lit (don’t know the course number)
Geo 5 (aka rocks for jocks)
City politics? (Can’t remember if this was an easy class or just a class you were supposed to take)</p>
<p>For the record, I didn’t take any of these so for all I know they are not easy.</p>
<p>I agree that if you have 4 graded classes you’re better off taking any interesting 5th class s/nc than looking for a gut class to get an A</p>
<p>@bruno14 Care to extrapolate on Intro to Public Health? I am thinking of being a Community Health concentrator. </p>
<p>Did you take the course when you were a freshman? Sophomore? Were there a lot of writing assignments?</p>
<p>I actually took it this past fall, just to fulfill an interest. Now considering trying to fit in a few more PHP classes in before I graduate, since it was great. The professor was Melissa Clark, who has worked in the PHP field. It’s a broad overview of important topics in public health, with an emphasis on the US. She brings in lots of guest speakers who work in the different areas, from professors to researchers to social workers.</p>
<p>Assignments, as far as I can remember:
*Reflection papers on the guest speakers (had to do all except 2, the other were for extra credit)
*Midterm with take-home and in-class portions (take-home was designing a study)
*Final - in class, short-answer and multiple choice</p>
<p>Class attendance was important, because of the guest speakers, and also because she docked your grade if you missed more than a certain number of classes without an excuse (I seem to remember the number being 2). In all, a relatively simple course where I felt as though I learned a lot. I’ve also heard great things about the one taught in the Spring, Intro to the US health care system - I’ll be trying to take that as well.</p>
<p>Intro to us healthcare is an easy but actually extremely informative class</p>
<p>Thank you for the insight on into to public health. </p>
<p>Would any of the first year seminars be considered easy?</p>
<p>I would think so - mine certainly wasn’t very difficult. In general, I’d highly suggest taking one, since it’s an opportunity to get into a seminar-style class that you may not have until much later in your Brown career.</p>
<p>The first year seminars, unlike many other classes are specifically geared towards first year students and as such can be quite easy for someone coming from an above average high school.</p>
<p>And I also agree with everything Bruno said</p>
<p>Okay, that sounds great!</p>
<p>Would any of the WRIT courses be considered easy As? I’m just thinking that if you have a chance to redo your writing, maybe it is an easy way to improve your grade.</p>
<p>As a matter of fact, the FYS I am thinking of taking SOC0300 Inequalities in Health, is a WRIT course…</p>
<p>WRIT designated classes should not be considered easy, and most professors do not offer the option to re-write your essays.</p>
<p>I must inquire as to why your son is not doing his own research for classes he could elect to take. Your coming to a message board searching for such answers tells me that you are a little too involved in the young man’s life during a time when he should be finding his own way just as students of the past have done.</p>
<p>One lesson I hope the lad learns is that you get out of an education only what one puts into it. Perhaps instead of searching for an easy class he (or you, as the case may be) should be looking for a class that invigorates him. Maybe one outside of his normal realm of study that could open his eyes to a world beyond what you as a parent has allowed him to see. </p>
<p>My former classmate Michael Bhatia showed us all that a Brunonian truly knows no bounds when he follows his passion and his heart and challenges himself daily. Looking for the “easy A” is ok at your deplorable community colleges and their ilk, but not at Brown.</p>
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<p>I’d say you are being pretty judgmental for a first-time poster. Of course my son makes his own decisions; I am just his occasional researcher and advisor. My son has a broad range of interests, and if he can find a 5th class that he both finds interesting and where he can get an A without being too distracted from his core classes, why not explore it?</p>
<p>As it turns out, my youngest son and I have similar and complementary personalities (INTP/ENTP): he’s the intellectual and I’m the strategist. We are also partners in a web development business – he and his older brother handle the heavy tech stuff and I handle the rest, including research and communications. How this relates to the topic would take many paragraphs to explain and would bore most people here – but rest assured that my son is an excellent independent thinker, not that browbeaten helpless kid you seem to see. Feel free to PM me if this matter still concerns you.</p>
<p>WRIT classes are designated chiefly based on the level of feedback that instructors give on writing assignments. From the Dean of the College (<a href=“Writing Requirement | The College | Brown University):”>Writing Requirement | The College | Brown University):</a></p>
<p>“Writing-designated courses provide students with feedback about their writing and opportunities to apply that feedback on the same assignment or when completing writing assignments later in the course. Offered in nearly all departments, writing-designated courses are designated “WRIT” at the end of course descriptions.”</p>
<p>How this correlates with how easy a class is is of course a totally separate matter. Often, when given the opportuinity to rewrite, the rewrite grade doesn’t completely substitiute for the original grade.</p>
<p>My word, chap…are you reading the words you write? Researcher? Advisor? Similar and complementary personalities?</p>
<p>What about father/son? He is not a report that you force to take Lean Six Sigma training in an effort to streamline his work processes. He is your kid.</p>
<p>After reading a few of your posts it is obvious that living vicariously through your son’s academic achievements are your way of making up for deficiencies in being a a parent. Your son’s life at Brown should be for him and his progression as a person, not a way to validate your corporate-esque outlook of the father/son relationship.</p>
<p>A father is not a CEO. Learn that, and perhaps all will not be lost with your children.</p>
<p>Lorem,</p>
<p>I know it will be hard but don’t feed the ■■■■■.</p>
<p>@aleph0 Thank you for the insight on the WRIT courses. Any information about these courses is invaluable.</p>