<p>Shrinkwrap, I don’t have specific knowledge of Duke’s program, but I want to mention that many science departments will have a course or two designed for non-science types who need to fulfill distribution requirements. These courses, therefore, typically have no prerequisites, so they must be rather basic. I attended a well-respected university with a top-ranked med school. Along with all the rigorous pre-med courses, the biology department offered a course called “Plants and Man Today.” ;)</p>
<p>So, the existence of a Rocks for Jocks type of course does not necessarily tell you much about the department.</p>