The Yale Free Press

Smart as you thought you were in high school, the sad truth is that in all likelihood, nothing could really have prepared you for Yale-level classes. Fret not – everyone around you is in the same boat. You’ll all be dabbling in various survey or introductory-level classes, some of which are great, others abominable, and all available to freshmen.

The best way to select classes tends to be word of mouth, a venture for which late-night blue-booking is bound to provide a plethora of opportunity. We’d also like to provide some helpful tips to assist in your academic quest.

If your class offers Credit/D/Fail, always take it to leave your options open. You can change back at midterm with no penalty, but you cannot change a graded class back to a Cr/D/F. (Hint: Profs and TAs are often oblivious of your course status. Keep it that way; what they don’t know can’t hurt you.) The “official” course critique is useless and out of date; don’t trust it. There are, however, peer review materials on the online classes server–or so they tell us. Good luck finding them.

If you’re up for a challenge and want to take a stab at a non-intro class, go for it. If it has prerequisites, ask to speak with the professor and explain to him why you’re qualified. Students have even been known to send professors emails entitled “Top Ten Reasons You Should Let Me Into Your Class.” Bottom line: nothing to lose by trying.

In large lectures, check to see whether there is a required section. Your schedule may appear easy at the beginning of shopping period, but if you add several sections, life can quickly become less pleasant. Sections are also taught by TAs, which makes most of them a waste of time. In certain departments, particularly in Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, and Economics, you’ll be lucky if they even speak English.

If, like most of our staffers, you’re not scientifically inclined, it’s never too early to start thinking about Group IV “guts” to fulfill your requirement.

Here is a brief review of some common freshman courses.

Directed Studies

DRST 001, 002, 003 – Literature, Philosophy, and History & Political Thought

Three books a week, small discussion sections with (usually) top-quality professors, an overview of Western thought from the Greeks to the early 20th century, and a paper every Thursday night. For the hardcore among us, this series of classes should not be taken unless you’re actually going to do most of the reading, roughly on time. But hey, the finals are easy and you’ll exit knowing where to start in any field you want to study. You’ll also get a better sense of what all those names the trendy intellectuals keep dropping are all about, and, better yet, finally be able to call them on their bluffs.

Art

ART 114 – Basic Drawing

Two hours of drawing for credit: what more could an avid doodler want? With studios of 10 to 20 students, this beginner class retains some of the atmosphere of high school art with a more focused and dedicated attitude. Don’t buy the hype: an artistic flair is not just for wielders of berets, striped shirts, and freedom fries. Though if a YFP staffer sees you doing any such wielding, this sentence is hereby not responsible for his actions.

Biology

MCDB 120 – Principles of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

A quick review of mostly high-school biology, with more detail (and much more of a rush). Lots of information you probably won’t remember unless you continue in the field, but generally interesting. Professor Frank Slack is one of the more popular and focused; the rest vary in quality. Also, grades tend to be a bit of a scare at first, but start looking up later in the course.

Chemistry

CHEM 118 – Quantitative Foundations of General Chemistry

An engaging lecturer, Professor Johnson makes attending class worthwhile. If you can make it to lectures, whose 10:30 time slot and non-Science-Hill location make it extremely convenient by Group IV standards, then completing the reading is unnecessary. Beware that many students are placed into this course solely on SAT scores, which does not preclude the enrollment of many students who have already taken AP Chem. Making the curve steeper for those whose high school training was limited to introductory chem, this charming tendency prevails in many lecture-style survey classes throughout Yale.

CHEM 125 – Freshman Organic Chemistry

A mistaken belief that Freshman Orgo is a pre-med weeding class to be avoided has been circulating for some time. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although lots of premeds do take it and are summarily weeded out, Professor McBride’s class is one of the most challenging, fascinating, and enriching classes in any discipline one could explore in his or her first year. The lecture style, homework, and exams are oriented towards developing higher-order reasoning skills using chemical and other scientific concepts, eschewing the tactics of rote memorization. Dr. McBride also makes himself remarkably available to students’ questions and makes a point of learning everybody’s name during the first week of class.

Computer Science

CPSC 112 – Introduction to Programming

No prior programming experience necessary. The lecture notes on the website may be a luxury, but that luxury often destroys your motivation to attend class. Weekly problem sets take some time, because you have to go over the program you have written ad infinitum until you figure out where you omitted that stupid parenthesis. You will get a good grade if you do the work, but it’s not easy.

Economics

ECON 115 – Introduction to Microeconomics

Useful if you’ve never studied economics. You can generally take your pick between going to lecture and reading the textbook. Do not take this class if you have any previous background in Econ; your time is better spent elsewhere.

ECON 116 – Introduction to Macroeconomics

A decent introduction, although teaching assistants are often of ambiguous quality. This course doesn’t force a large workload on you, but if you want to actually get a good grasp of economics, you might have to force it on yourself. Professor Nordhaus, team-teaching this fall, is one of the better professors.

ECON 152 & 153 – Microeconomic & Macroeconomic Theory

More than a few freshmen, still riding the high of an aced AP Economics test, have walked into this class thinking it only continues the commonsensical cakewalk that is introductory economics. Consequently, more than a few freshmen have been punished for this belief. Take this class only if you are 1) interested in the academic pursuit of economics and 2) mathematically gifted. Do not confuse this subject material with political economy, which you can study in the Political Science department and by reading The YFP.

English

Yale has one of the most fantastic English departments in the country, offering everything from “Doomed Love” to “History of the English Language.” Freshman year is a good time to start, particularly if you can place into the 120s range by exploiting SAT and AP scores. Most classes are seminar-style and taught exclusively by professors. Amidst the great literature, you’ll undoubtedly confront that bane of the English department: the annoying student who continuously babbles in big words and tangential analyses. Don’t be off-put – if you don’t get what he’s saying, chances are neither does he, the prof, or anyone else in the room.

ENGL 114 – Reading and Writing Prose

Forgot when to use a semicolon? No need to fear! You’ll have a professor and about 15 classmates scrutinizing every paper that you write. Not the class to take if you want to read much every night, but useful in jogging your memory for those rules you learned long ago.

ENGL 120 – Modern Prose: Advanced Writing

Learn to write frequently and quickly, two things Yalies should find indispensable. Outline, write, rewrite, rinse, repeat in a different format. This class is the vegetable course of the Yale meal. Eat it first, and the rest will taste even better.

ENGL 125 – Major English Poets

This class has something for everyone. You begin by learning to read and speak Middle English and memorizing the most famous 18 lines of English poetry (Expect sudden bursting into chants of “Whan that Aprille” to occur spontaneously). You proceed by traveling through Spencer’s tales of prancing queens and despondent dragons and deconstructing John Dunne’s valedictions to women and sundry fleas. Come spring, prepare to get lost in Paradise with John Milton, ponder the nuances of Pope’s Strange capital Letters, meander through Wordsworth’s gardens, and return home to modernity with Eliot, Merrill, and the rest. If you’ve ever mused about the beauty of words, take this class.

ENGL 127 – Introduction to American Literature

The reading for this class is a mix of must-read American classics, overrated literature from the American cannon, and a few books to make fun of the first two types. While the reading can be rewarding, the class comes along with some potentially mind numbing discussion courtesy of your fellow Yalies.

ENGL 129 – The European Literary Tradition

Students usually find this is a very rewarding and integrated course, even if each work is at least five hundred years removed from any other one. A lot depends on the professor, and, as in most English classes, you get the benefit of close interaction with a prominent scholar in the field. For people who are comfortable writing essays, the workload is not too cumbersome, and the reading – although sometimes a little heavy – is guaranteed to be interesting and fun.

History

Though a handful of classes are unavailable to freshmen by virtue of their popularity, almost all the others are free for the pickings. But watch out for the TAs: many sympathize with GESO and will ridicule you if you sway right.

HIST 202 – European Civilization, 1648-1945

A classic in the history department, this class always attracts a fair number of students. It provides a decent overview of a large period of history. Professor Merriman is mostly entertaining, but lectures are of varying relevance. He often drifts off into insignificant details, which can make him hard to follow. Conservative students will have to put up with some lefty remarks and socialist books, as well as Prof. Merriman’s long-time love for France and its culture. Do the textbook reading to the midterm and then stop: you’ll be given the possible questions for the final, so it will be early enough to look at the necessary parts in the textbook during reading period. Also, you get to write the final paper about anything you want that happened between 1648 and 1945.

HIST 205 – Introduction to Ancient Greek History

If you plan on taking only one history course at Yale, this should be it. Professor Kagan is a compelling lecturer with a passion for the classics that electrifies this course. Every year he offers students an expansive, engaging introduction to the birthplace of Western civilization, and, every year, students realize that they’ve signed up for one of “those” classes at Yale, the kind that belong in movies and memoirs. Kagan stands out in his field as a man who refuses to take the ironic post-modern torch to the subject he loves. While the reading is relatively heavy, the course is well worth it. Three lectures not to be missed are the introductory explanation of Ancient Greece’s relevance to the modern day, the interactive demonstration of Greek warfare, and the tale of the Battle of Marathon.

History of Art

HSAR 254 – Greek Myth in Ancient Art

Professor Björn Ewald knows his stuff, and this particular stuff is that of legend. This course surveys the development of the mythology of the Greek civilization through its representations in public and private art. Expect a sublime cultural, historical, and artistic experience of the Greeks through their own eyes and those of the Romans.

Languages

Most placement exams are nearly impossible for non-native speakers, so if you didn’t get a chance to place out with an AP test, daily intro classes are likely to be in your future. In some classes, fluent speakers take the class just to raise their GPAs, so prepare to confront frustration.

GMAN 115 – Elementary German

German 115 is aimed at getting students with little to no knowledge of the German language to an intermediate conversational level within one year. Needless to say, the students’ path in this endeavor is often strenuous. From the first day, this course is taught “auf Deutsch” (entirely in German). While the reading is clearly biased, focusing heavily on topics such as modern environmentalism, a strong emphasis on the basics more than makes up for this deficiency.

GREK 110, 111 – Beginning Greek

Expect the first handout to be an excerpt from Plato’s Republic. Don’t worry, though, after the initial scare, the class continues with the alphabet. Easy and interesting, it can become a bit confusing towards the end of the semester. Charts are a big help. Knowing some Latin grammar is an even bigger help.

JAPN 115, 140, 150 – Elementary through Advanced Japanese

The teachers are all overwhelmingly friendly, and will go to the ends of the earth to help you out with learning an admittedly difficult language, as long as you take the time to ask. Intermediate Japanese has the toughest workload and grading standards, so consider a summer in Japan or in Middlebury’s language program so you can skip straight to Advanced.

Mathematics

MATH 112 & 115 – Calculus of Functions of One Variable

These should be easy for anyone who took calculus in high school, right? Au contraire. Don’t underestimate the difficulties caused by non- English speaking TAs, or the speed with which the classes move. Exams tend to be written as “learning experiences.”

MATH 120 – Calculus of Functions of Several Variables

The course is an application-based approach to multivariable calculus. Weekly problem sets take a great deal of time, but if you can befriend the non-English speaking TAs, they practically do themselves. If possible, shop sections as there are vast differences in the English skills of the lecturers. Furthermore, be warned that exams will have questions like nothing you’ve heard before. If you want to avoid randomly picking an answer, play around with Mathematica.

MATH 230 – Vector Calculus and Linear Algebra

Last we checked, this class was nicknamed “Suicide Math.” Although you’ll generally find a few sophomores there, the class tends to be populated by ambitious, mathematically oriented freshmen who want a challenge; they sure get it. Math 230 is more theoretical than Math 120 (the other way you could learn multivariable calculus your freshman year), and covers significantly more material. Those less inclined to think in abstract terms will definitely have a hard time doing the work – but an even harder time not doing it. The class is a very productive mind-training experience, but a fair share of mathematical talent, on top of sheer good will and diligence, is a must.

Music

Take the theory classes (MUSI 110 – Introduction to Elements of Music; MUSI 209, 210, & 211 – Elementary Studies in Analysis and Composition I, II, & III) if you want to learn about the intricacies of music. You’ll investigate the technical aspects of words most people drop without a second thought–harmony, tone, counterpoint. Bonus points if you can remember, while serenading your Valentine, to tell her how her beauty croons like a nondominant seventh chord.

For a more general experience in what classical music has to offer, take survey courses such as MUSI 131 – Introduction to the History of Western Music: 1800 to the Present and get a rich foundation in the famous composers throughout history. Finally, watch out for those baton-wielding students in the class who often think they know more about music than they actually do.

Philosophy

PHIL 175 – Introduction to Ethics

Shelly Kagan will throw more counterfactuals your way than you’ve probably ever heard. His pacing around the stage in jeans and a T-shirt while frantically scratching his head over tough moral dilemmas is likely to grow on you. Affectations aside, be warned that Kagan has boasted in the past that he deliberately never studied Aristotle. He also rejects all forms of “egoism” and “self-interested” ethics as untenable from the outset, and proceeds to explore various strains of utilitarianism and consequentialism instead. Don’t know what those words mean? Take the class and find out, but keep in mind that you may have to stifle your indignation at some of Professor Kagan’s egregious dismissals.

PHIL 125 – Introduction to Ancient Philosophy

The class changes professors more frequently than Michael Jackson changes noses, but the subject material practically speaks for itself. In years past, this class has done an excellent job of putting the works of Plato and Aristotle in a context that makes better sense of their words than any a student could glean unaided. The Republic and the Nicomachean Ethics in particular become much more intelligible to the modern reader with the help of a knowledgeable guide. Unlike its counterpart, this class affirmatively enhances the experience of reading its books, confronting students with the ancients’ challenges.

PHIL 126 – Introduction to Modern Philosophy

Take this class only if you are required to as a Philosophy major. While very friendly, Professor DeRose does little to make sense of the texts or put them in an intellectual or historical context. Better to read the books for yourself and then discuss or argue their ideas with friends.

Physics

PHYS 180 & 181 – Advanced General Physics

First semester deals with mechanics, thermodynamics, and the like, with no prior physics experience is required. During the second semester, topics become much more difficult (quantum mechanics, anyone?). Prepare to become best friends with the textbook.

Political Science

PLSC 111 – Introduction to International Relations

A rather basic introduction to international relations. Most people with some experience in Model UN, reading newspapers, or just generally being in tune with world affairs will find this course unnecessary and the reading list lacking. However, Howorth’s anecdotal style makes it easier to get through the boring aspects.

PLSC 114 – Introduction to Political Philosophy

A great course with a very well selected reading list. Smith is an excellent professor; teaching assistants also tend to be well chosen. For anyone interested either in political science or philosophy, and the ways they overlap to define our worldviews, this is a must-take.

Psychology

PSYC 110 – Introduction to Psychology

The only prerequisite for the psychology major, this class is always popular among freshmen. It will provide a strong overview of the field and insights about the most entertaining experiments and theories of psychology. Students consistently enjoy lectures and find most of the reading material palatable. Beware evil tongues that claim this class is a gut: most students spend a lot of time reading and studying for exams.

PSYC 150 – Social Psychology

After this class, besides all your new ideas about human nature, you will also have memorized tons of more or less plausible theories about the functioning of groups. Take it if you want to find out things like why nobody helped Kitty Genovese when she was stabbed to death in New York, even though dozens heard her screaming.