Six classes, three of which are quantitative, the other three are heavy reading, which I think is a fair balance to an otherwise unbalanced work-life ethic. Can I handle these? And my own self-study? And work a campus job? And do what I do anyway (writing and languages)? Let’s see.
COCI C1101x-C1102y Introduction To Contemporary Civilization 4 pts. Taught by members of the Departments of Anthropology, Classics, English and Comparative Literature, French, German, History, Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Slavic Languages, and Sociology; and members of the Society of Fellows. A study in their historical context of major contributions to the intellectual traditions that underpin contemporary civilization. Emphasis is on the history of political, social, and philosophical thought. Students are expected to write at least three papers to complete two examinations, and to participate actively in class discussions.
The core curriculum class that everyone must take. This should be my area of competence, but I suspect it will be very subjectively graded. Also, the readings are pretty intense, but I’m looking forward to reading all the books that I should have read in order to consider myself educated… I have to finish the Republic for the first class.
ASCE V2359x and y Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: China 3 pts. The evolution of Chinese civilization from ancient times to the twentieth century, with emphasis on characteristic institutions and traditions. Major Cultures Requirement: East Asian Civilization List A.
Although I know quite a bit already about Chinese history from elementary and middle school, I chose this to fulfill the first major cultures requirements in order to use the second MC requirement (which must be from the same ‘culture’) to fulfill my economics or political science electives later, such as ‘Chinese foreign policy’ or ‘economic development of Japan’. My other options for MC1 were a general East Asia survey (too broad) or one that focused on Korean history (which apart from contemporary soap operas is somewhat alien to me). If they had one that focused on Japanese history I might have taken that. In any case, I hope this class will help me get more libertarian Confucian/Taoist quotes for future essay contests, since they seem to be such a hit. However, I don’t have any language advantage in this class since all the primary sources are in classical Chinese, and I can’t even read traditional Chinese well.
POLS V1501x or y Introduction to Comparative Politics 3 pts. Lecture and discussion. Introduction to some of the major approaches and issues in the contemporary study of politics within nations, including the causes of revolution, the roots of democracy, and the nature of nationalism, through systematic study of politics in selected countries.
I think that my political science major subfield will be comparative instead of international because of the number of country-specific classes I expect to take compared to the foreign policy classes. I had originally intended to take the introduction to international now, so if I choose to fulfill MC2 next semester, it could be a foreign policy class like Chinese/Korean/Japanese foreign policy instead of domestic politics, but I was advised to take the IR intro in the spring by my supervisor at AEI, so I guess I will take a domestic-oriented class for MC2 next semester instead.
ECON W3211x and y Intermediate Microeconomics 3 pts. The determination of the relative prices of goods and factors of production and the allocation of resources.
The next stage of the economics core and the last barrier to most of the electives that do not require econometric analysis – which means I can take development economics classes next semester that are within the department and not from the Earth Institute.
SIEO W4150x and y-S4150 Introduction To Probability and Statistics 3 pts. Fundamentals of probability theory and statistical inference used in engineering and applied science. Probabilistic models, random variables, useful distributions, expectations, law of large numbers, central limit theorem. Statistical inference: point and confidence interval estimation, hypothesis tests, linear regression.
My much feared graduate-level statistics class. Although I could have fulfilled the statistics prerequisite for next semester’s econometrics with an easier class, I’ve chosen to challenge myself with intense quantitative work, since arguably I’ll have to learn it later anyway for graduate school or the quant finance classes. Hopefully this will complement my Stata self-training.
MATH V2010x and y Linear Algebra 3 pts. Matrices, vector spaces, linear transformations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, canonical forms, applications.
Another requirement on my quant track. Fortunately a lot of my friends have already taken this, so I can count on some help at least.
INAF U4734 Environmental Science and Policy practicum. In this course, scientists and leaders share with students the ways in which their current research is being used, the policy implications for their work and how it will be made accessible to practitioners. Speakers will detail how they are integrating different perspectives into the research they are conducting, and how their work fits into the overall interdisciplinary research mission of the Earth Institute.
I will also attend this practicum class to get a better sense of how I can get involved with EI research. Although they are advertising a campus job that suits my skill-set and interests, it is non-research, which seems to be a poor justification for the opportunity cost. Hopefully I will find a way to get my research job soon.
STAT W3000x Introduction To Statistics: Probability Models 3 pts. This course is an introduction to probability specially designed for sophomore and junior students. Emphasis is on conceptual understanding and problem solving. Students require slightly less mathematical background than required for W4105. A quick review of multivariate calculus is provided. This course satisfies the prerequisite for W3659/W4107. Topics covered include random variables, conditional probability, expectation, independence, Bayes’ rule, important distributions, joint distributions, moment generating functions, central limit theorem, laws of large numbers and Markov’s inequality.
After attending the first SIEO 4150 class, I realized I had made a huge mistake: I had no idea how to begin to solve the questions on the blackboard. I consulted with the econ undergrad director who advised to take this class instead, which was 1) more suitable for my level and 2) more comprehensive than 4150. It is also a much smaller class and I can expect more attention. Unfortunately it is a two-semester sequence, and the second part is statistical inference, which means that my econometrics core requirement must be postponed to junior fall. This also means I will not have econometrics background for summer ‘08.
On the self-study front, I must learn Stata and arcGIS sometime this or next semester. Both are essential skill-sets to my projected summer ‘08 internship plans. Also, I must rebuild my Mandarin and start on Korean. Regular self-assessment of my progress is in order. Halfway through the semester (after midterms) I will gauge how far I’ve come on languages and the programs and adjust my plans accordingly. With great victory must come great sacrifice, so I’ve decided to forego having a social life this semester. No time for princesses, no time for sad Jay Chou songs and no time for crippling introspection. My GPA has dropped enough already and it has to be restored.
It seems like the economics major requirements are giving me a huge headache. They have raised the quantitative requirements across the board, which means that I have to take more math/stat classes anyway, but not enough to meet the minimum (or recommended) level of preparation for econ grad school, which although I am considering, I don’t really know if that is the right track. I need to start thinking about concrete long-term plans twenty years ahead. Academia may not be the right option then, but I need to know now.
I finished the Republic in year one.
The Republic is easy to read, don’t worry. In fact it reads somewhat like an egoistic rant and requires from the reader some suspension of disbelief, of the type “omg how on earth is this regarded as a good classic book”. But to each his own.
very busy eh