Bigger classes, like Psych 104 (first year) and some linguistics classes and stuff like that were probably of a good enough size that you could sit in everyday of the term and never be noticed. They were also variably interesting; some days were better than others. Some days were dreadful.

My advice would be to get the calendar for the uni. and look for the classes that have a couple of sessions of the same thing offered, as they're likeliest to be big, I'd assume. You could also do it much more randomly and just sit in a big lecture hall and wait to see what you get to learn that day. Or, of course, take your chances sneaking into whichever ones you think have the most interesting names.

My favourite courses?
A review of the great athiests; taught by a Jesuit.
Criminology; taught by a policeman.
Statistics; taught by a mathemtician.
Abnormal psychology; taught by a practising clinition.

Of course, you have to be an admitted student to do this. And you have to pay for the class. But well worth it, in my opinion.

[ 21 June 2003: Message edited by: Zoot Capri ]

quote:

---

Does anyone have any suggestions for courses they absolutely loved? I know it all depends on the teacher

---

not really. i mean, it depends on the teacher,

but a group dynamic needs to evolve in a class. it can't be just the professor talking to you, and the 20 of you sitting there in a seminar room.

i just finished 5 1/2 courses at ryerson in toronto, and silly as it sounds, the course where i met the most people began with an ice-breaking exercise,

we went around the room and the first person said what they'd been doing the last few years, and "one extrordinary experience" -- eating eyeball juice from a moose, riding the trans-siberian, etc., and each person thereafter had to say their piece, then repeat everyone's name and e.experience.

The teacher was a real physicist at U of T. They would never have let him teach such a course for normal credit, of course -- but if you root about in science departments, you will find guys like him, with special insight. He was magical -- courses like that, for lay people, that help us to catch up on what science knows, which is often quite beautiful -- those are magic. See if you can find such a course.

I am m'self a classically trained student of literature. I loved sitting through rigorous lectures as an undergrad, and I love giving lectures. A lecturer who loves what she's talking about is not a thing to sniff at, especially when you're just getting your toes wet.

Even if you don't find the inspired teacher, though -- you'll get some good book lists. After high school, remember: you must take charge of your own education. Somewhere during undergrad years, everybody is supposed to figure that out: Hey! It's me! I'm on my own now!!!

quote:

---

Forget about your genius, your talents, and the talents of everyone else. Keep reminding yourself that literature is one of the saddest roads that leads to everything.
-- André Breton, Secrets of the Magical Surrealist Art

---

quote:

---

I'm planning on checking out a few english/writing courses, if only to see if they confirm my "good writing cannot be taught' bias. I'm also tempted to check out some basic physics and chem, but although i have a strong math and science basis, i'm really only at the "ooh, gee whiz!" stage. I'm pretty sure i've done the equivalent of phil101 myself and...

---

Based purely on this paragraph, since I know nothing about you, I would suggest you keep a more open mind than this.

The best thing that university has taught me is that I knew next to nothing coming out of high school despite being a voracious reader with a ridiculously high average who devoured every single tidbit of learnin'.

I didn't find this out in lectures though. I found out in discussions during tutorials, study groups and office hours with my teaching assistants and professors. I met some of the most brilliant people I've ever encountered who made me realize that although precocious, I had a lot to learn still.

Whatever you think you know, it isn't anything compared to what an enthusiastic learned expert can teach you.

So whatever you decide to immerse yourself in, just remember to throw your biases out the window because they really hold you back more than anything.