The Will To Hack

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classes

I emailed a bunch of friends to ask them if they could recommend any good classes at MIT and Harvard. Here are the results:

Options

  • OEB 57. Animal Behavior, Naomi E. Pierce

    A review of the behavior of animals under natural conditions, with emphasis on both mechanistic and evolutionary approaches. Topics include classical ethology; behavioral endocrinology; behavioral genetics; learning and memory; communication; orientation, migration and biological rhythms; optimal foraging; evolutionary stable strategies; sexual selection; parental investment and mating systems; selfishness, altruism, and reciprocity; and sociality in vertebrates and invertebrates.

  • Linguistics 110. Introduction to Linguistics, Dianne E. Jonas

    An introduction to contemporary linguistic theory and methods of linguistic analysis: phonetic transcription, phonological, morphological, and syntactic analysis, and methods in comparative and historical linguistics. Some psycholinguistic aspects of language will also be examined. The discussion will draw on data from a wide variety of languages.

  • History 1470. Modern European Intellectual History Subject and Structure, Nietzsche to Postmodernism, Peter E. Gordon

    An introduction to major landmarks in Continental philosophy and social theory in the modern period, beginning with Nietzsche. Focuses on the various challenges to traditional enlightenment notions of freedom and subjectivity in psychoanalysis, Critical Theory, existentialism, French structuralism, and post-structuralism.

  • Psychology 15. Social Psychology, Daniel M. Wegner

    An introduction to social psychological research and theory regarding everyday behavior. Topics include: social influence, attitude change, and obedience to authority; stereotyping and prejudice; social cognition; social interaction and group processes; interpersonal attraction; prosocial behavior; and everyday human judgment.

Dismissed

  • Economics 1822. Economics of Education, Caroline M. Hoxby

    Explores why people attain different levels of education, what makes schools efficient, how schools should be financed, what explains rising college tuition, whether education propels macroeconomic growth. Uses labor economics (human capital investment, the market for teachers), public economics (financing K-12 education, public colleges), industrial organization (vouchers, charter schools, market for college education), macroeconomics (growth theory).

    Not offered this term.

  • Psychology 1607. Cognitive Development, Education, and the Brain, Kurt W. Fischer (School of Education) and Howard E. Gardner (Education School)

    An integrative survey of knowledge and research in cognitive development and neuroscience from infancy through early adulthood. Topics include normal cognitive and emotional development and brain development and their relation to learning and education.

    Hideous slides.

MIT

  • 18.701 Algebra if taught by Artin
  • 7.012 Intro Bio, for the lectures taught by Lander
  • 8.286: The Early Universe (though it doesn't look like it's offered this fall) *
  • 6.840: Theory of Computation, taught by Sipser *
  • 6.046J: Introduction to Algorithms, when taught by Leiserson
  • I remember being totally awed by chemistry professor Daniel Kemp, who actually made me really appreciate organic chemistry
  • I also had a great time with Joe Haldeman's Science Fiction writing class, though I dont know how often he teaches it (and again, sitting in might be an issue.)
  • I have to say, though, that a lot of the classes I really enjoyed at MIT were CS, which is a good part of the reason why I majored in it. Hal Abelson, Frans Kaashoek, Srini Devadas, Arvind, and Ron Rivest were all fantastic teachers, and that's what made those classes fun
  • I'd highly recommend Patrick Winston's "Human Intelligence Enterprise," but that's taught only in Spring and also doesn't allow listeners
  • 6.001 is also worth sitting in on; when I took it, however, it used mostly electronic lectures

  • I've heard 9.00 is good, though I didn't take it. I've heard lectures by the professor (Wolfe) and know that he's quite good -- it's an Intro to Psychology course.

  • all of the good courses I know distinctly didn't allow for listeners :-( This especially goes for some of the Sloan management courses (15.760 comes to mind), which have very limited enrollment.

Harvard

  • Howard Stone in Applied teaches a great class on differential equations
  • Todd Zickler in CS has a great machine vision course
  • I've also heard good things about the AI courses
  • nesson's cyberlaw might be fun but i think it is best taken with various mind-altering drugs (or at least an understanding of how they work!)
  • i've also heard that people like the bioethics seminar by mandel at HLS--he also teaches a big lecture course on that at the college but i think it's in the spring.
  • might be too much law for your taste, but i actually thought fisher's copyright class was interesting.
  • I bet you'd find Science B-29 interesting. That's always a big hit on campus.
  • Animal Behavior was really interesting. OEB 57. You basically study cool things that animals do. ... dope guest lecturers
  • the best class I ever took was "Painting with Attitude" from the art dept., but they probably won't let you sit in on that
  • Early Modern Science Proseminar (basically a survey of the Scientific Revolution) ... a very good class ... a really bright bunch, and hence the discussions were really interesting
  • spring ... Biolinguistics, taught by Piattelli-Palmarini

From Zak:

  • HIST A-35: Democracy in America and Europe is tons of reading, but James Kloppenberg is my favorite professor here
  • HIST A-51: Modern World Economy. Prof. Jeffry Frieden cares a lot about his students, and I really enjoyed his lecture style and structure of the course
  • HIST B-11 or anything with classics Prof. Christopher Jones
  • HIST B-67: Japan's Modern Revolution is a great elective
  • HIST B-67: Japan's Modern Revolution is the most interesting course i have taken here
  • Lit and Arts B-something: First Nights. Professor Kelly is amazing.
  • Race, Poverty, and Ethnicity, Social Analysis 68.
  • ISP 221: Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy. one of the best courses I've taken
  • Derek Bok's seminar at the Ed school
  • Peter Galison
  • Peter Bol
  • Anthro 101 (fun introduction to archaelogy)
  • BS80 neurobio. reeeeally good class!
  • MCB169. Molecular and Cellular Immunology Hidde Ploegh
  • Chemistry 27 with Stuart Schreiber
  • Salil Vadhan's CS225 (pseudorandomness) is supposed to be really cool
  • Caroline Hoxby's Economics of Education
  • Ec 1330 1 Way or Many
  • Engineering Sciences 123: Fluid Mechanics with Howard Stone
  • Engineering Sciences 123: Fluid Mechanics with Howard Stone, the best professor I have had at Harvard
  • Engineering Sciences 145: Systems Analysis w/ Physiological Apps. one of the most interesting classes i've taken at harvard! so cool! i love the prof!
  • Engineering Sciences 181: Thermo. one of the best taught classes i've taken at harvard. prof (aziz) is amazing
  • English 150: british romantic poetry. i loved it. LOVED it.
  • comp lit 111: someone told me prof. negron was amazing.
  • English 90ne: The Rhetoric of Belief, Robert Kiley (An excellent English class. I learned a lot. Class dynamics can and will affect the course though)
  • Gened 187: The quality of Healthcare in America
  • Leverett 104: Freud & Lewis. basically debating between Freud and C.S. Lewis's ... one of the few classes I've taken at Harvard where the discussions are really satisfying, everyone takes all the ideas seriously, and keep talking about it
  • Leverett 74 Freud/Lewis
  • Government 1780: International Political Economy (Frieden)
  • Government 1780 Int'l Political Economy
  • Government 1061: Modern Political Philosophy. It's taught by Mansfield, and i know he gets a lot of grief, but he's actually the smartest professor I've met here, and is a great teacher if you give him a chance. The class is really great.
  • Government 1295: comparative politics in latin america. VERY thorough, intensive look ... levitsky is a young, enthusiastic, interesting professor
  • History 1470b: European Intellectual History II: Subject and Structure from Nietzsche to Post-Structuralism, Peter Gordon. Excellent Class. Gordon is amazing, and I learned so much.
  • History 1638US Social History
  • Hist Sci 185 with Brain, who is a nut but very good in a seminar format
  • Hist Sci 120 with Galison, who is one of the best in his field
  • Physics 121. History and Philosophy of 20th Century Physics Peter Gallison
  • hist Sci 176 with Harrington; she is very good and people rave about her
  • Linguistics 110 (survey of the field, very fun stuff)
  • Math 23
  • Applied Math 107: Combinatorics
  • Math 138 with Bamberg, who is rather unusual but great reviews
  • Music 51: Theory I, John Stewart. Seriously a good class. Totally crazy, so much work. It's one of the most disorganized classes at Harvard, and simultaneously one of the best taught. You learn so much.
  • Phil 144: logic and philosophy. Unfortunately the prof is different, but the material is just really cool.
  • Phil 16: Objectivity + Subjectivity in Ethics.
  • Physics 125: Widely Applied Physics John Doyle
  • Psych 15: Social Psychology was perhaps the most enjoyable class I've taken so far here at Harvard. Prof Epley is the best/most effective teacher I've ever seen. His lectures are absolutely amazing. Even if you don't take the course, I suggest you sit in on a few lectures.
  • Psych 1701, also with a prof well liked
  • Psych 1701: Personality Psychology in the spring. The professor is supposed to be everything that Epley is, but with the greatest sense of humor. A friend of mine said every lecture was 'pee in your pants' funny.
  • Religion 1528. Brian Palmer. He is offering ethnographic imaginations this spring ... definitely worth shopping
  • VES 108: Architectural History

By professor:

  • Psychology 1607. Cognitive Development, Education, and the Brain by Howard Gardner and Kurt Fischer
  • BPH 359. Relations of Dietary Factors to the Occurrence of Human Disease by Walter C. Willett
  • Economics 2054. Social Choice and Welfare Economics by Amartya Sen
  • Economics 2057. Rational Choice by Amartya Sen and Christine M. Jolls

Love to hate:

  • Stephen Pinker
  • Sociology 296a. Proseminar on Inequality and Social Policy I

Other

  • I've heard good things about classes at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education.

To do

  • Ask Gline about a history of science course
  • Ask the free culture list

last updated 2 years ago # history