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June 30th, 2010
xicarus_complex
 | 03:24 pm
Hi everyone! I’m going into my second year, majoring in English and minoring in French, and I’m looking for feedback on a couple courses and professors. I’m also trying to decide if I should take six courses next year, or if I should stick to five, so if you can tell me a little about the workload in second-year English and the difficulty of an increased course load, I’d really appreciate it because I’d much rather take a fifth year (if necessary) than kill myself. Next year, I plan to take:
Introduction to Literary Criticism (ENGL292) with Michael Snediker: the course is recommended and I’ve heard fantastic about Michael Snediker, so I’m not at all concerned about this course.
Contemporary Canadian Literature (ENGL283) with Sam McKegney: This course conflicts with the Jacobean Shakespeare (ENGL228*), but it sounds interesting and everyone had very positive comments about Sam McKegney on Rate My Prof, so I have to choose between the two, as there’s only one section of each.
Obviously, I can take one or the other in third year, so it’s not a huge problem, but do you think one is more relevant to my third year courses than the other? What do you think of Asha Varadharajan (instructor for the first half of the course, ENGL227*)? Is she really as incomprehensible (because of diction and volume) and prone to tangents as everyone on Rate My Prof seems to think and are her lectures as superficial as some people have said?
Fantasy (ENGL203*) with Ruth Wehlau: What did you think of the course and/or professor?
The Short Story in English (ENGL204*) with Tim McIntyre: I don’t know if Tim McIntyre is a PhD student or a new professor, but there are no reviews for him on Rate My Prof and he doesn’t have a bio on the English department website. Has anyone had him, either as a TA or an instructor/professor, and what were your opinions?
I didn’t take any Gender (formerly Women’s) Studies courses last year; do you think that will hurt me if/when I take a 200-level GNDS course this year? I’m thinking of Introduction to Sexual and Gender Diversity (GNDS215*), but Margaret Little has a number of poor reviews on Rate My Prof. I’m not sure if that’s because people weren’t prepared to have their opinions challenged or if she’s genuinely that bad, so opinions are appreciated.
Any thoughts on Racism, Colonialism, and Resistance (GNDS212*), Feminist Histories (GNDS211*), and/or Scott Morgensen? How’s the department as a whole?
I can’t decide on French courses; I’m thinking of Introduction à la littérature française (FREN212) and Le cinéma et la civilisation française (FREN227*) and La civilisation canadienne-française (FREN232*) or Le théâtre canadien-français (FREN266*), but I’d welcome any suggestions and opinions. I’m interested in the conversation courses, as my spoken French is no longer as fluent, so if you have any thoughts on those, that would be great, too!
ETA: Apparently, most French and Gender Studies classes conflict with my English classes, so I'll have to save them for third year =/.
Lastly, is there anything I should keep in mind about the English or French department going forward?
Thanks in advance for your time! I really appreciate it =).
Current Mood:  hopeful
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June 24th, 2010
buruy
| 10:03 pm - Graduate Development Studies program
Hello all!
I am really interested in doing a Masters at Queen's in their Development Studies program so I just have a few questions about it! If anyone could help me out, it would be greatly appreciated!
1) According to this document (DEVS students respond to budget cuts), what is the situation right now? Has cuts already been made? Are there less resources for both Development Studies undergrad AND grad students?
2) One of THE biggest reasons why I want to come to Queen's for Development Studies is because of their Work-Study Programme that allows students to do an exchange in another country while gaining work experience AND relevant school credits. HOWEVER, I am aware the work-study programme is primarily aimed at undergraduates and NOT grad students. As a grad student, would this mean that I won't be able to take part in this awesome work-study programme? Because that is the biggest attraction to me and it's why I would choose Queen's and living out of town and borrowing OSAP over going to a university in my city and living at home where I don't have to pay rent (yet). :P
3) For those who have studied/current studying/know anyone who did/just have general info, what is the Development Studies program like for a grad student? Do you love/hate it and why? What are the professors like, in terms of approaching them for assistance, etc.? Are the courses informative, do they really prepare you for your future career, is it practical, etc.?
4) If you happen to be a graduate/know anyone who is, what are the chances of gaining a career through this program afterward? (Another reason why I think so highly of Queen's Development Studies is because I heard their graduates end up doing amazing things.)
5) Finally, I'm actually from York University so my thinking is quite liberal - I aim for progressiveness when arguing in my essays and I also have a feminist background with a bit of social justice thrown in. Would these values fit in this program?
Thanks for all your help!!
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June 22nd, 2010
j831
 | 12:32 am - it's that time of the year again...
i have a couple questions regarding some courses i've been looking at. any thoughts would be appreciated on any of the following courses:
BIOM 300* - Modeling Techniques in Biology
PSYC 370* - Brain and Behaviour II
COGS 100* - Intro to Cognitive Science
CISC 121* - Intro to Computing Science I
NSCI 323* - Cellular Neuroscience
NSCI 324* - Systems Neuroscience
BCHM 310 - General Biochemistry
also any third year life science course in general... i'm doing a major in life science, so i have quite a few options as to what i can take, seeing i have no core courses. i do need 2.5 "life science" credits at the 300 level or above though...
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September 18th, 2009
milkradio
 | 10:42 am - HIST 391
Is anyone here in HIST 391: The Global Sixties this year? Is there a way to find a syllabus for a class online? I want to find out what kind of assignments will be given in that class before I try to switch into it.
Also does anyone know if the P&CC is open on weekends? Their website on myams.org is down for some reason, so I can't see their opening hours.
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September 2nd, 2009
flan53
| 12:41 pm - Mech 381
I'm thinking of taking Mech 381, but i vaguely remember hearing bad things about it and I hate Strong. Is he better here than he was in 190 or 212?
Also, are there any technical electives that you've taken that stood out as good or bad?
thanks for all and any help
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August 31st, 2009
nude_lunch
 | 11:47 am - Biology 350 - Evolutionary Ecology of Humans
I'm trying to decide between two courses as an elective:
Biol 350 - Evolutionary Ecology of Humans (taught by L. Aarssen) and Geol 200 - Oceanography (taught by James)
Just looking for basic info, ie difficulty, interesting, did it suck?
I've only taken first year biology, so I'm mostly wondering if biol 350 is difficult.
Thanks.
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July 21st, 2009
mint_cheese
 | 02:21 pm - Any Input on Philosophy/Music Electives??
I'm looking for an interesting but not too difficult 0.5 elective in Philosophy or another course in the Humanities. So far, I was thinking of:
PHIL 154: Intro to the Philosophy of Science - Taught by Dr. Smith.
PHIL 158: Critical Thinking - Taught by Dr. Salay.
MUSC 102: An Introduction to the History of Western Art Music II
If anyone has input on these courses (course breakdown, etc), that would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance :)
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July 14th, 2009
mint_cheese
| 09:43 am - PHGY 350 - Pathophysiology
Has anyone taken PHGY 350 (Pathophysiology) before?
If so, how was the course and workload?
Thanks :)
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July 13th, 2009
metrickkk
 | 11:38 pm - PSYC 220
PSYC 220 is only being offered as a correspondence course this year.
It's a mandatory credit for Psychology Majors and so I have to take it. I called the department head to ask if I should take it next year instead when it is actually being offered as an on-campus course with lectures. She said they can't assure me that it would be offered next year either.
Has anyone taken PSYC 220 and could tell me whether or not they think it would work as correspondence course? Or would it be terrible and I should try my luck next year?
Thanks in advance!
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July 10th, 2009
xicarus_complex
| 02:15 am
Hello! I’m a first time poster and a first-year English student, suffering from a little too much choice and a bad case of nerves, so I figured I’d ask a few questions to help me figure it all out (and, more importantly, prepare me for my SOAR appointment on Friday July 10th). I've looked through the memories, so I don't think any of these questions have been asked lately and I'd appreciate any assistance you could give me.
1a) French. Based on your experience, which French course is most appropriate for someone who’s taken French for four years? From the course description, I can’t tell if I should pick FREN-110 or FREN-118; if it helps, I finished grade twelve French first in my class, with a 93 average and I can speak, read, and write pretty fluently. 1b) French. Several of my friends have been placed in second-year French at their respective universities; how common is that at Queen’s? 2) Arabic. Does anyone know if they plan to expand the Arabic program? 3) Special Permission. How does one receive permission to take a course (without the necessary prerequisites)? My syllabus is too full for the first-year gender/women’s studies class, but I’m interested in taking it later and would rather spend my summer on philosophy credit(s). 4) Gender/Women’s Studies. On a related note, I’ve heard some negative reviews of the gender/women’s studies program—namely that the (usual?) professor is immoderate and inflexible, with an unfair marking system. Has anyone here taken gender/women’s studies and, if so, what did you think? 5) Transfer Credits (LATN-110). I had a sudden, decisive moment of practicality and Latin was the victim of it; however, I’d still like to take it and my friend suggested I (might be able to) do a transfer credit during summer 2010. I haven’t had a chance to look into the details as yet (I expect most of them won’t be available until next year and I might reconsider my decision, particularly if the answers to my question are unfavourable), but does anyone have experience with transfer credits? 6) Opinions on POLS-110 vs. HIST-122. Currently, I know I’ll be taking ENGL-110, GRMN-101/102, JAPN-100, and a French course. However, I’m struggling to decide between POLS-110 and HIST-122. I’ve heard the former is boring (and the description hasn’t done much to convince me otherwise) and rigorous, but the following years’ courses are of interest. On the other hand, HIST-122 sounds interesting, but how much does the course focus on Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas? After years in a Eurocentric school system, I’d like to explore other areas of the world, but I wonder if I should look towards 200- and 300-level courses that focus on certain, specific areas. Thoughts? 7) Vacation. I’ll be out of the country from July 26th to August 17th: should I inform the university of that beforehand? ETA: I won't have much, if any, Internet access. I know it’s tl;dr, so I appreciate all those who took the time to read this post and thanks in advance for any and all responses.
Current Mood:  stressed
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