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I'm working on a bachelors degree in cognitive science so I end up taking some classes related to math and programming, and some softer classes related to psych

I'm working on a bachelors degree in cognitive science so I end up taking some classes related to math and programming, and some softer classes related to psychology. And I like to choose liberal arts subjects when I can for general ed, for the sake of being well-rounded. I find non-hard-science courses to be a little easier in general, but not much easier and not always. You sometimes get professors in a subject like art history who have very specific ideas about how an essay should be structured and what elements are legitimate topics of discussion. Being grammatically correct is often not good enough. There can be quite a bit of intellectual challenge in figuring out what type of essay will result in a good grade, and being able to do this sort of thing may translate into increased chances of success in terms of dealing with customers, coworkers, or managers. At this point I consider it easier to write a program than an essay. At least with a program there is a standard for the language, and a compiler for me to test the outcomes with before I turn it in. The absolute nature of discrete math can be a comfort, not a difficulty. I think some CS Engineers get a biased view of other subjects because they only take the introductory or elementary versions of other courses. Some English major may have to stretch his brain for many hours to decipher the meaning of something written hundreds of years ago, in a different dialect and with the context of a different time period; it would be wrong for him to dismiss electrical engineering just because he thought that applying the power rule in calculus 1 wasn't that hard. And philosophy majors get this type of "soft-major" criticism the most, but let us not forget that our computers are philosophy machines. Edit: I add this to note that cparedes made similar points as I typed this

bane 15y ago
"You sometimes get professors in a subject like art history who have very specific ideas about how an essay should be structured and what elements are legitimate topics of discussion. " As it turns out, this is exactly why I thought those subjects are not as challenging. Once you figure out how to program a teacher, the classes can lose their challenge.
- underreact 15y ago
  It's interesting. I guess to me programming a computer seems more clear, because presumably whoever created the programming language did so with the intention that it should actually be useful for programming ( C++ jokes aside. ) But people can be complicated, inconsistent, and resistant to the idea that they can be won over with a simple formula. I suppose it just depends on the teacher.
  - bane 15y ago
    I'm over-simplifying a bit of course. Programming English teachers can be hard if they are really good. Good meaning, open to alternate interpretations of the material and different kinds of writing styles, but still demanding a high quality of critical analysis - the "how" you arrived at a conclusion, not that you matched their favored interpretation of the material. Sadly, most of the teachers I've encountered since 1st grade were not of this ilk. Most had particular favorite interpretations of the literature and if you didn't regurgitate their favored spin on a subject you'd get C's or lower. It took me till near the end of High School before I figured out that "game" so it's not trivial by any means. But there were always clues. For example, a particular lit class I took consisted entirely of Women's lit material, I was the only male in the class, and the discussions circled around various women's causes. The professor never specified that Women's issues were the flavor of the class, but everything else made it trivial to hack out 5 page essays about the plights of various female characters at the hands of their male tormentors. I ended the class with an reference letter and an introduction to study Lit at Oxford -- which I turned down for many issues. Note: I'm not putting down Women's causes in the slightest, only the lack of rigor in the coursework for the particular class I took.

bane 15y ago

"You sometimes get professors in a subject like art history who have very specific ideas about how an essay should be structured and what elements are legitimate topics of discussion. " As it turns out, this is exactly why I thought those subjects are not as challenging. Once you figure out how to program a teacher, the classes can lose their challenge.

underreact 15y ago
It's interesting. I guess to me programming a computer seems more clear, because presumably whoever created the programming language did so with the intention that it should actually be useful for programming ( C++ jokes aside. ) But people can be complicated, inconsistent, and resistant to the idea that they can be won over with a simple formula. I suppose it just depends on the teacher.
- bane 15y ago
  I'm over-simplifying a bit of course. Programming English teachers can be hard if they are really good. Good meaning, open to alternate interpretations of the material and different kinds of writing styles, but still demanding a high quality of critical analysis - the "how" you arrived at a conclusion, not that you matched their favored interpretation of the material. Sadly, most of the teachers I've encountered since 1st grade were not of this ilk. Most had particular favorite interpretations of the literature and if you didn't regurgitate their favored spin on a subject you'd get C's or lower. It took me till near the end of High School before I figured out that "game" so it's not trivial by any means. But there were always clues. For example, a particular lit class I took consisted entirely of Women's lit material, I was the only male in the class, and the discussions circled around various women's causes. The professor never specified that Women's issues were the flavor of the class, but everything else made it trivial to hack out 5 page essays about the plights of various female characters at the hands of their male tormentors. I ended the class with an reference letter and an introduction to study Lit at Oxford -- which I turned down for many issues. Note: I'm not putting down Women's causes in the slightest, only the lack of rigor in the coursework for the particular class I took.