Ahg, I'm torn on what classes to sign up for this Fall. I need exactly three more courses to graduate, so I'm trying to pick things that will actually be relevant and informative, but also won't demand a ton of work so I can make sure I pass the hard one I know I need, and so I don't fuck this up at the last moment.
I need one more level of Spanish - the "Conversational" level. I was dreading this, because I thought it meant actual conversations, but I've since discovered the course is actually more about reading than talking, and that I already enrolled under the professor who actually understands that by graduate-age, most people don't have the mental acuity to become bilingual through hour-classes a few days a week. Since I'm enrolled, that's no problem, I just wish I could have enrolled earlier in a section people I know are in.
I need one "political theory" course - translated to catalog-speak, there are two available classes. One is a review of "modern critics", whatever that means. I've taken the professor before, and he likes me and his classes are easy. Way too easy, even. "Class" everyday was just him and a couple students (including me) arguing back and forth about whatever bullshit news of the day he wanted to talk about; he's basically a 70 year old forum troll, and considers himself a professional provocateur. What that really means is actual instruction each day equivalent to a Wikipedia article, with one easy test at the end of the course. While it would be entertaining and an easy 100%, I don't know if I can take that guy's bullshit another semester, or that I should take something more informative. The class is also 7PM-10PM, which is a genuine problem with my work hours.
The other options is a "Social Theory" course from the sociology department. Supposedly, the professor is friendly but disinterested; his attitude towards grading a senior-level psych class is no grades, just read all the material and write opinion-papers about it. I'm not even sure what the point of the course is, but it sounds more involved than the other one, which I guess I'm looking for. Being in the middle of the day also helps. I'm already enrolled in this one as a substitute credit, because the other class is technically the only "theory" class, but it just opened to new enrollment today after being booked-up solid since April. Which means if I change my mind, I can't get back in.
Beyond that, I just need one more advanced-level Political Science credit of any kind. There's five real options available - 1) "Political Systems of Eastern Europe", I hear the professor is a bore and the material is completely irrelevant to anything I will ever do, but I'm already enrolled in it because it was the only class open for a while; it's also at 9AM. 2) "U.S. Constitutional Law", a post-grad class at the same time as the Spanish class I'm already enrolled in; sounds good but hard. 3) "Politics of the Ancient World", Greek philosophers out the ass, relevant for the street-cred I guess; professor is supposed to be good but demanding, and it's another post-grad class. 4) "American Political Parties" self-explanatory, and I think I'm neck-deep in that shit already; no one I know has ever taken the professor, but he's Asian so it can't be easy, and it's another 7PM-10PM period. He teaches a post-grad "Development" course, but that sounds intimidating. 5) "Arlington, TX" by the Old Forum Troll guy; actually relevant to any public-servant like job to know how a city government works, but it's that guy so it can't be informative, and it too is in the late evening.
I'm really just posting this to ask for opinions, which I guess I might get from a couple people. It's in the sad thread for three reasons. One is that I'm already enrolled in three courses I can use, none of which I'm excited about. I'm in worry-lockup about this, which is ridiculous because I have five years of experience at picking classes at the last moment, so you'd think I could make a decision. And maybe most importantly, my weighing out of effort vs relevancy vs convenience is one more stark reminder that five years of college seems to have imparted almost no real knowledge to me, except a vague understanding of the American government's history, some terrible cramming skills, and a general air of smug superiority. Oh well, as long as I've got that degree.
And it's not like I don't know what I'm talking about...Oh, and I'll be going into a Spanish final exam tomorrow at 8AM with about three hours of sleep. Crap.