Taking courses in Grad school

[tenguru]

Hey all, I will be starting in a history MA program come Fall and I know I will find out when my boots hit the ground, but here goes:

 

Do most of you (already attending) take both grad and undergrad courses? I will be TAing but also hope to take some undergrad classes covering stuff I didn't get to as an undergrad.

 

When I was doing my fifth year at Cal, I had a couple of classes that had both grad and undergrad students, but the grad students had a bit more work/were held to a higher standard. Is this approach common in other history programs?

 

This was my third time applying to programs, and I finally got accepted into a few.

 

Thanks!

[kyjin]

It depends on the program. During my MA, I did join one undergrad class, but it was a high-level course. My prof assigned extra readings, longer papers, etc and expected more out of me and the other grad student enrolled. Aside from that, I was discouraged from taking undergrad classes. (Though while writing my MA thesis, I sat in on my advisor's undergrad class to see his teaching style etc, but only when I had time and not for credit.) 

 

Also if you're TAing, you'll probably be attending the lectures for the undergrad course in addition to teaching your section(s). There might not be much time to partake of extra classes on top of everything else. 

[tenguru]

Thanks, Kyjin.

 

That was kind of what I was thinking. I imagine I will also have to (and really should) do some more language training. But, looking at the level I will most likely be placed at, that will mostly be assigned reading as well.

[kyjin]

Language training is a different story. I know plenty of people in my current PhD program who are in undergrad language classes. Not sure if those will count towards your required credit hours and such though. You can also look at summer programs for languages. Which ones are you picking up? 

[tenguru]

Japanese (bungo and perhaps kanbun). Depending on where I go for my doctorate, I could have Chinese and a European lang in my future as well.

[kyjin]

Oh hey, a Japanese history person too! Small world~

For classical they may tag you on to an undergrad class. When I took bungo, I was technically under an undergrad number, but it was me and another grad student meeting with our prof once a week in her office. Kanbun was also a two students/one prof deal, but that was a grad class. Though you also have other options for Kanbun- there's the USC Kanbun Workshop every summer (last year we did Muromachi-period documents, this summer we're reading Chuyuki), and I believe IUC in Yokohama now has a Kanbun workshop of sorts. Feel free to PM me for more info.

[tenguru]

Very cool! Sounds like you are Faaaaaar beyond my language level. I took an intro to bungo class my last year as an undergrad, and that was really fun and interesting (we did the Hojoki), but, I have to be honest: I would take forever to translate anything in bungo and there would probably be some errors. Kanbun just seems daunting.

 

I'll pm you. After telling my recommendation providers where I am going and what I want to do they told me of all these connections to profs at various institutions. Small world, indeed.

Edited April 26, 2014 by tenguru