An Alternative Semester

An Alternative Semester My courseload this semester might look like that of a confused sophomore who is still unsure what course to major in. But the reality is not quite so. Im a senior whos majoring in Course 4 Architecture and will graduate as so, but this semester Im taking: 1.00 Introduction to Computers and Engineering Problem Solving also known as programming in Java. You know how they say Do one thing that scares you every day? My thing will be 1.00, every day of this semester. But I promised myself I must not leave MIT without being able to robustly code something and 1.00 also satisfies the REST requirement. 21W.735  Writing and Reading the Essay  this is one of the two classes Im taking for fun. I dont really need it per say, but since I want to go into journalism, a writing class would make sense. It also helps that the professor is Ta-Nehisi Coates, who writes for the Atlantic which in the past year became my new favorite magazine. Stoked, I am. STS.043  Technology the Self: Science, Technology, and Memoir this is the other class Im taking for fun. Were trying to understand science, tech, design in the context of the self aka were going to be writing a memoir! The professor is Sherry Turkle, who has written/spoken extensively on how human relationships are impacted by our growing dependence on technology. This human-tech connectivity is all I ever want to talk about, kind of. 15.501 Corporate Financial Accounting I need this class for my Course 15 (Management) minor. We learn to read financial statements, balance sheetsand all that money stuff Im not used to. Which is probably the number one reason I should be taking this class. 15.567 The Economics of Information: Strategy, Strategy, and Pricing I think this one is very important. With all that technology, we get endless information. Big data. Social networks. Wisdom of the crowds. The future of I.T. So much to think about. The scary part here is that most people in the class are MBAs, mid-career Sloan Fellowswe also have to form a IT-based startup in a teamAnd I think a lot of the more experienced folks are trying to form a living-breathing startup, whereas Im still thinking in a more theoretical realm I love that all my classes touch upon each other in some way. Twilight of the Elites, the book were reading for 21W.735, discussed balance-sheet frauds, which involves what Im learning in 15.501. In STS.043, I’m reading about how computers affect the way children learn math-y things, like programmingwhich is something Im DYING to do in 1.00.  In 15.567, were talking the economic impact of social networks, etc. which informs the whole discussion on connectivity and technology in STS.043. Click around the ThingLink on the top to get more of an idea of the classes Im taking. The links correspond to where the classrooms actually are! Clicky-clicky!