UNH Courses Reviewed Pt 2

Spring 2013

Math 644 Statistics for Engineers and Scientists
Instructor: Veronica Hupper
Textbook: Not required

http://www.unh.edu/undergrad-catalog/1011/ug-math-1011.htm

I was expecting a more challenging course but the general attitude seems to be this is a boring required course for us engineers, I just want to plug and chug. And that's what we get from the professor, we go over examples on her powerpoint slides and do similar problems for homework. Without too much effort one can probably earn an A and learn very little about statistical thinking, which is much more important than the formulas that can be looked up in a split second. I am beginning to see that most required classes eventually get worn down to the bare minimum and this is definitely one of those.


History 579 History of Modern China
Instructor: Yan Lu
Textbook(s): The Search for Modern China by Spence, Six Records of a Floating Life, Things that Must Not be Forgotten

There is no doubt that Professor Lu is a great learned China scholar. She is clearly very knowledgeable, one time she forgot to bring notes to class but still presented the lecture without any decrease in quality. The bulk of the class consists of lectures in which she presents a lot of material that could be tested on. Taking good notes is a must. Spence's thick book is not required, it is used to supplement the lectures. I would recommend having it as an all around reference. The class meets twice a week for two eighty minute sessions. There are weekly readings from outside sources that are the focus of discussions once a week. My one criticism is that the discussions are not very focused and often become small quarrels between two factions in the class, usually over a minor-ish detail or semantics.

This is a good class to take to learn about a very fascinating country that has experienced huge economic growth and also faces great challenges, both in the short term and in the future. It is probably a good idea to know a few things about the world's most populous country and one that is often called a threat to U.S. interests. By going back to the 1600s, the class traces how China became the way it is today. It is not too difficult and can be taken as an elective for students in any major.

Computer Science 416 (CS416)
Instructor: Professor Robert Daniel Bergeron (RDB)
Textbook:

This is the continuation in the introduction to computer science sequence. The main topics covered are basic java awt graphics, data structures, and recursion. The assignments are significantly more involved but more time is given. It is also easier to look up hints and ideas online and in books as the class uses standard java libraries as opposed to exclusive learning libraries. The class can easily take up 10-15 hours a week of outside time due to the nature of programming. Professor Bergeron is very knowledgeable and always willing to explain the material. He is a bit unorganized at times, but this mostly just results in funny typos or missing bits and pieces. He likes to joke about his procrastination and is generally a down to earth guy. If he is late with posting an assignment then the class gets extra time to complete it so no complaints there.