How Do I Research a Course?

Researching a Course

You can research a course before it even starts -- follow the tips below. 

How to Research a Course:

  1. Read the full description in ExploreCourses and click on the blue Schedule link to see if there is any important information in the Notes--there often is.
  2. A recent syllabus can be tremendously useful--see related posts on Finding Syllabi and Reading Syllabi.
  3. The required books will be available in the Stanford Bookstore a couple of weeks early, and browsing them can give you a sense of the level of the course, and how much it interests you, and also whether there may be prerequisites that aren’t spelled out in the course description.
  4. Third party tools like Courserank can also be very useful, although a caveat: don’t just look at a quantitative rating for the course. Rather, read the comments to see what the course was like, how it was taught, and how it may fit with your learning style. Your goal in reading Courserank is not to see what other students thought of the course, but how YOU will experience it. Every student is different, and you can’t depend on the impressions of others to predict what a course will be like for you.
  5. Continue to research the course during Week One. Ask the instructor about the course. Briefly explain who you are and why you are taking the course, and ask the professor if it sounds suitable, or if there is background knowledge that you may not have. Introduce yourself to other students in the class to see how advanced they are.
  6. When in doubt, consult your Academic Advising Director.

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