Hidden Gems @ Berkeley

Some of the brilliant courses that fly below the radar during your first few years at Cal. And then, it’s too late to take them all!

• Social Psychology: Self and Society with Robb Willer – Hands down the best professor I’ve ever had. He lives his work too – he’s been a construction worker, line cook, PBS news anchor, and writer, among other things. This class has the most fun homework assignments I’ve done in college (remember breaches?). Now being offered as a Discovery Course! (Soc 150A)
• Language and Power with Claire Kramsch – I took this my first semester at Cal, and I wish I could have taken this course again as a senior. I learned so much the first time, and I would have learned even more the second. (L&S C180T)
• The Mind and Language with George Lakoff or Eve Sweetser – Personally, I prefer Lakoff, since, you know, he pioneered the field, but my friends who’ve had her stand firmly by Sweetser. Both are extremely qualified, and you want a qualified professor for this course. This is the class that started it all. Make sure you get a good GSI – Joshua Marker if he’s still there. It’s worth switching for one. (CogSci/Ling C101).
• Intro to Social Theory and Cultural Analysis with Gary Wren – Want to understand why modern society works the way it does? Then take this class. This is the class where you read all the books you are supposed to read in college. (ISF 100A)
• Effective Personal Ethics for the 21st Century: Awakening at the Center of an Evolving Universe with Jack Phillips – Besides winning the award for Longest and Most Pretentious Course Name, Jack is a genuinely nice guy concerned with making us all think about how to make the world a better place. And the first step in doing that is to Know Thyself. He also teaches the course with a business slant as Business Ethics for the 21st Century. (BA 170/L&S 160B)

Other Professors of Note:

• Tania Lombrozo – She’s pioneering work in cognitive psychology and experimental philosophy (what’s that?), and I’ve never met anyone more knowledgeable or more passionate about her field. Plus, she’s married to Tom Griffiths.
• Tom Griffiths – Besides pioneering work in artificial intelligence and natural language processing, he’s also super nice. And married to Tania Lombrozo, the lucky dog.
• Mark Griffiths – Not married to Tania Lombrozo, this Griffiths is a professor of Classics, and the best one you can get, at that.