I’m finding my classes this semester to be far more interesting than any other classes I’ve ever taken, aside from maybe computer science courses (and that one on typography). Incidentally, they happen to also be more depressing than usual since many of them are focused on the study of existing systems / anthropologically grounded (vs. skills based, ie. marketing, accounting, economics, etc).
For instance, my favorite class this semester is one on East Asian cultures and globalization. It is also, incidentally, extremely depressing. Of note are our talks about female subjugation in both Japan and China and how movements like the Cultural Revolution actually helped introduce more agency into females’ lives. If I had been born 80 years earlier, I’d be living in China and have hobbled feet instead of my size 8’s. Though there are far more depressing things out there in the world today (ie. these sorts of things are not limited to history).
Another class that I’m finding to be interesting, though I rarely participate in it - Healthcare management. I have a lot of friends from high school who are all absolutely pro-anything that Democrats say. I say this with a bit of light-hearted mockery (cmon!) and seriousness - just very Californian. I’m very much looking forward to the next time we have a chat about Obamacare or healthcare in the US. What’s a bit interesting is taking this class in conjunction with Insurance, which provides more of a quantitative base to these topics. In any case, most stats we’re getting out of this class are pretty depressing as well.
All in all, if I had the chance to spend one more semester at Penn, I would definitely fill it up with more classes that focus on East Asian cultures – probably an Asian-American studies class or two - alongside some of the more renowned courses that Wharton offers only in the Spring. These classes are depressing but worth it (and the teachers are cooler).
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