Originally Posted by Val
AP humanities and social sciences classes fit right into that category, in that they aren't focused on teaching students how to analyze information at a honest college level. Instead, they focus on "learning the material" and a relatively superficial understanding of causes and effects.

I agree. However, where we differ is in our perception of the value of first-year university education in these areas. I maintain that most first year courses are superficial, at best, and so why require students to undertake two rounds of fluff courses to access the meaningful content?

I don't say this to denigrate, but I am convinced that most honours undergraduate programs could properly be 2 years long among motivated students who do have those skills you describe above, Val. It should really be a question of individual student initiative, ingenuity, and original research at the fourth year level for graduate-bound students, anyway.

Where I studied my undergrad, we were able to accept first year transfer credits for IB/AP and accelerate into graduate series courses in upper classes in fourth year if we could hack it, compressing class time in PhDs. To me, this was a system that worked well.



What is to give light must endure burning.