I'd peg them as sophomores -- they know enough of the names and stories to feel like authorities, but don't have any depth of understanding. The Eames example is particularly hilarious, since Charles and Ray are pretty famous for starting with some basic goals, learning everything about the materials at hand, and figuring out first-hand the best way to use those materials to solve the problem. They developed techniques for molding plywood in their apartment, for chrissakes!