Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Any favorites?

Would any of you mind sharing your thoughts about your favorite classes and instructors. This is my first semester and I would like to have some input into which classes you have found enjoyable. I am registered for Culture, Health, and Power and Stress and You. Anyone have input into either of those. I did receive some input on one of the instructors, so I thought maybe I could gain more insight into other classes too.
Also, I am interested in taking some management classes. Is it hard to get approval for classes when it is not your primary major?
Thanks

8 comments:

Beth's Blog said...

Hi Beth, Culture, Health, Power was my all time favorite class. Dr. Manthei is a fabulous teacher, interesting lectures, engaged with everyone in class, really makes every student feel like their individual input counts. There is a lot of reading, but it was fascinating stuff to me. A lot of cultural studies and discussion about issues surrounding health. Ok, now I'll stop gushing but if you like that class, she also teaches Teen Talk. You read a lot of novels and talk about teenage angst, coming of age and get to watch some movies. Both classes are heavy reading and moderate writing.

Anonymous said...

Beth, I'll chime in with some favorites and not-so-favorites of my own:

1) Hands-down, Women, Gender, & Society with Professor Lynn Tilton. There was a lot of reading of articles, but the perk is that you don't have to purchase any books, just lots of printer ink and paper. She's a great teacher, very attentive, and helpful. She provided excellent feedback on all papers. The material is quite interesting with moderate writing, as Beth C. put it. :)

2) The Internet & American Life with Professor Mary Elizabeth Smith was a fun & interesting class. The teacher was great and she made the class quite enjoyable for all who were engaged in the process.

3) Computer-mediated Interpersonal Communication with Professor Jim Grubbs, wonderful course as long as the students are engaged in the process. The workload was doable and the papers to be typed were minimal. The professor was very helpful and gave excellent feedback on all papers.

4) Social Stratification with Professor Jonathan Isler is another excellent course dealing with societal inequalities. I highly recommend this course if you're interested in how inequalities and injustices affect our society. There's moderate writing, lots of reading, and class participation is required.

5) Person, Identity, & Dignity with Professor Tomasz Bigaj. This course was interesting if you like studying philosophical theories. Some of the material was a bit challenging and the professor was quite critical in his teaching approach. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this course unless you are just that intrigued by philosophy. The course might be great, but the professor wasn't (sorry Professor Bigaj, I'm just keepin' it real!).

6) Stress, Public Health, & You with Professor Mary Addison Lamb, I think I've already shared my opinion on this one, lol.

7) Chemicals & The Citizen with Professor William Martz.....if you're deep into science, unlike me then feel free to take this course. He's a hard greater, a real picky teacher who doesn't really lend too much to discussions. In fact, there aren't any discussions for this class since it isn't really required. We submit our assignments and study for exams (four of them total). There's no sense of community; no social interaction whatsoever and that is something that I crave in online classes. Also, I don't know if anyone else was/is aware of this, but DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE IF YOU'RE NOT A GOOD TEST-TAKER WITHOUT THE USE OF YOUR NOTES AND TEXTBOOKS. The exams are all proctored, which you have to pay for as well as spend extra money for stamps, envelopes, loose-leaf notebook paper, printer paper, and ink in addition to tuition and online fees. This class is a mess and I can't wait 'til it's over, phew, lol.

Hopefully, this will assist you in choosing classes and passing up others. Good luck to you!

Anonymous said...

He's a hard greater...

Sorry, lol, I meant he was a hard 'grader'. I guess that's where typing too fast gets you, lol.

Beth said...

Thanks so much for the input on the classes. I am looking forward to Culture, Health and Power and I am a little skeptical of the other. I will look forward to Women, Gender and Society next fall. I appreciate your honest opinions on the classes and the instructors. It gives me a good idea of what to expect in each one.

Andy Egizi, Program Coordinator said...

Excellent post. I just want to chime in on Chemicals and the Citizen as well. Everything Pam said is 100% true, but I wanted to point out that this can be a positive. If you pair this with a class that consumes a lot of time, it might be a good mix. He gives (at least when I took it) pretty detailed study guides so if you are a good test taker, you can get through with periodic study rather than daily.

Jennifer K. said...

I took Media from a Liberal Arts Perspective with Professor Grubbs this past summer... wonderful teacher & wonderful class! I really enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

Jennifer, I wanted to register for that class for next semester, but I was told by the Communications department that it's only being reserved for Communication majors. I was so hurt about that. Hopefully they'll open it up to other majors soon. I know they're working on it, but I was hoping to take it next semester. I'm so glad you enjoyed the class. Dr. Grubbs is awesome!

Anonymous said...

Have either of you ever taken or know anything about MPH 408: Addiction? I'm interested in taking this course and wonder what it's all about. I've read the description of the course, but need to know a bit more before making a decision. Any feedback would help. Thanks!

~Pam~