SOCIOL 173
Economy and Society
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Sociology of economic life, with emphasis on principal economic institutions of the U.S. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2017 - This class is a fantastic combo of being both generously graded and an interesting subject, I definitely recommend it as a Soc upper-div (and honestly maybe even just as a relatively easy upper-div for anyone). The readings are interesting and fairly short for a Soc class. The one weak point of the class would be lecture. Berend lectures without any sort of slides or whiteboard use and tends to ramble so it can be rather dull, but her lecture outlines are both handed out in class and posted online which makes following along fairly simple (and attendance probably optional, although the EC on the final was based on something only said in-class). Class also ended 20 minutes early every day which was great. There are four short multiple choice quizzes, pretty easy to figure out if you’ve done the reading or at least know what’s going on in class. There are also two short papers (single-spaced, less than 1 page) that are pretty easy to throw together and interesting to write. The midterm is 20 multiple choice and some short answer, plus extra credit questions. The final is in-class and not cumulative, basically a second midterm. I scored over 100% on the midterm and felt good about the final, too. There’s also an additional extra credit opportunity at the end of the class which only requires you to write three sentences, so I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t do it. All in all, though lecture is a little dry, the readings are actually useful and an A basically requires the minimum effort.
Winter 2017 - This class is a fantastic combo of being both generously graded and an interesting subject, I definitely recommend it as a Soc upper-div (and honestly maybe even just as a relatively easy upper-div for anyone). The readings are interesting and fairly short for a Soc class. The one weak point of the class would be lecture. Berend lectures without any sort of slides or whiteboard use and tends to ramble so it can be rather dull, but her lecture outlines are both handed out in class and posted online which makes following along fairly simple (and attendance probably optional, although the EC on the final was based on something only said in-class). Class also ended 20 minutes early every day which was great. There are four short multiple choice quizzes, pretty easy to figure out if you’ve done the reading or at least know what’s going on in class. There are also two short papers (single-spaced, less than 1 page) that are pretty easy to throw together and interesting to write. The midterm is 20 multiple choice and some short answer, plus extra credit questions. The final is in-class and not cumulative, basically a second midterm. I scored over 100% on the midterm and felt good about the final, too. There’s also an additional extra credit opportunity at the end of the class which only requires you to write three sentences, so I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t do it. All in all, though lecture is a little dry, the readings are actually useful and an A basically requires the minimum effort.
Most Helpful Review
I think Prof. Black is a great professor and this was the 2nd class I took with her, and you have to give her a chance. At first I wasn't very fond of the class structure, and her exams were very challenging because of the wording, but I did have a very fun time in her class. She is a very nice person if you ever get to go to her office, and it's not that hard to get an A in. I would just say to be patient and enjoy it, because it is fun and other professors just sit and talk, and she really engaged us to work together and participate. It was pretty fun overall.
I think Prof. Black is a great professor and this was the 2nd class I took with her, and you have to give her a chance. At first I wasn't very fond of the class structure, and her exams were very challenging because of the wording, but I did have a very fun time in her class. She is a very nice person if you ever get to go to her office, and it's not that hard to get an A in. I would just say to be patient and enjoy it, because it is fun and other professors just sit and talk, and she really engaged us to work together and participate. It was pretty fun overall.
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Most Helpful Review
I thought that the class was overall a good one. She was great about answering student\355s questions in class, and was easy to get a hold of if you had any questions (if you couldn\355t make it to office hours she respond to your e-mails rather quickly). The midterm was a little too detail oriented, but it was easy if you reviewed your notes and went to lecture. The paper involved wasn\355t too bad either, just be sure to start early because it\355s a biggie. The final wasn\355t that bad either. She basically gives the final out and goes over before the final. If you prepare for the final by going over her guide you can easily get a good grade.
I thought that the class was overall a good one. She was great about answering student\355s questions in class, and was easy to get a hold of if you had any questions (if you couldn\355t make it to office hours she respond to your e-mails rather quickly). The midterm was a little too detail oriented, but it was easy if you reviewed your notes and went to lecture. The paper involved wasn\355t too bad either, just be sure to start early because it\355s a biggie. The final wasn\355t that bad either. She basically gives the final out and goes over before the final. If you prepare for the final by going over her guide you can easily get a good grade.
Most Helpful Review
A knowledgable professor, nice man, boring lecturer. Subject matter is quite dry and his monotonous lecturing makes it even worse. Light produced the best syllabus I've ever seen, gave us outline and questions before midterm, and had TA that was a fair grader. There was no hidden agenda; we knew what was expected from us. Unfortunately TA's heavy accent and lack of confidence made discussions unproductive. This class required little homework. Previous knowledge of Marx, Weber, Smith and Ricardo came handy. Prof. Light has an excellent sense of humor which I only got to experience during his office hours. At the end of the course, he freshned up his lecturing style and even envolved us in a role-playing, which was a nice change. I would recommend this professor only if you are very interested in the subject matter.
A knowledgable professor, nice man, boring lecturer. Subject matter is quite dry and his monotonous lecturing makes it even worse. Light produced the best syllabus I've ever seen, gave us outline and questions before midterm, and had TA that was a fair grader. There was no hidden agenda; we knew what was expected from us. Unfortunately TA's heavy accent and lack of confidence made discussions unproductive. This class required little homework. Previous knowledge of Marx, Weber, Smith and Ricardo came handy. Prof. Light has an excellent sense of humor which I only got to experience during his office hours. At the end of the course, he freshned up his lecturing style and even envolved us in a role-playing, which was a nice change. I would recommend this professor only if you are very interested in the subject matter.
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