Professor Waugh can come across a bit intimidating and serious in class, but she was really super kind and easygoing. Her lectures were engaging and informative--though, having text to follow, as opposed to photos exclusively, would have been helpful--and she would often make humorous remarks to liven up the class. I also appreciated the diversity of the readings she assigned; there were speeches, essays, firsthand accounts, and more along with the traditional academic writings on the topics. Despite the class having 100+ students, she conversed with those who were engaged and seemed interested in getting to know us (or at least those of us who weren't in the back).

I enjoyed her lectures but she often included information that wasn’t necessary for tests and papers, such as birthdates, birthplaces and other boring background info. She also doesn’t record her lectures or provide slides so you need to show up to class to get the notes. She seemed friendly at first but when emailing with her I found her to be of little to no help when asking for clarification on something. There’s a midterm, book review, and final paper (3 different prompts, 10 pages total). I think she grades rather harshly for the book review but she was more lenient on the final. Our midterm was cancelled, thankfully. My main issue with her is her indifference in helping students. She is NOT a caring professor. Protests were happening right outside our class in Royce and she never once mentioned what was happening. I understand not bringing up her personal beliefs, I don’t mind that. My issue is she didn’t address the impact it had on her students and offer resources, support, or accommodations. Some of us felt uncomfortable coming on campus during this time and asked for some kind of accommodation whether it be notes or a recorded lecture or moving to online but she refused because she wanted classes to continue in person. She LOVES having an audience and she seemed extremely annoyed when the protests interrupted her lectures. She knows her stuff but she is not a caring or flexible professor. I wouldn’t take her again.

The professor is very enthusiastic, and her lectures are more like storytelling. She's also very kind, and I never felt intimidated to ask questions. The TA was also very sweet and understanding of grades because of the situation on campus. Her midterm was supposed to be in person, but due to protests, it was canceled, leaving us with just two assignments for the entire course, which were a book review essay and a final essay. I would say it is not an easy class because there were no slides and recordings, but it's manageable. Attendance was not mandatory, but going and listening to her speak and taking notes was very important. On that note, take thorough notes—they'll be extremely helpful for the book review and the final, where you'll need to cite the lectures. She isn't a full-time teacher and was invited to teach this quarter because a teacher could not teach, but if you see her name on the schedule, I recommend it.

The professor is very passionate her lectures feel like she's telling a story. I wouldn't say that it is an easy class but it is doable. There was no midterm because of protests which meant there were only two assignments the whole class. Make sure to take good notes they will be so hopeful for other assignments like the book review/ final you have to connect the book to lectures.

Professor Waugh is knowledgeable ,and excellent as a lecturer. The class is very well organized, and I feel like I learned a lot about the Gilded Age. The workload is normal for a history class, but she is a tough grader. You'll have to put in extra work if you want the A.
There's an in class midterm, an essay based on a novel, and a take-home final consisting of a few short essays. For the essay, my advice would be to write it about My Antonia, and take careful notes during lectures about the settling of the west. Most students I talked to agreed that writing about Looking Backward was more difficult.

I'm not a history major and I took this class for upper-div GE. It's actually pretty enjoyable as far as history classes go. The grade is made up of one reading response, one midterm, and one take home final.

Lectures: Prof. Waugh is clearly passionate about the subject which makes her lectures pretty entertaining. She emphasizes on certain terms so it's really helpful to attend lectures.

Readings: She posts essays and articles- there are several for each lecture but definitely not as overwhelming as writing II classes. They're mostly supplemental; I just skimmed the ones that seemed relevant to my essays and the midterm.

Midterm: She gives us a list of terms to choose from and we define them. To get full credit, you should fill up at least one and a half side of a page. The terms are pretty broad so there's a lot you can say about them, and you get the definitions mostly from lectures (she doesn't have slides). But since it's history terms, you can always do some online research on your own.

Reading response: Five-page paper. There are two books to choose from. I read Looking Backwards and though I found it kind of ridiculous, it was an interesting read. There isn't really any guidelines on what to write about in the essays (i.e. how much class material we should incorporate) but as long as you have a strong and supported thesis, you should be able to do well. She's also willing to go over your draft with you and provide feedback.

Take home final: We didn't know what this entailed so I couldn't really prepare for it. We got the prompt during tenth week and had about a week to complete it. It's two parts, 6 pages for two short questions about topics covered in the later half of the course and 4 pages (if I remember correctly) for a reading response to The Devil in the White City. There are two prompts (more specific this time) to choose from and I had a lot of fun with mine.
The Devil in the White City was an entertaining read but I wish she told us what it was for earlier in the course. It was listed as required reading but I don't think its purpose was ever brought up during lecture. It would be easier to gather quotes if we had the prompts while reading.

Overall, the class was a good overview of the Gilded Age, and I can't think of anything that I'd change for the materials covered (maybe going into greater depth on certain topics, but I guess that's for more a specialized course). I would have preferred more structure and instructions. If you want to a general introduction to the social, cultural, and economic issues of the Gilded Age, this is the class for you.

This class is a serious time commitment as previously mentioned. I've taken a class with her before, and she is a nice woman herself who makes herself available to students for office hours, etc. However, she is a super hard grader. No matter how many times you go into the history writing center or get your paper looked over, it's near impossible to get an A on an essay. She did a in-class midterm and then a take home final which was nice and straightforward, but who gives the prompts to the final essays 4 days before its due??? Also lectures made me fall asleep every class. Nice woman, but not so good professor.

Be careful when taking this class! Your If you don't go to lecture, you won't be able to pass. If you don't read you won't be able to pass. This class is a serious time commitment.

Professor Waugh is my favorite professor thus far into my college career. She a very entertaining and passionate lecturer. When I took the course, it consisted of an in-class midterm, a Final Paper and a Book Report based on a novel from the class. All of the assignments are straight forward and she is a fair grader. As long as you attend lectures and do most of the readings, you should earn a solid grade. She is always available to answer questions via office hours, e-mail, or the class discussion board. She is overall one of the best professors I have had in the History Department.

139B

Excellent professor. She makes the gilded age an exciting time period to study. Always finishes lectures right on time. Highly recommend!