Professor
Sharon Bays
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Most Helpful Review
She is a good professor. People say she yells a lot, but she is only emphasizing important points of her lecture, and you better right it down because it will get you points on the test. Overall, she is an effective teacher and you will learn a lot. However, the discussion sections are pretty useless (15% of grade) and the TAs make it harder than its supposed to be. Also, be prepared to hear her feminist viewpoint all throughout the quarter.
She is a good professor. People say she yells a lot, but she is only emphasizing important points of her lecture, and you better right it down because it will get you points on the test. Overall, she is an effective teacher and you will learn a lot. However, the discussion sections are pretty useless (15% of grade) and the TAs make it harder than its supposed to be. Also, be prepared to hear her feminist viewpoint all throughout the quarter.
Most Helpful Review
BEST CLASS EVER! Professor Bays is so FUNNY! I honestly just enjoyed coming to this class for a good laugh! She's so passionate about what she talks about which is amazing. EASY GE!!! She gives you all the questions and vocab words before the tests and she goes over all the answers in the review sessions!! Come on now! This class is a NO BRAINER! VANGE is the best TA! My grades: Midterm: 96% Final: 100% Final Grade: A+
BEST CLASS EVER! Professor Bays is so FUNNY! I honestly just enjoyed coming to this class for a good laugh! She's so passionate about what she talks about which is amazing. EASY GE!!! She gives you all the questions and vocab words before the tests and she goes over all the answers in the review sessions!! Come on now! This class is a NO BRAINER! VANGE is the best TA! My grades: Midterm: 96% Final: 100% Final Grade: A+
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Most Helpful Review
Anthro 137 is a must take for any UCLA student. The readings she chooses is very interesting but at times could be too much. The projects she assigns are interesting. The only negative thing about her is that she can be intimidating at times but how many professors aren't. Just take the class. If you have anymore questions just email me.
Anthro 137 is a must take for any UCLA student. The readings she chooses is very interesting but at times could be too much. The projects she assigns are interesting. The only negative thing about her is that she can be intimidating at times but how many professors aren't. Just take the class. If you have anymore questions just email me.
Most Helpful Review
I took W10 in spring 2010 with Dr. Bays. She's pretty nice and generous with assignments and grades. My TA was Naaz Diwan, and you might definitely want to be in her discussion; she's pretty laid-back and extremely nice about... everything, really. I did probably the bare minimum work for the class-- I did keep up with the weekly readings as much as I could. The class lecture might have been pretty slow and dull and random with the content, but the readings were actually quite insightful. I would only volunteer to speak up in class because the minutes of silence could get really frustrating. I'm not a humanities major, but if I were one I'd feel compelled to take in as much information and input my own knowledge to the class. But anyway, definitely take W10 with Dr. Bays. She offers extra review sessions, which are pretty key to acing the midterm and final. I reviewed my notes ONCE for the final, the night right before, and got a 99/100. I studied some more (not too much at all) for the midterm and got a 98/100. It's really just basic understanding of the issues, memorization, regurgitation, and an ounce of BS-ing skills. She's pretty catty about attendance, though, and one morning I got up about 15 minutes late and my roommate decided to use the restroom first to take a shower in the morning, so I just decided to not go to class at all to avoid the death glare. I have a friend who took the same class with another professor and actually had an intensely stressful, overloaded-with-readings experience. You'll get a much more pleasant and easier time with Dr. Bays.
I took W10 in spring 2010 with Dr. Bays. She's pretty nice and generous with assignments and grades. My TA was Naaz Diwan, and you might definitely want to be in her discussion; she's pretty laid-back and extremely nice about... everything, really. I did probably the bare minimum work for the class-- I did keep up with the weekly readings as much as I could. The class lecture might have been pretty slow and dull and random with the content, but the readings were actually quite insightful. I would only volunteer to speak up in class because the minutes of silence could get really frustrating. I'm not a humanities major, but if I were one I'd feel compelled to take in as much information and input my own knowledge to the class. But anyway, definitely take W10 with Dr. Bays. She offers extra review sessions, which are pretty key to acing the midterm and final. I reviewed my notes ONCE for the final, the night right before, and got a 99/100. I studied some more (not too much at all) for the midterm and got a 98/100. It's really just basic understanding of the issues, memorization, regurgitation, and an ounce of BS-ing skills. She's pretty catty about attendance, though, and one morning I got up about 15 minutes late and my roommate decided to use the restroom first to take a shower in the morning, so I just decided to not go to class at all to avoid the death glare. I have a friend who took the same class with another professor and actually had an intensely stressful, overloaded-with-readings experience. You'll get a much more pleasant and easier time with Dr. Bays.
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Most Helpful Review
Very interesting class, albeit very disorganized since this was her first time teaching this course: we ended up reading about half of the articles in the course reader and completely scrapping one of our textbooks and a paper assignment. Thus for this class it was basically a midterm and final (both essay-based), and a short writing assignment. She distributes the essay prompts beforehand so you can prepare for them. Overall a very enlightening class with little work. Her lecture style is very gruesome: she sits at the podium and talks without any visual aid, so you need to be a very fast note-taker to get down everything she says.
Very interesting class, albeit very disorganized since this was her first time teaching this course: we ended up reading about half of the articles in the course reader and completely scrapping one of our textbooks and a paper assignment. Thus for this class it was basically a midterm and final (both essay-based), and a short writing assignment. She distributes the essay prompts beforehand so you can prepare for them. Overall a very enlightening class with little work. Her lecture style is very gruesome: she sits at the podium and talks without any visual aid, so you need to be a very fast note-taker to get down everything she says.
Most Helpful Review
I took her for WS10 in Spring 2010. The class is extremely easy TRUST. She is a little intimidating during lectures (there was once an argument about condoms...) but other than that she basically gives you a review/lecture on whats going to be on the midterm/final beforehand (literally she goes over the study guide step by step). Her lectures are extremely interesting and really made us think. I felt like I really learned from her lectures. I would try getting or buying the old midterms and essays because it was the same from the years before (hence A!). You should buy the book and the coursereader because thats what discussion is all about and she does ask you for citations. Try to get Freda as your TA, SHES AWESOME!
I took her for WS10 in Spring 2010. The class is extremely easy TRUST. She is a little intimidating during lectures (there was once an argument about condoms...) but other than that she basically gives you a review/lecture on whats going to be on the midterm/final beforehand (literally she goes over the study guide step by step). Her lectures are extremely interesting and really made us think. I felt like I really learned from her lectures. I would try getting or buying the old midterms and essays because it was the same from the years before (hence A!). You should buy the book and the coursereader because thats what discussion is all about and she does ask you for citations. Try to get Freda as your TA, SHES AWESOME!
Most Helpful Review
Disregard the course option I listed. I took AAS187C with her, the Hmong class as people like to call it, and I was not completely satisfied. While Bays is knowledgeable on the topic based on her past experiences, she fails to cater to what the students expect from the course, let alone an Asian American Studies course. Granted she is an anthropology/women's studies teacher, a lot of her lectures are drawn from her background knowledge from those fields. I've come to realize that I really detest anthro from taking her class. If she ever does teach this course again, I would take it for the sake of learning (slightly) more about the Hmong people... however this has to be one of my least favorite classes within my major. Her lectures were pretty dry, and we honestly did not even talk about the Hmong most of the time. She is pretty cold during class, but I hear she warms up more during office hours. Give it a go if you'd like.
Disregard the course option I listed. I took AAS187C with her, the Hmong class as people like to call it, and I was not completely satisfied. While Bays is knowledgeable on the topic based on her past experiences, she fails to cater to what the students expect from the course, let alone an Asian American Studies course. Granted she is an anthropology/women's studies teacher, a lot of her lectures are drawn from her background knowledge from those fields. I've come to realize that I really detest anthro from taking her class. If she ever does teach this course again, I would take it for the sake of learning (slightly) more about the Hmong people... however this has to be one of my least favorite classes within my major. Her lectures were pretty dry, and we honestly did not even talk about the Hmong most of the time. She is pretty cold during class, but I hear she warms up more during office hours. Give it a go if you'd like.
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