AMS T1001

I stopped going to lecture and still got an A. The workload was very light.

readings, attendance, section, weekly discussion posts, 2 easy open ended question essay mid terms, final exam very open ended essay, final paper. if you do everything and show up to every lecture you get an A. If you miss one thing it will go down.

Very manageable: weekly discussion posts, 3 papers (3-5 pages each), and a semester-long group project split up into parts.

Take this class if you want an easy A! I am a STEM major so don't take my word for it but I found lecture really boring. I think if you are really interested in the content and willing to do the readings and pay attention in lecture this class will be really rewarding for you!

I agree that Manu wants you to question and see the world differently, but I would also argue that he only wants you to do that if that different way of thinking is his way of thinking. I was frustrated with the idea of people taking the class and not taking it seriously because it is an easy A, but I found myself doing that. I ended up not doing most of the readings. I read a few in depth and skimmed a bunch, some were really interesting and educational and a lot were just weird and bull-shitty. Take my word on the readings with a grain of salt, because, as I said, I didn't do most of them. I did take the final project seriously, but I don't blame my group partners (who all took it seriously enough) for not caring so much about it because of the way he grades. It was really easy to say at the beginning of the semester that I would do all the readings despite it not affecting my grade at all because I would find enjoyment out of it, but when I was overwhelmed with everything else, the reading for this class ended up being far down on my list of priorities. Manu often times encouraged us to come to his office hours, which I appreciated, but I didn't feel comfortable going and expressing my differing opinions on subjects he taught. And I am pretty liberal, I just don't see things through tunnel vision thinking one way is the right way to think about things. I love his philosophi…

Perhaps the loveliest professor I've had a pleasure of taking a class with. Prof. Jahn not only a super engaging lecturer but is also incredibly kind--it's clear that she genuinely cares about her students. She holds lots of time for office hours to chat about the readings or anything else that's on your mind. In terms of the class material, she just presents the readings (methods, summary, broader implications, etc) so it's not necessary to do more than skim them before class. However, the material is fascinating.

As long as you do the assignments and show up for discussion section you will get an A. Papers were graded on completion so I feel like this was an easy class. There are readings however you don't need to do them in order to do well in the class. We had weekly discussion boards to respond to but our posts didn't have to be longer than 1-2 sentences. I would make sure to attend class at some point because the professor described the essay requirements entirely in class (not listed in the syllabus). Class was cancelled several times throughout the semester which was unpredictable, but great in that we got some extra free time.

Attendance Weekly discussion question/post (like one or two sentences) 3 in class writing exams (graded only for feedback, but if you totally slack off you have to re-write it) Final group paper (40 pages which breaks down to 6-7 pages a person, not graded)

If you are looking for an easy A or if you are very interested in this subject, then this would be a good class for you. I was interested in this subject, however the professor does not have an engaging teaching style so I had a hard time being interested in lecture. This class did not make me want to be an American Studies major. The content is interesting but it is not delivered in a lively way.

I'll make it short: Take this class. Your grade is completely in your control. If you don't leave with a solid A you should be disappointed in yourself. If you show up to every class and discussion section and then simply complete every assignment you get an A. That. Is. It. The material is also very interesting. He calls out the sins of our country and touches on material that is "edgy" or "controversial". And since the grade is in your control, you feel free to focus on learning and asking question rather than remembering and regurgitating information. It is very easy to just slack off and do the bare minimum and get nothing out of this class but I found myself very engaged in the material. Some of the readings are also interesting and worthy of at least a skim. Not many gimmies at Columbia but this is one