AMST W3931

We were required to complete 5 1-2 page reflections on the weekly readings at any point throughout the semester. The readings themselves took between 1-2 hours a week but varied a great deal in rigor and length. No midterm and we completed a final 12 page paper that we spent the last two weeks of class presenting. We were given zero foresight as to how the class or paper would be graded but from my own experience and that of others in the class, he was very accommodating and lenient with grades.

Heavy reading, 3 super easy papers (ie talk about your feelings and reference papers), a few meetings with Lehecka (which is great - he offers career advice and actually cares about you)

Very reasonable: pretty light, interesting weekly readings, one 15-pager due at the end of the semester. You have to be ready to talk in class.

This review is for the American Studies class, Language Contact. Let me preface this by saying it was definitely not an American studies class, it focused very internationally on cases of language contact. As a philosophy major who is marginally interested in American studies and even less interested in linguistics, I would say this class lived up to my expectations. I found the actual content of the course to be a little banal and uninteresting, but I was really only here for McWhorter himself and he did not disappoint. A truly magnificent man, he was a pleasure to listen to in class and I thoroughly enjoyed his moderation and narrative of the class structure. Being a seminar, it was very loosely focused and besides the day's lesson plan, it was always just a rambling linguistic conversation. Having absolutely no linguistic knowledge going into the course, I really struggled with some of the assigned papers. This was relatively inconsequential as we were never quizzed on them, but we referred to them occasionally in class and I would have gotten more out of the course as a whole if I had had more linguistic knowledge. The one thing I will say is that McWhorter is occasionally a little too hands off with the class. He often deviated from the (already vague) syllabus and gave no definitive structure as how the class would be graded or what the final project was really supposed…

Lehecka and Delbanco are the shit. This class is brilliant. Take it if you have ANY interest in education whatsoever. The reading is well chosen and thought provoking. That being said, the assignments are several hundred pages of reading a week. So, take this class when you've got some free time (ie not when you're in CC or Lit Hum). This seminar is worth it. Google Lehecka and Delbanco, and you'll be so appreciative that you get to be in a room with them and have one on one discussions with them. They are fascinating people. Course admittance is by interview, so Lehecka knows everyone in the seminar and hand picks people. Discussions are really interesting. Note: Lehecka and Delbanco are probably the slowest speakers on the whole campus - but they're also saying some deep shit. We also had Prezbo come talk to us about affirmative action. So boss. So glad that I had the opportunity to take this course. There's also a volunteering component of the course at the Double Discovery Center. It's 4 hours a week, so yes, time commitment. But if you care about improving education, then this will be a valuable resource. Plus the DDC is on campus and the students there are driven, so it's a pretty great experience.

Fantastic professor. Her seminar -- Race, Poverty, and American Criminal Justice -- is one of the best classes I've taken here. The class shows what American Studies as a department does right: she's a full-time criminal defense lawyer who teaches what she does everyday. It's hardly a law class, though, much more big-think-y although you get a good solid background in the fundamentals of the American criminal justice system, with a focus on the racial/class elements. She doesn't hide her political beliefs, which are quite liberal, but she plays devil's advocate and encourages different points of views. She's really serious, engaging, and fun. I came in as a second semester senior really sick of taking classes about ideology and ready to talk to someone in the real world about the issues I'd spent so much time studying, and this class provided that exactly.

Not bad. Weekly reading, 20 pages final paper. People switch off bringing food for class.

Somewhat heavy, but we never actually discussed all the readings- most were just to provide us with background information so we could discuss. A few short papers. If you participate, you're all set.

For Linguistics Majors (yes we exist): This class might be the chillest way to get through the language contact requirement. There's weekly readings of somewhere between 20 and 60 pages, all interesting. McWhorter facilitates conversation well, but you sometimes feel it's a 50/50 split of academic discussion on sociolinguistics in America and hanging out with him. Notes to others (often American Studies people): There's a lot of underlying linguistics stuff in the readings/discussion that AmerStudies people in my section found to be new, but it was definitely nothing insurmountable. I found that the mixed crowd of linguistics and Amer studies kids brought a richness to the discussion. The final paper is easiest when you start getting sources a month before it's due. Choose a topic that fits your interests. Also, he's not kidding about getting it in on time.

Everyone at this school should take this class! It's jointly taught by Roger Lehecka and Andrew Delbanco, who are quite possibly the slowest talkers on this entire campus, but it's a small seminar, the readings are fascinating, and the service componant really enhances everything. I'm not sure why Delbanco actually teaches anything, because Lehecka is the real authority, but having both of them there gives insightful and sometimes differing views. Plus Lehecka is this cute old man, but when you talk to him, you realize that he's brilliant, that he founded the Double Discovery Center when he was a student here, and that he's one of the most renowned educators in the country. Kind of amazing, actually. If you're interested in education AT ALL, take this course!