SOCI BC3219

2 Op-Eds: 40% of your grade, each is 20%. This is based on a topic of your choice but you'll need to use 3 sources, (2 from the in class readings). 1 Midterm: An in class essay worth 25% Final Exam: In class essay based exam worth 25% Participation: 10%

I loved loved loved this class. Although its a level 3,000 course, this is a great course to take as your first sociology class as it spans from so many topics. It is purely a lecture though so I will say that you have to prepare yourself to be bored sometimes as Professor Simms is very educated on what she teaches but she also speaks extremely fast. The first few classes can be a bit boring, but she describes it as "feeding us vegetables before we get a treat" because it's all about race and different ways to define it. The second portion of this class is called "race and..." which is the portion that is a lot more fun. You explore topics like music, wealth, and health. All very interesting topics. Although this class focuses on race in general, it does mostly focus on Black Americans more than any other. As long as you have a good summary of the readings, you will be fine. She also makes sure to make a few jokes here and there. I will say that this is a class where you have to be ready to speak in because a lot of it is Professor Simms using the last 10 minutes of the class to share out with a partner.

Two op-ed assignments(20%), a midterm in-class essay and exam in-class essay(25% each). Participation/attendance 10%.

The first half of the semester is spent trudging through very theoretical/historical framework of race in America. It is not organized historically but develops that way because of the historical nature of the development of race over time. As a result, though we don't focus on race in terms of historical periods, on exams Simms will ask you to write about race in terms of major historical periods... even though we don't really discuss it explicitly in class. This is one of the major qualms I had with the class. I expected the entirety of the class basically to be more like the second half of the semester, where we discussed race in connection with other topics: healthcare, environment, criminal justice, etc. Instead we spend an overly long time learning about race in an overcomplicated theoretical way based on disjointed readings taken from chapters of books that we don't read all the way through and so are often without context and need deeper explanation from Simms to really understand. This is a 3000 level class and I understand the need to examine race from its development to understand it, but making us slog through highly theoretical understandings of race but then testing us on it in a historical framework that we have most likely already learned in any basic intro to race/African American history class is frustrating.

We had readings due for each class, typically ranging from 40 to 80 pages. The reading homework took about 5 hours a week, and more if we had an op-ed or study for the mid-term or final. There is no daily homework to check if you did the readings, I know a lot of people who never read, I struggled with the number of readings in the first half of the semester, and that showed in the mid-term in-class essay where we had to know ideas from authors we read throughout the semester. Second semester I locked in and used different AI tools to help me read or at least gain the ideas from each of the readings so I could incrementally absorb the knowledge. The ope-ds were fun and allowed you to have free rein to write about what interests you. As long as you put in the work to memorize the topics and a little bit of evidence from the reading you are good for the mid-term and final. Assignments were: Readings for Class Two 3-4 page op-eds on any topic related to race/racism, including intersections with capitalism, gender, or immigration Mid-term exam - 2 in-class essays (graded with the time pressure in mind) Final exam - 1 global essay and 3 shorter essays

I expected this class to be the “sexy” class I’d be most excited about—and it lived up to that expectation. Professor Simms typically begins with a lecture on the previous night’s readings, followed by small-group discussions where we share our thoughts and insights. She is very knowledgeable and intelligent, which is evident from the first day. Thus, she speaks in 2x speed to give us as much context and understanding as possible, and it scratches the right parts of my brain. But if you are into a slow-paced class this is not for you. The course content in the first half of the semester focuses on race theory, providing us with the language and tools to discuss race and ethnicity accurately. This foundation prepares us for the second half, where we delve into more specific topics. For example, early readings explored race as a social construct, while later classes addressed topics like Race and Wealth Accumulation, Race and Health, and Race and Media. I loved the content because it felt fresh and enlightening, even though I had some prior knowledge of racial structures in America. The course centers on race in American society, primarily focusing on Black Americans, complemented by content on Asian American history, Indigenous communities, and various immigrant groups in the U.S. Overall, the class struck a balance between providing foundational knowledge and exploring nuanced…

Two Op-Ed Papers ~750-1000 words each, very flexible and can be topics of your choice 1 Midterm- 2 Essays, given 3 prompts to choose from 1 Final- 1 Larger Essay, 3 SAQ (Approximately 3 paragraphs each, on the class topics of your choosing)

Going into this course, the topics were unlike any other course material previously taught. In my experience, courses like these can easily veer into individual peer storytimes, but I think that Professor Simms did a wonderful job structuring the course in a way that was understandable and direct. Overall, I would highly recommend taking this course, it truly was a lovely introduction to sociology and very much changed the way I think about the world; I think everyone should take it if they have the time! We cover a wide range of topics, and the course is very organized and structured. I think talking through ideas with my peers was very valuable, and Professor Simms encouraged class time discussion and altered lesson plans as needed. I would highly recommend Professor Simms as she is understanding and her lectures are very interesting and eye-opening.

an in-class midterm and final that were typed. The midterm was two essay questions each answer was around 2-3 double-spaced pages. The final was 1 essay on all course content and 3 short answers on the second half of the course. There were 2 750-1k word Op-Eds. Readings were due every class, some were a bit lengthy but they were all easy to read and interesting in my opinion. She also goes over and summarizes them in class so if you miss a couple its not a big deal, you just need to know around 1 reading per topic for your essays on the midterm/final

I would definitely recommend this course, all of the content is very interesting and important for anyone to learn. There is a really nice balance between discussion and lecture and I actually felt like I learned a lot from talking to my peers during class. The professor is fantastic and very reasonable and understanding. Prof Simms was just a really awesome person. She did a great job of making complex ideas digestible and easy for someone just entering the field of sociology or race studies. She was not at all one of those professors that just loves to hear themselves talk, she actually sometimes forgoes lecture time to allow for class discussion to continue and let students talk. Its very clear she is passionate about and extremely knowledgeable about the subject and genuinely cares about fostering passion in her students too.