Celia Deutsch

Celia is an absolute joy to be around! I felt more like I was in a book club than in a class because all of the books we had to read were things I would have liked to read for pleasure in my spare time. Discussions were open and pleasant and very interesting. The writing assignments were kind of a pain, but when are writing assignments NOT annoying? Celia claims to be a tough grader and that she doesn't give out a's, which is total BS-- she is a pretty fair grader and i'm pretty sure a lot of people in the class came out with B's and A's or A-'s. I highly recommend this class for any incoming freshman-- I learned a lot about college writing and got to read interesting books! Plus, Celia is so kind and helpful that I was never too worried.

I read the other reviews about her religion classes and I've taken some religion courses so I have to say unless youre passionate about the topic, most professors will be boring! As for immigrant and minority woman literature, she is AWESOME. True the class does go off on a lot of tangents but its usually on topics related to the book and the converstations are interesting and insightful (it is a seminar). She asks a lot of questions that encourage you to approach reading more analytically but this is a good thing becasue it will help you in your college career. She is definitely a tough grader but not an unfair one. Some of the books were boring but you only have to read it that one time and you can write about the ones you really enjoy so its not that bad. She's super sweet and understanding and always available outside of class to talk with you. This is a class worh takin if youre interested in the subject.

Ooooh I love Professor Deutsch! Her teaching style is reading from pre-written lectures, which can be dull, but at least she is upfront about it and you know what to expect from the beginning. A LOT of reading, and some of it is dull, but if you put a lot in you can get a lot out. She is also pretty admirable: as a nun, as a prof, and as a person--if you go to her office hours, which you should, ask her about the social justice work she has been involved in. It will blow your mind how cool she is, and make the sometimes-boring lecture style much easier to stomach. Plus, she is caring and wants to help her students and treats them like real valuable people. She is the cool nun Auntie you never had, and if you can get through the complicated material, you will be so glad you took her class.

boring as hell. run away. if you aren't a religion major sitting in the front row, you won't get an A, no matter how innovative your ideas or beliefs may be. there is no room for confrontational theory in her class...especially with Lillian, her TA. you must agree, or you must pay the price of eternal damnation in the "B-ZONE!" hers was the only B i've gotten at columbia and her class was equally unfulfilling......a goddamn shame.

I'm undecided about my recommendation. It was okay for me - my final grade was disappointing B+. The class was too easy to not get an 'A' despite she reportedly does not give them out. She is nice and welcoming though her lectures read (sic) at times like a bad movie, dull and uninteresting. This is not to say she isn't passionate nor knowledgeable about her subject b/c she knows her stuff. You may not learn much but it's an easy class.

The books we read were pretty good, albeit I didn't love each one but who does, really? Professor Deutsch is super nice and caring and she was generally a great professor to have. Her niceness does have its disadvantages sometimes because students tended to go off on tangents, especially when it was clear that they had not read the chapters dued. Yet, she brings into the classroom personal experiences and is clearly interested in students' experiences in a roundtable discussion. My favorite thing about her is that she was really passionate about the book list that she created for this first-year seminar and she relayed that to the class. She's somewhat of a tough grader on papers but definitely not horribly so. Just make sure you're proofreading and concise.

A lot of reading but you can get away with not doing all of it. A LOT of writing compared to other seminars but hey, its college. four papers starting with a five page intellectual autobiography assigned on the first day, with two pages added to each successive paper.

2-page response paper every week; 8 page midterm paper; 12-15 page final paper....tons and tons of reading.

weekly responses (1-2 pages) and 2 papers: 10-12 each.

The worst class I've ever taken? Easily. I can easily say I've learned nothing, and anyone who takes this class is in for a world of trouble. I have nothing more to add that hasn't been said already.