Celine Aenlle-Rocha

Like I said, University Writing pretty much gives the same amount of homework in all sections because the curriculum is standardized so all students learn to write a literature analysis, research essay, etc... I didn't find the homework to be that taxing, though: all of the hw is put into a singular Google doc and she doesn't even check that we did it until the end of each essay-writing period, so you can always catch up on what you missed. Grading in any UW class can be tough, but it's meant to show your improvement- I ended with an A.

I took University Writing: Race and Ethnicity with Celine and it was incredible! I like writing already, but Celine made our class super fun and enjoyable to be in. University Writing curriculum is pretty standardized in terms of what kinds of essays every class has to write, but Celine's teaching made it feel like an elective because I was always actually having fun when I went in. She is such a nice person and always available for questions after class and making appointments to meet with her about the writing and class assignments.

the main readings we did for the class were interesting. I thought she was a kind grader. idk why people are saying this class was evil, i considered it an easy A and my writing foundation was just AP lang from high school. if you did well there you'll do fine here. dont keep ur writing for the last minute, otherwise ur asking for it to turn out bad. u need time to improve and edit it. get friends who aren't in the class to read and edit ur paper, trust. i was in the race and ethnicity section of uw

i was worried about UW considering bad experiences my friends had, but Celine was a relief. class was a bit of a bore most of the time but writing conferences were very interesting, helpful, and deepened my understanding of the class texts a lot. she has a way of wording ideas to incorporate in ur essay perfectly, and u should write them down. she often brought us snacks from trader joes to eat during class and tried to bring the class outside when the weather was warm. she was kind, helpful, intelligent, and encouraging

Your grade is based on four essays: the scholarly problem essay, the scholarly conversation essay, the research essay, and the op-ed essay. The research essay carried the most weight, while the op-ed and scholarly problem essays carried the least. I spent about four hours a week on this class, and if an assignment was due, I spent around eight hours a week.

The reviews are incredibly harsh! She’s not that bad, though I wouldn’t call her University Writing: Race and Ethnicity course the most memorable. I can see where the reviews are coming from—the grading is a bit steep, especially for the first assignment, so be aware. I also think I deserved an A instead of an A- for the research project. However, I ended up with an A- overall, and I’m not entirely upset about it—I'm actually satisfied with it. Her teaching style is very much a slide-based, point-presentation format, but it did teach me things I’ll carry with me, like the concept of reader vs. writer-based prose and the idea of a scholarly problem. We read Jamaica Kincaid’s Small Place and Cathy Park Hong’s Bad English, which I liked the most because they are central pieces of literature on identity, both as an American and as a daughter of immigrants. I could relate to these works through my daily experiences. I enjoyed the last essay the most, the op-ed piece.

The entire grade for the course is derived from four essays, weighted according to their length. For this reason, the workload swung dramatically from one week to another, based on how close we were to a due date. The course is structured in such a way as to offset that effect with shorter writing assignments earlier in the essay cycle intended to provide the building blocks of a finished paper. Still, for me, some weeks were as light as 2-3 hours of work outside of class, while other weeks were well in excess of 10. That being said, those figures are based largely on how well you manage your time. All in all, the workload felt right on target for a 1000-level Columbia course.

After seeing just one review on this website for Professor Aenlle-Rocha, and it being unfairly harsh in my view, I felt compelled to leave one myself. Celine (as she prefers to be called in class) has been nothing but pleasant and accommodating this semester and helped me develop considerably as a writer. I have seen no hint of the condescension frequently mentioned in the other review. I cannot speak for my classmates' experiences with grading, but the other reviewer seems to be airing a grievance with the marks they received. I do know papers are blind-graded, and Professor Aenlle-Rocha has outwardly expressed that she makes every effort to be entirely unbiased, given that this was the “Law and Justice” section and we were writing about sometimes controversial topics. I’m sure complete impartiality is an impossibility for any human, but I have no reason to suspect Professor Aenlle-Rocha is any more biased than anyone else might be. That said, I can understand why someone with right-of-center political views might have been frustrated with the assigned readings. We were eventually given conservative authors to read, but that did not start happening in earnest until we were working on the op-ed in the final month of the semester. If that is a genuine deal-breaker for you, maybe look for a different section. Still, I personally felt Professor Aenlle-Rocha did a great job of cul…

Very tough grader. Might be biased depending on essay topics you choose. 10+ hours per week, especially if an essay is due.

Avoid this professor at all costs unless you like to have a robot as a teacher. She is one of the blandest, most condescending, and passive-aggressive teachers I have ever had during my academic career. My course evaluation I sent to Virgil "As you know, the hallmark of a distinguished educator is the ability to inspire and nurture student growth through respectful and constructive interaction. Unfortunately, the educational experience in this course often felt belittled by a teaching approach that seemed to prioritize rigidity over engagement. When students sought clarification, the response was frequently passive-aggressive, redirecting the inquiry back to the class or to written instructions rather than providing the direct support expected at this level of education. Moreover, the insistence on doctor's notes for illnesses felt patronizing, disregarding our capacity as adults to assess our health. If she cannot trust us, why should we trust her? There needs to be trust to build a strong academic environment. In terms of essay feedback, the use of 'as you know' as a preface to comments came across as condescending, creating a barrier to the open, enthusiastic academic dialogue we aspire to partake in. A recalibration of these methods to foster a more encouraging and respectful atmosphere would be beneficial."