Claire Panetta

4 papers, fishbowl, participation, reflection (graded on completion). Some opportunities for extra credit.

It was senior thesis so a lot of time went into it each week but it was always manageable.

If you like seminars, this class if for you. It seemed a little strange to me to have an introductory course that was based solely on in-class discussions, but if that's your jam then you'll like this class. The readings she chose for the class were really interesting, I just wish the discussions were supplemented with a few lectures. Despite that, Professor Panetta is incredibly kind and accommodating, and I can really tell she cares about her students.

I had signed up to do my senior thesis with a different professor and about a week before the semester started, we received an email that the course would be taught by Professor Panetta instead. Professor Panetta was brand new to Barnard and given a year-long senior thesis section. The senior thesis process is intimidating and can feel overwhelming but Professor Panetta made it one of the best courses I've taken. She is kind and patient and truly wants to see her students succeed. I am so happy I took thesis with her.

There was a total of 4 paper 1000-1200 words every month. These papers were worth 15% each. You also had to complete 2 out of 3 short answer reflection assignments on the papers that were worth 10%. Fishbowl Activity which was very low stress and you only had to talk like twice to get full credit. That assignment was worth 10%. There is also a participation grade worth 20% which is made up of attendance and preparation and participation in class. You had 2 readings a week for each class that averaged 10-20 pages. I spent around 5 hours a week on readings for this class.

I had no expectations going into the class but it really exceeded my expectations. The class is based off the readings so its not that lecture based. It is a conversation based class so you have to do the readings but they aren't too bad. The content of the course is very interesting and I looked forward going to class because everyone was engaged in conversation. The waitlist is very long but it's honestly worth it if you have some interest in social science. Professor Panetta is very understanding and flexible. I would 100% recommend taking this class with Professor Panetta.

Three short papers (4 pages) and a final paper due at the end of finals. You must participate in leading one class discussion. Participation and presence in class counts toward your grade.

Claire Panetta is a great lecturer and she will ALWAYS let you know if she likes what you’re saying with small interuptions of “WOW,” “that’s great,” or, if you’re really hitting the mark, a whistle under her breath. She’s organized the class into three sections which examine the urban space from different perspectives. Overall, I liked the texts that she chose and the diversity of conversations that they evoked. I had to skip class one day and she still sent me the worksheet she had handed out. I wasn’t required to complete it but she said she would “make a note” if I did. There’s one short paper for each section. The first paper had students go to a museum to study the way artists depict urban life in New York. The second paper is a historical research paper and the third is an ethographic study that you conduct somehwere in NYC. Do not take this class if you don’t like participating/showing up to class. Participation is incredibly important to Panetta.. The grading for the essays was a bit of a mess. Students regularly got between B- and A- without much improvement between the essays. This is an intro class and filled with many non-urban studies student but it’s treated as a weed-out for the major which is frustrating.