English And Comparative Literature · Columbia University
4 Essays, Workload similar to every UW class
Amazing professor, one of the best I've had in Colombia so far. Highly recommend
Like all UW sections, we had 4 essays. Essay 1 was 20%, Essay 2 25%, Essay 3 40%, Essay 4 15%. I would say she was a fair grader, who says if you simply meet all criteria you will get around an 85. In my experience she was a pretty fair grader, which is hard in the writing world. She really grades on how coherent and well structured your essay is, not whether she agrees with the topics. One thing, an A in this class is a 95...
I took this my Freshman fall, so I was placed in this class. I wasn't very excited because I didn't really want American Studies, but I decided not to trade and it was the best decision I ever made. The wonderful thing about American Studies is that you can essentially write about any topic. Keep in mind I'm a SEAS student and writing wasn't ever really my thing in high school, but Jessica approached it as just an extension of thinking and really made me feel like anyone can be a great writer. I really enjoyed her teaching style, it was very interactive, very workshop style, and felt very homey. Our class sessions included theme jig saw puzzles, anonymous peer review, and more. She really taught us how to express our thoughts in writing, and truly transformed the way I will think about writing forever. You truly should take her class, you won't regret it.
Her grading policies are super fair, which definitely makes her one of the better UW professors. If you work hard and improve with every essay, an A is easily achievable.
Jessica Campbell was amazing – she is fair, kind, and teaches her class remarkably well. UW generally has a bad rep, but I genuinely loved her class. She organized engaging activities and made the essay assignments as understandable as possible.
Assigned readings and annotations, reflections, essay drafts, Flip videos, and final essay drafts. 4 essays make up the final grade.
If I could take another writing class with Jessica, I TOTALLY would. I had her for American Studies, and she kept the class very engaged. With discussions ranging from Kendrick Lamar to Rankine's Citizen, our class discussed the implications of race and identity against an American backdrop. I thought I wouldn't like it at the beginning, but I'm SO GLAD I had her as my teacher and would recommend her again and again.