Patricia Stokes

professor is overhated-- she gives a despicable amount of extra credit. i literally ended the class with a 100. if you just do the extra credit assignments you will get an A. she doesn't give A+s, but you cant really ask for more from her considering the amount of freebies she already gives. i think her stories make the class entertaining and the whole class is waiting for the next crazy thing pat is gonna say. take it if you want an easy A.

Professor Stokes is the most self-centered professor at Columbia. This class should be about creative thinking, instead, it's a way for Stokes to affirm that her 'model for creativity' is superior to any other (and it literally makes no sense). She is harsh, unkind, and doesn't at all foster good conversations. The only good thing about this class is that you read great books (Kundera, Calvino)... But just read those this summer and don't take this class.

I am so glad I took reacting with Professor Stokes! The first day was super confusing and I thought to myself, "oh no," but within the next week I realized just how amazing the class, and Professor stokes, truly was. She taught us how to think critically about the past and how it relates to the present, and contributes so much through her life experience and passion for everything she does. I feel much more confident in my abilities to write, particularly speeches, argue effectively, and take ownership of my opinions and positions. Highly recommended!

At first I also thought this course with Professor Stokes was HIGHLY overrated, but (thankfully) I wasn't allowed to drop this class so I was forced to stick it out. For the first 2 weeks or so it is very difficult to follow what's going on in class because it's not explained. However you'll soon realize that your classmates feel the exact same way - no one knows what's going on or what's expected of her - but you will eventually figure it out together. I highly recommend taking Reacting To The Past for First-Year Seminar. And of all the Reacting classes, this one is definitely the most chill and enjoyable. You will learn a lot about history and improve your public speaking and writing. And as Professor Stokes will tell you, this is her second career so she truly likes what she does or else she would not do it. Professor Stokes expects effort, attendance, and respect - all reasonable. She genuinely cares for her students to do well and is a very generous grader. One time we were stressed about an assignment because we all had midterms and Professor Stokes said we can just start a rough draft and not worry about it until the following week. Towards the second and third games, the group has bonded and the game sessions become fun. Definitely recommend!!

Intro to Psychology with Patty Stokes was an okay class and a pretty easy A. I took it last semester and was super worried after seeing all of the horrible reviews, and although she is not a good lecturer and the class is boring (she also speaks quietly) the class itself is not difficult at all. There are plenty of extra credit opportunities. There is no homework ever, her lectures are based on notes that she sends out the night before class, and in class you just have to fill out some of the blanks and draw diagrams into the notes. The exams are easy because they are based exactly on the notes and what she mentions in lecture. I just wanted to leave this review because if you have to take Intro to Psych and she's the only professor available, it isn't the end of the world, you might be really bored but the course is easy and you'll never have to do work outside of just showing up to lecture and writing extra credit essays if you choose to. The one thing I will say is that she hates when people talk in class, so as long as you don't talk during lecture, your experience with her should be fine.

Professor Stokes was one of the best professors (let alone teacher) I've had. She was engaging, funny, and so interesting. She really wanted to get to know everyone in the class. Not only was this class one of THE BEST classes, she really helped me with my speech writing and my ability to debate. She put her own twist on the games, which got everyone really into it. Also, she really wants you to do well: she'll meet with you whenever you'd like and you start off the class with an A!

Professor Stokes is a great teacher and a great person. If you take a class with her, you will hopefully come to understand both of these facts, because she does not, under any circumstances, leave her personality out of the classroom--and that's what makes her classes so engaging! She brings 100% of her intelligence and energy to class, and expects her students to do the same. As a Reacting professor, she emphasizes student creativity within the games, encouraging students to come up with new solutions to historical problems. Also, her method of grading papers and class participation allows students to stop worrying about getting an A and really focus on learning the material and enjoying themselves, resulting in the achievement of an A anyway. I would recommend any class with Stokes, no exceptions.

I completely agree with all of the reviews that say to NEVER EVER come even near this professor. Yes, she's racist and ableist definitely- I'm a person of color and believe very strongly I was treated differently; she said some very snarky things to me after class. Yes, she writes illegibly (I swear, you cannot read a single thing she writes) and whispers in the direction of the board (which is completely inaudible with or without the doors closed--she keeps them open usually and it makes it so much worse). Yes, she is incompetent and knows what she's talking about. A student asked if she could at least maybe not write in cursive, to which she responded she couldn't NOT write in cursive because why? it's in her DNA or something? I don't know. She cannot speak up either, which means I have caught barely a word of what she was saying during class. She tries to be funny, and she is so painfully terribly unfunny. She refuses to offer Zoom accommodations for students who, I don't know, may have a very good and valid reason for wanting to be on Zoom, and says she cannot offer them because it's like illegal or something (no, just like against the department policy, which is soooo untrue) even though students are sick, physically unable to come to class, etc. She puts people on the spot for literally nothing that they actually did in class, which she calls them out for in front of eve…

At first I was nervous for this class because the format is definitely unlike anything I've ever taken before. That said, I am so grateful I took this course, and particularly grateful I took it with Professor Stokes. She brings her life experiences to class in a very valuable way, and facilitated the games and prepared us for them quite well. Reacting to the Past gets a lot of hype, and after taking it I definitely see why.

Professor Stokes is AMAZING. I wasn't too keen at first, but now I'm crazy about her! She is a really great teacher, very flexible, and so incredibly smart. Reacting is also a great class; I highly recommend it as a first-year seminar.