Peter Bearman

This class was not difficult, but an unnecessary amount of work for a basic sociology course. Bearman always said that he needed to give us assignments to generate grade variance, but the amount of work we were assigned at the end of the semester did way more that that. (see below for workload section). Bearman came in and simply read word for word off of his lecture notes which were posted for us online before the final (even his jokes and tangents were written down on the lecture notes). The TAs were fine- not great not particularly terrible. I thought Adam (the head TA) contributed too much during discussion to the point that he was just talking back and forth with Bearman about things not relevant to class discussion, taking up students' time for no reason. The material was interesting- I do feel like I have an understanding of basic sociological principles and why we act the way we do. There are 1-2 reading for every class. You don't always have to do them, but there are quizzes (5 throughout the semester) =. These quizzes are very easy, 1 question to see if you did the reading or not, but if you go to lecture, Bearman usually announces a "pop" quiz for the following class, so do the reading then. His lectures do a pretty good job of covering the readings

I really enjoyed this class. I think Bearman is bright and thought provoking. I found myself looking forward to class even though it was at 9am. As stated by previous reviewers, the exchange is a bit loose, however I found every discussion intersting. I am usually a frantic note taker, however I discovered at the end of the semester that I did not have extensive notes on the class rather I just sat, listened and learned a ton. The T.A. he brought along was super cool and always willing to help out. The workload was not bad at all and as long as you followed the directions, the assignments were easy to complete and I thought the grading was more than fair. In addition to this, Bearman has a great sense of humor (although at times it is a bit warped and twisted) He makes funny, quirky jokes that keeps the class rolling and there is never a dull moment. I absolutely recommend this class.

Prof. Hagen really has a knack for explaining intricate and complex concepts. He consistently made notions that at first seemed very foreign much more relevant and palatable. This is a very important course for anyone interested in Sociology. The way the assignments were organized was also really great: the memos were a really great way to keep us engaged throughout the semester, and the presentation was a really awesome opportunity to reflect on course material with the rest of the class. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2022 Course: SOCIGR5051_001_2022_3-SOCIOLOGICALTHEORY : SOCIGR5051_001_2022_3 - SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY Instructor: Ryan Hagen

This class was at 9a.m. and it was not fun. For most of the classes, I either took a nap, didn't go, or played around on my phone (no laptops/electronics). I was considering a sociology major, I'm rethinking it and not taking any sociology classes next semester. Bearman knows his stuff, and he's a pretty interesting guy, but I didn't find the class intriguing enough to stay awake or pay attention, especially since the TAs took notes and then put them online (and the notes were from what I gather as word-for-word of the lecture as possible). As the semester got busier and busier, I invested less and less time in the class (in terms of reading and going to class). The reading itself is pretty interesting but can be dense at times, plus there's a lot of it and the syllabus was pretty confusing as to what we should have read for what class, so I stopped trying to do the reading sometime in the middle of the semester. It could be my fault that I didn't get a lot out of the class, but I was having higher expectations based on the reviews and that Bearman is supposed to be a pretty cool and very smart guy. It seemed, however, that he didn't really care about the class at all, so it's pretty strange that he's taking some time off to reevaluate/improve his teaching methods. The final exam was painful -- take home, 15 multiple choice, 5 (pick 5 out of 8) short answer (<200 words), 1 (pi…

Bearman is a brilliant teacher, I loved his class. He makes insightful, complex, witty and otherwise critically interesting arguments about all facets of social interaction,and refuses to reduce concepts to simplicities or examples. He is well versed in many areas of social theory, but instead of throwing them in your face, he tries to draw these ideas (in their full strength and weakness) out in class discussions. Some of the best discussions involved the above criticised "tangential ideas", but as off topic as they might have been, they were satisfying and just as interesting as what we were 'supposed' to be talking about (its a survey course anyway, why all the fuss?!) . The class operates on the astoundingly simple notion that thinking very critically and very specifically about things in a certain way (Evaluation of Evidence!) can lead to interesting ideas. On the other hand, those students who dont understand this approach feel frustrated by the looseness of the exchange. I could practically hear some students going "Huh?!" as they looked at each other, during some class discussions. Too bad, but if the class is not for you, its not for you. One or two days should let you know.

This is not an easy class. That said, it is completely manageable and possible to do well. However, the bi-weekly readings and "fun" assignments are often somewhat painful to go through as they are completely open-ended with no real guidance. The TAs are very helpful though and hold optional office hours every week. Go to the office hours! Despite the large size of this class, there are no discussion sections. So if you are unclear or have questions, go to your TA, please don't be one of those annoying students (usually girls in the front row) who constantly ask inane questions. Bearman is witty enough to be entertaining at points, but the material is largely dry (we spent most of September on why people commit suicide). Definitely the last sociology class I'll be taking.

Professor Bearman comes across, at first, very charming and engaging. However, he will spend the rest of the semester going on tangents that have nothing to do with anything. Even though he brings along 2 TA's, you hardly ever get any guidance from the 3 of them about the projects. You never really know how you're doing in the class and never really get a grasp on what the point is. Stay away if you're not a sociolgy major

Peter Bearman is the epitome of what you would expect a college professor to be. He's absolutely brilliant, a casual but cool dresser and has this spiky hair that never seems to be totally flattened on his head. He also has the most blunt and unenthusiastic sense of humor you can possibly imagine (and glasses that are always breaking.) He'll joke about how one is supposed to acquire drugs by networking, and he loves bringing up the fact that Columbia is an elite university. (It's not in an arrogant way-it's actually hilarious.) This is a pretty interesting class, coming from someone who didn't actually know what sociology was before she took this class. It is important to note that it is not a survey course, teaching you the basic concepts of sociology; it is rather a study of the methodology used to study sociology. When each method is covered, however, it is coupled with sociological concepts. Sometimes, class can be boring, especially since the TA's take notes and post them on Courseworks for you-so if you're one of those people who has to take notes to pay attention, I recommend taking notes anyway. But if you're interested in working hard and learning a tremendous amount about sociology, you should take it. Bearman is a chiller, but it isn't a joke class in which you can get away with not doing any work. (for Barnard students-it fulfills SOC perfectly)

This was possibly the worst class I have taken at Columbia. There was absolutely no point to ever going to class, because nothing substantial was covered. There were three analytical assignments, and a final paper which we could chose any topic we wanted. Absolutely no guidance was given for any of work, and the class leaned nothing about what sociology is. Bearman is the worst professor I have ever taken. You will learn absolutely nothing by taking his class.

This class is interesting. The material is interesting and engaging yet I failed to see an overall theme in the material presented in class. It seemed like isolated topics instead of a cohesive class-so I can't say I have an amazing understanding into sociology as a discipline. That said, the TAs took notes for you so there was no pressure on you to listen or take notes. Most of my friends spent the class half listening and half reading the paper/playing games on their phones. Though many people failed to show up to class at all. There are mini pop quizzes so he can grade you on participation but it seemed like only a few people bothered doing the reading every night. DO it when you think there will be a quiz and just skim enough so you can BS because that seemed to be okay. There were 2 mini soc projects that didn't seem to have too much direction but ended up not being a big deal - assuming you have a good TA. Mine sucked so Bearman, nicely, ended up rereading and regrading my papers when he disagreed with the TA's grade. There is also a final project and a take home final. The project also does not have too much direction and requires a lot of work but the TA can help you and my group ended up doing really well. I advise working in small groups bc he recommends group work yet then says that the more people, the more you have to do. The take home final isn't bad because you…