This class is a fantastic combo of being both generously graded and an interesting subject, I definitely recommend it as a Soc upper-div (and honestly maybe even just as a relatively easy upper-div for anyone). The readings are interesting and fairly short for a Soc class. The one weak point of the class would be lecture. Berend lectures without any sort of slides or whiteboard use and tends to ramble so it can be rather dull, but her lecture outlines are both handed out in class and posted online which makes following along fairly simple (and attendance probably optional, although the EC on the final was based on something only said in-class). Class also ended 20 minutes early every day which was great.

There are four short multiple choice quizzes, pretty easy to figure out if you’ve done the reading or at least know what’s going on in class. There are also two short papers (single-spaced, less than 1 page) that are pretty easy to throw together and interesting to write. The midterm is 20 multiple choice and some short answer, plus extra credit questions. The final is in-class and not cumulative, basically a second midterm.

I scored over 100% on the midterm and felt good about the final, too. There’s also an additional extra credit opportunity at the end of the class which only requires you to write three sentences, so I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t do it. All in all, though lecture is a little dry, the readings are actually useful and an A basically requires the minimum effort.

THIS PROFESSOR SUCKS ASS

Note: This class was originally going to be in-person, but because of the Omicron variant it was remote for the first few weeks of the quarter and then remained hybrid. Because of this, the midterm was cancelled and an extra quiz was added.

We were graded on the following:
-5 bi-weekly quizzes on material of the most recent two weeks plus a make-up quiz (6 points each and 2 of the lowest quiz grades were dropped)
- 4 Short reaction papers throughout the quarter (10 points each, single-spaced, <1 page) – relating to the topic of that week (lowest paper grade was dropped)
- Cumulative final (30 points. 20 MC questions, 6 short reaction questions, 2 extra credit questions)

When the class went back to in-person learning she was very understanding and let students have the option of staying remote and continue watching lecture videos. TA discussion attendance is not mandatory, but it's worth attending to do well on the quiz/ understand the week's material. I had Oscar was my TA and he was super helpful in breaking down the content and sent out weekly notes about the readings. I recommend getting him as your TA!

The class was very organized and Professor Berend always responded to emails quickly. The readings were manageable. There were some weeks where I just skimmed the readings and just went to my discussion and still did pretty well on the quiz.
In my opinion, the final was a little harder than I anticipated (to be fair, I didn't always do the readings), but I still got a passing grade.
I had no background knowledge about economics and still ended up with an A for the class. I also took this class at the same time that I took Soc 101 and a lot of topics overlapped, so that really helped me understand topics discussed in this class. Overall, this was a good class for a Soc requirement, it was not too hard and we went over some pretty interesting topics.

Tips for success:
--Go to your TA discussion sections!
-- Understand every author's main arguments and if you're uncertain, ask your TA or the Professor
--Take thorough notes on lectures and readings throughout the quarter starting in Week 1 (Kind of a given, but I didn't do this and I regret it)
--Actually doing the readings, or at least try to understand the author's main arguments
-- Go to office hours
-- If you have Oscar as a TA, study his weekly notes!

This class was challenging as someone who is not great at understanding economics, however, it was still interesting from a sociological point of view. I really thought I would end up with a C in the class, but somehow ended up with an A which is amazing.

We had 5 quizzes (dropped lowest one), 4 short reaction papers (dropped lowest one), and 1 final (no midterm). The quizzes and papers were actually pretty difficult, ESPECIALLY if you don't read and watch lectures (at least watch the lectures and understand the main points of the readings). I got a 60% on my first reaction paper but ended up getting a 100% on the other three by asking questions to my TAs and the Professor. Also, ask your classmates for help on these papers,,, they can be challenging!! The quiz questions were confusing too, so make sure you read and understand the questions correctly. As Professor Berend always says, "Don't assume anything. Answer the questions directly with no assumptions."

We didn't have actual classes or sections. It was more like, you can attend if you want but if you attend you have a chance to round your grade up. I would advise going to class and section. I didn't which made the quizzes and papers more difficult for me but the people that went to class and section always ended up getting something beneficial out of it.

The final wasn't bad. It was actually easier than the quizzes in my opinion, but I did actually study a little for it so that's probably why LOL. There was also extra credit on it. It was like 20 mc questions and 5 short answers (1-2 sentences). I studied by reading all my lecture notes, going over the past quizzes and figuring out why answers don't make sense and do make sense (this helped a lot!), and one of the TAs gave us a study guide for the readings which was a huge help. I ended up getting an A on the final.

Overall, the class wasn't bad, but it is a class that you do have to read a bit in order to answer questions.

To be totally honest, Berend is not a great lecturer. Her points tend to lack organization and its extremely easy to tune her out and doze off, which has nothing to do with the lack of slides because many professors are engaging without them. There are better, more simplified ways of expressing the points she makes and the TAs do a much better job of doing that. If it wasn’t for discussion section and her lecture outlines, the class probably would have been much more convoluted. I took the approach of ignoring her during lecture and just copying down the outlines while sitting there. The quizzes are easy but the wording is a little annoying and I always felt like all the answers were similar but I got 100% on all of them so they’re easy to figure out anyways. Go to discussion, go to office hours if necessary, and read the outlines. It’s a manageable class, you probably just won’t be very motivated to make it to lecture.

Final was harder than midterm. If you want to take this course with this professor, study hard !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was getting A- before Final, but I got F and barely passed. Lots of extra credit and easy to pass, but the course material could be hard for someone who cannot fully understand the lecture and notes.

The important thing to remember about this class is that you have to stay ahead of the workload. I made the mistake of not doing the readings until week 7, which put more pressure on me to do well on the final to get an A in the class. If you do the readings every week (I know it sucks, but just do it) then the quizzes and tests are way easier. Also, participate in discussion! My discussions were always silent and awkward af bc no one ever did the readings. If you do them, you'll stand out and you'll have a better grasp on the subject. So the class had 4 quizzes (based on the readings), 2 reaction papers, and 1 midterm and 1 final. The final wasn't cumulative so it's whatever was after the midterm. They're taken from readings and lecture notes so make sure you pay attention in lecture because, although she provides lecture outline, she says a lot of extra things in class you need to know and should write down. Lectures aren't very engaging bc there're no visual aids, so it's easy to zone out, but try to stay focused bc it helps you later when you're studying. No clicker questions, lots of extra credit opportunities. Overall, easy to get an A if you stay on top of the work.