WGS 2100

Davis is one of the most passionate and talented professors at the University, and her zeal for what she teaches is incredibly apparent in her lectures. This class is not difficult, but it is thought-provoking, and should be a requirement for any person who wants to understand gender issues as they are integrated into a more global and intersectional perspective. If you can take the class with Davis, just sign up, and you won't regret it.

This is the most amazing class I have ever taken! TAKE THIS COURSE. Amanda Davis is so engaging, loves her students, and wants us to learn. If she likes your class, you will do well. She challenges you work wise, but it is doable and you will learn a lot. She is very understanding. Best experience ever.

NOTE: I took this as a summer course, so I'm leaving the # hours/wk categories blank. For those of you interested in those numbers though, if I remember correctly, the readings took about 1-2 hours everyday, sometimes up to 2.5-3. The readings aren't quick; not because of their length, but because of their content and the need to be marking/taking notes as you read. There were random pop quizzes every so often on the readings. I think they were usually about twice a week. I have pretty good recall, so I usually received an A to an A+ on those, but my first quiz I got a B and the class avg was a C. Lemme confirm that there's no way for you to do well on the quiz if you haven't done the reading. The pop quizzes were 'thinking' questions more than 'regurgitating facts' questions, but it definitely helps to be able to remember and quote verbatim from the reading/past readings. The final paper isn't something you do the night before, though. Just don't do that, attend classes, take notes, and do the readings. You're set.

As for the actual lecture, it was very stimulating and interactive. I'm not sure how much she's changed/will change, but each student signed up for a day they were to bring a link to a video/article/whatever that related to the current topic(s)/reading(s). For example, one student just emailed her the link to a commercial on Youtube, which we watched then discussed. That's it. And every class had a lot of discussion. The first good chunk of the class was usually spent either doing the pop quiz and/or discussing the reading. Then the remainder was Prof Davis relating new information to past readings/lectures, going through questionable parts of the new reading, asking us questions, having us answer and think about the material outside of the words we just read. Intersectionality is also a good chunk of study in this class, as might be expected with Prof Davis'focus of study being in global and transnational feminism as well as incarcerated women and women in poverty. Readings included excerpts authored by bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and Alice Walker among other notable feminist writers. The readings ranged from poetry to medical articles comparing the male and female brain to U.S. government reports on domestic violence to long essays on gender as a social construct.

I would say that those more comfortable with public speaking and speaking in general have an advantage in this class, and I would also say that the readings and attendance are mandatory (especially for the summer course). I would also say Prof Davis is incredibly engaging, encouraging, and knowledgeable.

Dr. Amanda Davis has been my favorite professor so far at UVA. She is such a kind person and is so dedicated to her work. Her main focus is on intersectionality and has studied race and the criminal justice system for many years. I wish she was tenured with the department so that I could take more classes with her. I cannot recommend this course and Dr. Davis enough!