RELC 2215

This class was wonderful. I learned so much about the religion AND American culture - an intersection that was super relevant and interesting. In addition, I appreciate the open environment that Professor Flake held for the class. We spent a lot of time discussing stereotypes and beliefs (why they form, who forms them, etc.) which was a very key part of my learning in this class. I can’t recommend this course enough and I hope Professor Flake continues to teach it!

I would not recommend this course. I took it because I thought the subject matter was interesting, but it is presented in the most dry manner possible. There are a lot of small, picky assignments- posts on Collab forums, three random papers, study guides on readings (you have to print them out and take notes on them, but then you have to turn them in so you can't use the notes), reading quizzes, and exams. The exams and quizzes are multiple choice, which sounds good, but more than one of the answer options can be correct, and Flake doesn't tell you how many of them you need to select, so it's very hard to get a complete question and this can chip away at your grade. There are three exams and by the third one she expects the TA to not help you in section at all, which given the difficult format and broad scope of her quiz questions, is damaging to her students. Between the format of the class, the format of the tests, and the dryness of lectures, I couldn't recommend it. Flake is clearly passionate about what she does, and Maxwell is a good TA, but based on what you put into this class, you don't get a lot back.

So I took this class because I was super interested in learning more about Mormonism. In the beginning of the semester, they make a point to tell the class that in order to learn about the religion, you have to remove any bias you may have. The material itself was super interesting. The course covered learning about the beginnings of the religion, to how it affects sex and race. They even brought Mormons into discussion so we could ask them questions. A lot of reading, but the material was interesting. Professor Flake was super insightful, but since there was an assistant professor, the material got confusing since we had to switch back and forth between them. Sometimes it was hard on tests to figure out how to answer a question since a lot of times the two different professors had different opinions on the subject matter, and the test questions were super general. The tests were set up in a ridiculous structure and it wasn't until the last exam that my energy went more into sharing content from what I learned than on how to exactly answer the question itself on Collab. The TA was nice but not super helpful. Overall I would recommend this class to anyone wanting to learn more about the religion. Professor Flake really knows her stuff!

Professor Flake and Professor Mohrman are fantastic! The discussion section is super interesting and exploratory of the religion--there were just about no boundaries on what topics were open for discussion which really allowed students to be curious. Also, the course addresses a lot of interesting progressive ideas, as they are interesting to acknowledge in the eyes of a stereotypically and historically narrow religion. A lot of reading, but interesting material and tests do not determine the fate of your grade--the homework/forum questions and discussions contribute more heavily.

Absolutely fascinated by this class. One of my favorites at UVA. Learned a great deal about a different culture I've always been curious about. Even got to watch Southpark and held interesting class discussions. The TA (Mae) is super awesome too. I received an A- in this class.

This was a wonderful class! There were three 5-page papers and three exams in the semester. Professor Flake is wonderful and highly knowledgeable. I really enjoyed everything about this class. It's not necessary to do all the readings very carefully, but definitely do as much as you can. Most exam material was pulled from lecture, but a few questions were asked on the readings. I would highly recommend this class.

Professor Flake is so knowledgable about the subject and although she is Mormon, very interested in talking about stereotypes and critiques. Although lectures can be dry she really does try to make them interesting! Papers can see a bit annoying but all of the prompts made them easy to write! Tests are pretty easy as long as you have been coming to lecture especially the essay portion, multiple choice can be a bit tricky. You can just skim the reading because she will discuss it all in lecture!

If you need to take a religion class for area requirements or are interested in Mormons, take this class! Professor Flake is super nice and INCREDIBLY knowledgable on the topic. You have to do the readings because there are eight 250 word responses and some pop quizzes, but even she tells you to mostly skim them so it's not too bad. There's no final, so if you like writing essays, its pretty easy to get a good grade.