ANTH 3020

I absolutely loved Aidan's class this semester! There aren't any reviews about her, which is why I was hesitant to take this course with her... so I'm gonna do you guys the favor of letting you know how this course really is. This course fulfills the second writing requirement and is SO interesting. If you care anything about ethics to psychology/sociology (and anthropology, duh), you will absolutely enjoy this course.
The professor: Aidan herself is so nice, friendly, and adorable! She sometimes says she isn't from this generation and struggles with technology, and it's really funny because she looks quite young. She doesn't like technology use during lecture. All notes have to be handwritten and phones absolutely cannot be out. She does notice this and may doc points off of your attendance grade if this happens too frequently, but that's if you absolutely abuse her no phone policy. She also does not post her slides and can go a little fast sometimes with her lectures. But it's okay if you can't write everything down. Pro tip: instead of trying to write that paragraph long quote in 30 seconds, instead write down the author/year/and page number and then go to back to the reading and highlight it. She does realize though when she is going too fast and does try to slow down. She is always very excited to give a lecture about anthropology, and you can really see her passion through the way she speaks. She made a 9 am completely worthwhile to me. Attendance isn't required for lectures, but you also can't access slides or be emailed the powerpoint notes. You would have to get the notes from a friend or speak to her/the TA about what material you missed. Sometimes she can seem annoyed or be a little awkward, but don't let that phase you. She really is understanding and cares about her students' well being so much. Definitely get to know her, share your goals/concerns/questions/ etc with her and she will work with you. Really if there's any class ever offered by her, not just this one, absolutely take it.
Grading: We have 4 five page essays in this class, where each paper is worth 20% of our grade. Finally, discussion participation and attendance are worth 20% of our grade. I was mortified seeing the big fat papers = 80% on the syllabus, but don't be like me and freak out. Aidan REALLY sets you up for success. You never need to cite anything outside of class or do extra research. The answers should be directly in your notes and readings (by the way, you can cite the lectures in this class yay!). The TA often goes over the important parts of the reading during discussion, and usually the discussion before the paper is due, we talk about the important parts of what she's looking for on the paper. Also, if you look at her rubric, she tells you exactly what she's looking for. She even lays it out page to page what she wants you to discuss. To her, anything can be right as long as you prove your point with support from citations. If you look closely at the rubric and try to grade yourself before turning it in, you will get the grade you are seeking. She made note of this during the first day, so I always make sure to have the essay prompt as well as the rubric right next to me while writing my essays. I check off every bullet point during my self-grading assessment to make sure that I hit every point - giving me the A grades I want. An A in this class takes some work, because a five page paper doesn't come easily (well it may for you, but it doesn't for me), but you are absolutely rewarded with the grade you deserve. And if you miss something, she provides you with feedback to fix it for the next essay. She is definitely not one of those teachers who takes great pleasure in handing out B's/not ever giving out A's.