ANTH 2250

Handler is a really cool professor and very knowledgeable about his topics. He can definitely be intimidating to talk to because if he doesn't like you you'll know in about a minute of talking to him. Could be a little more welcoming of female students, seemed to prefer male students but that's just how it is I guess. Definitely recommend because it expanded by knowledge and awareness of racism at UVA, in the USA, and globally. As a white person, it opened my eyes more for sure of the privileges I have and micro aggressions white people need to change, courses like this about race should be required for all students #tCF2020

lol Richard Handler what a guy! I gained some really valuable insight about racist ideologies and their formation which was really opening. I liked the second part of the course way more than the first, since we focused on concrete and prevalent topics, such as socio-evolutionary theory and discourses for justice/diversity which is so easily applied to everything happening in our world today. Lecture can be slow at times, because Handler talks in a sort of stream of consciousness way and sometimes you won't have anything written down in your notebook, but give him time! He's hilarious and really cares about his students and will make an effort to get to know you. Really gonna miss this class and Professor Handler!

(Note: I took this class as a 40-person lecture, not a 120-person lecture with discussion. This will most likely have a different feel as a larger lecture) As a fourth year, this is one of the best classes I've taken at UVA! Prof. Handler is very frank about his views of racism and nationalism in the US and in broader Western society. He uses both historical and current essays to discuss how and why white supremacy and racism are the foundation for our culture. My only criticism would be he often asks POC in the class how they relate to the current essay, if they have experienced discrimination, etc; in addition, he will use people in the class to illustrate a point (for example "Arab people like [student who is Muslim and wears a hijab] were mostly ethnicized and well-assimilated until 9/11, after which they were re-racialized and discriminated against."). Instead of using people in the class and reminding them that they are perceived as different by white people, I think Handler should use either general statements or maybe celebrities/activists of the same race. But that is my only criticism!! Finally, the grading is INCREDIBLE. He drops the lowest score out of 5 quizzes (all of which are application-based/reasoning instead of memorization) and then there is a research paper at the end of the semester. Each of the 4 included quizzes count for 15 points each, and then the research paper is 40 points.

I highly recommend this course, or any course taught by Handler for that matter. It was super interesting, especially since I took it just a month after the protests in Charlottesville. Handler is very engaging, and entertaining. Lectures are dry at times, but for the most part engaging and entertaining. There are three essays, and the lowest one is dropped (so you can choose to only do 2 of them), and a final essay. For all of the essays, there are at least 2 prompts that you can choose from. You don't have to throughly read any of the readings, although many of them are pretty interesting. The grading on the essays is really fair, but you could be screwed over by the TA who grades it, if there happens to be one who is more of a strict grader (Handler and the TA's split up the essays, so your own TA may not grade your essay).

the best professor ever

Professor Handler is a great lecturer. I found him very funny and engaging. He doesn't mind when people have questions or opposing viewpoints and he actually encourages those who have different opinions to speak up. Having said that, his viewpoint is very very liberal and it is very obvious and he will tell you this plenty of times during the semester so if you're a person who can't stand liberals or if you don't care to listen to them I would not recommend this class for you. If you are open to different viewpoints then I'd say this class is well worth it. We did discuss some rather controversial topics as the name of the class implies so be ready for a bit of politics if you are going to take it. There were only 3 essays during the semester, your lowest one dropped, and a final essay. The readings were lengthy, but you could skim them if you're really short on time (I wouldn't recommend that though). There were no other homework assignments other than reading to prep for discussion. If you put in just a little time it is very possible to get an A. However, I've never been a fan of social sciences and I find them all quite boring so I didn't give this class the attention I should've. If you are like me you might struggle with the essays which could be dangerous as those are practically you're only grade. This class is very easy if you show up to class and read on occasion so I would recommend it if you are a person who doesn't mind only reading and writing (because that's all this class is).

I highly recommend this class! Richard Handler is an amazing professor who will change the way you think about race and racism. The class assigned readings every class, but you don't need to do the readings because he goes over everything in class. The only time I went over the readings was to prepare for the essays. This class is not much work because only three midterm essays are assigned and the lowest of the three is dropped, there is a longer 6-8 page final essay, and the discussion: that's it. This is a great class if you're looking for an easy A or trying to complete a requirement.