RELC 3115

Professor Henry is honestly the best. There are so many readings for this class, but it is entirely possible to fake it until you make it in this class. I'm sure things will be different in person, but Professor Henry was very understanding this semester, taking the pandemic into account when grading and creating assignments. A good portion of the grade is participation, but he gives you a mid-semester report on how you are doing so far in regards to participation and he was very generous with the grades in my opinion. He also graded the midterm pretty nicely. The final assignment for this semester was a group project (the class voted between three opinions and the group project won) and so far it's going super well. I am also agnostic and not very knowledgable on Christianity, and especially on not on Evangelicalism, but don't let that sway you from this class. Professor Henry really enjoyed being able to hear the opinions and responses from people of all types of religions and backgrounds. Overall, I really recommend this class. #tCFspring2021

Professor Henry is the best! Definitely one of the best teachers I've had at UVA. He really cares about his students and genuinely enjoys interacting with you on a personal level. The class is split up into a few units, each analyzing evangelical Christianity from a different perspective, and Professor Henry does a great job of making each one interesting and considering each viewpoint fairly (not wholly endorsing or criticizing any of them). The class involves quite a bit of reading which could be skimmed, but I highly recommend doing it all. It's very interesting and not super hard work. Other than the readings, the main work for the class is the 2500-3000 word essay, which takes some time but it's an interesting assignment. 10/10 would recommend.

Pro-tip: Show up to class early. He plays some pretty cool music before class.

Would highly recommend this class. Professor Henry is simply amazing; he knows his stuff but at the same time is very respectful and welcoming of input from his students. Grading breakdown is 30% participation (he gives you a midterm evaluation of where you're at grade-wise which is super helpful so you can participate more if you're not satisfied with it), one essay in which you do "fieldwork" on an evangelical organization of your choice and report your findings (2500-3000 words, which seems scary, but you have plenty of time and you'll find you have a lot more to say than you think!) which is 25%, a midterm which is 25% and consists of multiple choice, short answer IDs, and an short response essay (Graded fairly easily and he makes it not that hard to do well -- he sends out a list of IDs from the readings & lectures which he uses to make the exams. I just made flashcards for these, writing out what I'd say on the exam for each, ended up with an A), and finally a final which is 20% and formatted either as a group presentation or the same as the midterm (varies per semester).

Readings can be a pretty dry as is not uncommon among REL classes but very manageable unlike other classes. You get to read a book that he wrote, which sounds intimidating but he's super chill about it. You don't have to know everything from the readings, just make sure you have SOME of the stuff from the readings in your prep for the midterm and final and you'll be completely fine. I found the lectures to be pretty interesting as well.

Professor Henry just by his personality and way he relates to his students is one of the most approachable professors I've had. Take this class.