MDST 2000

I really enjoyed this class, even though it was asynchronous. There are four quizzes, two papers, a midterm and a final. I felt all of these were fairly graded. It was hard to keep up with the lectures and readings before each discussion, but that was for me at least, due to the asynchronous format and my poor time management. Also, if Nouha is still a TA, I highly recommend discussions with her-she's really nice and genuinely seemed to have an interest in the content!
#tCFspring2021

Don't add this class after the first week! I tried adding this course in the middle of the second week because I've heard good things about it, it's asynchronous, and I had to drop another class, but my experience could have been better. There's a very firm no late work policy, which doesn't account for students who enroll in the class after a deadline, and my TA never answered my email on whether or not upcoming due dates could be extended for me, a student who enrolled late. I ended up having to do two weeks worth of work for this four credit class in one day, and ultimately decided to drop it because there are other classes that are much more forgiving. If you enroll in a class during the add/drop period, you shouldn't be penalized for it like you are in this class (though other TAs might be more forgiving than mine). Cavalcante seems like a nice professor, but clearly he didn't plan on letting people join the class late. I'm planning on taking it in the fall, so hopefully my experience is better then. If you're trying to enroll in this class after the first week, I strongly suggest finding another class and enrolling in this one next semester if you're interested in it.

This class is one of my favorites I have taken at UVA. The professor is very funny and entertaining and the content is super relevant to our lives. The first assignment required a no technology day which was very challenging but the second paper was more open-ended and I got to write about one of my favorite music videos. If you have a good TA this class is not difficult. Highly recommend.
#tCF2020

This class covers the broad basics of media studies, and overall I found it to be pretty interesting. Professor Cavalcante's lectures were typically pretty interesting and engaging, but at times could be boring. He does have a strict no technology policy in his lectures, but this ended up helping me not get distracted during lectures. There is a decent amount of reading, but I recommend actually reading it because material from readings ends up being important in the class. The quizzes were a little difficult, but projects were not bad. I will say that the TAs in this class do not grade equally, so your overall grade may really depend on the TA that you get. Professor Cavalcante was extremely understanding when we switched online, and overall I would recommend this course.

I really liked this class. I thought the readings were generally interesting and the assignments were engaging. When I took the course, it had a few online quizzes throughout the semester, two medium-sized papers, a midterm, and a final. The papers and exams are graded by your TA's who aren't very consistent in grade distribution. Caleb is a good TA. The lectures can sometimes get long and boring, but I think it's an overall interesting and worthwhile course. Professor Cavalcante is pretty liberal and that shines through in his lectures, which never bothered me, but it irritated some people. Overall it's pretty easy to do well in the course, and if you put in the effort you'll probably earn something in the A range.

Professor Cavalcante was super funny and tried to make his lecture engaging. He can be a bit strict about technology in lecture, but it's because he wants us to pay attention and write down what he's saying. He uploads powerpoints to Collab but he elaborates a lot and says more of the important information during lecture. Overall, the class was fun and very interesting compared to others at UVA, however, TAs can be hit or miss. I had a really strict one (shifa) who graded harshly and made the class more daunting than I thought it should have been. The midterm and final were very extensive and any topic is fair game. I wouldn't say this class is an easy A at all.

Professor Cavalcante is a really passionate and approachable teacher. He was always open to answering my questions after class and did so with much enthusiasm. The readings are not bad at all and you can often get by without doing them since the lectures covered the majority of information from the readings. The textbook was useless since all of the pertinent readings were uploaded on collab. My only grievance was that Cavalcante did allow his political leanings to show in his lectures. I love it when teachers are opinionated, but I believe that they should still focus on views that contradict their own.

Professor Cavalcante is an engaging and interesting professor, he occasionally made lecture fun, but the class was more difficult than expected and grading was a bit harsh. My TA was incredible though! she was really nice and flexible with discussing the paper, really helpful in offering commentary and made the experience much less stressful, which I appreciate. The class is overall very interesting but not something you should take unless you're serious about media studies.

First of all, I would like to start out by staying Professor Cavalcante is the funniest professor I have ever had and it is clear that he is passionate about Media Studies. However, Spring 2019 was the first semester he taught intro; he usually teaches upper-level MDST courses. For that reason, I believe that this course was much harder than intended because he taught it as a 3000 level course when it is actually the introductory course. Another downfall is that the TAs pretty much decide your grade because they grade everything, including your papers. I had Alex as my TA and I thought he was a wonderful person but was very frustrated with his grading. My friends in another TAs class were getting high grades on their second paper because their TA listened to the complaints that the class was much too challenging for being called an intro course. She gave them higher grades where she could to level the playing field, which I really respect. The TAs are also not even in the MDST department, so sometimes you can tell that they don't exactly know what's going on. I studied hard for the two tests (midterm and final) and did really well on those, but my papers ended up being the reason I got a B. The course was also worth 4 credits, so that wasn't the best for my GPA. If you do decide to take this class just keep in mind that to do well you should take the tests seriously, go to lecture and take good notes, and try to get a good TA.

Professor Cavalcante is someone who obviously has a passion for what he does, and despite the fact that the lectures can feel like they're going over really basic stuff at some points, they have some moments of really interesting observation. This class helped me decided I want to major in media studies.

Cavalcante is a fun, passionate professor that obviously is very knowledgable and excited. He is funny, though tough and reading-heavy. There is no late work, essays are subjective, and the TAs were not in the MDST department. The discussions were tedious but went by quickly. Overall, the class was enjoyable, though not an easy A.

One of the worst classes I've had at UVA. The grading is super harsh and Professor Andre presents a ton of material without pointing out what will be tested on the exam. I worked extremely hard and still didn't even manage to get an A- in the class. Also, Professor Andre basically just read the slides during lecture, which makes it super boring.

I enjoyed this class, but it was not what I expected. I thought it would be more about media and how it is used in our lives, but it was a lot more about the background information and foundational things. I get it was necessary, but it could be boring at times. That being said, Professor Cavalcante was a good professor! He knows what he is talking about and is pretty funny. Going to lecture is very important, especially if you want to get away with not reading. Some weeks, the readings were really excessive, but the good thing is that he goes over most of the basics during lecture. There was a lot of notes, but it definitely did help when it came time for the 4 online quizzes. One downside is that he does not post notes on Collab - he only did it once at the end of the semester because it was a long slide and we ran out of time. The class consisted of 4 online quizzes, two papers (you have to go 24 hours without your phone for one), a midterm, and the final. I think discussion for this class is pointless, but you have to go or they will drop your grade. The TAs hold review sessions before the midterm and final, so that was helpful. The end of the semester is definitely more interesting than the beginning, but it wasn't miserable. It definitely was not an easy A class, so do not take it thinking that it will be.

A tough class with an unrivaled professor, MDST 2000 is incredible. Cavalcante is wonderful and hilarious once he drops his serious demeanor. The course is intense, with two 5-7 page papers, four reading quizzes, a midterm, and a final. There is a lot of reading assigned, but attending lectures will give you a solid understanding of a majority of the material (enough to pass the reading quizzes). Even though it was a lot, I wanted to do the work because the course was so amazing and engaging—I know the things I learned will stay with me. I’d highly recommend both MDST 2000 and any class with Cavalcante.

Calvalcante is entertaining and knowledgable, but the class average is designed to be a B-. The TA's grade the papers pretty harshly, and there are four online quizzes covering extensive amounts of reading. Would not recommend if you are taking it to get an easy A, its a good amount of work.

LOVED THIS COURSE!! Cavalcante is amazing, sassy, and funny. He keeps lectures interesting and relevant. This course wasn't too difficult (2 papers, 1 midterm, 1 final, 6 quizzes) yet I feel like I learned so much. I highly recommend this course with Cavalcante, or any other course taught by him.

This is a great class the reading is minimal even though some are long. Cavalcante is so funny and loves what he does with MDST. I recommend f Michael for a TA he is so amazing. The papers take up a small amount of your grade, but they are not too long or strenuous. This class will teach you a lot about the media industry and I would recommend it for anyone. This class is not difficult whatsoever. The exams are straightforward and depending on the TA's you may have an exam review that covers everything. No bad comments here. Take it!

Andre is an amazing professor and really knows the material. He always tries to make the lectures fun and is fair in almost all aspects. For TAs I definitely recommend Gaelyn. Papers are sometimes graded a little harshly but not enough to drastically hurt your grade. Exams are extremely fair.