SOC 3120

Mr. Guterbock is lovely and really puts a lot of effort into his teaching. His lectures can get kinda confusing at times but he is very nice during office hours and stays after class. My TA, Hexuan, was pretty bad about lecturing but a nice human being. She was also a super tough grader but Mr. Guterbock is pretty fair with grading. I am assuming this class is a requirement if you are even taking it but it's not too bad. Homework due every week and it takes a loonnngggg time but otherwise reading is pretty light and easy.

The class itself is not awful. It is purely research methods, so nothing too interesting, but Guterbock is a nice guy and great in office hours. His lectures are harmless, except for the fact that he goes incredibly quickly through the powerpoints. He loves student interaction, so if you want to get on his good side then answer questions during class. The labs are excruciatingly boring. They are two hours every week of literally just sitting in front of your computer while listening to your TA ramble on the entire time. You learn some interesting coding tools, but there really is no way to not be bored during lab. As far as exams go, most of the questions can be found in the book, but Guterbock has some topics that he provides his own definitions on, so you will have to be able to distinguish the differences between his definitions and the author's definitions. Overall, this will not be your hardest class, but it will also not be your most interesting class.

Overall a "meh" course but it's a requirement for soc majors, so what can you do. Guterbock's lectures are nothing to write home about, labs are early in the morning (or in the afternoon on Friday which is even worse) and last two hours, but are super necessary to attend. There are two midterms, 13 labs, a final, and a 20 page research paper (that you work on in lab throughout the semester). The labs and paper are nice because they provide padding for the midterms, which can be difficult because the multiple choice is worth a lot of points and can be about pretty specific details in lecture. I didn't hate this course and it's a pretty easy A, but be aware that it's also not super entertaining.

This is a deceivingly difficult class. Guterbock is a good guy, but goes on tangents a lot and can make lectures really confusing. Labs are two hours long and a drag. Stay on top of the readings to make your life easier. There is a 20+ page paper due at the end of the semester but you work on it during lab throughout the semester so it's not difficult to complete. Lecture attendance isn't mandatory since he posts the slides. I managed to get an A with a good bit of work so it's doable, but don't expect to slide by with no effort.