SOC 4410

This class is not your typical sociology class, it's more of a philosophy class. The material is incredibly hard to understand but Professor Fuchs does not expect you to really understand it. Reading is assigned most, but not all weeks, but it's usually just as far as you can get. Only one grade (a paper due on the last day of class). It's interesting and Professor Fuchs is brilliant, but be prepared to be confused by the material.

Fuchs is a fantastic guy, but like someone else said, this is more of a philosophy class. If he went through everything he put on his syllabus, it would be more sociologically relevant, however he relies on students to kind of figure that out for themselves.

Like others have said, not really a sociology class, which is what I liked about it. Heidegger's Being and Time is a difficult read, but Fuchs makes it intelligible and extremely interesting. He can be a bit out of touch, but it's a part of his charm. He might seem unapproachable, but he's really nice, friendly, and funny. In terms of difficulty, this is the easiest course I have. Two essays that serve as the midterm and final. The midterm was take home, open note and open book, and 3 pages doubled spaced maximum. Overall, interesting material, great professor, easy class.

Best professor I have had here at UVA. Brilliant and yet explains things in a way that everyone can understand. 2 midterms, and 1 paper.

The trade-off in this class is that the course load is very light, but you have very little indication about what your grade will be (i.e. grading almost seems random). I mean readings appear to be not necessary because they often don't line up with the lectures. Though you are expected to use textual references in papers. VERY LITTLE OUTSIDE WORK. If you need a very low commitment 4000-level soc class, this is it. Very little outside hw or prep needed.
That said, just be aware that high grades are hard to come by. B+ is probably a good expectation. I would say the so-so grading is worth the low-commitment, chill vibes.