SOC 3490

Professor Makarova is the sweetest professor I've ever had at UVA. She truly cares about this topic and makes it really interesting. I'm not in the A school or sociology and I found it totally manageable as long as you do the readings and come to class.

Professor Makarova is wonderful- very kind, interesting, and intelligent. She allows for a lot of time for discussion and to interact with students outside of class. Course material is interesting-- we did seem to go through topics slowly, but I certainly grasped them fully. Pretty light, interesting reading and very fair exams. Highly recommend!

Prof. Makarova is the absolute sweetest! Honestly, as long as you offer any insight or just even ask a generic question, she'll really appreciate you. There were 8 journals based on the weekly readings. The material was really straightforward and the exams were fairly easy. It's a class where you can get an A for effort.

Class was not too bad although if you are not a sociology major or A school person it might just be a bit boring. The readings can sometimes be long but professor is very fair. As long as you put in effort you should do fine. I would recommend also writing down what she says about the readings and studying that as she explains the main takeaways in class. The tests are super fair and she grades fair.

I would not recommend this class if you have a background in urban planning or need structure in your class agenda. Professor Makarova is not good at answering questions in class and often meets those who are brave enough to raise their hand with immediate shut downs. I don't think I managed to get a single response out without her interrupting and refuting what I was saying.... she would basically just construct a strawman out of my first few words and then try to drive her original point in.

If you are okay with quietly meeting expectations and just saying whatever she wants to hear, an A/A- is very manageable. You write two essays, take two tests, and do journals - nothing too difficult. Try to engage with the authors from the readings, as those are the real core of the class and the most interesting material. But to be honest, this isn't a great survey through cities and cultures, and I'm not sure what its takeaway was supposed to be.

I would definitely recommend this class! Professor Makarova is the sweetest and it's not difficult at all. Not only is it pretty much an easy A, but the content is super interesting. While you do have to put in some effort walking around Charlottesville for photo-essays, it is super rewarding and changed how I experience public space.
The class is made up of two exams (directly based off discussion questions reviewed in class), six journals based on the readings for the week (fairly simple), pre-discussion class posts (graded for completion), two photo-essays (more in-depth but still only 2 or 3 pages), and in-class quizzes checking you read the readings. I will say that Professor Makarova is looking for specific points in participation but it doesn't really take away from class experience. Overall, I would recommend this course even if you don't know anything about urban planning, and as a sociology major, I learned a ton!

Overall a nice course! Professor Makarova is truly super sweet and cares about her students. One day i was late to class because I was at a training for a new job and instead of being upset she simply was super curious into what my new job was. The class consists of 10 discussion posts, 6 reading journals, 4 in class reading checks, 2 photo essays, a midterm, and final. The fact there was a final for the class was ridiculous, and felt not needed. The readings can be long and dense, but you can get by if you skim and grab 1 to 2 good points. Makarova can tend to ramble, and sometimes will shut you down when participating in class, but it’s not her being rude by any means. The course truly opened my perspective on the world and I really enjoyed it! (Coming from someone with no background in Urban Planning or Sociology). Overall the course is a very manageable A/A- and i would reccomend if you are interested!!

Super fun course. Prof. Makarova made it very interesting, and the curriculum is awesome, learned a ton. Worth it for sure, but there is a ton of work, and you have to keep up throughout the whole semester. Writing assignments are tough and frequent, with 6 weekly journals, 3 or 4 essays, a mid-term, and a final on paper. Discussion posts are also required, and be ready to read. In-class is a bit more dull, and you definitely get more out of the course on your own. But, it's still worthwhile if you're looking for a challenge.