Professor: Smulyan Course format: Lecture w/Section Number of respondents: 80 Total Enrollment: 131

Class Composition Froshs: 35 Sophs: 40 Jrs: 33 Srs: 20 Concs: 27 Non-Concs: 27 Don't Know: 17	Instructor Average: 2.18 Course Average: 2.31

"Society and Culture in America" is an intended as a an introduction to the Am. Civ. department, but it turned many students off to the entire department. The majority enjoyed the course, but felt it was too generalized to be of much value. It has no prerequisites, with a few suggesting it was more like a high school-level course than an Ivy League college course.

Professor Smulyan received wildly divergent reviews. Most agreed that her enthusiasm for the subject was infectious, and some declared her to be one of the best instructors they've had. Her humor and general stylemade the lectures engaging and hard not stay interested in. Others felt her talkative manner suppressed student input and, to some extent, original thoughts. Many commented that her lectures tended to ramble, and some lost track of the point of the class. Regarding her willingness to entertain differing opinions, many felt she was very open to such comments, but a few complained that her mind was clsed to dissenting views.

The workload was agreeable to most students, with the reading described as neither excessive nor overly complex. Nearly everyone appreciated the minimal written requirements (two papers and a final), but some actually wished there had been an opportunity to go more in depth. The class met a couple of times during Reading Period including lecture and wrap-up before the final.

The students generally believed the course was too unfocused to have a great deal of intellectual value in itself, but those who enjoyed it felt it was a good preparation for future Am. Civ. courses and provided incentive to go further in the department. Others felt it was notihng more than a necessary evil, and a significant portion of the non-concentrators said it discouraged them from the rest of the department.

It is difficult to form an composite recommendation for or against this course because nearly half of the class went each way. However, very few were ambivalent towards the course Äeither they liked the topics and professor or they thought it was a waste of time.

View AC/0075 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.