2.8
Quality3.7
Difficulty25%
Would Retake110
Reviews25%
Would Retake
110
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
23
4
18
3
20
2
18
1
31
What Students Say
“Only cares about the money she's making from OUR pockets”
110G - 1.0 rating“All her comments on the essay she assigns are not helpful at all”
110G - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
92%
Textbook Required
45%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.43 avg changeRatings by Course
321
5.0
(1)RACEETHINIC
5.0
(1)SOCIOL250
5.0
(1)SOC262
5.0
(1)YOUTH01
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
RACEETHN
5.0
socio
5.0
SOCIOL201
4.5
SOCIOL101
4.4
211G
4.4
Reviews (110)
No Comments
Good. She guides the class well, but is a bit too controlling, e.g. in group discussion, she converses with each individual as opposed to letting the class interact more independantly. Then again, that allows her to do her job more efficiently. She tries to present from un anbiased perspective.
had to work hard (volume of assignments and reading) to keep up, but the prof. is very helpful and it was an interesting class. Only thing is that she had so many materials clammed in one semester, so when some unexpected events (ex.snow day) happened the class got a bit disorganized.
Very scatterbrained, yet simple. Many assignments, but flexibility prevails.
umkay, very easy. talks too much
she was great (though she does say "um okay" way too much) at least what she said was very insightful, i loved her class, i loved her assignments and i would take her again as a professor for any class in a heartbeat.
No Comments
she is a wonderful professor and very sincere
Professor Beckwith is a very nice and easy going teacher, she is available to anyone who needs help and she is a very sincere person. Take one of her classes
She is a sweet woman but she says "mm kay" every other word. I believe that someone counted it 80 times in a 50 min. class. She's very nice though. Her work load is EXTREMLY heavy.
Her "mm kays" are way too much to handle, she gives you readings like its the only class you take and don't have a life. Pretty easy grader on her RFA's and gives a 12 page paper for a final , you can't read her hand writing so if you like to take notes good luck trying to read them
boring!!!!i took her twice!!!she always gives out tons of work and readings!!!she knows her stuff but she treated each class like it was a senior class or something. and both of the classes i took were sophmore classes. what gives? lady ya need to ease up on the workload.
beckwith is a great! she tries her best to make her lectures as understandable as possible. she does give a lot of readings and the final was somewhat hard, overall she is a great professor. some people have mentioned that her "mm kays" are just too much, but professor beckwith is indeed a very genuine person and loves to teach. she is very fair.
Great professor who enjoys teaching...she's a fair grader and very helpful...if the readings seem overwhelming talk to her about it because she's willing to compromise...I've taken her four times and I've enjoyed each class
She's ok. She assignes TOO MANY bks to read, had to buy like 5 bks. Wayyyy too much reading. Takes her job a lil' TOO seriouse...if you stay on top of ur work, u'll be fine.
There seems to be always drama in her Race and Ethnicity class but she handles it very well. She is very smart and assertive, a bit passive but definitely an amazing professor and great person too! Highly recommended
I liked this professor. She was passionate about what she was teaching and as long as your willing to work a little you'll be fine.
Easily the worst professor of my college career. Assigned 400 level work for a 200 lvl, then summarizes the reading during lecture. I don't mind working but she did not bring any insight to the class outside of readings. Also, she seemed to have very little understanding of the subject outside of the readings. AND wore sweatpants to class tw
boring, alot of work,3 papers 6 page long and alot of readings and she loves to talk and she only know about the material anything else if you do all her work you can get an decent grade however there is no need for all that work she is a nice lady but a horrible teacher
terrible....
Not understanding all of the hate on here. She's a super easy teacher, and you can very easily get on her good side. I got B's on all 3 of the main papers, yet she still gave me an A. Just be nice to her and she'll return the favor.
must attend class, 3 five page papers and one final 15 pag paper is due. but professer does a very good job helping you along the way. engaging class disscussions are required plus one presentation, sounds like alot but isnt
This professor is awful! Way too much busy work and requires a 15 pge paper that is very difficult at the end of the term, oh and the draft is mandatory... and graded! She is very unorganized & uses outside sources you always have to print at your own cost instead of the books we paid so much money for! rough grader as well, boring class!
Lectures were really interesting as well as reading assignments. I'd avoid class with her solely on the written assignments. They make up a large part of the grade and she's a bit overzealous on her requirements. I got the message that she wanted quantity over quality. Overall, just see if you can get this course with someone else.
I don't know why other students didn't like her! I thought she was great. Sure her mmkays are a bit distracting at first, but she is really enthusiastic. Sure there is tons of reading, but it is all relevant. Yes there was a 15pg paper, but she provided me with outside sources mid-semester to help me write the paper. Great class!
Prof. Beckwith is a nice woman, but the materials she chooses are boring and in no way helpful for the subject matter. This is not a class for anyone with the slightest background is sociology. This is not my major, yet I found it so easy and felt that I did not learn anything new. Way too much busy work, but nothing intellectually stimulating.
draft and final revision for 15pg research counts for about 70%(around there, forgot the actual number!). Mandatory office meeting for 5% final grade-helpful,she explains to you 1 on 1 regarding what is need and offer extra help.Her lectures are dry,but her teaching style are excellent.there is no way to see how you are doing before add/drop...
This was a 200 level class that I took to fill my schedule thinking it would be easy credits. WRONG!! We had a heavy reading load every night, required 5 mandatory reflection papers AND a 15-20 page self reflection paper. (Midterm grade is a 8 page draft) You learn nothing from this class. DO NOT RECOMMEND!
This lady is a joke!!! DO NOT TAKE HER CLASS YOU WILL REGRET IT, no im not an angry student and in fact my GPA is 3.47 so i do rather well in school, im telling you this lady cannot teach for sh*t she repeats the same thing everyday and has outrageous expectations, a student taking five classes and she wants you to read like 200pgs a night?
Prof. Beckwith is a great teacher...very helpful..very knowledgeable. If you do your work you will get the grade you deserve..It is college b.t.w.
Lots of reading, crazy amount of writing. Almost 30 pages of papers. Writing papers for her is a tedious task. You're asked to elaborate on a list of 20 or so concepts and to reference a bunch of readings from each category. There's no room to write about anything that interests you because you have to meet all of the requirements. Avoid this class
NOT recommended. Thought this class sounded so interesting, professor made it boring and had nothing to do with what I had imagined. Would never take another class with this woman again. 15 page paper with "key" concepts and readings= pointless. Hated this class and signed on to this website just so I could warn others.
Great class. definitely need to work though and do the readings. the self-research paper is a lot of work, but ties in with the course work/readings. prof is always available for help and is very clear about what she expects.
I don't know why everyone complains about her. She is smart, friendly, and will go out of her way to help any student. I find her class interesting, she has a lot to offer. If you are interested in learning about sociology, I would take a class with her.
This course was the biggest mistake of my life. Prof is nice, BUT...requires 4 books along with 40+ emailed excerpts and e-reserves. Prof seems to forget that this isn't the only course the student is taking. Requires thoroughly reading all material for the 15-20pg "self" research paper worth 75% of your grade. Avoid at all costs!
Took Youth and Society with her. Classes were boring and she almost always went over time. The research paper is ridiculous. Would not recommend taking this class at all!
Paper assignments are challenging. Students are required to engage with key concepts. Teacher requires that the students clearly identify the concept and show understanding. Classroom is discussion based. Usually a student presenting in every class.
Papers are challenging. Students must engage with specific concepts from the class. The professor does however grade fairly. Professor notes improvement.
I dont understand all the hate she is getting on this site because she tells you exactly what she expects from her students. Even though theres alot of reading you can pick the readings you want to use for your paper so you dont have to do them all. Overall shes a very understanding. Great teacher and fair grader I recommend her class!
Soc of work was not a bad class at all. There's a lot of readings but you don't have to do them all just enough for your final paper. You have one presentation, a final paper and attendance as your grade. Even though the final paper is 12 pages she grades very fairly.
Easy going Professor. A lot reading and assignments. Sincere and most readings are e-reserves but books are required for class. If u do and keep w/ all the readings in this course & do all the assignments you will be fine.
An Easy professor however heavy reading but if you read and come to class prepares you should not have any problems. One class presentation for each student and 2 major essays.Can be a little tough on grading sometimes but she gives tou an opportunity to re-write if needed. Go for it!
Professor Beckwith is really nice and helpful. There is a lot of reading but you can easily get away with not doing it all. You only have two papers and 5 easy one page reflections. She grades them very fairly.
This lady will take it personally if you don't agree with her views.
This class is not hard at all if you read the material and are prepared for class. She grades strictly, but fairly. Show up to class and participate and you'll do fine.
Horrible... No motivation to teach and makes assignments more complicated than it should be.
Professor Beckwith is very unclear about the assignments that need to be done, she doesn't accept doctors notes but rather makes you write a 2 page paper on what you missed that class. And some absences can't even be made up. She's very vague and rude in her email replies. One upside is there's only maybe two assignments but reading is a must.
Professor Beckwith's class is very interesting. The group discussions are often insightful and hilarious. You must read the textbook to pass, and take the final paper seriously.
Professor Beckwith is probably the most unclear professor to ever exist. For a 200 level class, the amount of reading she asks of students is absurd. Additionally, there is a final paper of 15 pages that is worth 60% of your grade. This paper is HELL. She expects you to engage with too many components for one paper. Avoid this class at all costs.
Final Paper is 60% of your grade. If you did not take notes on the readings and write concepts as the classes went along, in the END when you are writing this 15 page paper your brain will completely shut down. MORE THAN 30 readings, a few books and a ridiculous amount of expectations for this final paper! AVOID this class. Period.
She had us sit in a circle & made that a routine for the rest of the semester. I enjoyed the environment, however she talked more than she needed to when no one was talking. I feel an inventive professor would have made it their goal to get us to speak so we could learn from each other. She just took the stage and would not let it go.
Anna is a really nice person but the class was kind of ridiculous for a 201. I took Youth and Society with her and a student had to present about the reading every class, so to me she didn't really teach it. Not to mention the nearly impossible self research paper that was 65% of our grade. Way too hard of a class, too much reading
I took a race class with her and I have to agree with others if you do not agree with her views she takes it seriously. She is interesting, has nice lectures, and readings but you need to ASK for help from her. She just needs to be more helpful, and open minded because we all have different views and opinions.
She assigns an insane amount of work for a level 200 class. The readings she hands out have a lot of terms to memorize, and assigns a 15 page paper where you have to apply these terms to your own adolescent growth. I emailed her once for clarification, and she responded with something like "you have to do the readings, its for you to decide". Avoid
In seminar you have to rewrite many of your assignments for very little points. It takes up too much of your time and is not worth it. The class is ok, but the crazy amount of work is not
The professor was not clear on what she wanted on her assignments. She sucks at grading papers and her handwriting is extremely hard to read, therefore her feedback on papers will not be helpful. However, she's very nice and generously cares about her students.
Youth and Society was a joke. Didn't learn a single thing, mainly because I was taught by my classmates. She requires each student to teach the class about the weekly readings. There is also a 15 page paper that is worth 65% of your grade.. Waste of time and money. Also, for a class that it supposed to be a class discussionshe talks too much. AVOID
Terrible teacher. Selfish. Greedy. Only cares about the money she's making from OUR pockets.
All her comments on the essay she assigns are not helpful at all. Her comments are harsh and will discourage you from writing in her class. and if you want to revise your essays, don't, its a waste of time because she will give you the same grade. your opinion does not matter to her, even though the class is basically a class discussion.
She's demanding but she works with her students. You can tell she really cares. I liked her class, even if some of the discussions became somewhat repetitive and I would take class with her again
Read all articles on Blackboard and the book before class. Be ready for participation. Overall, Professor Anna cares about her students and she'll do her best to make this course as interesting as it could be.
Very easy class, a lot of reading and discussion. Only asked for two papers, one small presentation, no exams. The reading was interesting and it'll keep you engaged. Participation matters!
She knows her stuff! Pushes students to think & do their best. The short films are interesting. There is a lot of reading but most of it is easy to read. Class participation is big, she often sits us in circles to include everyone. Very nice lady, understanding & willing to grant extensions upon request. Each class is based of that week's reading.
I liked this professor. However her assignments are very specific and if you miss something small it can really hurt your grade. She is helpful and seems like she wants her students to succeed. Talk in class and shell like you.
She uses documentaries, interviews, articles and books from the 1980's and 1990's. Everything was from 25-30 years ago. How can kids today relate to that? She cares more about punctuation than the content of your paper. Wants you to write about your own experience, yet criticizes you about it if it doesn't connect with the concepts she teaches.
Don't slack off with the readings, papers, or participating in class discussions and you'll be fine. Yes, some of the content is a bit older, but all of it is still entirely relevant. She gives plenty of feedback - don't ignore it. This class is definitely not for weak writers. Overall, she's a very likable, intelligent, and caring instructor.
This class was really work intensive and grading is a bit ridiculous. Prof is lenient for some situations, but don't expect an easy A. Papers due every week on lengthy articles and book purchases you will only use for particular assignments. Class has heavily distressing material like depression and suicide which I found unsettling.
Professor Beckwith is super nice. Incredibly particular about writing assignments, they're outlined in the assignment sheet and if you don't include everything to a T, you won't get an A. The assignments rely heavily on personal experiences, which is uncomfortable sometimes. But she's available to meet one on one if you're not getting something.
This has been my least favorite class. No structure or slides, most of the course was taught by student oral presentations and hours of aimless talking. SUPER particular grader despite her directions being the most unclear thing I've EVER read. The class is about marginalized identities but everything we read is from the perspective of white people
Professor Beckwith clearly knows what she is talking about and is passionate, but at times it was a lot to take in. The amount of reading required for each week was sometimes unreasonable and the self-research paper is very specific. Her comments and outlines were not the easiest to dissect which made this class even harder.
She has too many assignments to do at once: Two books to read at the same time, articles on top of that, films to watch and take notes on, discussion posts that are very specific on requirements, a group presentation that had her sending rude emails when we didn't do it on her schedule, and a 10-page midterm paper that was full of requirements.
The amount of work for this class is ridiculous. Her feedback from assignments/papers are not helpful. Very inflexible with scheduling, everything needs to fit her schedule. I would rather unalive myself than take any of her classes again.
I was so excited to take her race and power class because seemed so interesting, however it was quite the opposite. She just talks in endless circles all of class with like no substance to what she's saying at all. She assigns papers that have such specific requirements but its so overwhelming. 100000% would ever take a class with her again <3
She is the wooorsssttttt!! She's super rude, she is very inconsiderate and does not keep her word. She tries to make her papers with many requirements but she is never satisfied with them. She thinks that her class is her only class and book is mandatory because she makes you include it apart of her essays. OVERALL, super rude and don't take her.
She is a very disorganized person. She will spend most of the class ranting and call it a discussion. For her essays it has so many requirements and when grading she forgets them and creates new ones. Pay attention to this, I had to call her out on that and she changed my essay grade by like 5 points each time.
The course material was interesting, but lectures and tedious, cumbersome assignments boiled it down to a long assignment checklist with inconsistent grading criteria. I really wanted to like the class, but the professor seemed kind of disconnected from the students and the purpose of UMB's "seminar" courses.
I had a 15 page paper worth 65% of my grade. I'm usually a good writing, receiving primarily A's throughout high school and freshman here at college. Never in my life have I received such low grades - ON A DRAFT. 35 min presentation too, worth barely anything to help our grade. Took it to cover both intermediate seminar & socio credit, I regret.
I got so much more out of listening to the other people in class than her lectures or most of the readings. She didn't know what to do when people got enthusiastic during discussions, and she moved a paper deadline UP. General consensus was that we've never seen a professor do that before... Also no warning for a documentary about a suicide!
Professor Beckwith is very knowledgeable and has many resources, but she is disorganized and does not have a set structure for class. There are no slides, some documentaries you watch, but she does not make efforts for class engagement. Very tough grader so if you aren't the best writer, be prepared. A lot of requirements in papers too
Great professor, however, she often goes on tangents and does not explain things as clear as possible. Her handwriting is hard to read. The class was still very interesting and discussions were always great. As long as you pay attention, ask questions, and read youll do great!
She has a very interesting class and I love how she breaks it down.
Fine, if you have a life with clearly defined threads that tie into the core concepts of sociology. Otherwise, extremely awkward. All of the writing assignments had to do with negative personal experiences. Felt exploitive. Final essay has a 6-8 page limit and a million requirements. Not unconvinced the prof hasn't padded her own reviews here.
Literally the worst class I've ever taken. There is ZERO structure, classes consist of just her rambling with no slides or real discussion. She even interjects on presentations and make them about her own views. If you don't like writing it's definitely not the course for you, she is a terrible and inconsistent grader. SO BAD!!!
Knowledgeable professor. There is ALOT of writing in this course so if writing isn't your strongest skill I wouldn't consider this class. If you put in the effort and do the assignments, you'll get a good grade. She is a tough grader though. 8 weekly discussion posts, which are basically essays. 10 page midterm. 45 min presentation and 6 pg writeup
She comes into class & reads from her notes with no PowerPoints to write notes off of. She's also a harsh grader and her notes on papers you submit are handwritten and look like chicken scratch. If you like unstructured lectures & someone who would rather listen to herself ramble than hear from students in the class, this is the professor for you.
This is so much work for a seminar, do not take it unless you are ready to read 6+ pages of articles every week! there is a 3 part self research paper of 12 pages due at the end of the semester! it is split up into 3 parts but it is a lot of work and you have to use a lot of articles! There are easier seminars to take!
She has no lecture slides or notes, just talks AT the class, unprepared with no lesson plans. Revised our syllabus halfway through the semester, moved all our assignments UP and changed our final paper from 33% to 45% of our grade. Does not grade ANY assignment above 95%. All assignments have extremely meticulous criteria and are time consuming.
She is a decent professor because she keeps everyone up to date on weekly class plans, though, a few surprises changed on the syllabus. She is willing to engage in conversations and has office hours in 30 min blocks. Although the content is difficult, she is willing to meet with you outside class time.
It seems like this class would be better if taught my another professor. Professor Beckwith is very smart, I just do not think she is best fit to teach this subject. Very harsh grader on papers, TONS of dated readings. Interesting course content, but if I could go back and pick a different seminar, I 100% would.
She has a good heart and is willing to help with multiple office hours sloths and all, but in class she talks A LOT, she is a very tough grader and her assignments are really time-consuming. I would say she cares about her students but this seminar is just not worth it, you should look for another one. 12 page final paper
if you don't have multiple terrible life experiences and are willing to share your traumas with the class, don't take this course. And if you do then you must be willing to hear your classmates talking and talking about theirs too. It is an exhausting class, so negative, LOTS of homework, LOTS of reading, LOTS of writing, and she is a tough grader.
Professor Beckwith is very kind and knowledgeable. Her class has a lot of reading... like multiple 15-20 page articles to annotate every week. This all leads to a 12-page, multi-source self-research essay at the end of the semester. Do your homework, meet the paper requirements, and participate and you will have no problem. decent amount of work.
OH my god! This professor is a nightmare. Please do not take her class. She has too many expectations from students and it is really tough to cope up with her and her never ending expectations. Assignments are never ending and she is always looking out for faults which is really discouraging.
Do not take her class, she is unprepared and gives extremely disorganized lectures that do not help students learn or expand their minds. Her grading is extermely unfair with not reasonable basis that anyone could figure out, and her notes were not helpful on assignments. She is unqualified to teach about racism, and it was not a productive class.
I don't know if she cleaned her act up or what, but she is definitely not as bad as ratings make her sound. She talks a lot and drags on, but to me, she cares about what she is teaching. My only warning is she is a very tough grader and not afraid to make you feel like a dummy about your essay. DO NOT play around with deadlines or requirements!!
NOT AN EASY A. LITERALLY THE WORST CLASS OF MY UNI EXPERIANCE. SHE WILL DEMAND YOU DO THE HOMEWORK ONLY ON WEEKENDS. EVEN IF YOU TURN IN QUALITY WORK SHE WILL FIND SOMETHING TO MARK DOWN. A NIGHTMARE. THE GRADING CRITERIA IS WHACK. SO UNCLEAR. ONLINE COURSE BUT SOMEHOW SO MUCH MORE TIME CONSUMING THAN MY INPERSON CLASSES. how is her rating so high?
The worst class and professor I've ever encountered. She has a very discouraging attitude and never offers any positive feedback. Every assignment I submitted was met with negativity. The course is highly disorganized, with no lecture slides or structured materials. She is constantly rude and condescending, creating a hostile learning environment.
Very condescending and takes a long time to grade only to give you a bad grade. Very textbook and homework heavy class. Lots of writing.
While Professor Beckwith is knowledgeable, the class lacks structure and organization. Lectures feel disjointed, and grading seems inconsistent. However, engaging with classmates can be rewarding. Unstuck study proved helpful for exam prep in this challenging course.
Awful professor. Extremely hard grader if you do not do a paper or discussion post exactly as it is in her mind down to the words you need to use. She doesn't say anything positive to students and is completely absent other than grading. No meetings or recorded lectures, just gives you the textbook name and discussion posts and tests every day.
Great speaker! I took her class in the fall of 2023. She has a natural ability to speak on many different topics. She also welcomes respectful disagreements. After class, I enjoyed speaking with her whenever I needed a new perspective on a topic. Keep up with the HW, write WEEKLY for the final essay, and participate! Say something!
actually worst professor i've ever had. assignments were so hard to interpret so it was up to luck if you did it to her standard. and she's very inflexible. she also uses the textbook like the holy bible. so you have to get it no matter what. but you have to get the exact one that she has otherwise she won't accept your work. start saving up!!
This teacher is very difficult to understand; she doesn't fully support her students. The assignments are a little confusing, so if you make a mistake, you receive a low grade instead of guidance. When we ask for help, we often feel discouraged rather than supported. Believe clearer instructions, more patience would improve the learning experience
If you don't want to waste your time or learn things DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE. All she does is yap about the same thing over and over again for hours and if you do not participate in the conversation she argues w you, and will call on you. All she does is yell at students and she's so not very helpful with feedback, she won't ever give you a 100%
She's pretty good professor. Her lectures are just her yapping about the textbook or something related to what is said on the textbook. She gives reading journals every week or every other week which is kind of annoying but other than that its a pretty chill an easy class. If you miss a couple class you'll be fine and won't be behind.
This professor is awful. She goes off topic every class, is very opinionated, and expects essays exactly her way. She's a harsh grader, shames students, and gives confusing, unreadable handwritten notes with terrible handwriting. Feedback on documentary reflections is vague, and responds with no guidance. Avoid this class if possible.
Don't take a class with this professor. The course itself was pretty easy, but I would never take another class taught by her again. Very disrespectful and degrading.
I found her lectures very boring, I would actually struggle to stay awake. I think she made the course seem less interesting than it actually is. you can never really understand what she's looking for in the assignments, you'd think you're doing it right but she'd end up taking points off. but the course work itself wasn't hard or heavy
The professor's teaching style lacked clarity. Course material and assignment expectations were often unclear, making it difficult to fully understand concepts. Instruction felt disorganized, and there was limited guidance on improving work. As a result, the course did not effectively support learning or skill development.
One of the worst professors I've had at UMB so far. She is not clear at all about what she wants you to include in her assignments and she will degrade you in her comments if you don't do it the way she wants you to. If you go to her with questions, she will go on and yap about something else. I do NOT recommend taking her class AT ALL.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
92%
Textbook Required
45%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.43 avg changeRatings by Course
321
5.0
(1)RACEETHINIC
5.0
(1)SOCIOL250
5.0
(1)SOC262
5.0
(1)YOUTH01
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
RACEETHN
5.0
socio
5.0
SOCIOL201
4.5
SOCIOL101
4.4
211G
4.4