The best prof I've had by far. Very passionate about her subject.

Get ready to read, accessible outside of class, participation matters, gives good feedback.

absolutely spectacular! she is very understanding and considerate to her students and very passionate about the topics that are discussed in class which will make you want to be just as passionate as she is :)

A genuinely passionate professor with a great sense of humour! Very personable and approachable, with engaging lectures! dreading wrds 150? fear not, she'll turn a 'boring', mandatory course into something truly enjoyable !

THE best prof I've ever had. Offers very inspiring lectures. Whoever doesn't go to the lecture is their loss. She's known for her humorous style of teaching that makes most of the boring content interesting and her toughness which is in a reasonable range the encourages hard work. Highest recommendation.

Beautiful and intelligent. Major professor crush.

Kept me engaged through out the entire semester! Super funny and passionate!

She did an excellent job this semester when it came to managing the readings and assignments. She was approachable and always willing to help. Overall made the class a joy to take and the lectures were also entertaining and insightful.

Jennifer is an excellent professor who shows passion for the subject matter in this course. She's straight to the point and will cover the stuff that really matters while skipping any bull. I had her for the nostalgia studies version of WRDS 150 and it was my favourite class by far. If you like the social or political, this class is for you.

Professor Cowe is an amazingly fun and engaged professor who truly cares about her subject material. Though you may not have selected hipster studies as your major, she can definitely liven up the mandatory course. Be advised, however, that she can easily tell if there is real effort in your work, so don't do it at the last minute.

Super smart. Gives a 90 minute lecture with no notes. She just knows her subject. Moves from history to philosophy to politics all in 1 lecture. Encourages students to follow their interests and really listens when you answer a question. A dry sense of humor but really cares. This course blew my mind. Get ready to read and talk but totally worth it

Prof Cowe is really passionate about the subject she is teaching. She is also very considerate. She just wants her students to do the best they can.

Best professor. Lectures are engaging and she knows what she's talking about. Her class helped me become a better writer and researcher. She's willing to help all her students and she's also very sweet. Would retake Words 150 just to have her as a prof again.

i found the course rlly interesting but a bit difficult and didn't do that great on most of the assignments but participation really does matter! She's amazing and i loved her lectures and i highly recommend taking it !

DrCowe: one of those profs youll remember. She has an old-fashioned lecture style (eg uses blackboard not powerpoint) but they are so interesting, even the lectures w/ the textbook! She can make the weirdest examples and just be hilarious! Yes, u need to put effort into work, but you can ask her for feedback & she'll give it! Such a beautiful mind!

If there's an encyclopedia entry for "amazing professor," you'd see Dr. Cowe's face. She is so incredibly brilliant and a super funny prof. She makes rapports with her students and she's sure to make your day brighter. Do the readings and Gist notes! It will help in your in-class assignments! Try to watch Downton Abbey & annoy her with it nonstop!

Life goals: to be Dr Cowe.

Dr Cowe blessed this class. WRDS 150 would have literally been the worst course to take in terms of both course content & the type of work, but Dr Cowe was amazing. She somehow made a terribly boring topic interesting. Tbh I did not do the readings & I thought my papers were not good but it ended up being my highest grade. Dr Cowe you're a real one

Favourite professor. Incredibly funny. Lectures were a blast to attend. She gave useful feedback. Doesn't mark hard as long as you listen to her feedback and follow the criteria.

Awesome prof. Definitely my favourite from first year. Her assignments were structured really well, with clear explanations and good feedback, and she made what could have been a boring course fun and interesting.

this class was hard but i am still thinking about it during vacation. loved her approach to intersectionality and wokeness. made us question everything and look at UBC as an institution critically. a lot of reading, but this is a change your life course. she makes you see patterns you didn't know where there. wants you to think for yourself.

I'm kind of in awe of the amount of knowledge she possesses. Her ability to synthesize extremely complicated and varied ideas into simple lectures is impressive! Her style of argument is so well balanced, and she doesn't pretend to know all the answers. She listens to you. I'm in 4th year and some of her lectures are the best I've had at UBC.

Amazing prof 110% recommend her. If you put in the effort you will get a good mark. Though the course in generally boring Dr. Cowe makes it fun and interesting to the point where I didn't mind going to lectures as they went by quick.

For ppl saying DrCowe's a hard marker-- suck it up! She's really not as long as you do the assignments, & if you actually are concerned that ur assignment sucks, ASK TO MEET WITH HER and she'll help you/compromise a mark! Honestly, her lectures will be the most interesting ones you'll ever hear @UBC- you should be SO grateful if youre in her class!

cares about her students and has cool stories, lectures are fun to sit thru

I can't decide if she's smarter or funnier

I'm not exactly sure how she did it, but Dr. Cowe made WRDS 150 (an introductory research and writing class) one of my favorite courses this term. Her interdisciplinary lectures are fascinating and honestly, her sense of humor makes every topic memorable. I would say that she is a fair grader - definitely not an easy A, though!

The only prof who asked the class how things were going during midterms. I was really stressing out and to talk to her and the other students made me feel supported. I thought I was the only one who felt like I was failing everything. Thank you Dr Cowe for recognizing that we were struggling and caring enough to ask :-)

Her nostalgic wrds150 is the best wrds150 out of all subjects

I came into WRDS150 thinking it was going to be my least favourite class, but Dr. Cowe made the topic of Nostalgia incredibly interesting and even made the lectures on the assigned textbook intriguing. She never uses powerpoints, so you will need to attend class for notes, but the way she presents her lectures are very understandable!

Didnt think I would enjoy WRDS150 at all but Dr. Cowe made it a lot more bearable with her entertaining lectures. However, you should be prepared to read and dont expect high marks. Her notes can be confusing and overwhelming at times but she gives hilarious and clear examples and I admire how knowledgeable she is in her field.

Follow the feedback you get on each assignment and listen to what she's telling you in lectures. She is very clear on her grading and tells you if you keep making the same mistakes, she will take marks off. If you do the work, you will get a good grade. She doesn't take any bull, so don't try. Great prof. I learned a lot.

Prof Cowe is everything you'd hope for in a professor. She's caring, hilarious, engaging, and kind. I wish all my profs were like her. The only major downside is that she is a hard marker on the papers. I followed feedback but each time i thought i fixed everything, she'd find something else that i did wrong.

Perfect

She's amazing and makes you interested in the material (which is important for a class as boring as WRDS). If you put in the effort by showing up and participating, you can do well but she does mark hard. This year this was the class I learned the most in and will help me throughout university. Grade was based on mini assignments and final paper

Dr. Cowe is hilarious, and frankly, a genius. Extremely knowledgeable about her subject matter. Entertaining lectures that will have you rethinking the way you see the world. One word for this prof: unforgettable (in the best possible way). You'll leave this course feeling like such a cultured dinner guest, that's for sure.

GO TO OFFICE HOURS! She'll give u the best advice for assignments. She is really caring/nice. Super hilarious in class too! This is a prof you wish you could be friends with. The content's thought-provoking , we talk about homesickness, TV shows, minority issues, lots of good stuff. You'll earn essay skills that you'll use for all ur uni essays!

Has readings every week, but its worth it! This prof is great! Super funny, cares for her students, and makes the required course a blast! The assignments are meant to build on each other (summary, lit review, final essay) so thats helpful. She will sit with you and help you with your essay too. Easy to follow lectures also.. 10/10 !! love her!

WRDS150 is quite a brain-numbing course in itself but Dr. Cowe makes lectures very enjoyable, even the textbook-based ones. She's super funny and gives extensions when needed. She's a fairly harsh grader and I struggled with the first few assignments but you get the hang of it eventually.

By far one of my favorite profs. She has everything you would want in a prof, hilarious, engaging, kind etc. She is super chill and caring and lectures are amazing. The only downside is she is kind of a hard marker on some of the papers. It is difficult to get a good grade but she is still and AMAZING prof and i would take her again.

Would 100% recommend this amazing professor! So funny, engaging, and caring. She will meet with you to talk abt your assignments and is very accommodating. Interesting readings. I loved watching downton abbey for the class and analysing what is called televisual metadiscourse. Your writing will improve, as will your view on the world! Cool accent

A big fan of Dr. Cowe's. Theres a reason her classes r so full bc she is an amazing instructor. Her topic of nostalgia is fascinating & course is very cross-disciplinary, with history, a bit of pysch, soci, poli.. Great for seeing how u can view topics thru dif perspectives. She even makes the textbook hilarious by pointing out the weird examples!

Dr. Cowe is certainly one of the most caring and understanding profs I have met at UBC so far. She listens to your concerns and is able to provide you with useful feedback. Definitely make the most out of office hours!

It will be wonderful if we could take Dr. Cowe's lecture in person. Honestly speaking, the format of online learning diminishes her advantage in inspiring and engaging students to some degree. Dr. Cowe is considered a tough grader because it's fairly hard for us to figure out what her detailed expectation on the assignment is.

The format of recorded lectures and live seminars/tutorials really worked for me. Being able to listen to the lectures anytime and then discuss them in person was great. Compared to my other courses this one was well organized and Dr Cowe was always available in office hours, and individual appointments after each assignment. Highly recommend.

She's only a tough grader if you can't follow basic feedback. She told me over 3 assignments what I needed to fix to get a good grade in the final paper, and guess what, I did what she told me to. I'm in Engineering and she totally got me through this course. A really interesting prof.

She definitely makes you work for your grades. I'm sure her lectures are amazing in person but the prerecorded ones were tough to get through. There was no criteria really for assignments but if you followed the structure from the examples she gave it was pretty straight forward. She's extremely honest and definitely doesn't just hand out grades

Dr. Cowe was a great prof! Her online lectures were asynchronous which allowed for flexibility. Her topic is interesting and will change how you view certain issues, despite some of the impact of discussions being lost in the online format. Would definitely go to office hours - she will discuss ideas and clarify her assignment expectations for you

Dr. Cowe is a very caring prof and super funny! I'm sure her in person lectures would have been fun based off of how well online seminars went with her. She definitely makes you work for your grade, and there are a lot of reading materials and it is lecture heavy. Make sure to take her feedback seriously and implement it into your next assignment!

even tho this is a writing course, her topic of nostalgia gives the prof lots of room to move around in subject matter. she moves from poli to philosophy to history to a bit of pysch at the start and it's just really interesting to learn about. i can't even imagine how great it would be to take her class in person---i've read the past good reviews

This mandatory course became my one of my favourites because of professor cowe. NOTE: she has an eye for whether or not you put real effort in your assignments, so don't leave the final essay till last minute-- take time, pick a topic that interests you, and ask her what she thinks! She has great suggestions and will be genuinely interested in it

This is an excellent prof who's passionate for her subject. In her recordings she's straight to the point. If you are interested in social sciences like poli and soci, this WRDS section would suit you! Will you have to work a bit for the essay? a wee bit, but it's extremely doable, especially with the prof's help! highly recommend her!

Dr cowe has genuine passion for what she teaches and cares for her students. Also has a great sense of humor! If you dread WRDS 150, fear not, as she'll take this dreaded mandatory course and give you something really enjoyable!

If you can't read the syllabus or follow the link to Purdue OWL then yeah, this is not the class for you. She doesn't take any bull, but is totally approachable and kind. Gives extensions, and is great about helping with assignments. Some students just want an easy A and this class isn't it. Quit complaining or go to SFU!

Dr Cowe is an excellent and funny professor who gets straight to the point and gives great constructive feedback. With that said, the course is quite reading-heavy, and Dr Cowe certainly makes you work for your grades but as long as you implement her feedback in your next assignment you'll be okay.

So passionate about her work: Nostalgia. Follow her feedback and participate during semesters, bound to do well. She is easily accessible outside of class, if you have any questions or just need clarification, contact her. She allows extensions if you ask ahead of time. I can't emphasize enough to use the one to one appointments, always enjoyable!

Dr. Cowe is a nice professor and has a good sense of humor. Her lectures are a bit dry but the topic, nostalgia, is interesting. Your grade is based on a few writing assignments. Listen to her feedback from previous assignments, it'll help you improve your next one. Keep up with your readings as they can be a bit heavy if you're a first year.

Definitely worths it.

Professor Cowe is an incredible woman. Shes supportive and easily accessible, and gives you clear cut ways to score better in her class. She might be a tough grader but theres no way you cant get an A if you listen to her feedback. Her in person lectures are wonderful and she really makes the course enjoyable. Totally recommend taking her class!

I wouldn't say that Dr. Cowe is a tough marker, but she marks severely on small mistakes. As long as you double check everything, it's a very chill class. There's not very much work and the topic is at least better than other WRDS sections. She also has lots of office hours and gives clear feedback on good/bad essay ideas.

Really detailed syllabus so I always knew what to read before class and when deadlines were. She graded quickly and the personal feedback helped me to improve between assignments. If you don't do the work or fall behind it is hard to catch up and she doesn't baby students. Maybe that makes her tough but I loved her and the course. A very cool prof.

She offers a different vibe, some hate her some do not. I like her way of interacting with us and making the class as enjoyable as possible. I understand why people would dislike her but I think she generally is a solid choice, sure the assignments are graded quite toughly but she tries her hardest to encourage you to be interested in the topic.

prof cowe is super inspirational and her lectures are always enjoyable. her topic is nostalgia which is really interesting. i enjoy all aspects of the course except for grading :) she can be tough with grades and have high expectations but she is fair about grades just pay attention to what she says in class and her feedback

I liked her style of classes with one-on-one mtngs, isn't so lenient with her grades but one thing she values is originality. Got full marks for research paper partly bc of that :). She may look mean but shes a decent choice for a prof as she gives decent feedback. I loved how she didn't hold back her language in class also.

Awesome prof. Has high standards and makes you work for an A. She's a big free speech advocate, so be prepared for seminars to get salty as she won't stop students saying whatever they want. I learned a lot, heard opinions that made me uncomfortable but it was a great class. I would take any course with her.

Prof Cowe is humorous and says what she wants (swears and criticizes the researchers lol). Her lectures explain the readings, and her one-on-one appointments are a good way to get all your questions clarified! Coming to class and being attentive matters. WRDS isn't the most exciting but she makes it fun. She can be intimidating but she's nice.

I'm in Sauder and used what I learned in her Sarial-Abi lecture for my marketing specialization. That's how good she is. Only a tough grader if you don't follow feedback. Definitely obsessed with citation, but its a research based course so what do people expect?

Best prof I had in 5 years.Very original thinker and I learned a lot from her. Nostalgia is a great topic and Dr Cowe is exactly what you want in a prof. just take this course.

A lot of people warned me not to take her course but the topic was too enticing. I'm really happy I didn't listen to them. She is AMAZING. She says what she wants to say without hesitation and lets her students be part of the discussion and take the discussion forward. My only advice, choose her course if you like the topic and attend class!

Dr. Cowe is one of my favourite professors. She is extremely hilarious and knowledgeable, making an usually boring course quite entertaining. Her grading is quite critical, but gives insightful feedback. If you are looking for an easy grade, she might not be the best professor.

If you want to learn to write a paper and be set up for the rest of your degree, take WRDS 150 with her. Cannot express how grateful I am to have been in her class, now in my 4th year coming back to write this review. Work hard and you will be rewarded.

She's funny, easy going and interesting. Some mandatory readings but there is enough time to catch up even after the content have ended. She answers questions and dedicates a lot of time for students to ask them. Grading may seem tough but she gives great advice. Given that this is a mandatory course, she's one of the best profs to take it with.

Great professor, very interesting lecture, just a bit hard grading on paper.

Dr. Cowe is wonderful! Hated her early in the semester, too, but she helped me when I asked. Do EXACTLY what she tells you for the papers. She literally spoon-feeds you what to do; you'll only do badly if you don't pay attention. Ask questions and participate! Be nice and show up prepared and she'll guide you. Hope to take her again!

Lectures are funny and also helpful. A bit of a tough grader on papers, but she's very willing to help you and she marks super easy on participation and another assignment which are worth 35% of your mark. Very nice about late assignments too if you email her in advance.

I. LOVE. DR. COWE. If you love dark humour you're going to love her class. The workload is very manageable other than a few long readings. I recommend picking a unique topic as she grades easier for originality.

Dr. Cowe is a brilliant prof! Really funny and insightful lectures. The assignments build up on each other, so even if you don't do the best on the first few, you can still get a good mark in the end. Very ready to meet outside of class-- just shoot her an email. Overall, a brilliant instructor. Would recommend!

She offers really good feedback on assignments and is really accessible outside of class. Just email her to schedule a one-on-one appointment. Follow her suggestions she gives on each assignment, go to office hours, and you'll get a decent grade! Picking an interesting research topic makes this course a lot more enjoyable.

one of my favourite profs by far, nostalgia as a topic was very interesting, original, but so relevant and applicable to modern day issues. her expectations on assignments are very clear, and will not hesitate to help and provide valuable feedback when asked

I struggled a lot at the beginning of the class, however, once I started to ask for help and did what Dr Cowe suggested, the course was a breeze. You just have to listen to her and do exactly what she says and you'll get a good mark! She was also very approachable and kind, always open to help :)

there are few assignments in the class, and her feedback from each assignment is important since the course leads to a research paper. Expectations for each assignment are clear and the class is organized well. She is very flexible with extensions and understanding of a student's situation. She made boring topics more interesting.

Dr. Cowe's class is such a slay. If only she taught more courses aside from WRDS!!! Her lectures were engaging and original. Super accessible outside class as well, don't be afraid to make an appointment for office hours. I won't miss this course but I will miss this prof :((

Dr. Cowe was the best prof I have ever had. She constantly engaged with the class and the lectures were always interesting. She is very straightforward and won't give you and easy A, but was ALWAYS there to help you as long as you put in the effort. She is sarcastic, funny, humble, and overall just a fantastic prof. 100% would recommend!

Jennifer is an overall great professor. Lecture content (on nostalgia) is interesting and allows us to explore different fields of the social sciences (history, politics, a bit of psych, sociology) while staying on a super fascinating theme. The course makes you think... and expand your horizon by examining different viewpoints! Only con: reading!

Such an incredible professor. Her lecture style is very laid back and very sarcastic, but at the same time it's very valuable and effective. Her feedback is detailed and because all of the assignments build on top of each other doing well in this class is doable as long as you're able to take her feedback and apply it to your work. Also very funny.

Dr. Cowe was the best Professor I have had so far. She is witty and self-aware. Made a famously boring course my favorite from the first semester. Readings covered in class. There are only three main assignments that build off of each other, which made it very possible to score high as long as you expand from previous corrections. TAKE HER COURSE!

Dr. Cowe is super funny and self-aware. The class is lecture-oriented and there are several readings (textbook + papers) but these are covered in class. She makes it incredibly obvious what you need to know and how to orient your papers. Class discussions may move to divisive or sensitive topics, so be comfortable with that before taking this.

Dr. Cowe is an awesome lecturer and professor. WRDS is generally a class people find boring or one they take just because they have to, but her class was my favorite class this semester. Her lectures were captivating and interesting, and she was amazing at teaching the academic writing style in a way that made sense.

Dr. Cowe is my FAV prof!! She has super engaging lectures, she is absolutely hilarious and will make you want to go to class just to hear her jokes (if nothing else). The assignments can be built on each other for the final paper. Grading is fair, and useful feedback is given in one-on-one meetings. Take ANY class with her, you won't regret it!

Loved the prof and the topic (nostalgia)! Follow the clear instructions she provides for assignments, choose a topic you enjoy, and you'll do well. Should be an easy class if you've done any academic writing in high school. One tip: do the gist notes after you do the readings (don't save them for the end!!) and use your notes from class for those.

Her lecture style makes the hour go by insanely fast. She is very good with feedback and makes a lot of time for one one-on-ones before major assignments, which if you go to, are insanely helpful. She is pretty good with instructions and examples, so just follow what she says for a good Grade. No recordings so definitely go to the lectures.

Lectures were delivered in a very engaging manner despite some of the content being not too interesting. Only 3 assignments that built off one another. Class schedule was also good: a lot of time to schedule 1 on 1 meetings with her. Overall, a hilarious person, and I really enjoyed the class even though writing isn't my strong suit.

I absolutely loved Dr. Cowe's class and the course topic -- nostalgia. She will prepare you for university by teaching you how to write university level papers with her interesting and funny lectures. You do have to do some readings but the readings all approach nostalgia in creative ways and make you think about memories with a new perspective.

Took Term 1 2023, 1 textbook that I stopped reading. Reflection at the end where u write about the tools & concepts u used in your papers but u can just use the terms learned in class. U can work with people but I don't recc, copy format of examples she gives and you'll ace all 3 big assignments. Check in w her about expectations. Easy if u listen

Such an amazing professor, so funny, passionate about her subject to the point where you become interested in it too. Listen to her feedback on your work and it's easy to get a good grade. There's a lot of readings but you can definitely get by without doing any of them. She's super understanding and flexible and is interested in what you write.

She is an incredible professor! I took this class a while back, but I think of her every time I write a paper. She is kind, caring, funny and just a genuine human being. She set me up for success by teaching me this fundamental skill in an easily digestible way and made the process fun and enjoyable. I wish I could take her class again! 10/10!

She's got so much rizz. Love her.

She is so cool and funny! Her class is easy to follow, the word counts are not very high and you can meet with her to talk over assignments. She doesn't schedule a lot of classes especially near the end our last in person class was 2 weeks before end of sem which is nice for finals and other classes, and she does online classes before long weekends

Funny teacher, she clearly outlines the guidelines for assignments and what is expected. Gives clear feedback to help progress on assignments. Talk every now and then and you will do fine, leave time for your final research paper assignment.

Dr. Cowe's lectures were never boring and her humour was incredible. She always made the hour fly by taught in a way which was memorable and easy to take notes off of (which I really appreciated as she only teaches via lectures, no powerpoints or recordings). There is good pacing between assignments, lots of time to work, and FOLLOW HER CRITERIA!!!

Hilarious prof. I loved how she always went off topic and talked about more interesting things than what we were supposed to discuss. I feel like the textbook wasn't needed though because I didn't read it at all and still managed to do pretty well. Just follow the rubric and you'll do very well.

Her lectures are so engaging and she's hilarious! Dr. Cowe is always open to a conversation, and I will deeply miss her sarcasm and tangents next semester. I'd say prepare to be somewhat humbled, but as long as you follow her criteria and feedback, you should be fine. I wish she taught more courses because I miss my queen.

bro reminds me of philomena cunk shes so funny

Super easy to do well in this course if you just do what she says. Her lectures are also pretty interesting and are pretty hard to doze off in. Do raise your hand for those participation marks tho

She's like a scottish lana del rey I love her so much and I wish she had more courses. Every class is like a stand up comedy.

First day in the class, I instantly thought of Lana Del Rey. Super funny, and worth attending the class for. Easy to do well as long as you follow her clear grading criteria.

Her lectures are very fascinating and funny, making the class one that I actively looked forward to. The workload is very light, but you need to make sure to carefully read the criteria and go to office hours for the few graded assignments to ensure a good grade. Having a good understanding of what she looks for will help you succeed.

My sister passed 2 days into term and it is because of Dr. Cowe that I was able to finish the course. She is a hilarious and very intelligent professor. She has a high standard for writing but it's not hard to score well in her course if you put in the work. Be sure to read assignment criteria carefully, I messed up reading one and it costed me!

Cowe is one of the funniest and kindest lecturers I've met at UBC. She's amazing to talk to both in and out of class and will give you great feedback if you choose to take her 1-1 support sessions. Would highly recommend!

really funny and down to earth, makes great comments while breaking down the papers she assigns in class. very lenient with grading, but make sure to read her feedback & contact her for further information!!! provides example essays and a rubric for each assignment which is nice of her. also really blunt/straightforward in her emails ??

had her in the summer semester. incredibly funny and witty and her lectures were easy to follow along! gives good feedback and accessible outside of class. raise your hand in class for participation marks. as long as you follow her criteria you'll be fine :) also i just learned she loves snappy titles, highly recommend!

Dr. Crowe is absolutely hilarious and makes seemingly boring topics (like orchestration and citations) engaging through her lectures. She is very clear about grading criteria and provides example papers which makes it easy to understand expectations and get a good grade. Definitely recommend taking her class!

She is a fantastic professor! Her lectures are engaging, and I learned so much from her. She is organized, her grading is fair, she quickly replies to emails and is very approachable. The only reason why you would not like her class is if you don't like sarcasm and witty jokes, or if you would rather have a more serious professor.

I LOVE THIS WOMAN SO MUCH!!! If you can take any professor at UBC it should be her. She is so sarcastic and out-of-pocket in her lectures in the best way possible. There's minimal busy work in her class and she's very responsive to student feedback. You can approach her at any time and she's happy that chat about subjects you find interesting.

INCREDIBLE prof. One of the best I've had. Grade is mostly 3 big assignments, but there are easy grade boosters (online modules you can do anytime). Participation is basically free marks if you show up. Clear grading, helpful office hours, genuinely interesting lectures. Loved this class.