he is a smart, well read man. i know 100% more about muslim culture and movements after taking this class. i started not knowing what the difference between shi'a and sunni was and now i feel like i can debate clearly on islamic issues. one midterm paper and one final paper. no tests.

Great Teacher. Class moves along at its own pace. Reading is very interesting, and if you actually read weekly quiz's are a breeze. Goin to class is the biggest part. Lectures are full of info and the tests divide up who studied and read and who didn't. But a great class, an easy teacher to talk to

Poulson is a really cool guy, he's interested in what students have to say and is a young and enthusiastic guy.The tests can be hard, but if you study and actually go to class you can get an A. We had 3 tests and one paper and friday quizes. Work load wise he's not bad at all. Take him if you can!

Class is interesting. Tests are hard (3 total), but he curves...easy quiz (1 weekly)...1 paper to write (easy, but tedious)... Overall, easy class if you show up and do most of the readings... Does not post Powerpoint.

nice guy.. scarry laugh.. boring class...not the sociology from high school... it's all capitalism, very hard reading and not so good with power point... quizzes once a week, tests are hard as.. yeah F***, take it don't take it, it's not murder but it puts a dull sopt in your life..

Very sharp guy who knows his stuff and enjoys teaching it. The readings can be a slightly overwhelming at times, but he understands that. Lectures are informative and have a good impact. You will leave the class well-informed.

Nice guy, VERY enthusiastic about what he teaches. Interesting at times. Videos are hilarious. Me and my friend nicknamed him "the pouls" (pulse) cause he was very excited about his subject. Warning: Read, read, read. Tests are Killer!!!

Good Professor. Class is fairly straight forward. Tests are tricky, thus it is a must to study for them. Class is easy, as are quizes given each Friday (for attendance purposes mostly)...in fact he even tells you exactly what he's asking before hand. Overall, a very interesting class.

This professor is cultured, something which MANY professors at this University LACK!! He knows his Sh** and teaches it with passion! And definetly believes the world can become a better place if only there werent so much injustice! He's great!

Good teacher, gets excited in class, tests come almost directly from the notes in class, just go to class and you'll be fine, reading the book really isn't needed to get an A.

Quizzes every friday are easy because he does give you the question. Tests are do-able. Class gets boring and he has this thing for powerpoint sounds.

I love it. Even he weird hand thing and the sounds on the powerpoint. I never talk though, sit in the back,but it is very interesting though.

Class is boring sometimes, tests are a little harder than expected... but overall not bad; he's a nice guy. Lots of notes. I had a low B in the class and really didn't do much, so it's an alright class to take.

VERY interesting class, tests are hard, text is hard, but worth it!

You got to know your stuff for this class, but he definitely works with you. But all in all, nice guy, helpful but expects you to know the material.

This guy is really nice, but has hard tests and fairly boring lectures. You copy powerpoint notes everyday, and I don't think that the text is very necessary-as long as you take all the notes. The study guide covers most everything on the test, and he's a pretty fair grader.

He's intelligent a fairly interesting. Also, it's really easy to get him off subject. There were alot of interesting discussions. He says he doesn't care if you come to class or not, but he does! He ensures that you come because he has these essay quizzes every week (he gives you the question at the previous class).

SO EASY!! all you have to do is go to class and copy the powerpoints...quizes a cinch if you do the reading, ditto tests--but make sure you do the readings from the reader, even though they're boring, b/c he gives you extra points if you write a good answer about one of those questions (mainly b/c no one else will read it). interesting material.

awesome class, awesome teacher

Absolutely awesome!! I loved this class and Poulson is amazing! He is definitely so helpful if you talk to him outside of class. He gives a quiz a week but he gives you the question the class before so there is no reason you should do bad. I would definitely suggest taking his class!

He loves his job, and relaizes there are injustices in the world and presents them with factual bases. It can be difficult to hear him because he is not loud at all, even when he's trying to be, so sit in the front.

i loved this class and it made me consider taking up a sociology major! Hes awesome and its not a hard class and the material is really interesting. he really knows what hes talking about and he inspires you to want to change the injustice in the world today

He's a GREAT guy. Truly cares about students and what he's teaching. Has energy and relates with students. Go to class. powerpoints are not posted online. Quiz every week (20 pts) but they help boost up your grade cuz they're easy. Tests are hard. You HAVE to study and HAVE to read or you won't do that well. I definitly think he's worth taking!

dude is pretty chill. very cheesy and annoying laugh. quiz every week but he gives you the question the class before. 3 tests and a book report. you gotta know the material for the tests. he's aight. easy B if you make an effort.

he was awesome. take him. this class is extremely interesting!

He is easy going, seems to enjoy teaching, and he provides a nice sociological theory foundation.

LOVE HIM!! he is so nice and really helpful if you seek him out. get to know him! his lecture is extremely interesting a lot of discussion. you need to do the reading to get a good grade. weekly quizzes on the reading are grade boosters if you take it seriously. interesting subject. it was my most enjoyable class this semester!

Poulson is a really nice guy. He likes to have fun with students and jokes often. Doesn't post notes on Blackboard, but covers a lot of material, so even though he doesn't have an attendance policy you are almost forced to go to keep up with notes. Gives weekly quiz on readings (but gives you the quiz question beforehand). Take him if you can

LOVED HIM!! I barely studied and got an A. Just had to read for the weekly quizzes. The quiz questions are used for short answers on the exams. He made class interesting and he has a really weird/funny laugh. He's super liberal, so don't take if you are conservative.

Poulson is a great teacher. You have 12 weekly quizzes and he takes your 10 highest scores. You have a book review, which is pretty easy to write, and fairly easily graded. His tests are MC and essay, but you will get the essay question beforehand. He will normally let you have a nc of notes for the essay as well. Take him.

Good guy. Class is really boring. All global stuff. Quizzes every week but question given to you. drops 2 of them. 1 book review, 2 tests and final (not cumulative). MUST DO READING. have to go to class and take notes. Overall pretty easy to do well if u put some effort into it.

Overall not bad class. It can be boring sometimes but he makes it funny and interesting. Weekly quizzes which he gives the question in advance. There's a paper and 3 exams. You should put some effort into studying and go to class for the notes. I got a B overall. take him!!

I am in love with this man. He's so laid back and is so interested in what he teaches. Really wants you to do well & loves joking around. weekly quizzes (but gives quiz question in advance, drops lowest 2). 2 tests, non-cumulative final. lets you have cheat sheets. the man is a god-send. Take him. You'll have a great time and learn a lot.

LOVED him. Totally recommend him. Great class.

GREAT class, totally recommend it for an easy A. Quizzes once a week on the reading, relatively easy and he is very helpful. Go to class because the tests are straight from the lecture. You could get the same info in the book but its more helpful to just go to class. His quirkiness was a little much at first, but easy to get used to.

I love Dr. Poulson!! I liked attending his classes and he was funny and knew his stuff. The quizzes on the reading are easy, however the tests were harder. Easy to get a B, but to get an A was more difficult. I ended up with a B+, which seemed low compared to the effort I put in, but grades on tests can be easily negotiated.

Great teacher, very interesting class, I highly recommend it.

Class is easy as long as you read the assigned text (skim it really) and get 25's on the quizzes..which is very easy as long as you have a jist of the topic. Definitely take this for an easy A

Good teacher, knows the material. Has 3 tests. Final is not cumulative. Tests are easy as long as you go to class and take notes on ppts. Has weekly reading quizzes to help boost attendance. But class is interesting enough to keep you going.

Don't take this class if you want an easy A. This class is an easy B. He can go way off topic in class, doesn't put notes online, and the test are different from what we learned in class. Still the information is pretty straight-forward and doing the study guide and reading will get you a B easily.

This class isn't an easy A. You can definitely get a B though. I thought the material was super boring, but he has all the notes on powerpoint slides for you to copy. There are 10 quizzes that his TA grades and sometimes I would get random grades on them and have no idea what I did to deserve that grade. His tests are tricky too

Funny lectures, not bad to sit through. Have to write a short response once a week that takes 5 minutes. Tests aren't bad if you know the study guide. Only 2 tests and we talked him into an out of class paper for a final. Recommend taking, easy A. Need books for responses

Poulson was awesome! He mainly gave our class lectures (does NOT post PPTS) and a few video documentary classes. The grades were two tests and final plus 12 graded canvas "response questions " (basically paragraph answers) and he drops lowest 2. Oh and a book review. All books matter and you actually use them! Take this class for easy SOCI elect

Great prof. Although some of his lectures are pretty dry, if you go to his lectures he gives everything you need to know for the tests in class. You have to read the textbook to answer weekly class discussions but they're graded pretty easily. He also will help you on your tests (which are take-home essays) if you as him for help.

By far one of the best profs I've had! A lot of people stopped attending class during the semester, but if you come and participate he will notice! A few papers and weekly online responses. Great guy, really cares about you. I was originally on the waitlist for the class and attend the first one anyways, explained it to him and he let me in!

Poulson is a very smart, nice, and funny professor. He gives a good amount of work throughout the semester, but it's fairly manageable because the content isn't too difficult to learn. Attendance isn't mandatory, but going to class definitely helps. Office hours should be utilized at best possible! Not my first choice, but not my last either.

Paulson is a great teacher, and tells you exactly what you need to know for the exam. Perfect gen ed to take if you do not want to spend a lot of time thinking about it but also want to be interested. I personally got an A with not too much effort, but also learned a lot! great class.

Dr. Poulson is a really great person. He really enjoys/wants to help you do well on the proposal and any other assignment, including tests (which aren't too bad), so make sure you go to office hours. This class probably could've been taught online bc there wasn't a lot of lecturing, however, he makes the classroom environment very welcoming :)

Poulson is really fun and his methods class is well structured. Don't get behind on homework--he drops the lowest two, but your final research proposal will be a combination of basically all your homework, which makes the final paper super easy. Good class. Just put in the work and go TALK to him if you're confused. He's helpful and likes students!

He is a phenomenal teacher, the content is very applicable to the real world. Although it does make you think his weekly responses are short and he makes them interesting. His tests are challenging but he curves them so the mean grade is an 84 so you really dont have to do that well on them to get a B. Overall one of the best courses at JMU.

Poulson is a great professor. Lectures can often get off topic, but tangents are mostly about interesting and relevant stuff, posts PPTs. Weekly responses aren't bad, writing a little over what is required helps. Pay attention in class, read the textbook/ online chapters. Tests are a bit challenging but curved, if you really study you'll be fine.

One of the funniest professors I've ever had. A really fair grader and he's really passionate about sociology. He posts his powerpoints online but he goes into much more detail in his lectures. Overall just a ton of fun because he makes sociology interesting. A very enjoyable, informative class that I would definitely recommend as a Gen Ed.

Loved this class. Poulson is pretty entertaining as far as his lectures and likes to do a lot of story telling to explain concepts. You don't have to go to class each time to be successful but you will probably want to go anyways. The only homework/grades are weekly 5 sentence responses and the tests are no prob if you spend some time studying.

Professor Poulson is awesome! He is super entertaining, class is an easy A if you do the bare minimum. He does weekly textbook responses but they are not hard if you do the readings. Take Poulson!

He doesn't take attendance and posts his lecture slides online, so you don't REALLY have to go to class (although it is actually pretty helpful to go usually). We only had 2 tests and a non-cumulative final. He was a really nice professor and made sociology as interesting as possible for a gen ed class. Hes a really good guy, I would recommend.

Would TOTALLY recommend taking SOCI 110 with him. Very easy A, but also a really interesting class. Attendance is not mandatory but going to classes really helps because the tests are often STRAIGHT from the lectures, and if you show up he often gives you hints as to what's gonna be on the test to "reward" you for coming. He's the GOAT

Dr. Poulson is a pretty cool guy. He knows that his class isn't most students first priority and that a lot of students are taking it because they have to, not cause they want to. I really appreciated how hard he tried to make the class interesting for everyone and how he tried to keep everyone engaged. Overall boring class but a super nice guy.

Poulson is an amazing professor. His lectures can be off topic but he truly is a great guy and cares about everyone's opinions. He does not take attendance and posts lectures but you should still go to class it is helpful and he really appreciates those who show up. 3 exams not cumulative and weekly discussions easy!

Social Movements was an interesting set up. We had group discussion about the reading we had which was 40% of you grade and then papers that did not pertain to anything in class (country you picked) which was 60%. I have had him before so I like him but he will probably change up this class to get more people coming to class.

Sociology 110 was such an easy class. Attendance was not mandatory and you could not show up to class and still get an A. There are only 3 tests. 2 of them are exactly from the study guide and the final exam was based off of two essay questions he gave you in advanced. I would highly recommend him.

Would recommend if you need an easy gen ed or like learning about global issues. He loves what he teaches but tends to get off topic easily (not necessary to go to class), and info is outdated. Do the study guides for the test, responses for homework, and write out the questions for final early (gives them to you before) and it'll be an easy A.

Since his class was async and online, I did not actually get to meet him. His class is pretty straightforward with 2 assignments a week + open-ended tests that are not bad at all. He emails back quickly and will help. If you do the readings and answer the questions generally correct, you'll do fine. Really interesting class and I enjoyed it a lot.

Professor Poulson is an alright professor. The class is mainly a lot writing and reading. I didn't read as much as I should have which may have helped my grade. If your into politics this is definitely a good choice.

The class was online and basically consisted of reading and two short papers each week along with mid-term and final. Easy A if you do the reading. I skimmed most of the readings and got an A- but because I am a SOCI major, I was already familiar with most of the material. He gives great feedback on your papers to prepare you for the exams.

Class was online and asynchronous. Tests were sort of difficult but generously curved so that the class average was an 80. Readings and lectures are really interesting and the weekly reading responses are easy A's if you put in effort.

Great and interesting class! Dr. Poulson discussed his own research and lectures, but also leads through discussion. Tests can be difficult, but they were open note.

Workload is not light but also expected in college. So pretty good Id say. He is honestly such a charismatic professor who is not afraid to start discussions in class. He doesnt sugarcoat things, which I like for a sociology class. He provided us with many resources and the assignments are described clearly.

If you are into sociology and understand it, I highly recommend him. His class is hard if you do not understand or pay attention.

Such an amazing guy! Tests are all open note & online at home. No class on exam days. Lectures include powerpoints & interesting stories. He's so funny & kind. Homework includes responses based on textbook readings, documentaries, and articles but not bad at all & drops 4 lowest grades. Textbook readings can be lengthy but you can skim over pages.

Nice guy. His lectures tend to be either very basic reading directly from his powerpoints or we don't get any notes done and the class talks with him about a topic. Tests are open note but the questions are so descriptive that they are difficult to get a good grade on. 2 weekly responses that have either 1.5 hr videos or a lot of reading.

Professor Poulson is one of those professors that clearly has a thorough knowledge and actual passion about what he teaches. Lectures were very laid back, he went off of PowerPoints as a guide, but it was clear he didn't need them, he just talked about what he wanted to cover and as a result the lectures were engaging. Highly recommend.

Prof Poulson is really nice and funny! His lectures were long at times but he does a really good job of explaining the topics and making it easy to understand. I definitely recommend taking him for any Sociology courses, he is one of my favorite professors that I've had at JMU. Attendance isn't mandatory, but most notes come from being in class.

Poulson is an okay guy. He will actually engage with you about your coursework, goals, research, etc. but his lectures are pretty unorganized. He basically just teaches on vibes (which can be cool if that's what you like, but I felt like it was a waste of time)

Professor Poulson turned an introductory Sociology class into a really fun experience, and while attendance wasn't mandatory, he's an extremely funny and thorough lecturer, not really reading off of the slides that much. Pay attention to what he says during class, and do the weekly responses through the textbook and this class should be easy.

He is the GOAT. I recommend to anyone who needs SOCI110 for a gened credit. It's all async, no zoom calls. There's homework every class, but it's an easy write up on an assigned reading. Just try your best and you'll be fine. There's 2 open note exams and he provides very thorough material to study (powerpoints, lecture, textbook). A great prof.

Dr. Poulson is a chill person. He is very laid back and makes the lectures at least bearable. Other than that, I found the class pretty boring. At least it was a very easy class.

professor poulson may come off as too passionate making you think the class is hard but truthfully if you want to get out of 300 with an a or a b then take his class. he sets it up so easy that all you work on throughout the semester is your big research project. I did not know how to write a research paper at all and now I use all the tips he gave

He's nice and you can tell he is very interested in what he does. There's a lot of unneccasry papers to "prep" for the final research paper and he is very specific with grading. Attendance isn't mandatory and he yaps a lot and goes off topic so much so I didn't go often. End of the semester powerpoint on your research paper that you present as well

Professor Poulson runs an engaging class, though the workload can be heavy. Lectures are informative, and exams are tough but fair with study guides. unstuck AI was a lifesaver for prep.

This is a challenging class only because of his tests. He gives options of none of the above, all of above and A and B are correct which is why his tests are so hard. Besides that he does post study guides on topics that do show up on test. His in class "quizzes" are based on one question that you respond to and he gives it ahead of time.

LOVE HIM!! Lots of lectures of reading off slides and tests are hard and long. But his teaching and personality makes it worth it! Attendance is counted off of mini responses at the end of class.

Definitely would recommend. The class is manageable and at the end of class he gives a quiz on the readings you were assigned. You have all of the class time to review it and write 5 sentences at the end of it.

Love this professor. this class was sooooo easy I barely put much effort in it. Just make sure you pay attention at least a little in class and use his study guides for tests and you'll be perfectly fine :)