I took urban sociology with Professor Herring in the fall of 2025, and honestly, I really enjoyed his class. Workload is pretty reasonable and doable. Each week, there will be a good amount of readings assigned that are due prior to attending the lecture to better understand certain topics that are being discussed in class. For my class, our readings were due before the lecture, and there will be a few prompts that you choose from to answer. For each prompt, you have to write at least one paragraph and state specific quotes and page numbers from the article. These prompts are being graded by the TA (mine was a tough grader), but ultimately, the TAs and the professor are very helpful and accommodating. Attendance for the discussion section is MANDATORY and is graded. Attendance for the lecture is also mandatory; however, he will give you an opportunity to make up for lecture attendance if you can not make it. For example, he will add an additional 5% to the final research essay paper. Moving on to the final and midterm, there is no exam; however, for the midterm, you will be assigned an essay prompt to answer, and for the final, there is a research paper that you will work on throughout the quarter. Very doable and manageable. The midterm exam is worth 30% of your grade, and the final is worth 40% of your grade. No textbook needed, he will provide all the readings in PDF. If you want to earn an A, then you must put in the work and do your best. Go to office hours, ask questions and stay on top of your readings. If I could take this class again, I tottaly would. Good luck!!!!

Professor Herring is kind, and I would say that the the class overall is pretty good. But the problem was that when I was taking it, it was such a morning class that many people would still be sleepy to initiate the discussion. This class is very writing heavy. Weekly writing responses (250-400 words each) and a midterm and a final paper. His Bruinlearn grades breakdown can be a bit unclear from time to time. But Dr.Chris himself is quite nice and welcoming. I would take another class with him if I could.

Decent class, especially for an 8am. Sort of a mix of a geography and sociology class if that makes sense. The first half of the class covers foundational stuff, which tbh is really dense and boring since a lot of it is theory, but as someone who hasn't taken sociol 101 yet, it was manageable. The second half of the class deals with more modern issues like gentrification, globalization, homeless, etc and in my opinion is more interesting and easier to understand. So basically this class is one of those rare classes where the content actually gets easier the further you go. Here is the grade breakdown:
Section attendance and participation: 10%, Lecture attendance: 5% (he lets you move this 5% on top of the final if you cannot attend lecture for a good reason, you only need to attend 50% to get full credit but if you attend more you get extra credit), Weekly reading responses: 10% (graded on completion), Midterm: 30% (take home), One graded reading response: 5% (he will explain this), and final: 40% (also take home)
The final is easier than the midterm since you're allowed to basically choose your own topic and city of choice, the professor even admits it's easier to get an A on the final than the midterm. The TAs are more strict when it comes to graded assignments (I got a B on the midterm), but overall they (and prof herring) are very supportive, nice, and want you to succeed!

This is my second time taking professor herring and he is a great professor. Definitely an expert in urban sociology and offers a lot of experiential insight. He's passionate, knowledgable and packs so much into every class. Lectures may feel dense, but try to follow the big trends/patterns while keeping specific examples in mind for essays/tests. The course flow is smooth, and the readings are complemented by lecture. Though they can be long, if urban sociology is your subfield of interest, it's all rich information!

As mentioned in other posts, much of grade relies on weekly discussion (participation) posts, midterm ( 2 short responses that mimic the weekly discussions ) and a final 5 page paper. Grading is not too harsh.

Great professor and course! The course is split up into three parts: foundational texts (Chicago school, Dubois, Engels), postwar suburbanization, and contemporary topics. I would say the first 3 weeks are a bit heavier on the reading side but once you reach the halfway point it chills out. This course is also pretty writing-heavy. You have a 250-400 word response due each week around noon before the first lecture. I was struggling a bit during the first couple of weeks but the TAs give you full credit as long as you follow the guidelines for the prompt and show that you read for the week.

The midterm is pretty easy, and if you do the weekly responses you'll be set up to do well on them since they're two 500-word responses to prompts that are similar to the weekly responses. The final is a 5 paged essay where you write about an urban topic in a city of your choice. The TAs tend to be more critical of your writing during the midterm and final (I got Bs on both of them), I suggest setting up meetings with your TA and Professor Herring to discuss your weekly prompts and get feedback on your essays.

Professor Herring is very nice and approachable, and the TAs were very nice as well.

This class is entirely writing based. No tests. No projects. Just reading and essays. The course includes weekly readings that we are supposed to read, although most people don't actually read all of them. We then write a 250-400 word essay about the reading. Most of these are graded for completion, except one of them in the later part of the quarter which will be explained. The midterm is two somewhat short essays, and the final is a research paper. I'm not the best writer, but I worked very hard on them and attended OHs for both and got a B- on the midterm and a B+ on the research paper. Grading was a bit rough, but it might simply be my TA. Regardless, I ended with an A- so the class isn't that difficult.

Material was somewhat interesting, attending lectures are kind of pointless though, but it's graded a tiny bit, so I'd definitely attend most. Professor Herring is a nice guy.

Show up. Do your reading response assignments. Write something of quality for both the midterm and final. Collect your A.

He’s nice, was accommodating to my situation & is passionate about the subject.