Gender 103 (Knowledge) has a reputation for being one of the more challenging core classes in Gender Studies, especially since it ties into philosophy more heavily. Even though I got an A in the class and found the assignments to be graded leniently, the class is not a cakewalk if you take it with Grace Hong. My departmental advisor told us that she gets complaints every time Hong teaches this class. This review will show you why that’s the case.

BACKGROUND:
The last time Hong taught Knowledge before Spring 2021 was Fall 2016, which had a similar structure. However, the Spring 2021 version of this class was designed with COVID-19 in mind, replacing reading notes with reading response worksheets (which are graded on completion) and replacing the take-home final with a final project. We still had the study question assignment, which is really straightforward and completion-based. You were allowed to either do a traditional research paper or do a creative piece, and students like me chose the latter. Plus, you didn’t have to buy a textbook, which was nice.

THE CLASS ITSELF:
Knowledge was definitely a wild ride. The material was very difficult to understand, especially when we were assigned readings from old white philosophers like Descartes and Locke. My major complaint was that these philosophers hardly had any ties to the field of feminist epistemology. I get that this class is trying to give us a background in epistemology. But for some reason, the Descartes reading (about trying to prove that God exists) and the Locke reading (about power and property) hardly had anything to do with gender and knowledge production. They should have replaced them with something more manageable and introductory so that you’re not feeling whiplashed by the ancient language of white philosophers like Descartes. The good thing is that at least we got to read works from Audre Lorde, Patricia Hill Collins, and Saidiya Hartman. These Black women scholars made profound contributions to the way we study feminist knowledge production.

Besides the readings, the lectures weren’t the best. Hong isn’t the most organized and engaging lecturer. She doesn’t have slides, so it was hard to follow along at times. Plus, she tends to use filler words like “um,” “right?” and “you know?” Thus making it hard for me to focus on lecture. Luckily, Hong knows the readings really well and she sometimes explains the main ideas and contours thoroughly (as in the case with her lecture on Audre Lorde). Even that wasn’t enough to make her lectures worthwhile.

Discussion sections (led by the TAs Nic and Nashra) were the highlight of this class. My TA Nic (they/them) was very kind, supportive, reassuring, and extremely helpful in section and in office hours. They made the course material manageable and facilitated a strong community among students. They even went so far as to create a Slack workspace for students in their sections. I never had Nashra (they/them) but I heard they’re really sweet and super helpful as well.

Though this class was a pain in the ass, Hong was actually a decent person. She’s really sweet and approachable in office hours, plus she listened to us after the whole Gradescope fiasco (and allowed us to submit reading responses through CCLE). She was flexible with deadlines and gave us extensions when needed, no questions asked. She’s also a great resource on anything related to gender studies research and grad school. At one point, she recommended a colleague of hers whose research interests align with mine.

OVERALL: 3/5
I was lucky that I took this class during the pandemic since the grading was very lenient. But it still doesn’t change the fact that it is a difficult class due to the material. I would recommend taking advantage of help from the professor, TAs, fellow students, and online resources to aid with understanding the course content. If Hong ever teaches Knowledge again, she might go back to the reading notes and take-home final. I hope she still continues to be flexible even after COVID-19 is over.

If Joshua Guzman ever teaches Knowledge again, take him. I heard that he’s engaging, clear, through, and has an interesting take on Knowledge. With that being said, Knowledge will still be a tough class regardless of who is teaching it. But getting an A with either professor is doable. And I wish current and future gender studies students all the best.