Chirila is a nightmare of a teacher. Her lectures consist of her reading off online articles about movies. Her own analysis is often vague and sparse. Her tests are poorly worded, and her slides are so disorganized! Definitely stay away from her. She is not worth the trouble.

The material taught and covered is definitely interesting, I would however encourage the class be taken with another professor, Professor Laurence if possible.

Chirila makes a point of choosing favorites in class and dismisses other students quite frequently. Favoritism is shown on exam scores, as in my opinion she grades quite subjectively. She also has a tendency to make rude remarks regarding students and has an arrogant air to her. However, the tests are quite fair, as they cover exactly what we have covered in class, so it is important to attend class and discussion (which is mandatory). The TA made this class tolerable.

This class and prof are absolutely amazing. I don't think I can stress enough that this is the easiest and more entertaining GE you could take. The lectures are light, interesting, and easy. The 'textbook' is very light reading and doesn't require much focus or effort to understand. The class is much more about getting the gist right than getting the details. The class consists of a midterm, powerpoint presentation on a subject of your choice (on any aspect of French culture), a 5-7 pg 'research' paper due at the end of the class (again on any subject of your choice), and a very easy final during week 10. All of these are graded super easy and I got 95%+ on each with putting in only a decent amount of effort. Not only is it easy, but you'll have fun learning it. Lastly, discussion section consists of people's powerpoint presentations so if only 2-3 are signed up to present that day, class will only be 20-30 min long. Overall amazing class and prof. Strongly recommend.

P.S. She sometimes brings in French food to try, like macaroons and pastries. :)