Professor
Jimena Rodriguez
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - I took SPAN 119 with Professor Rodriguez during the Winter of 2023 in person. SPAN119 was a challenging upper-division Spanish class with Professor Rodriguez specifically. I've heard other peers having an easier time in the same course, however, with a different professor. This course is graded on 3 written exams (make sure you have a blue book ready), and one group project on a book (el club del libro). Professor Rodriguez's lectures were informative and her slides are useful for exams, however, she does not make herself seem approachable whatsoever. Be prepared to discuss readings in class as she cold calls on students. She is intimidating and at times passive and cannot take criticism well. She is not clear on what she wants on her exams at times, often creating discussions after passing back our exams where she states she will "maybe change that next time". This class was very interesting and the material was fun to read, however, I dreaded attending lectures as I did not feel comfortable or supported in class. The key to passing her class is to study hard, read assigned readings, and understand her exams and what her idea of a "correct answer" is.
Winter 2023 - I took SPAN 119 with Professor Rodriguez during the Winter of 2023 in person. SPAN119 was a challenging upper-division Spanish class with Professor Rodriguez specifically. I've heard other peers having an easier time in the same course, however, with a different professor. This course is graded on 3 written exams (make sure you have a blue book ready), and one group project on a book (el club del libro). Professor Rodriguez's lectures were informative and her slides are useful for exams, however, she does not make herself seem approachable whatsoever. Be prepared to discuss readings in class as she cold calls on students. She is intimidating and at times passive and cannot take criticism well. She is not clear on what she wants on her exams at times, often creating discussions after passing back our exams where she states she will "maybe change that next time". This class was very interesting and the material was fun to read, however, I dreaded attending lectures as I did not feel comfortable or supported in class. The key to passing her class is to study hard, read assigned readings, and understand her exams and what her idea of a "correct answer" is.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2017 - Profesora Rodriguez was amazing! I loved her class and looked forward to it every week. Materials There is no textbook, and she uses lecture slides and handouts. You have to read a novella by Marquez, but you can find it online. Grading Scheme 30% Exam 1 30% Exam 2 30% Comentario literario 10% Participation She uses a straight grading scale (A = 90, B = 80, etc.) Personality She is nice and easy to talk to. She is surprisingly forgiving of tardiness - students came in late every class and she would just smile without missing a beat. That said, participation composes a part of your grade, so doing that or ditching class is not in your best interests. Lecture We covered four genres of literature - prose, poetry, plays, and essays. While the coverage felt cursory, it was understandable given our time constraints. I like that she focused on a few texts and quality analysis of them rather than spreading the course thin. She created a welcoming environment in which to voice our opinions, and connected many topics to contemporary issues. Even as a non-native speaker with limited vocabulary, I had no trouble keeping up with the class. She did not post her slides or allow computers, so we had to take notes by hand. She usually let us out early. Exams Unlike other midterms where they cover too much material, her exams were focused on one genre, making them simple to study for. We had two blue book exams that were easy as long as you read over your notes the night before. I did not do that for my first one and got a 91, but studied for about two hours for my second one and got 100. She was an angel when it came to exam season; she let the class decide when we wanted to have our exams. Essay This was also easy and she gave you different prompt options from a selection of the texts that we covered in class, so we could choose a topic we were confident on. We had to review our thesis with her, so everyone felt good about the topic. Overall I was pleasantly surprised that she gave me an A+. I highly recommend her.
Winter 2017 - Profesora Rodriguez was amazing! I loved her class and looked forward to it every week. Materials There is no textbook, and she uses lecture slides and handouts. You have to read a novella by Marquez, but you can find it online. Grading Scheme 30% Exam 1 30% Exam 2 30% Comentario literario 10% Participation She uses a straight grading scale (A = 90, B = 80, etc.) Personality She is nice and easy to talk to. She is surprisingly forgiving of tardiness - students came in late every class and she would just smile without missing a beat. That said, participation composes a part of your grade, so doing that or ditching class is not in your best interests. Lecture We covered four genres of literature - prose, poetry, plays, and essays. While the coverage felt cursory, it was understandable given our time constraints. I like that she focused on a few texts and quality analysis of them rather than spreading the course thin. She created a welcoming environment in which to voice our opinions, and connected many topics to contemporary issues. Even as a non-native speaker with limited vocabulary, I had no trouble keeping up with the class. She did not post her slides or allow computers, so we had to take notes by hand. She usually let us out early. Exams Unlike other midterms where they cover too much material, her exams were focused on one genre, making them simple to study for. We had two blue book exams that were easy as long as you read over your notes the night before. I did not do that for my first one and got a 91, but studied for about two hours for my second one and got 100. She was an angel when it came to exam season; she let the class decide when we wanted to have our exams. Essay This was also easy and she gave you different prompt options from a selection of the texts that we covered in class, so we could choose a topic we were confident on. We had to review our thesis with her, so everyone felt good about the topic. Overall I was pleasantly surprised that she gave me an A+. I highly recommend her.
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