Professor

Karen Kaufmann

AD
4.4
Overall Ratings
Based on 8 Users
Easiness 4.0 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 4.0 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 4.6 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 4.5 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (8)

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PUB AFF 148
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
June 24, 2021
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: A-

I did not appreciate the white savior mentality and rhetoric through 1- blaming minorities and their communities for staying in their neighborhoods as if there has not been a history of white hostility that continues to exist, 2- blaming Black men for their community’s outcomes when there have been social and institutional barriers that have put Black people in an unequal and constant state of jeopardy and emergency, 3- the continued rhetoric of observing “ghettos” from the outs as a violent, dangerous, and threatening place as if it is not the home and space of many ethnic minorities, 4- referring to Black people as “blacks” continuously which is outdated and offensive, and so many more instances in which I felt ostracized in a class that studied spaces in which I grew up in.

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Sept. 29, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: A+

Kaufmann is fantastic - one my favorites at UCLA. Genuinely cares about her students and is a great lecturer.

The class is straightforward (weekly reading quizzes, exams with no surprises, and one paper that you can get feedback on before final submission). Frankly speaking, the class isn't too difficult: but it's very interesting and engaging, even if you don't particularly care for the topic.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Sept. 29, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2018
Grade: A+

I took this class when it was titled Public Policy 191.

Kaufmann is fantastic - one my favorites at UCLA. Genuinely cares about her students and is a great lecturer.

The class is straightforward (weekly reading quizzes, exams with no surprises, and one paper that you can get feedback on before final submission).

This class is a bit more technical than her poverty class (and, in my opinion, much more interesting). Federal housing policy is a heavy subject, and she does a good job providing a useful primer on it. Probably one of the more useful classes I've taken here.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
June 12, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-

This class gives an introduction to how US federal policy - both before and after the passage of the Civil Rights Act - engineered, permitted, and maintained residential segregation. It also explained the mechanisms by which segregation intensifies and perpetuates economic and social inequalities. It felt like information that *should* be common knowledge, but might not be.

Professor Kaufmann's teaching style was engaging and very accessible. Grading was straightforward, generous, and all expectations were crystal clear -- there was no busywork and to do well on exams you had to understand the main points covered, as emphasized by her lectures, rather than memorize many unimportant details. Because Professor Kaufmann was friendly and supportive, students shared their personal experiences, which made the class even more interesting and thought-provoking.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PUB AFF 148
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
July 8, 2020
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: A+

Professor Kaufmann is amazing. It's clear she really cares about student learning and success. I took this class as someone who was already interested in federal housing policy, but in general, I think the material is super accessible and it's refreshing to actually get a taste for a specific field of policy within the wide scope of the Public Affairs major. Professor Kaufmann ended up making both the final exam and memo optional after receiving student feedback. She also made herself available for office hours by appointment and was super flexible all around. She's an incredible human being, take this class!!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PUB AFF 148
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Nov. 11, 2021
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: A

I really enjoyed this class. Professor Kaufmann is great, her lectures are engaging, and the exams/assignments are straightforward. The content is also incredibly relevant, and contrary to a previous reviews' comments, she did not blame minorities and their communities for staying in their neighborhoods, blame Black men for their communities's outcomes or observe ghettos from the outside as violent, dangerous, and threatening places. In fact, her lectures and the readings made it perfectly clear that the entire premise of the class was to show the exact opposite and dispute the long-held narrative that minorities are to blame for their poverty, exposing systemic causes of poverty and housing discrimination. I definitely think that it is material that everyone should learn.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Jan. 2, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A

Kaufmann is a really good lecturer who clearly lays out what she will be testing on and what she will be looking for students to take away from the class. Only problem is that some of the rhetoric she uses can be problematic at times, particularly for POCs and immigrants, but besides that I would recommend the class!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PUB AFF 148
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: A-
June 24, 2021

I did not appreciate the white savior mentality and rhetoric through 1- blaming minorities and their communities for staying in their neighborhoods as if there has not been a history of white hostility that continues to exist, 2- blaming Black men for their community’s outcomes when there have been social and institutional barriers that have put Black people in an unequal and constant state of jeopardy and emergency, 3- the continued rhetoric of observing “ghettos” from the outs as a violent, dangerous, and threatening place as if it is not the home and space of many ethnic minorities, 4- referring to Black people as “blacks” continuously which is outdated and offensive, and so many more instances in which I felt ostracized in a class that studied spaces in which I grew up in.

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
PUB AFF 120
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: A+
Sept. 29, 2019

Kaufmann is fantastic - one my favorites at UCLA. Genuinely cares about her students and is a great lecturer.

The class is straightforward (weekly reading quizzes, exams with no surprises, and one paper that you can get feedback on before final submission). Frankly speaking, the class isn't too difficult: but it's very interesting and engaging, even if you don't particularly care for the topic.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PUB AFF 148
Quarter: Spring 2018
Grade: A+
Sept. 29, 2019

I took this class when it was titled Public Policy 191.

Kaufmann is fantastic - one my favorites at UCLA. Genuinely cares about her students and is a great lecturer.

The class is straightforward (weekly reading quizzes, exams with no surprises, and one paper that you can get feedback on before final submission).

This class is a bit more technical than her poverty class (and, in my opinion, much more interesting). Federal housing policy is a heavy subject, and she does a good job providing a useful primer on it. Probably one of the more useful classes I've taken here.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PUB AFF 120
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
June 12, 2019

This class gives an introduction to how US federal policy - both before and after the passage of the Civil Rights Act - engineered, permitted, and maintained residential segregation. It also explained the mechanisms by which segregation intensifies and perpetuates economic and social inequalities. It felt like information that *should* be common knowledge, but might not be.

Professor Kaufmann's teaching style was engaging and very accessible. Grading was straightforward, generous, and all expectations were crystal clear -- there was no busywork and to do well on exams you had to understand the main points covered, as emphasized by her lectures, rather than memorize many unimportant details. Because Professor Kaufmann was friendly and supportive, students shared their personal experiences, which made the class even more interesting and thought-provoking.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PUB AFF 148
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: A+
July 8, 2020

Professor Kaufmann is amazing. It's clear she really cares about student learning and success. I took this class as someone who was already interested in federal housing policy, but in general, I think the material is super accessible and it's refreshing to actually get a taste for a specific field of policy within the wide scope of the Public Affairs major. Professor Kaufmann ended up making both the final exam and memo optional after receiving student feedback. She also made herself available for office hours by appointment and was super flexible all around. She's an incredible human being, take this class!!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PUB AFF 148
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: A
Nov. 11, 2021

I really enjoyed this class. Professor Kaufmann is great, her lectures are engaging, and the exams/assignments are straightforward. The content is also incredibly relevant, and contrary to a previous reviews' comments, she did not blame minorities and their communities for staying in their neighborhoods, blame Black men for their communities's outcomes or observe ghettos from the outside as violent, dangerous, and threatening places. In fact, her lectures and the readings made it perfectly clear that the entire premise of the class was to show the exact opposite and dispute the long-held narrative that minorities are to blame for their poverty, exposing systemic causes of poverty and housing discrimination. I definitely think that it is material that everyone should learn.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PUB AFF 120
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Jan. 2, 2020

Kaufmann is a really good lecturer who clearly lays out what she will be testing on and what she will be looking for students to take away from the class. Only problem is that some of the rhetoric she uses can be problematic at times, particularly for POCs and immigrants, but besides that I would recommend the class!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
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