TA's were told to grade extremely hard in order to fit the students along a designated grade distribution. The material is dry. I think Emigh was pretty amusing, quirky and neurotic, which made the class a little more tolerable. She tended to scream with excitement (literally) when she told jokes. I think the grading method was a little unfair. She basically gave us 1:15 minutes to write 4 essays (each having around 5 sub-questions) that each should be around 2-3 pages long. It was open book and she wanted us to use examples from the readings. I think this does not really test us on our knowledge of the material, but rather a person's ability to take tests, organize their notes, and writes REALLY fast. During midterms, I can cut the tension with a knife. Everyone struggled to fit enough material in.

I got a C- on the midterm, but since I did well on the final, I got a B+. I think this is her way to force students to try super hard by scaring the crap out of them during midterms by grading a little harder... then give them a fairer grade for finals. If you do well on the finals, your grade is your final's grade.