Avoid this class at all costs. Professor Anderson is one of the most rigid and unapproachable instructors I’ve ever encountered. There is absolutely no room for conversation, especially when it comes to grading or clarification. She is extremely heavy-handed and strict about AI usage. You’ll be required to submit a Google Doc edit history link with every assignment so she can monitor everything you typed, every change, every revision. It feels invasive and unnecessary, especially for a sociology course.

Points are deducted randomly, often in tiny amounts like 0.1 or 0.3 points, but she gives no explanation or feedback when this happens. She’ll even call you out on Canvas for “using AI” or “not watching lectures” or “not reading,” even when there's no proof. She tracks your time spent on Perusall readings and makes assumptions based on those numbers.

The TAs are supposed to do most of the grading, but even they don’t have any power. If you want to contest a grade, Professor Anderson won’t answer your emails—she makes you go to office hours, and even then, she often won’t budge. Everything is up to her and her subjective judgment.

Expect weekly proctored quizzes with only 4 questions, and they’re always super specific, focusing on tiny, random details from the readings. Each week also includes a Perusall reading assignment, a discussion post, and often multiple readings along with over 100 minutes of video lectures. The workload is extremely heavy. The midterm is an essay and the final is an oral exam—again, graded solely by her.

This class felt more like surveillance than education. There’s no way to improve your grade, no opportunity to advocate for yourself, and no sense of fairness. I don’t recommend this professor under any circumstances.