Reviews of professor Yang Gao

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Overall she was a good professor but the lectures were dry and boring. Lots of reading and there are pop quizzes but they are open note. The tests are pretty difficult but there are lots of opportunities to make up points and have a good grade in the class. Participation really matters so be vocal. Lots of group assignments and discussions.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
The textbook is mandatory, but there is a schedule provided in the course syllabus outlining what readings should be completed the night before class. There are six pop quizzes total, but all assessments are open-note and open-book. Professor Gao provides a plethora of examples and supplementary readings to explain each concept covered.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Very straightforward soc class. All tests/pop quizzes online. Lectures a little boring but take detailed notes and you will be able to ace the assignments. No big essay, just short writing assignments not harshly graded. Read the textbook pages before or have them open during class to easily participate. Great class, but lots of reading for success

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Dr. Gao is a pretty good teacher, she does a lot of lecture-based classes but switches it up occasionally. She does give 6 pop quizzes throughout the semester, but you can drop the lowest grade at the end. She can be a little boring, but if you like sociology, you'll like her class. Her exams are mostly multiple choice, which is also really nice

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
heavy reading, pop quizzes were not frequent at first then had like 4-5 in a row before thanksgiving was insane. Her exams were difficult but nothing crazy they were online as well. She requires a lot of reading, though I did not read much and still made it out with A-. She also gives you a group project which was fine, and a phat paper

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Her expectations were not defined in the syllabus and the final project is too ambitious and ambiguous for a once a week class. I feel SOC470 would work better if topics were disclosed before hand and if the class wasn't a once a week class. It's a difficult class not because of content just because of understanding her expectations.