University of Hawai'i eCAFE

eCAFE: Course and Faculty Evaluations

Instructor: Sarah Smorol

Available Survey Results

AMST 250, Fall 2012
AMST 202, Spring 2012
AMST 211, Fall 2011
SOC 318,WS 318, Fall 2011
AMST 201, Spring 2011
AMST 201, Spring 2010
AMST 150, Fall 2009

Sarah Smorol: AMST 250, Fall 2012

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	American Studies
Course:	AMST 250 - American Film History	Crn (Section):	79021 (003)

1. Class Level (pick one)

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Freshman	Sophomore	Junior	Senior	Grad	Other
3.0	15	0.85	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	5 (33%)	5 (33%)	5 (33%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)

2. Course

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Elective	Required
1.15	13	0.38	Freq(%)	11 (85%)	2 (15%)

3. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.47	15	0.64	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	6 (40%)	8 (53%)

4. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.13	15	0.99	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	3 (20%)	4 (27%)	7 (47%)

5. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.0	15	1.07	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	5 (33%)	2 (13%)	7 (47%)

6. I learned a lot in this course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.2	15	0.94	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	2 (13%)	5 (33%)	7 (47%)

7. The instructor inspired me to be critical of ideas and materials.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.2	15	0.86	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	4 (27%)	4 (27%)	7 (47%)

8. The instructor is enthusiastic about the course material.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.67	15	0.62	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	3 (20%)	11 (73%)

9. The instructor was easy to talk with and available for consultation.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.67	15	0.62	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	3 (20%)	11 (73%)

10. The instructor encouraged class discussion.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.47	15	0.64	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	6 (40%)	8 (53%)

11. The instructor was well organized and prepared for each session.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.13	15	0.92	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	2 (13%)	6 (40%)	6 (40%)

12. The instructor sets high standards for students.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.33	15	0.72	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (13%)	6 (40%)	7 (47%)

13. My overall evaluation of this instructor is....

She needs to use her class time more wisely. There were important aspects in lecture that needed to be covered, but instead she gets off track easily by her ramblings. Although she does show enthusiasm, it is frustrating when we can't cover key points of the lecture and have to rush through it.

knowledgeable, enthusiastic professor

SHe knows her material very well.

Very good teacher and enthusiastic about the materials in class

She was nice and easy to communicate with in regards to assignments and materials. She was often times very quiet and hard to understand in our individual sections and anyone further back than the third row had difficulty understanding her most times.

Sarah was an excellent TA this semester. She made the class fun and interesting, and I really enjoyed taking this class. I learned a lot about the film and the overall subject!

Great at explaining important concepts and stimulating discussion. However, occasionally Sarah speaks softly and is difficult to understand.

Sarah knows what she's talking about; she loves this subject and does show it while lecturing.

Great teacher and understand the material that made it fun to learn about.

very knowledgeable

14. Assignments are interesting and stimulating.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.0	14	0.78	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	1 (7%)	9 (64%)	3 (21%)

15. Which aspects of the course did you like the best?

Strong examples with video clips.

The topics that are given during discussions.

The weekly film sessions and when we discussed them in greater detail in both class and our section time. We got to watch many interesting and historic pieces of cinema and I learned a lot.

I liked learning about film techniques, I view films from a different perspective now, and this class allows me to enjoy films on a different and more in-depth level.

I now view film in a different way.

Watching videos.

The movies, i have a broader range of favorite movies now

the discussions

16. Which aspects of the course did you like least?

none

Some of the readings were very hard to follow along with and monotonous at times.

I enjoyed watching the movies, but I was unable to make it to the scheduled film screenings.. so I had a hard time finding time to watch a 2 hour movie every week.

N/A

N/a

the amount of papers needed to be written

nothing

17. My overall evaluation of this course is...

Fun course overall and helps to think critically when it comes to writing about the films. Really needs to work on utilizing class time efficiently and get to the point.

I recommend this class to other colleagues.

Very fun and very interesting! Makes you look at movies a whole different way and understand their effects on society and on ourselves.

I learned a lot from this course, and I feel the material will have a lasting impression on me forever. Professor Eagle and Sarah were always enthusiastic about the material they taught.

I would recommend this to my peers.

N/a

recommended for everyone, super fun!!

very informative

18. Other comments:

my only suggestion would be to avoid trying to talk over movie clips. it's impossible to hear what you're saying and i'm sure you're saying valuable things that would benefit us :)

Thank you!

I would recommend this course to other people.

N/A

recommended

Sarah Smorol: AMST 202, Spring 2012 Back to top

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	American Studies
Course:	AMST 202 - Amer Exp: Culture & the Arts	Crn (Section):	87312 (001) 87313 (002)

1. Class Level (pick one)

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Freshman	Sophomore	Junior	Senior	Grad	Other
3.39	18	1.09	Freq(%)	1 (6%)	2 (11%)	6 (33%)	8 (44%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)

2. Course

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Elective	Required
1.22	18	0.43	Freq(%)	14 (78%)	4 (22%)

3. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.53	19	0.61	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (5%)	7 (37%)	11 (58%)

4. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.26	19	0.81	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (5%)	1 (5%)	9 (47%)	8 (42%)

5. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.05	19	0.78	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (5%)	2 (11%)	11 (58%)	5 (26%)

6. I learned a lot in this course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.11	19	0.74	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	4 (21%)	9 (47%)	6 (32%)

7. The instructor inspired me to be critical of ideas and materials.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.22	18	0.88	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	2 (11%)	7 (39%)	8 (44%)

8. The instructor is enthusiastic about the course material.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.53	19	0.61	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (5%)	7 (37%)	11 (58%)

9. The instructor was easy to talk with and available for consultation.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.53	19	0.61	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (5%)	7 (37%)	11 (58%)

10. The instructor encouraged class discussion.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.22	18	0.88	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	2 (11%)	7 (39%)	8 (44%)

11. The instructor was well organized and prepared for each session.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.05	19	0.78	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (5%)	2 (11%)	11 (58%)	5 (26%)

12. The instructor sets high standards for students.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.0	18	0.77	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	2 (11%)	11 (61%)	4 (22%)

13. My overall evaluation of this instructor is....

She's very enthusiastic and talks really fast but she's easy to understand. Class discussions do lead into random additional tangents but even though it seems she has digress, she always finds a way to tie everything together. She gives great feedback and also makes general paper feedback known to the class so everyone knows what to do or change for the next paper.

A great professor. She is very knowledgable in a wide range of areas. We covered a ton of material and she taught us a particular process message for each lesson. She's smart, creative, and is open, making it easy to align. Sometimes it doesn't feel like she's a professor but just a friend having a conversation.

She is very knowledgeable and passionate about this subject.

Good. She was a good professor for this class.

Sarah is enthusiastic and speaks really well.

Well educated and enthusiastic about material

Interesting course.

Fun teacher. Enjoyed her passion for the subjects and content she presented, as well as the freedom within the class.

I loved Sarah! She is so easy going, and easy to talk to. She really knows her stuff, and always has insightful things to say about the Readings in class. She tries her best to facilitate discussion, and doesn't give up even though it's REALLY early in the morning and nobody feels like discussing anything. She really sets expectations for us, and I love that she TELLS us what she expects from us.

Great enthusiasm, very open-minded and is genuinely interested in students' thoughts and take on the course material.

I can see that she it very passionate about what she teaches, and tries to spread her enthusiasm to her students. She is very knowledgeable and encourages her students to understand the history and dynamics of our culture and its art. Also, she is approachable, easy to talk to, and really makes an effort to help her students do well in her class.

good teacher!

Sarah knows the subject very well and is enthusiastic about course content.

Very understanding teacher. Very approachable and easy to connect with

she's awesome. the topics were interesting. and she really seem like she cares about what she's discussing. good prof

14. Assignments are interesting and stimulating.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
3.82	17	1.19	Freq(%)	1 (6%)	1 (6%)	4 (24%)	5 (29%)	6 (35%)

15. Which aspects of the course did you like the best?

I really enjoyed the fact that there is no final exam for this course. Also I liked how my mid-term paper and final paper topic is based on what I want to write about, which gave me the opportunity to be creative and expand my ideas and also have some level of passion for my paper.

The open topics for papers was great.

I learned a lot from Sarah when it came to citing a paper. That was very valuable information and I feel very grateful that she took the time to go over all of that with us!

All of it! I really liked it Beautiful Losers, Mixed Blessings and Ways of Seeing.

Opened my mind to some ideas.

Watching videos

I liked the general topics we covered.

We get to pick our midterm and final projects ourselves which is really great because we really get interested and motivated to do well.

I really enjoy the cultural aspect of the course because I feel it is interesting to see how it has evolved over time and how it has influenced other factors. One of the things that we focused on were the aspects in art and culture that we are not consciously aware of (i.e., women artists, artists of different ethnicity, non-mainstream art, etc.), because it allowed us to see our own culture through a different point of view.

Group presentation and paper assignments were the best aspects of the course for me. Through group presentation, not only our contents, but also I learned other arts of America from other groups. In paper assignment, I could decide my topic based on lecture or course. It was interesting to search and to gain the knowledge.

I liked the assigned readings. The books and articleswere like the ones I chose to read for myself.

Watching videos that related to the topics of discussion

16. Which aspects of the course did you like least?

I didn't like the fact that it was at 730am. I am not a morning person but she did make it worth going to class everyday. Other than time, I have no other problems with this course.

Too much lecture. I would have liked more open discussion, especially with a smaller class.

I thought most of the readings were boring and too long. I thought it was a complete waste of money to buy several of the books, especially "Beautiful Losers"

My only complaint is that the lectures we at times a little to casual. When the tome is casual I think there is less participation on behalf of the students and in my experience I tend not to do the readings. The readings are an essential part of the class so maybe the introduction of short responses or pop quizzes might help keep us on our toes.

None. That it was at 7:30 am.

Writing papers that did not always directly correlate to class material

I found the readings to be boring.

The scholarly articles were bland, but what's new? In college there's nothing to read but scholarly articles with difficult jargon. :(

One aspect is that, because we go over many topics in such a small amount of time, it was difficult to be able to connect with one topic before we had to start covering another one.

I did not have it.

the readings, some were just not easy to understand and shouldn't have been used for a 200 level.

Other students not completing the readings and not being able to add to class discussions

Some of the material was a bit wordy and hard to digest

17. My overall evaluation of this course is...

Great course especially if you need a Writing Intensive course and you love having open topics. Students definitely help run the class with discussion, topics for group presentation, questions about the readings and outside "real world" affects relating from the reading.

Solid class and great writing intensive. I loved the flexibility of ideas, topics, and lessons

Ok. this class was average. i didn't look forward to going because the readings were so dry. However Sarah was very interesting and even though the readings were terrible she still found a way to engage the class.

Great!

Interesting.

An OK course.

Excellent! I was expecting to hate this class because I only took it for the writing intensive. However, I was surprised with how interesting the class was!

This course is interesting because students not only analyze readings and texts, but also images and artwork. It also made me look at, and think about, things in a different way.

Good!!

Overall a thumbs up!

Overall I learned a lot about different cultures and the way people see things. It was very interesting and I enjoyed it

i would love to take it again.... i hope she teaches another class

18. Other comments:

nope.

The class should be more connected with the papers and homework or else it makes it almost useless to come to class.

Overall, great class. I learned a lot!

The chairs were really comfy :)

Nothing

Although a good teacher, sometimes Sarah can talk really fast and gets off the topic

Sarah Smorol: AMST 211, Fall 2011 Back to top

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	American Studies
Course:	AMST 211 - Contemp Amer Domestic Issues	Crn (Section):	76827 (001) 79549 (003) 1230 (111)

1. Class Level (pick one)

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Freshman	Sophomore	Junior	Senior	Grad	Other
3.08	12	0.67	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	2 (17%)	7 (58%)	3 (25%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)

2. Course

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Elective	Required
1.33	12	0.49	Freq(%)	8 (67%)	4 (33%)

3. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.33	12	0.78	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (17%)	4 (33%)	6 (50%)

4. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.17	12	0.94	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	1 (8%)	5 (42%)	5 (42%)

5. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
3.83	12	1.4	Freq(%)	1 (8%)	2 (17%)	0 (0%)	4 (33%)	5 (42%)

6. I learned a lot in this course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
3.75	12	1.6	Freq(%)	2 (17%)	1 (8%)	1 (8%)	2 (17%)	6 (50%)

7. The instructor inspired me to be critical of ideas and materials.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
3.75	12	1.29	Freq(%)	1 (8%)	1 (8%)	2 (17%)	4 (33%)	4 (33%)

8. The instructor is enthusiastic about the course material.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.67	12	0.49	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	4 (33%)	8 (67%)

9. The instructor was enthusiastic about the course material.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.5	12	0.67	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	4 (33%)	7 (58%)

10. The instructor was easy to talk with and available for consultation.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.17	12	1.11	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	2 (17%)	0 (0%)	4 (33%)	6 (50%)

11. The instructor encouraged class discussion.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.42	12	0.79	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (17%)	3 (25%)	7 (58%)

12. The instructor was well organized and prepared for each session.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
3.75	12	1.29	Freq(%)	1 (8%)	1 (8%)	2 (17%)	4 (33%)	4 (33%)

13. The instructor sets high standards for students.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.0	12	1.04	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	3 (25%)	3 (25%)	5 (42%)

14. My overall evaluation of this instructor is....

She was passionate about the topic but often lacked the ability to communicate clearly. She seemed to have a general knowledge about the material, but it was very one sided and somewhat superficial. I think I would have learned more if the discussions stayed on topic and the instructor was better at articulating her point.

She is very enthusiastic, helpful, and easy to talk to. I really enjoyed her class. The textbooks were also interesting, although I think it was a little too much reading.

intelligent and a great teacher to learn from

Great teacher even told to me by a man named Jim who has a talk show on Olelo channel.

She is a very informative and enthusiastic. She encourages students to speak their mind and never rejects someones point of view but rather offers hers in return. The material is interesting and the class discussions are fun.

She is very knowledgeable about multiple aspects of American history but I felt like she just had a lot to say and didn't make enough room for students to voice their own opinions, even though class participation was encouraged. She would cut people off and then go on a ten minute rant on tangents upon tangents and I would have liked to hear what other students had to say about topics rather than Sarah going on and on for 85% of the class time.

Her unbiased opinion on the course topics of discussion made discussions encouraged my participation. She is very keen on the materials. I would in fact, take another course taught by her if it falls under my major' requirements.

Very knowledgable with the subjects discussed in this class.

Good

15. Assignments are interesting and stimulating.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
3.67	12	1.23	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	3 (25%)	2 (17%)	3 (25%)	4 (33%)

16. Which aspects of the course did you like the best?

We were able to discuss many different topics with people from various backgrounds

the topics that were covered

Group discussions.

The class discussion are interesting because we can hear about everyones point of view.

There were interesting topics but I feel like the topics that students would have interesting discussions over, contemporary issues like legalizing marijuana, the pornography and drug industry, and Arab relations with the United States were not focused on as much as immigration and disabilities rights. I enjoyed when we did have actual class discussions without Sarah interrupting constantly because I did like to hear my peer's opinions of topics.

17. Which aspects of the course did you like least?

We didn't learn about anything very in depth. Many of the topics in the syllabus were just gone through slightly as discussions kept the class from keeping up with current topics.

how much reading was required

N/A

Some of the books are quite boring, for example the No Pity.

I didn't like the topics of immigration and disabilities rights. Or, well, it was nice that we touched upon them, but spending a month on immigration and a month on disabilities rights versus spending a month on three different topics like drugs, pornography and Arabs, was not interesting at all. I felt like it was a chore to come to class because most of what we talked about had nothing to do with the actual topic since Sarah does have a tendency to go off on tangents. It was hard to voice my own opinion as well because everyone is looking for a space to jump in between Sarah's talking that I literally had to cut her off if I wanted to say something.

group projects - not enough time provided in class for group work, would have rather done individual presentations. there were a lot of current event issues (occupy wall street, fast and furious, etc) that were not discussed in class, despite their significant relevance to the topics we were looking at in class. this was a little disappointing since the course is about contemporary domestic issues and we were completely avoiding some immediate, newsworthy issues.

18. My overall evaluation of this course is...

It was an interesting course with interesting topics and I enjoyed most of the readings. I feel that it could have been better if it was more well-rounded rather than simply making a case against the conservative side of many of the issues.

good

Great learning environment about current American issues.

Its a great course and I would recommend the class to anyone who is looking for a fun WI class.

I didn't like it. From the course description, I thought that we were going to have stimulating conversation about issues that we cared about when actually, I highly disliked coming to class. For a writing intensive course, Sarah did not really teach us anything about writing and talked over us a lot of the time. I think she is a nice woman but I do think she has a lot of thoughts in her mind and speaks very quickly to try and get everything out and doesn't realize that she may have been talking for 15 minutes on a tangent. I would not take another class with her and I would not recommend this class to anyone.

pretty interesting topics to think about, writing assignments nicely paced and thought-provoking

I would recommend the course to others because it stimulates critical thinking and encourages students to broaden their point of views by discussing topics and issues that not many instructors dare to approach due to political insecurity.

Very interesting course.

19. Other comments:

I was required to purchase several books for this course which was fine, but the fact that a couple of them were barely mentioned in class is unacceptable.

Sarah Smorol: SOC 318,WS 318, Fall 2011 Back to top

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	Sociology
Course:	SOC 318 - Women & Social Policy	Crn (Section):	75032 (001)
Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	Women's Studies Program
Course:	WS 318 - Women & Social Policy	Crn (Section):	75034 (001)

1. Class Level (pick one)

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Freshman	Sophomore	Junior	Senior	Grad	Other
3.55	11	0.52	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	5 (45%)	6 (55%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)

2. Course

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Elective	Required
1.7	10	0.48	Freq(%)	3 (30%)	7 (70%)

3. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.82	11	0.4	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (18%)	9 (82%)

4. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.67	12	0.65	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	2 (17%)	9 (75%)

5. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.75	12	0.62	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	1 (8%)	10 (83%)

6. I gained a good understanding of concepts/principles in this field.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.58	12	0.67	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	3 (25%)	8 (67%)

7. The instructor inspired me to be critical of ideas and materials.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.67	12	0.65	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	2 (17%)	9 (75%)

8. The instructor is enthusiastic about the course material.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.83	12	0.39	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (17%)	10 (83%)

9. The instructor was able to explain concepts clearly and effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.75	12	0.62	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	1 (8%)	10 (83%)

10. The instructor treated students with respect.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.67	12	0.89	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	10 (83%)

11. The instructor was accessible to students outside of class.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.67	12	0.65	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	2 (17%)	9 (75%)

12. The instructor was consistently well-prepared and organized for class.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.58	12	0.79	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (17%)	1 (8%)	9 (75%)

13. The instructor sets high standards for students.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.58	12	0.67	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	3 (25%)	8 (67%)

14. Global appraisal: Considering everything how would rate this INSTRUCTOR?

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Very Poor	Poor	Average	Good	Excellent
4.58	12	0.67	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	3 (25%)	8 (67%)

15. The course was well-organized in terms of continuity and presentation.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.58	12	0.67	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	3 (25%)	8 (67%)

16. Grades are assigned fairly and impartially.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.83	12	0.39	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (17%)	10 (83%)

17. The instructor was fair in grading and criteria of grades.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.82	11	0.4	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (18%)	9 (82%)

18. Which aspects of the course did you like the best?

I liked how we were able to have class discussion. Good indicator of how much students were interested and involved.

The group presentations were so much fun!

I really, really enjoyed the Michael Kimmel book, Guyland. And the discussions that went along with it were excellent and very inspiring.

I liked the reading material that was covered in this class. It was very helpful and insightful and I learned a lot from it.

being able to shares each others thoughts with one another in class or as a whole so we can have a better understanding with the problems we discuss in class.

discussion was good. she allows you to speak your mind and makes the air very inviting for you and your thoughts.

I truely enjoyed the dialog and everyone helping to answer the questions of the week...Having numerous opinions help to see things with another set of eyes.

the course has open my eye to the metaphyiscs of what women go through each day by male leaders with attitude of their titles or take women for granted instead of using them as good partners to achieve greatest.

I like the fact that I learn more about policy aspect of discrimination against women.

I liked the topics that were discussed in class.

19. Global appraisal: Considering everything how would you rate this COURSE?

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Very Poor	Poor	Average	Good	Excellent
4.67	12	0.49	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	4 (33%)	8 (67%)

20. State in two or three sentences how this course could be improved.

More homeworks to help make reading necessary. There was a little too much reading.

I thought it was a great course. Although I don't think this class needs to be 2 1/2 hours long. maybe an hour 45 min. or 2 hours. We usually finished early.

The course was very focused on Hawaiian issues, and I feel that less focus on simply Hawaii would be more beneficial. The issues here are not as relevant to my life, and personally, I would have appreciated more discussion on world-wide issues than we had discussed.

less reading and more recent problems. other than that i think this course is awesome

this course could be improved by the students who enroll. if somehow, UHM could filter the students by the ones who need to be there versus the students that are taking it just because. students there just taking the course just because, really bring down the atmosphere of the class time.

at least two days at3hours a day... probably Monday's and Friday's

too much reading, more discussion, Instructor speaks too fast :)

I did not like the amount of reading that was required for class. I think it would have been better if we just focused on one book at a time rather than reading 3 books at the same time (even if we were required to read 2-3 chapters from each book).

21. Other comments:

thanks for a great semester.

Great teacher! Would take a class from her again.

Sara was excellent. My only issue is that she was very selective in whom she chose to let speak. For instance, she would interrupt the students right after she asked us to explain our thoughts. I felt I could NEVER get my thoughts or feelings out in discussion as I was always interrupted. Even when I raised my hand. I usually left class feeling disrespected. The information I learned was interesting though. Overall, a good course, but not great.

Thank You So Much for having in your class. I like the fact that you were very caring so much about me :)

Sarah Smorol: AMST 201, Spring 2011 Back to top

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	American Studies
Course:	AMST 201 - American Exp: Inst & Movemnts	Crn (Section):	89227 (003) 89228 (004)

1. Class Level (pick one)

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Freshman	Sophomore	Junior	Senior	Grad	Other
2.7	23	1.06	Freq(%)	3 (13%)	8 (35%)	5 (22%)	7 (30%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)

2. Course

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Elective	Required
1.35	23	0.49	Freq(%)	15 (65%)	8 (35%)

3. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.59	22	0.59	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (5%)	7 (32%)	14 (64%)

4. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.65	23	0.57	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (4%)	6 (26%)	16 (70%)

5. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.41	22	0.59	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (5%)	11 (50%)	10 (45%)

6. I learned a lot in this course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.43	21	0.68	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (10%)	8 (38%)	11 (52%)

7. The instructor inspired me to be critical of ideas and materials.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.57	23	0.51	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	10 (43%)	13 (57%)

8. The instructor is enthusiastic about the course material.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.83	23	0.39	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	4 (17%)	19 (83%)

9. The instructor was easy to talk with and available for consultation.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.74	23	0.45	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	6 (26%)	17 (74%)

10. The instructor encouraged class discussion.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.57	23	0.59	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (4%)	8 (35%)	14 (61%)

11. The instructor was well organized and prepared for each session.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.52	23	0.59	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (4%)	9 (39%)	13 (57%)

12. The instructor sets high standards for students.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.43	23	0.66	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (9%)	9 (39%)	12 (52%)

13. My overall evaluation of this instructor is....

She understands the student's problem and provide opportunity for us to make up our work, had-working teacher

She is easy to talk with and get along with. One thing that gets annoying with her style of teaching is how much she can ramble on. She talks and talks and it is sometimes hard to get a word of our own in. If we do get a chance to share our thoughts (which she does want and encourage us to) she takes our idea...and then starts talking on her own again.

She was a good teacher who knew her material, I learned A LOT from this class and was introduced to a lot of new things.

Very knowledgeable of AMST and encouraged disucssions of everything we covred in class. she made it a enjoyable class.

Good

She is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the topics she teaches.

She was very knowledgeable and helped us all to understand the course and what we needed to learn. There were various subjects that we covered and she was helpful with all of them.

she knows a lot about this material and she can explain it really well. She is also passionate about what she talks about. She is easy to talk to and very understanding. I learned a lot from her this semester.

very intelligent about the topics being taught and enthusiastic person.

I can tell she knows her stuff, but sometimes she has so much to say about some topics, its easy to get sidetracked, but I suppose that's what happens in survey courses..

a very effective teacher. i would recommend her to anybody taking an American Studies course.

Professor Smorol is clearly passionate about teaching and has done a great job in this class. She is understanding,light hearted and willing to listen to those who have any input at all. She does however, talk very fast and needs to slow down many times for information to be absorbed rather than just have it rush by. Slowing down would open the class up for more discussion and I think this would improve the class a bit.

Sarah is really nice, and her down-to-earth personality makes listening to her lecture super easy.

Very good the course was very interesting and helped me further my knowledge about many contemporary topics. After many class discussions I changed my point of view.

14. Assignments are interesting and stimulating.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.0	23	0.74	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	6 (26%)	11 (48%)	6 (26%)

15. Which aspects of the course did you like the best?

Study history through different perspective

That there were few assignments

Discussing in class topics helped make materials we covered to be well understood.

Class discussion

I really enjoyed the papers for this course. It is on topics that interest me, therefore writing becomes enjoyable. Also, she is very helpful, understanding, and open for students if they need any assistance.

The group project and self-directed papers really helped to explore the course content more.

I really liked the Art of Protest book and that each week was a different topic, which kept the course not only interesting, but we covered material that relates outside of the classroom.

I thought that how she spread out the amount of pages we needed to write for a writing intensive class was very good. I never felt overwhelmed doing a paper. Also, some of the class discussions we got into were really good.

interactions with professor during class

Willingness of Sarah to help in any way..

I like the fact that i was able to reveal how visual culture has affected the outlook of many institutions and movements. Before this course, I didn't realize how much visual culture played a vital role in institutions and movements.

Inspiring change

I really liked the views that Sarah was able to communicate during lectures to me that were more abstract that I hadn't thought of when I read it.

The assignments were fair and not overwhelming.

16. Which aspects of the course did you like least?

Time to come to class

How early it was scheduled

SO MUCH READING AND THAT ATTENDANCE IS A REQUIREMENT ... Seriously were not in high school anymore and there are such things as emergency .....

^ Same as above.

To many readings

This course had a heavy reading load, for a writing intensive course and a course on arts. this made the class a lot less interesting and a struggle to deal with, along with other assignments.

The reading quizzes didn't really encourage anyone to read, but it was a good way to try to get the class to read. Reading more would help everyone to get more out of the course.

In the beginning the course started off kind of slow and it is very difficult to understand the reading from the Only Skin Deep book.

Some of the readings were rather boring, but it was valuable information.

nothing. I have no complaints

The language in the book is hard to understand most of the time, especially in the Skin Deep book.

17. My overall evaluation of this course is...

Worth a try

Very manageable

Learned a lot.

A very informative course. It is worthwhile to anyone who is interested in AMST or just wants to try it.

it ok

The content is very interesting to students, although I did not like the structure of the course on how we learned about social movements.

I really liked this course. Now I'm going to take another AMST class next semester.

I enjoyed coming to this class because I learned a lot more than I expected that I would. Much of the stuff we covered can be related to the real world and it made me think critically about certain topics, which I believe I would have never done if I had not taken the class.

More enjoyable than I thought it was gonna be.

Good teacher who covered a lot of ground..

a 10 out of 10. Excellent course and excellent teaching

Great course.Serves as a great introduction to multiple movements through history.

I like it, Sarah is a really good instructor.

very good

18. Other comments:

n.a

n/a.

Smorol is a very effective teacher who knows her material well, she facilitates group discussions and enjoys teaching AMST.

Sarah Smorol: AMST 201, Spring 2010 Back to top

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	American Studies
Course:	AMST 201 - American Exp: Inst & Movemnts	Crn (Section):	80023 (001) 85164 (002)

1. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.72	25	0.54	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (4%)	5 (20%)	19 (76%)

2. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.72	25	0.46	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	7 (28%)	18 (72%)

3. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.6	25	0.65	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (8%)	6 (24%)	17 (68%)

4. I deepened my interest in the subject matter of this course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.48	25	0.59	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (4%)	11 (44%)	13 (52%)

5. I learned a lot in this course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.68	25	0.56	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (4%)	6 (24%)	18 (72%)

6. I developed greater awareness of societal problems.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.72	25	0.46	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	7 (28%)	18 (72%)

7. The instructor inspired me to be critical of ideas and materials.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.36	25	0.64	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (8%)	12 (48%)	11 (44%)

8. Which aspects of the course were most valuable?

I thought the discussions were good because it gave all of us an opportunity to talk about the readings and we got to see how our classmates stood on certain issues.

I enjoyed the wide variety of material covered in this class.

I thought that her personal care to each student was excellent. If you asked her for help on something, she would go over and beyond in trying to help you. I thought she was the best professor that I have had at UH thus far!

The local issues dicussed in the course were the most valuable to me, also the issues of mixed race was also very enlightening to me.

Class Discussions on reaadings and topics such as multiracial identity

the materials she chose

This class seems to be structured so that the class discussions are the most important part. However many students did not attend and/or read the assignments. However, as the subject matter moved to issues that were of greater interest to the students (ie Local issues; Hawaiian sovereignty)class discussion increased (although this may be due to the fact that those who attend class -- I imagine a minority of the enrollment -- were more likely to participate).

I really enjoyed the reading and being able to write about largely whatever I chose. The critiques of my paper were always really helpful as well.

I enjoyed the short readings we read and the class discussions that we had during the class periods.

Issues about race and government were the main topics of class discussion. I really liked how she had class discussions and went over readings thoroughly as well as add own opinions and insight.

The recognition of multiracial people and issues, was something that was new to me. She made it interesting and had good sources for the class.

The things that I found most valuable about this course was the differentiation of the course reading drawing from many other place not just focusing on one aspect of bi-raciality

I really enjoyed this class, and sarah as well. i feel as though this course has broadened my view on race. I feel like now ive become more aware of how race plays in society.

Reading handouts and websites weve seen covering each topic.

The majority of the course was focused on race politics, so that was the most valuable aspect of the course.

9. The instructor is enthusiastic about the course material.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.8	25	0.41	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	5 (20%)	20 (80%)

10. The instructor was easy to talk with and available for consultation.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.76	25	0.44	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	6 (24%)	19 (76%)

11. The instructor encouraged class discussion.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.72	25	0.46	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	7 (28%)	18 (72%)

12. The instructor was well organized and prepared for each session.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.67	24	0.48	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	8 (33%)	16 (67%)

13. The instructor sets high standards for students.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.46	24	0.66	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (8%)	9 (38%)	13 (54%)

14. My overall evaluation of this instructor is....

Great teacher; kind, smart, and funny at times

Sarah was super enthusiastic about the material she was teaching. I know it was sometimes hard for her to teach because we didn't always come through with assignments on our half but no matter what se was always prepared and had something just in case we didn't read.

She did a great job of teaching this course. It was obvious that she came to class prepared each day and was very knowledgeable in the material that she presented.

A great professor and I recommend taking her class. It is very informative and she makes learning easy. Excellent course!

I loved this course. Sarah was very knowledgable of not only matters of the course but also general social matters. She is a great teacher because she understands the needs, wants, likes, and dislikes of her students.

Good at communicating ideas, and helps her students to develop their ideas more throughly

a great teacher hope to have her again someday

Sarah is a pretty good teacher who had a lot of information and tried her best to stimulate class discussion. However, she was somewhat in a Catch 22: many students did not participate in discussions which caused her discussion prompts to become very long winded.

Might want to think about the speed of speech. It was a little fast for me, and maybe have a little more organization for each class session. Seemed a little too "go with the flow."

She is great! I would love to take another class with her again if at all possible.

she was very enthusiastic about the material, and she was always well prepared.

She was a very good teacher who was able to establish a connection with the students in the class. She probably could have been stricter and enforced the readings and things better but overall I would say she was a great teacher and I learned a lot throughout the course.

She is a great teacher and got me interested in a subject that i didn't find interesting at the beginning of the semester. I really liked that she was consistent with her information that she taught us. The readings were related to what I learned in my past courses on American history.

She is a good teacher with a good foundation for just starting. Attendance may have been too important in this class, but she would give you extra ways of making it up.

She was a great teacher she went off on tangents at times but knowledgeable and kept the content intersting

good

she is an excellent teacher. i would love to take another class with her. She presented her topics in a non-biased way, that encouraged us to explore our own opinions and views. she presented some touchy subjects in ways that can be viewed from multiple ways, and never held her own opinions of subjects against us if we didnt agree.

Shes was very nice and helpful for learning and understanding the course concepts and ideas.

She's a decent teacher. I didn't really like her style of teaching, but I have to admit it did help me to become a better thinker. The course was heavily based on readings & discussions. I thought that the discussions were very interesting, but Sarah sometimes could ramble on for a long period of time. She sure has a lot to say about the topics we discussed, though they were interesting thoughts/opinions, I would have liked to have seen less discussions and more tests/quizzes.

15. Assignments are interesting and stimulating.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.4	25	0.65	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (8%)	11 (44%)	12 (48%)

16. Which aspects of the course did you like the best?

Learning about all the different aspects and views of each culture

I liked to know that there are many kinds of multiracial people live in America, and their culture.

I enjoyed the class discussions the most.

The emphasis on biracial individuals, because I gained a deeper understanding that there is no right or wrong way to be a biracial person

Her enthusiasum about the topics!

Local issues, women's rights, and mixed race issues.

This class overall is really good that I recommend other students to take it.

Watching videos that related to the subject we were going over, because it really deepened my interest in the subject

the books were fun reads

I feel like I learned quite a bit about the subject, and it made me more aware about some of the issues. The group sessions were interesting, but I think there needs to be something more to them, not just summarizing a paragraph from the reading.

Class discussion was always interesting. Made me really enjoy coming to class. I also enjoyed doing the research for my papers.

I did enjoy some of the books and short stories that we read.

I liked the readings from the person's perspective the most.

Class discussion made me come to class more often. It was interesting hearing other peoples perspectives even when i disagreed with some of their thoughts.

The aspect of the course that I like the best was the aspect where we focused on the Hawaiian rights and the Asian rights.

the group discussions!!!

Going over the readings and discussing the issues as a class.

Class discussions were very entertaining. It's interesting to hear everyone's thoughts/opinions/reactions to all the different topics.

17. Which aspects of the course did you like least?

I just didn't like some of the readings. I learned from all of them, but some were difficult to read.

The lack of participation from other students. At times I would participate in the class discussion, but it seemed like no one else would. Over time I did not participate in discussion as much, simply because I did not want to constantly be one of the few people who ever talk in class. I did not come to class just to hear myself.

The reading. But, it wasn't bad compared to other classes, it was just a bit time consuming.

Certain readings (i.e. Non-Babylonians, Passings, ect.)

I think this course's material should be cut a little bit more. It has too much reading.

None

the 10 pg paper would have liked more 2's

A lot of reading, but being a writing intensive, it was kind of necessary.

there was a TON of reading and it was hard to keep up on for some weeks.

I was bored with the book The sum of our parts, but other than that I liked everything else

I didn't like some of the academic readings because some just stated the same thing over and over.

Reading the material was sometimes hard because there was so much information that I could not find out the most important parts of the readings.

The focus on so much class participation

some of the more academic readings. i mean i learned from them but i liked it the least due to the language that was used.

nothing

Although the discussions were interesting, I felt sometimes that it was unnecessary. A couple times we'd be assigns a very short reading (1-2 pages), and be forced to discuss the topic for the whole class period, which I think isn't necessary. Sometimes there's just not much to say.

18. My overall evaluation of this course is...

Interesting class

Good course, good teacher.

This was a great course and I truly enjoyed it.

Great. I expected it to be much harder and a lot more intensive writing because it is a WI focus, but Sarah split up the writtings great.

It's good to take it for thinking something different. This class will turn your thoughts around.

Excellent

mixed race is a great topic and sarah opened my eyes to a lot of things

I will leave this class with more awareness and knowledge of multiracial issues.

It was great!! I really loved the class!

It was quite interesting. I never really thought much about race before this course but it helped me see things from a different perspective.

I would recommend this course/teacher to other students because I enjoyed and learned much from the course.

I really value the information that I learned in this class. I was actually interested in writing my final paper because I got to choose the topic.

This was a good course and I learned many things that I didn't learn before.

amazing. i would recommend this class to others.

i really enjoyed the class and it helped broaden my knowlede on world issues on the concepts of ethnic and race.

I enjoyed the course, though I have to admit it was a little misleading. American studies seems to be a pretty vague course title, and I didn't expect to be learning about race & race politics for the majority of the semester. Nonetheless, it was a fun & easy class.

19. Other comments:

Sarah Smorol did a great job teaching this class, despite the lack of participation from other students, it was obvious that she was making a strong effort to engage her students each and every class period. She stayed positive and motivated despite the lack of effort from some of her students.

HI :] I really like the class :P

Good teacher. Could have focused on more things that would have related to Hawaii.

Good luck next semester Sarah!

Sarah Smorol: AMST 150, Fall 2009 Back to top

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	American Studies
Course:	AMST 150 - America and the World	Crn (Section):	76386 (004) 76387 (005) 76388 (006)

1. Class Level (pick one)

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Freshman	Sophomore	Junior	Senior	Grad	Other
1.57	42	0.89	Freq(%)	28 (67%)	5 (12%)	8 (19%)	1 (2%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)

2. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.6	42	0.54	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (2%)	15 (36%)	26 (62%)

3. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.4	42	0.63	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	3 (7%)	19 (45%)	20 (48%)

4. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.38	42	0.66	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	4 (10%)	18 (43%)	20 (48%)

5. I learned a lot in this course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.31	42	0.72	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	6 (14%)	17 (40%)	19 (45%)

6. The instructor inspired me to be critical of ideas and materials.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.12	42	0.83	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (2%)	9 (21%)	16 (38%)	16 (38%)

7. The instructor is enthusiastic about the course material.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.46	41	0.6	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (5%)	18 (44%)	21 (51%)

8. The instructor was easy to talk with and available for consultation.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.31	42	0.84	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (2%)	7 (17%)	12 (29%)	22 (52%)

9. The instructor encouraged class discussion.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.71	41	0.51	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (2%)	10 (24%)	30 (73%)

10. The instructor was well organized and prepared for each session.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.38	42	0.62	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	3 (7%)	20 (48%)	19 (45%)

11. The instructor sets high standards for students.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.14	42	0.65	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	6 (14%)	24 (57%)	12 (29%)

12. My overall evaluation of this instructor is....

She did a good job of encouraging class participation, slightly awkward at time but overall enjoyed the course.

SHES AWESOME and really helped me to undersatnd the lectures.

Very knowledgeable, seemed to enjoy what he taught.

Fun and interesting.

very helpful for difficult course concepts and readings

Professor Smorol is very enthusiastic about this course and she is encourages class discussion.

Smart, knows subject material well. Comes organized and ready to start right away. Easy to talk to in discussion periods.

She did a good job.

She is cool and knowledgeable!

Sarah is very understanding and she always made it a point to get everyone involved with class discussions.

She was really fun and easy to talk to. She made the class environment comfortable and made learning possible in the least difficult way.

great job

Mediocre. She was unreasonable at times in her treatment of students and she was not very easy to approach to talk about questions because of what her reaction might be (not understanding of a person's situation).

We covered too much information. We should have narrowed it down to discuss topics more thoroughly.

Good class.

that she was very informative and helpful. She was always willing and ready to clarify any confusion that my classmates and I had about any of the material covered in class.

I thought that she did a very well job and is an exceptional teacher, and look forward in taking more classes from her.

Very smart

Sarah Smorol is an instructor who knows what she is doing. I think she will do better when she is instructing her own class and not doing labs for Perkinson.

Overall Sarah Smorol was great. She was knowledgeable about the topic and had no problems clarifying anything that was confusing. She engaged the class and brought personal experiences into the class in order for us to connect with the information further.

A great man [Robert Perkinson] who is very knowledgeable about his work and tries to get input from the students as often as he can.

Sarah was a really great instructor. She presented everything from the lecture classes in a more focused environment that we could debate upon. She had a wealth of knowledge and wasn't afraid to admit she didn't know something. I enjoyed going to her class a lot.

fairly good teacher became overly aggravated and irritated one class which was unpleasant

Nice person. She enjoyed her work and asked us for our opinion of the material.

I thought she was very nice and I really liked the way she left the class open for discussion at times, but never forced anyone to speak out if they didn't want to.

very engaging, encouraged free-thought and class participation

very good

good

great!

Very good and helpful. She does a good job of giving examples.

She would sometimes drift off but always

shes a great teacher

that she is very knowlegdeable and she really knows how to communicate one on one with her students.

13. Assignments are interesting and stimulating.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
3.54	37	0.84	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	4 (11%)	13 (35%)	16 (43%)	4 (11%)

14. Which aspects of the course did you like the best?

The lectures were great.

class disussion

I liked the overview of American history that I had never known before, such as the dark aspects of it that shaped how America works today.

Closeness of the class. More detailed talks on topics.

class discussion

Some of the discussion my section held included interesting debates.

passage and reading analysis and class discussions.

the material we studied

Videos.

In our sections, we always went over what we went over in class that week. Because Perkinson moves quickly, this helped me understand what was going on.

How the teacher related things to things in modern day or to the class.

discussions held in class

Group discussion

I liked the discussions and how they were open to express your opinion.

The small classes we had every friday

The only hmwk in the class was to do the reading.

I liked that we were given the opportunity to voice our opinions of the content covered.

I love the class discussions that we were a part of, and the work that we did in the class. Since I am a poly sci major I believe I took alot out of this course and enjoyed the readings and discussions.

I really liked the section on corporations

There is no one "right" answer--we get to explain how we feel as long as there is some evidence behind our reasoning.

I liked the size of the group because it was small enough to have an engaging conversation but large enough to have a vast differences in opinions.

Reading about in-depth coverage about the world and its wars.

My favorite part of this course would be the ability to debate in small groups. It was hard to debate in the lecture class because of the amount of people.

the small group sizes made it easier to learn

I enjoyed the interesting discussions. It was interesting to hear what others thought in a smaller group.

I enjoyed this lab because it helped me to better understand what was going on in the course as a whole. This instructor was very nice and made me feel more comfortable about giving my opinion on something.

the class discussions, and video clips

discussions

I like how she was well informed on the topics presented in class.

lab is where it all came together and i learned the most.

The readings

class discussions

Learning about Hawaii and the overthrow and hearing the different, less talked about sides of the whole ordeal.

15. Which aspects of the course did you like least?

The sections were not the greatest.

the material

in class submissions

Borning readings.

However, some of the class did not participate, which I feel takes away from the learning experience. Also, it left a lot of silence in the room.

the amount of time, the homework was sporadic and hard to keep track of, the syllabus and assignments need to be better coordinated

The book "the Inheritance of Loss"

Readings.

n/a

The readings.

The Inheritance of Loss

Her style of teaching. Sometimes she rambled on and did not open up time for students to talk.

the readings

too much reading

There wasn't really anything that I didn't like.

The course was amazing, there were no weak points.

I didn't like Perkinson's material very much. It's not Smorol's fault, nor Perkinson's--I enrolled in the class and just expected different things.

I did not like how we did not have a set agenda for each session. While the content we covered was vast, something there was a slight connection between the topics.

That there was an overwhelming amount of reading. Professor used very large vocabulary. Although, that being a good thing, it was a little hard to keep up with his lectures.

I did not like the amount of reading we had to do. There was way too much information to be absorbed over such a short period of time.

I thought some of the readings weren't as interesting. It was hard to stay focused on reading the material for the day.

There was a lot of stuff to remember so some of it was hard for me to comprehend all at once.

the papers and exams

nothing

The last paper we had to do.

it was hard for me to tie lecture into the lab.

The lectures

the online readings.

16. My overall evaluation of this course is...

I enjoyed it quite a bit.

it was alright.

Was enjoyable, very informative

Interesting and learned a lot.

very helpful and fun

The lab for America and the World was very helpful because we reviewed the material that some students found confusing.

8/10

Should be a core requirement.

Great!

Glad we had a lab for this class!

It was a good way to end the week after learning so much in the AMST 150 classes previously in the week.

good course

Mediocre. Her teaching style was what kept me from enjoying the lab sections more.

A-

that I enjoyed the class. It was very interesting and enlightening.

One word.... Amazing.

This class is informing and the instructor is incredible.

It was great: engaging, challenging, and informative.

Recommended for students, even not majoring in American Studies.

It was a great course and I would recommend it.

fairly good

It was a good class. It was interesting to hear others who have had a lot of exposure to political matters talk about past and present issues.

Good course.

very thought provoking course, interesting perspective on u.s. history

good

good.

Good. I believe the TA did a good job of encouraging us to read and understand the material.

I really enjoyed this course, and having the small sessions on Friday really helped me to learn quicker.