Gina Thomas

The course material is genuinely engaging, with a strong focus on how cultural lenses shape psychology and influence the way we perceive the world. The papers and presentations are very manageable, and Professor Thomas is both incredibly kind and clearly passionate about the subject. She’s also an effective lecturer. At the start of each class, she rolls dice to determine whether there will be a quiz on the reading—so make sure you keep up and understand the key concepts. The quiz questions stay the same throughout the semester, so you always know what to expect. Expectations for the papers and reflections are very clear, and you consistently receive helpful feedback. Professor Thomas is also a VERY fair grader and not overly harsh at all. For the group presentation and the final paper, the due dates and requirements are laid out in detail, so there are no surprises. As someone interested in medicine, I would highly recommend this course. It offers valuable insight into how and why people may react through a cultural lens, making it both useful and fascinating.

The course material is genuinely engaging, with a strong focus on how cultural lenses shape psychology and influence the way we perceive the world. The papers and presentations are very manageable, and Professor Thomas is both incredibly kind and clearly passionate about the subject. She’s also an effective lecturer. At the start of …Read more

Professor Thomas is a great instructor, extremely understanding of students' accommodations and situations, and provides a hands-on learning experience. The class will need a commitment of at least 3-5 hours/week of community-based work, to gain hands-on experience with kids and apply concepts learnt in class to the real world. There are weekly open-note quizzes, and no exams. There are weekly discussions, where you present along with a group once during the semester. In general, one can do well in this course if you attend class regularly, do well on quizzes and commit consistently to your project!

Professor Thomas is a great instructor, extremely understanding of students' accommodations and situations, and provides a hands-on learning experience. The class will need a commitment of at least 3-5 hours/week of community-based work, to gain hands-on experience with kids and apply concepts learnt in class to the real world. There …Read more

One major aspect that made the class interesting was the fieldwork we did in groups at local childcare centers or schools in Middlebury. I think this hands on approach was valuable in observing the topics and themes we learned in class happen in real cases. Dr. Thomas was more focused on this aspect of the class and also chapters from an assigned book, which involved discussion in groups, so exams were easy as long as you studies the lecture slides.

One major aspect that made the class interesting was the fieldwork we did in groups at local childcare centers or schools in Middlebury. I think this hands on approach was valuable in observing the topics and themes we learned in class happen in real cases. Dr. Thomas was more focused on this aspect of the class and also chapters fro …Read more