Current instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Professor Seidman is very approachable and wants you to succeed. At the same time, she teaches from a very limited perspective and doesn't really introduce alternative viewpoints and perspectives. Powerpoints are a jumble of article summaries and pictures without clear progression. Often goes on tangents and is generally just hard to follow.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Seidman is very intelligent and has a genuine passion for teaching. It was one of the bests classes I've ever taken. I always left the class with so much knowledge. If you do not go to class it is hard to catch up since her class is mostly discussion-based.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Seidman was super nice and always in a good mood to teach. You can tell she is very knowledgeable and loves what she does. However, the lectures seemed a little disorganized at times and she downgraded me for not knowing things/"reflecting completely" on things that weren't discussed in class.Rate My Professors ↗
This class was definitely different compared to other sociology courses I have taken. Dr. Seidman was very clear on her grading rubric and very flexible as well as responsive to questions on clarifications. Lectures are heavily discussion based and there were lots of readings for class assignments.Rate My Professors ↗
Right from the beginning, it is clear that she knows much about the subject. She values student input and encourages participation. The class atmosphere was very relaxed, and the majority of the weekly work was to complete online readings. Grades were determined by written exams and papers, all of which had generally loose prompts and good feedbackRate My Professors ↗
Prof Seidman was very exciting, lively, and passionate about the topics. She clearly cares about her students and wants them to succeed. She even brought snacks for us to the midterm and final exams! Lectures are interesting. overall pretty good class and experience.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
C&ESOC/SOC 630 examines the theory, political economy, and history of development in so-called developing societies, including colonialism and industrialization.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Gay Seidman is praised for her passion, intelligence, and clear explanations. Reviewers value her approachable nature, flexible grading, and emphasis on discussion and critical thinking over rote memorization. She is described as caring and supportive of student success.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sampleSOC 983 covers research in comparative political economy and economic sociology through presentation and discussion.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2024 · limited sampleSOC 990 is a thesis course involving mentored research for Master's or doctoral dissertations.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
SOC 999 is an independent reading and research course in sociology.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | C&ESOC/SOC 630 | Sociology of Developing Societies/third World |
| Fall 2026 | SOC 983 | Research: Economic Sociology and Comparative Political Economy |
| Fall 2026 | SOC 990 | Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | SOC 999 | Reading and Research in Sociology |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
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