A sample of anonymous student comments on SOC 241, Sociology of Work, taught by Kenneth Westhues in Fall 2009, at the University of Waterloo

Excellent instruction! Interesting course content! A daily agenda (overhead) would be useful to help students better follow the lecture.

Lectures were spoken to us rather than read off slides. Professor is very open and available to students. Very interactive.

A good and fresh perspective on work and some very valuable readings. There appears to be some bias in the course structure that supports a Marxist inference to the idea of work.

Provides a perspective on work and society that is not often acknowledged in other classes. Great course, enjoyed it a lot.

Amazing instructor brings the content to life, makes students feel involved and appreciated.

Strengths were (1) the integration of personal experience into discussion, from both students and instructor; (2) good essay assignment, a practical analysis of real-life work experience.

Amazing! Learnt so much.

Articles were more useful than the text. It was helpful to apply teachings to real life.

Good class, excellent professor. The use of real life examples helped show how the material is relevant to life outside the classroom.

Really interesting course, opened my eyes. Grading is too strict.

I really enjoy the material presented in the class; it is relevant to our daily life. I enjoy how you summarize the course materials with your own experience.

Valuable, insightful course. The group presentations offer a different perspective on the reading material and allow for discussion.

Excellent course, gives a different perspective on work. Amazing profesor that cares about his students and makes the course so interesting. Best professor I've had so far and I'm in fourth year.

Excellent course, would recommend to everyone. Professor cares for his students and even takes the time to learn our names.

One of the most amazing courses I have ever taken. Strength is Mr. Westhues' ability to captivate the class. Also, he shows such profound interest in his students.

Fantastic course, provides a lot of insight and valuable knowledge.

Enjoyable course. Great professor. Allows students to conjure up own opinions.

It would be nice to have a little more in-class structure -- outlines of topics, overhead notes, handouts.

Awesome course, would recommend it to anyone.

You can tell that the prof really enjoys his job and wants students to do well. The presentations by the students were hard to follow and understand.

Good course. Dr. Westhues engages the students in the topic very well. The strength has to be his ability to keep things focused and interesting.

There should be a circle to fill in above excellent. Mr. Westhues is the kindest man I've ever met. A genuine, sincere person. We could tell he really cared about every one of us and wanted us to do well.

Great course. I really enjoyed it.

The prof has good stories to tell. Midterm was so difficult, I studied so hard and barely passed. Hope he makes the final easier. Also, essays are marked hard.

The instructor is great. He is enthusiastic and very good-hearted. Sincerely enjoys teaching.

Good course, excellent prof, but poorly organized. Not enough of a structured format for lectures. Easy to get off topic and confused.

The textbook is very dry, needs water, sustenance.

Worth taking. Great prof, need more like him. Engages class in lectures. I did not like the multiple choice on the midterm.

Great teaching style, focuses on real life work situations, theories and ideas. Enjoyable, useful, educational.

Excellent course and great teacher.

Strength was the instructor's enthusiasm. The relatable course material.

Excellent. I can really relate to my workplace now. This course actually has real life implications, unlike a lot of other courses.

Strengths were props, excitement, passion. Weakness was the boring textbook.

Mr. Westhues has a great passion for his area of expertise. It transfers to the class. I really enjoyed the course.