A sample of anonymous student comments on SOC 241, Sociology of Work, taught by Kenneth Westhues in Winter 2008, at the University of Waterloo

Course designed to apply class to real life; will remember what I learned in this class years from now because of this.

Didn't really grasp a lot at the end; won't remember much in the coming years.

Field trip to the Working Centre was a highlight for me. It is a totally different approach to day-to-day living and work.

It's been a long time since I've seen a professor so committed to his students.

Learned a lot. Presentations are a great way of learning.

I really liked this course. Sometimes the prof would forget what he was talking about and go off on a tangent, but it was okay because he's cool.

The instructor is very organized and knows the material in depth. This class does a great job to inform students of the working world and prepare them for life outside of the classroom.

Good, interesting. Weakness was lack of structure in lectures.

The best sociology class I have ever taken. As a student applying to Harvard, I strongly feel that Professor Westhues has prepared me well for graduate school.

Strength was the instructor's ability to engage the class with personal anecdotes and experiences. But the textbook is dry.

It was okay, could be improved easily. Need more up-to-date sources, readings should be more credible.

The instructor is very respectful of his students, willing to accommodate reasonable needs of students. Too much readings. Exams are worded in difficult language.

One of the best courses I've taken. There's too much information to study for on the midterm and exam.

Presentations were very interesting. Too many articles to read.

Greatly enjoyed the course, would take another one with the same prof.

Weakness was the Rinehart book. I prefer Westhues's work, much more interesting.

This course is extremely interesting, it relates to the everyday world of work. Instructor's method of lecturing was effective, and the educational value of the course is high.

The best sociology course I have ever taken.

Great prof. I enjoyed the practical examples he used in lectures, kept my interest.

Great course, great professor.

Weakness was the 2-hour slot. Two times a week for 50 minutes would be better.

Strength was the student presentations.

I would do it all again!

A wide range of topics. A good overview, especially with the presentations. It would have been nice to have more notes, especially for the textbook.

OK, I liked the professor, just not the presentation of the lecture material and the overall information of the course. Very repetitive of other soc courses I have taken.

The instructor was amazing: interesting and interested in student experiences. I think it was a great course.

Excellent, I always look forward to this class.

Wonderful class, glad I took it as an elective. First time in my five years at UW I've had a prof who cares as much about the students.

Very good course, I not only learned but I really thought about work/society today. Great job!

The instructor is definitely one of the best and most engaging profs I have had at Waterloo. I learned a lot from this course.

Dr. Westhues puts ideas/thoughts in our heads that we never thought of.

It was by far one of my most enjoyable courses. I would recommend it to anyone.

Good class, first half was a bit boring and repetitive because Marx and Taylor come up in almost all HR courses. I would definitely take another course with Prof. Westhues.

Without a doubt the best professor I have had at UW. The readings as well were well selected and interesting.

Excellent! I would recommend it to others.

This course opened my eyes to all the aspects of the workplace. Although it was demanding and tough at times, I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Great learning experience. One of the best profs I've had the privilege of being taught by.

Fantastic. I wish everyone took this class. Encourages you to think critically about the society we live in, prevents us from being mindless drones. I feel like I have truly become a smarter human being.

I love this course; it engages the students to learn.

This is by far the best course overall I have ever taken and by far the best professor I have ever had.

A course I would recommend to prospective students and I sincerely think this course should be made mandatory for all faculty.

Excellent. It's different from other textbook courses.

I really enjoyed taking this course and think it taught me a lot about the situation of work. The class presentations can get quite boring and uninteresting a lot of the time.

The best thing about this course was the presentations. Text was useless. Great instructor, but he didn't do much.

Strength was the presentations, they made the course more interactive for the students. Prof allows a lot of other resources for students.

The field trip to the Working Centre is a valuable experience; it teaches us how important the community is willing to get people back on their feet.

Very interesting, with rich and relevant material, very applicable to the real world.

Excellent! The professor shows great interest in the class.

A great course overall. Very entertaining.

Westhues is an awesome instructor. Very encouraging of students. Course material is very interesting. Weakness was boring readings from the Rinehart book.

Very educational, and you learn about lots of things about the workplace in two different standpoints. Instructor is very sociable and friendly.

A great learning experience! Strength was the instructor's presence and positive attitude. Weakness was the online course readings.

This course provides relevant material that can be used in the future. The instructor takes great pride in his work and deserves recognition for this. There was a perfect balance of class involvement and lecturing.

A wonderful prof, passionate about his work and takes great interest in his teaching. He holds his students' attention and maintains a high level of interest.

Westhues is an amazing prof! He genuinely cares about his students. Course readings were too long and boring, consider revising.

Fair for the students, taught by a knowledgeable prof.

Westhues is an amazing lecturer. He not only captures the attention and interest of his students, he inspires us to excel in life.

I've learned a lot, and most things I've learned are applicable to life.

Very useful class for anyone entering the workforce. Class material was interesting and tests/assignments were clear.

Good course and excellent prof.

Multiple-choice on midterm required too much detail from all the readings.

Excellent! The professor is really a great teacher.

Insightful!

Great! I would recommend it to another student.