Review:
I think that this is a good class to have in the music department, but the way it was presented, and the professor overall, weren't anything like what I expected. I literally watched people fall asleep in class. The professor is quite dull and continuously gives you information that you know won't show up on the test - I'll give her the fact that she is rather enthusiastic about the subject, but that doesn't change the fact that staying awake is a challenge.

I would recommend taking this class to fulfill an Arts requirement just because it does not require a whole lot of effort - hell, I never showed up and I got a high B - but as for any other course taught by Prof. Newman, I wouldn't put myself through it. You will learn from the material, but make sure you bring a cup of coffee to class.

Workload:
There was a fair amount of reading she assigned, but not all of it was necessary - I didn't bother reading the course packet and didn't buy the second book (which was on reserve in the library anyway). Doing the reading did help for tests, although *just a helpful hint* she doesn't change the tests so much from year to year .. that was probably my saving grace.

review a class you took with Nancy Newman - help your classmates make informed decisions!

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Nancy Newman | MUS011 - African American Music | Music

2005-05-06

Review:
Probably the worst class I have taken at Tufts so far. I don?t think she knows anything about African-American music, African-Americans, or anything African for that matter. She only goes by this one book by Eileen Southern, which has to be the worst book ever. It reads like a dictionary but Newman still swears by it. The only good times in that class was when we had guest lecturers because they actually knew what they were talking about. Instead, the only thing Newman knew was 1840's German Folk Music. Do not take this class, even if it is for an arts requirement. To her the 1840's was probably the best decade ever (she said that in class) even though at the time African-Americans were still enslaved.

Workload:
There wasn't much reading, mostly from the dictionary-like Southern book. If you just read the book and don't go to class you will be fine because she doesn?t talk about anything that isn?t in the book. There is one paper and it's not too bad. But I don't even know why I'm writing this because the class is cancelled for next semester. Just had to let off some steam.

professor rating: | course rating: | major: Music

review a class you took with Nancy Newman - help your classmates make informed decisions!