Introduction to Sociology, University of Minnesota, Spring 04 

Course Structure

“This was an overall great introductory class. We covered a broad amount of material, yet still managed to learn specific details. I would take another class with her.”

“I liked the variety of activities for such a long lecture. Did well keeping us engaged and challenging us to think. Thank you.”

“Lectures had a great mix of ways to teach, i.e. videos, guest lectures, activities, etc.”

Instructor Improvement 

“At first I thought that Trina wasn’t that good of a teacher, but after she explained herself to us it really made me respect her a lot more. I thought she did a great job as a first time instructor and I think I learned a lot from her. She seemed to care a lot about students concerns and was a good teacher.”

“Trina did an excellent job teaching considering this was her first time teaching. She really listened to the feedback from students and made modifications that maintained the integrity of the course but met the needs of the students. Trina’s presentation skills improved as the semester progressed. Trina also was great at integrating different media and learning methods in class. She really encouraged students to think and stretch themselves. Well Done!”

Sociology of the Family, University of Minnesota, Fall 04 

Course Content

“Great class. I learned a lot about my own family…”

“She is a great teacher and I had fun in her class- a valuable learning experience. I especially liked the final paper assignment.”

“I found this course to be an excellent course. Trina was exceptionally knowledgeable with the material. Her use of real-life examples made understanding ‘the family’ easier and brought new perspective to my view on families.”

“This was my favorite class this semester. I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this class. I feel I benefited greatly from the instruction, the assignments, and the discussions. This was one of the best classes I have taken at the U in terms of personal growth and learning. I had Trina as an instructor last year and found a dramatic improvement in her ability to teach. Maybe she is just more comfortable with this subject. Thanks for a great semester and the best of luck in the future.”

“I appreciated your knowledge throughout the course. You knew what you were talking about it and it showed.”

“This class was enjoyable in terms of people being able to freely discuss the various topics discussed in class. You didn’t always agree with everything said, but it was to have free discussions.”

“ I thought the course was interesting and enjoyed the easy going rapport with everyone in the class.”

“Good course. Instructor was interesting to listen to. She encouraged discussion and gave positive feedback.”

“Instructor, Trina, was a great lecturer. She was personable, clear (not many professors are) and easy to ask questions to. She actually cares about the success of her students.”

Sociology of Gender, University of Minnesota, Spring 05

Course Content/Service Learning

“I liked that we did service learning because I was able to see the material in class applied to real life. I did not like the service learning groups. They were too big and not helpful.”

“I liked the class-the topics, discussions, and movies were all interesting. The only difficulty I had was with reading comments on assignments. But I thought Trina was a great teacher.”

“This was a very interesting course because of the service learning involved. This was a wonderful way to make sociology come alive.”

“I really enjoyed this class. I hated writing the journals each week, but I understand why we did them. I think that you are a wonderful teacher and will be an excellent professor. I wish you the best of luck in the future. I wish you would have expanded upon the lectures that you are specializing in.”

“I had fun and learn a lot. I notice gender a lot more now in my everyday activities than I ever did before.”

Teaching Style

“Trina did an awesome job teaching and getting you to think. I never had a teacher that knew me personally. I felt she tried hard to know me and how things are going.”

“Trina is a really great instructor and knows a lot about the subject matter.”

Sociological Perspectives on Race, Class, Gender, University of Minnesota, Summer 05  

General Comments  

“This was a very challenging course, but I learned a lot. This subject is heard to teach and sometimes things got heated, but it only brought together the ideas. Trina was supportive and this class was great.”

“Overall this was a good course. The text was helpful and the instruction helped to supplement the reading.”

“You were a good teacher and you are very knowledgeable about this subject.”

“Good job Trina! I really enjoyed the class and actually had a good time-which is rare for most of my classes.”

“This course was inclusive of the race, class, and gender norms-and was very informative about how these norms are formed and kept alive.”

Sociological Perspectives on Race, Class, Gender, University of Minnesota,
Fall 05 

General Comments  

“The reaction papers were very helpful. They made me think about the reading every week. I gained a lot of knowledge. I have never covered Race, Class, and Gender before so everything was new to me.”

“The course was excellent. More class debate/discussion time. I learned a lot about intersectionality and would like to learn more about families.”

“Reaction papers and readings were a huge help. Not only does it make sure you read it made me rally think about what I read. There is no way I would have been leaving with so much knowledge. It has even changed my points of view about certain things.”

“The readings and reaction papers greatly increased my knowledge of the course subject and they allowed me to think and respond to the course materials in a more in-depth way, which greatly improved my learning. “

“Without the readings and writing assignments I would not have been able to apply the lesions learned to real situations. They also made me think about the issues from different points of view. “

Sociology of Gender, University of Minnesota, Fall 06

Teaching Style 

“Trina was a great instructor with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. You can tell she loves her job.”

“Very helpful and easy to talk with, thank you!”

“Trina was an exceptional teacher.”

“I loved having Trina-perfect combination of challenging in-depth course work and accessible, talented instructor. It was a great memorable experience.”

“ I really enjoyed the course material. I like that you were available to students and very understanding of special circumstances.”

“For what could have been a class I always wanted to skip (long and on Thursday nights) I never actually missed one. Opinions were well heard and the teaching style is easy to go along with-always available to meet and get feedback outside of class. Thoroughly enjoyed it and would take another class with this teacher.”

“I had lots of fun with this course because of Trina’s upbeat attitude and ability to facilitate group discussions.”

“The course materials were excellent and the lectures were delivered in an interesting manner that made following a lecture easy.”

General Comments 

“My best soc course yet!!!”

“Excellent teacher. Highly recommended.”

“This was by far my most favorite class at the U of M.”

“In my four years here, this was the first class I was actually not looking forward to ending.”

Family & Society, Inverhills Community College, Fall 05

Course Content

“A lot of what I have learned in this class I have been able to apply to my own life and family.…I loved the teacher and coming to this class”

“I’ve used what you taught us to teach others already.…Loved the class and participation time. Learning was fun and I believe all teachers should teach that way.”

“ I liked this class because you can use/relate the information to your own life.”

“From this class I have a better understanding of various backgrounds and can be open to varied opinions.”

Teaching Style

“Trina is very approachable and always let everyone share their opinions”

“This was a very fun class to take. Everyone had a chance to voice their opinion.”

“I feel that she knew a great deal about what she talked about.”

Family & Society, Inverhills Community College, Spring  05

Course Content

“..learning about the diversity of families and relationships will really help me view others with an open mind.”

“Because I see much diversity in my job, I will take a better understanding to a lot of individuals that I have contact with and will not be so quick to judge or label them.”

“I look at how much I have learned from my family about life and I have been able to understand better my view and what I believe a family is because of that. I can use everything that was taught in this class and use it later in life.”

Teaching Style

 “ I love being in a class where instructors have a real passion for the topic and I saw that a lot here. Thanks.”

“This class was great.  {Trina was} very knowledgeable and perfect for subject.”