[~*Sara*~]

Course code changed from Geront 1A03(see previous reviews here) to Hth Age 1BB3. This is a review I posted as a response in another thread:
I'm just finished the course last term, Fall 2010. The topics covered deal with "Aging and society." Workload is okay, about 20-40 pages of reading per week, and you're expected to read it before going to class. But really you can read if before the midterm/final and you'll be fine. There's terms and theories and stuff that you have to know, but I didn't feel like it was too much work because I was actually interested in it. There's a volunteering or discussion group component which you have to go to for at least 1 hour a week. I personally loved the discussion group and I loved it. I volunteered before at a nursing home, and although it's an equally rewarding experience, I didn't interact with the residents as much, simply because it was so large and I only went 3 hours a week and I barely interacted with the same people twice. Also, it's really hard for someone to monitor you or give you a specific task (usually), so you're more into finding stuff to do yourself. That's how it was for me anyway. But all the people who volunteered did get their 10% full. The discussion groups however were with 2 older adults and I loved just listening to their stories, share their opinions and points of view on certain topics we discussed in the presentation. It was such a valuable experience and I'm glad I did it despite being a little iffy and nervous about it at the beginning. Also, the class assistants were super nice and we all got 10% if we didn't miss any discussion groups and such. It was definitely worth it! Also, it's on campus and you don't have to go anywhere and the sign up process is less of a hassle than volunteering (get there early to get your preferred timeslot and topic!)And at the end of the term there's a reflection assignment on that experience, not an essay per se, but just a reflection paper. And these are the titles of the chapters we cover:
-Myths, stereotypes and cultural images of aging
-Theories on Aging
-Research Issues and Methods
-Historical Perspectives
-Demographics of Aging in Canada
-The Aging body
-The Aging mind
-Psychological Aspects of aging
-Health care in Canada
-Long-term Care in Canada
-Family life and social support in later life
-Work, income and retirement in later life
-Sexuality and aging
-Ethnicity and aging
-Abuse against older people
-Religion and spirituality
-End of life issues

Also, course breakdown is as follows:
Tutorial attendance (5 biweekly) 10%
Discussion group/placement attendance+ contribution 10%
Midterm 20%
Reflection paper 20%
Final 40%
Also, I attached the outline here Hth Age 1BB3.PDF

Feel free to PM me for further questions about the course. Also, note that these ratings are based on my personal interest and opinions of the course. It's not a guaranteed high mark for sure, and the class average is around 67% as most first year courses. But if you put in a little effort and interest into it, I think it makes the experience much more worthwhile.

For older reviews of the course, please check this thread: http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...3#p ost251413
The course components haven't changed so they still apply however, just the course code has changed .

I enjoyed this course a lot. I didn't find the workload heavy at all compared to other courses and I thought Professor Joshi was a good prof, you can tell she enjoys teaching and generally cares about her students doing well. I did a volunteer placement at a senior's centre and it was a good experience, all the people we really friendly towards me. I didn't find the tutorials very helpful in relation to learning the material but they weren't terrible either, my TA was really nice. Overall a pretty good course and I would recommend it as an elective to others.

1BB3 SUMMER SCHOOL Prof. Yvonne LeBlanc
Mark breakdown:
25% Midterm
35% Integrative Reflection Assignment
40% Exam

Overall for a summer school course I find its not bad.
You can easily do very well on the paper if you put some decent effort into it (and you get 10% completion mark on it for just handing in an outline). LeBlanc gives some really vaguely stated MC unfortunately so people don't do crazy well on the midterms (average was a 72%) and exam.
The course content is very easy- somewhat interesting to learn about, but very boring to study (as it seems like common sense). Overall a decent course- there's A LOT of reading though in a short 6 week span (that's 14 chapters in 6 weeks), but it IS doable and a good option if you need to fill up a soc sci course requirement.

Hope this helps

1BB3 SUMMER SCHOOL Prof. Yvonne LeBlanc
Mark breakdown:
25% Midterm
35% Integrative Reflection Assignment (10% outline + 25% final paper)
40% Exam

Overall for a summer school course I find its not bad.
You can easily do very well on the paper if you put some decent effort into it (and you get 10% completion mark on it for just handing in an outline). LeBlanc gives some really vaguely stated MC unfortunately so people don't do crazy well on the midterms (average was a 72%) and exam.
The course content is very easy- somewhat interesting to learn about, but very boring to study (as it seems like common sense). Overall a decent course- there's A LOT of reading though in a short 6 week span (that's 14 chapters in 6 weeks), but it IS doable and a good option if you need to fill up a soc sci course requirement.

Prof in my opinion was an easy marker on the reflection paper- however she is a little bit slow in class and there is A LOT of group discussion during class (which gets very boring when only 3 people or something are talking). She says that you dont have to know names on the midterm... be warned there were a few...but other than that she seems nice.

Hope this helps

(oops for the double post)

Im going into Life Science in September and I'm looking for a relatively easy elective, one that doesn't take up a great deal of time and is easy in terms of marks (I know, Im dreaming ). Would you say that this course fulfills both of those or is there a fair amount of work?

Originally Posted by Bulfon

Im going into Life Science in September and I'm looking for a relatively easy elective, one that doesn't take up a great deal of time and is easy in terms of marks (I know, Im dreaming ). Would you say that this course fulfills both of those or is there a fair amount of work?

I already addressed this in the review. The course is certainly not a walk-in-the-park. It requires a fair amount of work put in to end up with a decent mark. There's about 20 or so pages of reading per week so it's definitely not bad. However, if you have no interest in the material, I know a lot of people who put them off till before the midterm which can be a lot to handle. 10% is just given for showing up as participation. and the 20% paper was marked fairly as long as you personalized it and proof-read it while following all instructions, a lot of people ended up with an 85+%. Also, for volunteerng/DG, it was also an easy 10% as long as you showed up and participated. Overall, not bad at all, but I was truly interested in the material. Let me know if you have any more questins

I was thinking about taking this course or anthropology 1a03. which course do you think would be more interesting or easier (less essay writing lol)?

Originally Posted by slickjames

I was thinking about taking this course or anthropology 1a03. which course do you think would be more interesting or easier (less essay writing lol)?

Haven't taken anthro but I definitely recommend 1BB3. There's only 1 reflection paper that's VERY informal. The average for the class was like an 80 and a lot of people got 90+, so it's not exactly an essay per se. If you're interested in the topic, I'm sure you'll enjoy it .

Originally Posted by slickjames

I was thinking about taking this course or anthropology 1a03. which course do you think would be more interesting or easier (less essay writing lol)?

I took anthro 1a03 with dr arratia and it was relatively easy compared to my other courses, you have online quizzes to do which really helped me keep up with readings, there was an essay though and a multiple choice final which i finished super fast and was surprised. If you kept up with the quizzes and did readings then you are golden.

Hey Sara,
So you have the choice to do volunteering or a discussion group?
What one would you recommend?
The paper is a reflection of either the volunteering or DG, correct?
Thanks a lot

Originally Posted by Biochem47

Hey Sara,
So you have the choice to do volunteering or a discussion group?
What one would you recommend?
The paper is a reflection of either the volunteering or DG, correct?
Thanks a lot

Yes you have the choice of volunteering or a DG. I recommend the DG because not only was it easier to sign up (less forms involved i.e. no police check, safety form etc) but also because it was right on campus. To add, I really felt like I learned a lot and had more to write for the reflection paper. Those I know who did volunteering really ended up doing paperwork, or visiting with the residents, etc. But the idea I got is that there wasn't a lot of interaction between them and the residents, and it makes sense because it was only an hour a week. But with the DG, you really get to talk about the topics we discussed in class and that makes it MUCH easier when writing your reflection. And yes, the reflection is of either the volunteering or the DG.

hello guys and gals!

So Im wondering:?.... will 1bb3 easier than 1aa3? for those who take the course is this more of an english (humanity) essay where you argue it based on a literary text or is it more factual (or more science style)?

Please response asap, thanks =)

Originally Posted by keiser=)

hello guys and gals!

So Im wondering:?.... will 1bb3 easier than 1aa3? for those who take the course is this more of an english (humanity) essay where you argue it based on a literary text or is it more factual (or more science style)?

Please response asap, thanks =)

I haven't taken 1AA3 so I can't compare. But for the reflection paper, like I already mentioned, it's a reflection. So it's neither a humanities-style essay nor is it a scientific factual one. It's more like a formal journal entry where you need to include certain criteria in order to get a good mark.

I took 1 AA3 and found that one easy as long as you attend lectures. tutorials and do your readings you are guaranteed a C if you can remember stuff well and put a bit of effort and do the reflection papers following the guidelines you can get a B and if you study on top of all that you get in the A range. Results may vary this is just based on mine n my friends performance that took the course.