Renee Thompson

4-6 hrs/week

interesting, easy, and straightforward. only reviewed slides as review material and it was enough to get a solid A

5/21/2024

2 or less hrs/week

super interesting class and not bad at all. tests are all memorization of material from lecture. they said the textbook was required, but i did just fine without it, since pretty much everything was covered in lecture

5/18/2024

This course was extremely hard for me. The lectures went so fast, and no videos were posted. Dr. Thompson is not understanding or friendly towards students, and is clearly at the university as a researcher. If you're interested in psychopathology, take it another semester with a different professor. The lectures are not helpful for success.

5/8/2024

As a Psychology major who has gotten As in all other psych classes, this class was harder than I expected. Lectures went too fast for me to keep up and readings took a long time. I could not figure out what to do in order to succeed in this class. The only reason I have an OK grade is because I had friends in the class who seemed to understand.

5/7/2023

Pretty much your whole grade is made up of 4 50 questions MCQ exams, the questions aren't hard but they are focused on the textbook which you have to read. She records the lectures but you have to request them. She's fine but she doesn't really care about making personal connections. The TAs also grade hard on the few homework assignments.

3/1/2023

Renee Thompson is not a good lecturer. She is VERY dull, passive-aggressive, and condescending. She often doesn't know how to answer students' questions during lectures and her office hours are a waste of time. Final grades aren't out yet but I've had an A- all semester. The class is easy enough if you attend the lectures and read the textbook.

5/11/2022

Huge reason im leaving WashU. Students often triggered by class, bc the professor gave no warnings before graphic topics. Emails were not responded to, however personal they were. If you dont like a lot of reading, lectures, or multiple-choice tests, you wont get a good grade. If youre highly interested in the topics, that helps carry you through.

5/10/2022

Good class, it's just a lecture so you pretty much have to go everyday if you want to get the material. No recorded poll everywhere and the slides are posted online. She does go through the slides pretty fast though so I would recommend taking notes on your computer or else you will fall behind. Interesting class, would recommend.

3/11/2022

I loved this class because it (like most psych classes at WashU) was very clear what was expected of you. Show up to lecture, take notes, and study textbook material, and you should be good. It was also pretty interesting. Since the requirements were really clear, this was never a class that gave me too much stress.

5/8/2020

Thompson is a good lecturer, she tries to find videos and examples for class that are engaging and interesting to students that help you understand material. To do well in class, you must read the textbook and also go to lecture and study both. It is a great class but you must work hard to do well

8/28/2018

Must pay close attention to lecture coz there are blanks in lecture slides you must fill out and these will be tested. Exams test a lot from textbook which she doesnt cover during lecture, so catch up with reading! Exams are not easy, assignments can be buffer but there is no reminder or announcement. Lectures are boring.

4/1/2018

Not a good lecturer, sometimes seem lost. But she tries to make up for it with videos and class discussion. She also gives assignments as a buffer for exams which is very nice. Her lectures could get very boring because of her teaching style and the materials are very set and structured. But try to go to class as her demonstrations could be useful.

3/23/2017

She largely reads off the slides, but often throws in explanation that's not on them, so you need to go to class. The class started to get boring and monotonous toward the end since all of the lectures were structured the same, but the material is insightful and makes you more aware of stigma. Tests aren't too bad if you study and go to lecture.

5/12/2016

Presented material in clear and concise manner. Made lectures interesting with special topics, videos, and supplementary assignments. Always available outside of class and very interested in students' feedback

8/17/2015

Not a great lecturer, but she's funnygenuine and clearly invested and passionate about her class. I appreciated her sensitivity to the subject of stigma towards mental illness. Open to answering questions in class. Tests are difficult but not unfair. Would definitely recommend this class, but wouldn't necessarily recommend her as a prof.

3/5/2015

She can be a little dry during lecture, but it was her first year teaching so that's understandable. She's pretty helpful if you talk to her outside of class, and if you had a problem with a test question she genuinely wants to know how to improve things in the future and help out students.

8/9/2014

She straight up reads off the slides and doesn't post them on blackboard until 5 mins before class. Annoying, but I'll cut her some slack since this is her first class. The exams are easy other than a few misleading (or poorly written) questions. Very attractive.

4/8/2013

Just reads from slides, tries to trick you on exams, and makes a class that should be fascinating extremely boring. I was so upset.

3/5/2013