this professor was very knowledgeable in the subject and clearly wanted us to learn, but she was hostile and unapproachable. She is the most judgmental professor I have ever taken, and I just did not enjoy this class at all. The course load is heavy, and she makes the class more stressful than necessary. She made me discouraged to take more Spanish classes.
I went into this class excited and hoping to minor in Spanish. After having Professor Poveda, I changed my mind and will never take another Spanish class at UVA. She had clear favorites, and grading was so subjective and unfair time and time again. She allowed three absences in the syllabus but would still doc points from participation if you used them. My roommate got very sick and needed to go to the emergency room one time, and she still would not allow me an excused absence to take her to the hospital. I worked so hard and felt as though my efforts were never acknowledged by her. Her grading on the tests may be easy, but, in my opinion, it doesn't make the class as a whole worth it. Take this class with any other professor if you don't plan on making Spanish your whole life.
I absolutely loved this class! Professor Poveda is very engaging and always keeps the class interesting. She really does want all of her students to succeed, and I found that her office hours were really helpful. This class isn't very hard and you're graded fairly, but is very grammar heavy fyi.
