3.0
Quality3.3
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake97
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
97
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
22
3
20
2
23
1
11
What Students Say
“I haven't had any problems understanding him”
ECON339 - 5.0 rating“But I learned there are 137 tiles on the ceiling”
ECON130 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
MICRO120
5.0
(1)ECON339
5.0
(1)ECO130
4.5
(2)220
4.0
(1)ECON
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
MICROECONOMIC
5.0
ECO218
5.0
ECON121
4.5
120
4.0
IDS130
4.0
Reviews (97)
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
He's a nice teacher and supposedly a funny teacher.. but then his accent just makes it a bit hard to understand.. Overall a good teacher!
His accent made it so hard to understand I didn't bother going to class. my TA didn't speak english either.
Very funny. clear, simple explanations.
Proffessor's very funny, helpful, fun class-take it!!!
Micro & macro in 1 semester is hard. He went thru the class so fast & has illegible notes. He was MEAN, he would make fun of students who asked "stupid ?'s" My TA wasn't helpful. I hated his grading system, 1 wrong answer = 1% off your grade
Don't get me wrong, he's a VERY nice man, but cannot relate the material to students. My bro and I both had him and the experience was negative. He gives like 2 major tests so the pressure is on to do well...no extra credit or anything like that.
He is a funny guy, but his turkish accent is really thick. The class definately didn't hold my interest, and I wouldn't take it again. I only recommend this class for business majors not just a blow off social science.
the guy is funny but his teaching is boring and not helpful. he has a turkish accent, u need to paid close attention or u'll be totally lost. alot of graphs, graphs. da good news, he has a nice curve. i got a "C" by just doing the assignments(5) and going over my notes w/o doing any major reading.
Well, I went to class, read the book and studied, and still managed to fail my midterm! we'll see about the final. he's a nice guy, but does a poor job with teaching. does not expain stuff thoroughly, goes fast, and does not review well for exams. and since the final and midterm are worth most o
No Comments
I liked this teacher! He cracked funny jokes, during class and explained the material well. He also curves all of his exams. They are hard but its a huge curve. Take him, its worth it.
He is pretty good. Strong accent but understandable. He is also very funny.
Can not understand him at all! Going to his lectures are pointless. Tests are hard. There is no way to improve in the class because there are only 76 possible points. I failed a homework and the midterm and with the curve I'm getting a C. The curve is the only good thing about the class.
what is the curve in his class????
He was a great professor... he has huge curves: 2 tests two quizes a few homeworks and thats it.. there's a review session the TAz do.. very helpful.. overall easy class
welcoming personality
very good class... kinda hard to understand but you get used to it.... his tests are pretty hard but he curves too... go to the extra reviews... they help a lot
Dr. Akarca speaks broken English, which makes it hard to comprehend the lectures and he has no patience to explain the mateiral for than one time. The exams are hard! He's nice, but not a teacher material, especially at a university.
His tests tend to be fairly tricky so u have to make sure u study. Everything he says in lecture comes straight from the book. Lectures r really boring though. The review sessions are really really helpful before quizzes and exams.
Don't take him. Tests are hard, the dude doesn't know what he's talking about.
he does have a slight accent, but unlike some of the TA's and professors at UIC he's easy to understand. I would highly recomend this class, he explains topics well
No Comments
U do have to study for that class, his handouts are just the basics (take lot's of notes on them)
His class is pretty hard and are exams are even harder but if you go to classes and do your hw you can get a good grade. His curve is awesome but he expects a lot of his students which is a good thing and no matter how hard the class was i still got an A
Difficult class. Hard to understand proffesor unless you sit close to him while he lectures. best advice: sit close and go to head ta's review sessions, especially before exams.
he was a great professor as long as you pay attention in lecture you're set... 2 tests 2 quizzes a few homeworks... huge curves... reveiws for quizzes and tests... pretty easy
BORING! But I learned there are 137 tiles on the ceiling.
This professor had a good sense of humor but unless your looking for a laugh I would not take his class. He was SOO difficult to understand, very thick accent. The class in general is not difficult one but he just made it hard to follow. If your already in this class try switching or my best advice is work with the TA and study the book. Good luck
It is not easy to get a good grade in this class. His notes are very messy and illegible. The TAs are not that helpful either. The averages for exams were very low but the curves are decent. No extra credit is given, just be sure to turn in all assignments (there are not that many) and study your butt off for exams.
professor teaches good and curves are great.... doin't be lazy and go to lecture and read the book and u can get an A in the class
He can simplify the complex topics of economics. I had a new found interest in economics after his class. He's a GREAT teacher. Although, he does have an accent, so sit in the front.
he is a teacher. NEED TO READ THE BOOK. Best curves ever, which make u get an A:)
Difficult class, because some of the material is kind of 'abstract'. Some of the homework problems are tricky, and he tests more on the 'basic' rather than specifics. Read the book, do the homework, attend the lectures and review sessions...and you should be able to land a B.
TOUGH CLASS. TOUGH EXAMS AND HOMEWORK. YOU SHOULD DEFINETELY TAKE THIS CLASS JUST FOR THE CURVES BECAUSE THEY ARE AWESOME. IF YOU ARE AN AVERAGE STUDENT YOU SHOULD GET NO LOWER THAN A C. IF YOU STUDY HARD, NO LOWER THAN A B. TAKE HIM!!!
Second time with Akarca. He's not helpful, TA review sessions are useless. Tests are hard as hell, make sure to seek tutoring help from business floor. Also, tests are nothing like the sample exam. His handwriting is bad, barely legible. Overall, a tough class to ace but curves are decent.
never went to class. curves are great, hand in homework and read the book. should get a B or C with ease
He speaks with a thick accent and is thus impossible to understand. Attending lectures became pointless for me and it's impossible to learn much from the text because it's boring as hell. So it's a lose-lose situation. The class(Spring '07) average was predictably dreadful for the 1st test(which was quite tricky and tough).
Akarca definantly knows his stuff. However this class can be very challanging. There are only 2 tests and 5 homework assignments for a total of 75. If You mess one up your grade is affected greatly. Overall, he is a godd professor.
Very hard class! The guy is nice though but his accent could be difficult to understand. He gives out some awesome curves!
Hard class and hard material. He is willing to explain the material, but sometimes he still goes too fast and unclear. Tests are much harder than the practice tests, so be cautious and always do more study. However, he's very nice professor, HUGE CURVE at the end. WORK HARD to get an A or B!!
I went to his class for a two weeks and finally realized i had learned nothing at all. He's nearly impossible to understand, so I read the book and ended up with a hundred times better notes than the one he gives. My advice, ditch the lectures and just read on your own AND TAKE NOTES!!!
Yea i'm with that guy, this professor has a bad accent and tends to repeat the same thing over and over, using the same graph for every problem! read the book and forget about the class.
DO NOT listen to the two obvious high school dropouts below me. They will probably end up failing this class. You must attend his lectures, read the book, take good notes, and go to the review session in order to pass! I think the guy below me likes Smallville so that may suggest that he is a little "slow" if you catch my drift. STUDY HARD!
I understood about 5% of what he say so I never take notes and always leave at the break. This didn't kill me because I study the book very thoroughly and my TA rocks. I recommend attending classes, but it isn't vital. I've missed 6-7 classes and never sat through an entire lecture and I still have the third highest grade in a class of almost 300.
That horrible Turkish accent.. makes Economics a joke.
YES, he has an accent so what? Sit at the very front. Either attend lecture or read the book. Because everything he teaches is straight out of the book. Do the homework. HUGE curve great guy, just read the book and your are all good.
He has a tremendously thick accent. He often uses confusing analogies. Best bet is do all the homework and go to discussions.
No use going to class, can't understand what hes talking about...just draws a bunch of lines and graphs and goes off in tangents. Tests are REALLY hard, the book is very hard to understand too if no one is really teaching you. Strongly suggest to look for his alternative in this class.
This prof. is impossible to understand. curves are okay, but tests are made so you can fail, no matter how much you study. the textbook is even worse to understand. the discussion sections is what helped me pass. lectures are pointless.
he is really caring!
Bad teacher and bad textbook. Both are so hard to understand. The only thing he is good at is the curves cause they are like 8-15% and thats what saves most people. Only take him if you have no other choice.
if you really want to learn and take your test with out cheating you will love his class! he is a great prof., he helps and really understandable.
very thick accent. takes time to get used to what he's actually saying. I had him for econ 130+218, not a completely bad prof just difficult to keep awake during class. If you ask for help, he's more than happy to help you. if you attend class (and stay for 2nd half) he basicly gives away answers for the hmw. GREAT curves.overall,not completely bad
Personally I thought the class was VERY interesting & insightful. The material is somewhat tough, but once you get the hang of it you'll feel great. The book is used and helpful (at times). The professor was awesome, I just sat in the front rows to throw off the accent. He's realy intelligent and I assume helpful as he always offered to student
He is very hard to understand and it is easy to tune him out. You need to read the book and study to get through this class. The curve is great. Two tests are worth 80% of your grade and the hw is the other 20. I got a 70% on the first test and managed an A due to the curve
I consider myself very interested in economics and theory, but I was v disenchanted by the style of the class, the patronizing attitude he had with students, and also disagree with one of the class premises with is that the free market is the only answer, and that any constraints have a negative effect.
I had this teacher for both Econ 130 and 218 and while I would recommend him for 130 I would NOT take him for 218. The exams are meant for everyone to fail. You would be happy getting a low C! Nice guy but he should really lay off tricking students on the exams.
Very knowledgeable professor and his jokes are funny. If you take this professor you will definitely learn basics of econ, I had him for 130+218
Wow this teacher really knows what's up, he inspired me beyond belief and deserves something for his intelligence than just teaching at UIC. I've never met a professor who was so smart about Economics, it flowed off his tongue like second nature!
Great professor. Has accent but is not difficult to understand. Highly recommend if you want to learn...he has an extensive resume!
Has an accent but people that can't understand him are seriously stupid. Sit near the front. Most people don't come to lectures but he gives hints about homework and upcoming tests in lecture. A bit boring, though.
Accent isn't even noticable after a while. Gives monster curves. Knows his stuff
great economics teacher you will learn alot from this guy. his examples are very good so pay attenetion. lol he makes very funny jokes. make sure you show up to lecture becasue he goes over everything that will be on the test. His exams are hard but he gives awesome curves.
He is an awesome teahcer! He gets a little boring. Either read the book or pay attention in lecture. I had no interest in this class and thought it was going to be hard scince its macro and micro in one class but actually he splits it up. So one semester is micro the next is macro only two exams no final. Seriously awesome curves!
Accent...he's kind of funny
Good professor, knowledgable man, funny guy. The only problem is that most of the time I couldn't understand a word coming out of his mouth. This caused me to ditch class for the last five weeks, but still managed to get an A because the class is heavily based off the textbook.
Simple class, listen to professor, he explains everything. Nice guy, and pretty funny.
VERY funny guy. Its a simple class once you understand the basic concepts, which his TAs help with a LOT. I would recommend going to class though, otherwise it could get very confusing towards the end of the semester. And yes, he has a turkish accent but it's not hard to understand.
Look. The guy's funny, smart, and knows economics really well. I just wish he would invest (pun intended) in Rosetta Stone or attend an english-language class. It couldn't hurt. Otherwise, the class is heavily based off of the textbook. Read that and you're golden.
I've never had such a hard time learning a subject. His voice is monotone, his accent is thick, and he teaches straight out of the book. Reading the book can only take you so far.. On the plus side, his head TA is fantastic, and he's pretty funny.
I absolutely regret taking this class. I thought the tests were impossible & this is coming from a person that had prior knowledge of econ. There's 2 tests that constitute your entire grade & a couple homeworks that really have no impact on your grade. Please do not take this teacher. He made this subject so difficult because of his inflexibility.
Class was extremely useless. Lectures did not help, as I attended all besides one. Mr. Akarca would only teach supply and demand curves in a strong thick accent. Sturdy the book the book avoid lectures as discussion section was just as useless as Akarcas lectures.
Teaches straight out of the book, easy class. Bad accent but if you sit up front he's entirely understandable. Friendly to approach but the class material is dry.
Class is very dry and boring. I went to class and I could not understand anything because of his accent. I felt like all he did was draw the same supply and demand graph over and over again the whole semester. The tests were extremely hard even though they were multiple choice. I suggest not taking this class.
Materials are not easy but he grades with a huge curve. Go to his office and he will help you alot better than in lecture. The text book is a must,exams are mostly based on the book.2 quizes, 2 exams (1 midtern, 1 final), and 4-5 special HW's.If your TA is a good one, the TA will help you with your HW's so be friendly to your TA.lol
I don't know what everyone is talking about but his accent is not that thick at all. His english is very good actually. He is an awesome teacher, very nice, and really funny! If you want an A it is totally possible.
Fairly decent class. His accent isnt as bad as people think it is, hes extremely generous on his curves, and its VERY possible to get an A. Stay on top of your homework, and make sure you always get it in on time, show up to lecture with some redbull and kick back and soak in information and ull be good
Please save yourself the trouble and enroll with another professor. It is not for lack of interest; I love economics. I've gotten A's in all of my other econ courses. But this guy gave me the first and only C I've ever received at UIC.
The man knows his stuff but he doesn't use Blackboard, power points, or any form of tech for the class. He relays a lot of information in a short amount of time by drawing graphs. He doesn't give you a bottom line for topics and often didn't make clearly conclusive statements. Advice: read the book, pay attention, and write down EVERYTHING he says.
Take notes on the book and read the book. Only way your getting an A
He is a nice guy, but it is very hard to pay attention in his class especially with his accent. His way of grabbing students' attention is poor and the TA does not help. You have to go to class and read the book. His sample exams are not too bad compared to the test. If you really like econ take it with him, otherwise switch!!! (ECON 218)
His accent isn't really that bad, and he's actually pretty funny. He makes an effort to make himself available, but sometimes gets a tad frustrated when students ask question about simpler concepts. You definitely have to go to class and pay attention, but there's an ENORMOUS curve so if you get lower than a B you probably didn't do any work
I never went to class because it was 6pm-8:30pm so it's hard to rate him fairly. But he was almost impossible to understand. His Belgian accent is ridiculous. You need the book for homework. There was a midterm and a final. He's a nice guy, but I would say try looking around before settling with him.
Very difficult course. Only two exams, and required hmwk problems worth very low points. Attendance not mandatory but he counts it towards your grade at the end of the semester. Moderately hard material, but study guides were no where near the actual exams given in class. Okay guy, but tough teacher.
He's really not that bad. Don't go to class, just study the book and the study guide book. Sample exams are NOTHING like actual exams. Hard to pay attention for 2 hours so you'll end up not going but make sure you study the book.
He does have an accent but it is still easy to understand him. He's really nice and has good examples to help you understand the concepts. If you go to class and do the homework, it's very easy to get a good grade.
Take this class with him, if only for the jokes. This guy has a career in comedy, if the whole economics thing doesn't work out.
Spare yourselves, this guy is a joke. He tries but his accent is ridiculous once he gets on a tangent. He does nothing to really engage you either. He knows his stuff but good luck learning anything. Ive been struggling all semester and Im failing. Save your money.
Economy seems to be all common sense, but it is not as easy as one might think. Overall, the professor did his best to explain the material - gave useful examples and was always concerned about the class understanding the subject. I did not have a problem with his accent. He has a great sense of humor! Good professor.
This guy knows what he is talking about and he explains everything very clearly. He makes sure his students understand the material, instead of memorizing it. He does have an accent just like most people in this country. I haven't had any problems understanding him.
I can't even begin to explain how frustrating his class is. Obviously there is something wrong if the class average is like 40%. Just avoid him if you have to take econ121. Honestly up there as the worst class I've taken at UIC. Nice guy as a person just horrible at teaching.
I liked this guy. I showed up to every lecture and I got below the average on both quizzes. His quizzes were short answer and kind of difficult. I felt like the TAs were the problem with this course when I took it. This professor was very approachable. I earned less than half or around half the points in the course and I still passed, nice curve.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
MICRO120
5.0
(1)ECON339
5.0
(1)ECO130
4.5
(2)220
4.0
(1)ECON
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
MICROECONOMIC
5.0
ECO218
5.0
ECON121
4.5
120
4.0
IDS130
4.0