2.6
Quality3.1
Difficulty38%
Would Retake103
Reviews38%
Would Retake
103
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
18
3
8
2
20
1
35
What Students Say
“I hate to speak ill of anyone but she was by far the worst prof Ive ever had”
SOCI261 - 2.0 rating“Reading the textbook is essential because of this”
SOCI261 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
53%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.50 avg changeRatings by Course
CRIMINOLOGY
5.0
(1)SOCZ203
5.0
(1)CRIME
5.0
(1)SOC353
5.0
(1)SOCI352
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
SOCI366
5.0
ANTH353
4.0
SOCI3XX
4.0
SOCI358
4.0
SOC230
4.0
Reviews (103)
The worst teacher ever!!! I mean it. Borring, unhelpful, does not have any idea of what she is talking about!!!
She is one of the best professors. She is very clear, goes by the outline and if you do what is on the outline and do your readings,basically your on your way to a good grade. Don't ecept she will do favors cause that's being a baby. She's reasonable.
Oh my... Her teaching approach is a real waste of time!!! I don't feel like I have learned anything in her class. All exams are multiple choice, which include stats and names! The worst class ever!
Took an interesting topic and butchered it. Has no opinion and will agree with everyone regardless of what she said before. Unhelpful and pointless. The exams were not as listed on the course outline.
Very nice and easy going. By following the readings, you should be fine.Her class is very interesting .Very easy to talk to and very friendly.Try her cause either you love her or you don't.The ones that don't like her are the ones that failed.
Loved her as a teacher. What an interesting lady. Has lots of real life experience in what she teacher (Juvenile Delinquents). Is very open to peoples comments and opinions. Love her oral presentation assignment instead of taking a final exam.!
The best professor ever. She knows what she is talking about. The readings she chooses are easy and interesting. Loved how she invited real life convicts to speak to the class. Definitely the best professor in the world! Her exams are very straight forward.
so easy and so laid back
Very knowledgable but extremely lazy. Exams were downloaded from publisher website and only covered the text, which she didn't.
The good part about the class is that no book was required.she demanded that we not write on the question sheet and for the 2nd one she squeezed about 80 questions onto 1.5 sheets back and front, some of the questions were so close together it was confusing.exams were terrible,subject was boring.
A really interesting lady. SHe really encourages class discussion which is great. This class is very easy.
Take this class if you don't like to have to work, pay for course materials, or learn anything. Do not take this class if you like to have mentally balanced professors who understand their material. I could have done a better job teaching this class myself!
this woman is unlikeable and snappy...she is not apprachable at all...if you don't write exactly what she had in mind then kiss that godd grade good bye. She butchered that interesting material and made it as boring as humanly possible. hated her and would avoid her at all costs
Easy class, fairly clear. Make sure you read the material because she teaches all kinds of random things in class that account for 2% of the exam. The rest is from the book. It's misleading because so much time is spent on notes you won't expect to have so much uncovered material in her exams.She's a good person though, very nice and aapproachable.
AMAZING teacher. Very easy grader, and interesting class material. So many people b*tched about her exams- despite the fact that she told you EXACTLY what she's going to ask you. Which leads me to believe that many people in my class are complete idiots.
This is by far the most unorganized prof I have had to date. The few lectures she actually did were uninspired, uninformative, confusing and just plain bad. She pawns off the class work to the students by requiring a dumb oral project and a 20 page paper on a subject that could easily be done in ten. my advice AVOID THIS CLASS
Easy course (xchoice exams) If you're looking for an easy/interesting 300 level soci course, this is it.
i cant stand this teacher, she has no brain and is mean and snappy. if u dont kiss her ass, u will be in her bad books.
Terrible teacher, ignorant and judgmental. How she got a PhD in sociology is beyond me. Does not even correct assignments. Sure if you want an easy class take hers but beware of her lack of organization, peachiness, and IGNORANCE. I wouldn’t recommend her to my enemy. For a good grade on assignments make sure there is lots a pretty pictures!
DO NOT TAKE HER CLASSES, unless of course you want to pay lots of money to read a textbook by yourself. Unreasonable exams, unprofessional and disorganized. Has potential to be interesting...
BEWARE. Social problems class is easy (exams piece of cake). Social Deviance, she's a totally different teacher... Exams are super hard, questions don't make sense and are made to fool you. Teacher loses train of thought alot. Great part: the criminal guest speakers... AWESOME!!!! You get to ask them anything about their crimes.
Excellent teaching abilities, she is very fair her assignments are simple and she gives you more info when you ask, she is very approachable. she knows her stuff! Enjoyed her class wish she was teaching 400 level classes!
super easy, I'm a stoner and literally got an A+ , just the do her assignments and ur garrenteed to boost ur GPA
She's ok....Her class was interesting and it did not require a textbook. Her assignments were pretty easy too. However, her exams are VERY confusing... but in the end, it's a pretty simple class to take... just make sure to pay attention!
Amazing course, mostly because she taught it. She's a very interesting professor that makes the class entertaining for her students. Loved her class. She's very nice as well.
very judgemental and rude, talks down to students. Gives dirty looks
at first she comes off rude but then she warms up...she is a very good teacher but is set in her ways. there is no text book which is great except u have to go to class or u miss a whole section of notes.her exams are a little tough and tricky but u get to choose to do an oral instead of the final which is a given 20 marks
Very good teacher BUT her exams are so TRICKY...the class is really interesting BUT it seems that she trying to fail students on purpose. Good Luck
Very good teacher. EASY EXAMS...Fun to liste to, especially when she talks about past expriences related to the course. It's worth taking her classes.
I was very surprised to read all the negative comments about this prof. I loved her class!! I though she was very knowledgeable and intersting! She invites convicts to the class which is also great. Her exams are not that hard (all multiple choice/true or false)read the text! Assignment easy!! I would definetly take another class with her !!
She is an amazing teacher!! Her class is one of the classes i looked forward to go to!! She makes it very interesting and you would love to listen to her stories!!! I would def take her again!!
She knows nothing, she is **** and she does not teach. I have taken many classes in Anthro/Soci at Concordia, and she makes even the bad ones look good. Absolutely horrible class, horrible teacher. The exam was very detailed and very hard, BUT SHE DID NOT TEACH ANY OF THE MATERIAL. It seems that everyone is the class agrees with this. rude, mean.
she's really easy to listen to, and she makes a 2 hour class pass fast. i love her stories and you can tell she's passionate about the material. i loved the prison inmate she brought to class! amazing. her tests, although multiple choice and true or false, are pretty challenging and you really need to know the book inside out
she is the Worst don't take this calss
GOOD TOPIC BUT BAD TEACHER...SHE'S MEAN...HER EXAMS ARE SO HARD AND COMPLICATED...
I had her for SOCI 203 and did not remember her being so difficult. She is unfair in her exams and it almost seems like she wants people to do badly. Her stories are fun but useless when it comes time for the exams. I would never take her again.
SO USELESS. SO RUDE. DO NOT TAKE ANY CLASS WITH THIS MISERABLE PERSON
she is very rude, and thinks she is better than everyone. She cuts you off if you are asking a question, and her e-mail responses are curt and unhelpful. In the 1st lecture she said if there is a death in the family you need an obituary and letter from funeral home! Says she will humiliate you if you leave part way through class. unreasonable tests
she was very unhelpful and not accommodating for any given situation. After taking her class i realized nothing, don't take it.
she is the worst teacher i ever have had. She doesn't listen to anyone and makes her exams impossible. I am an A student and came out with a B+. If you want to keep your GPA up and learn a lot, you should definitely not take her. I have never encountered such a horrible teacher. Why she has a decent rating i don't know. My entire class hated her.
Bad teacher. I think she's still there because she gives the teacher evaluation form the last day of class, the week after the final exam! (when no one will show up to class). Make sure you show up to the last class, even if it's just to let administration know how horrible she is!
This is my second time taking Barbra Ruttenberg and I absolutly love her!!! There is a lot of info but she makes sure that everyone has all the info needed!!! Always gives examples relaiting to what she is teaching and simply leeps the class upbeat!! Deffinatly take her for Soci of communit and crime and delinquincy!!!!!! AMAZING
Don't forget people! She gives out the teacher's evaluation on the last day of classes! After the exam! Which means! No one will attend, unless they have a presentation! REMEMBER! GO TO THE LAST CLASS! It is time for her to debunk from there and let a more reasonable and HUMANE person to teach the course!
What a fabulous and engaging teacher! She explains everything very well and goes out of her way to bring in interesting guest speakers. She gives all the tools necessary to succeed. Unfortunately some students would rather blame her for their poor grades than their own poor study ethics and non-attendance in class. Don't listen to their bitterness
horrible teacher. very unfair too. she granted me an extension then refused to accept my term paper for some reason cause it was "late." shes cooky, and very painful to listen to once a week.
horrible teacher, very hard exams which require you to know ridiculous details from textbook that she does not teach in class. also you are expected to know multiple articles which she does not email or photocopy for the class. instead she leaves one copy of each in the sociology lab which is only open limited hours. very miserable person
She is the worst teach ever i have ever had. DO NO TAKE HER. If you desire to learn, do not take her. Take professor Fremblay. She teaches sociology of juvenille delinquency and a class on deviance. Though i got a good grade, Ruttenberg is one of the worst intentioned people i know. AS I SAID DO NOT TAKE HER.
Worst teacher i have ever had. Look at others comments and do not make your life worse by taking her. she will make you cry, not from your grade either. I am a straight A student and got a B+ by memorizing the textbook word for word. She sucks at teaching and at communicating
Actually, she is not deserved to be a university instructor; instead, she is making a living for herself! She is too lazy to make exam papers. I tried my best to memorize all the stuff in order to get a satisfactory grade in the end! She is a poor instructor!!!
very rude and obnoxiousm, very disrespectful towards her students
PROs: friendly, approachable, a nice person (unless you do something to upset her). Emphasis on group presentations makes for fun times and new friends. CONs: lectures are pointless. Just read the book chapters and the readings five times over. Exams are incredibly technical and difficult. Highlight the names of who said what if you want to do well
very rude, not helpful and has irrelevant class discussions!!!! AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!!
very rude, not helpful and has irrelevant class discussions!!!! AVOID!!!
Class was on Saturday. She's clear and direct. Knows her stuff. Lectures are important - whatever is covered in class is in exams. NO TXT books required. 2 multiple choice exams & 1 group presentation. EASY A.
I am taking her class now I find her very rude and patronizing towards her students. This professor clearly knows the content well but has zero respect for students. I saw her yell at another student the other week unnecessarily in front of all the other students!
Prof was completely unhelpful. She does not have respect for students that university professors should have and she does not care if you are sick or anything despite having a medical note. she will give you a very hard time. AVOID
i got a good grade (the second highest in the class -though it was only an A-), however, she is a horrible teacher. she is one of the professors that thinks that everything they say is innovative and correct but not her students. AVOID HER. She should not be working with students (as well as people in general). vague multiple choice questions!
She was funny and amazing, the whole class was about discussion between students and herself. It was in our hands to make it interesting. This class was until 11pm and I still didn't want to miss any of them!
She is all over the place, hard to understand as she has a heavy accent. There were two exams, multiple choice & written. Very text specific questions for multiple choice.one final paper, which you should start ASAP as it's complicated.Not helpful when you go see her for questions.Attend class as movies watched are on exam.I wouldn't take her again
This professor can be pretty abrasive and harsh. she does stimulate great class discussion and is a dramatic orator. You will NOT fall asleep in this course. Final exam is brutal; 140 questions with the most minute useless details. Get ready to memorize the textbook. Not a hard marker though. A great learning opportunity.
Not an interesting class. The prof tries to stimulate the class but she's not posting any notes online which makes it very hard to study for exams since she makes summary of the textbook. Just read the textbook if you wanna have an A
Okay so this is my second time taking a class with her and I must admit her classes are extremely interesting, I hate missing any one of them. That being said, she isn't the most approachable teacher around. She has this really mean attitude, her quizzes require a lot of memorization and her multiple choice questions are extremely specific.
I have taken this teacher twice before, at the beginning it was difficult to adjust to her teaching methods. She gives out a lot of in class assaignements but they are interesting. After a while you get use to her, I really enjoyed her as a teacher. If I could I would take her again!
Her lectures are interesting but don't feel all that relevant. She'll go on and on with anecdotes that are basically useless towards our learning. Evaluations are straight forward, 1 research paper, 2 in-class assignments and 2 multiple choice exams. If you do your readings, you can skip every non-assignment class and do well on the exams.
Professor Ruttenberg does interesting lectures and her anecdotes are funny. She is frank, direct, and honest, but she is also kind and approachable. The tests and in-class assignments are not very difficult, provided that you do the readings, show up to class, and study. I would definitely take her classes again.
I didn't find her approach to teaching all that conducive to learning. She doesn't do much coverage of the course material in class, & instead spends lots of time on anecdotes. Reading the textbook is essential because of this. Now, don't get me wrong, anecdotes can be incredibly powerful in augmenting the learning process... if used strategically.
teaches without any text books yet questions were based on what she had in mind and not what was taught. Not practical, don't answer questions during exams and always late for classes. Not approachable and impatient. Will not take this teacher again, but asked us to give good feedback, cause she has to teach other class. DID NOT ENJOY HER CLASSES.
Barbara is hilarious, sometimes in a problematic but harmless way which makes all of her classes interesting. Lots of class discussions, she loves to hear students' thoughts and opinions. Multiple choice and true or false exams that are very specific and easy to do bad on. If you take her more than once, youll probably have the same guest speaker
I was really happy taking her class, she is engaging, thoughtful and yes she is frank and direct but she truly cares about her students. As long as you give the text a once over, and show up to class, her exams are multiple choice, and her take home assignments are very clear. It's easy to do well, she wants you to do well.
Overall she is a good teacher, she really cares about her students and is passionate about what she teaches. On the other hand, she only posts the highlights of each lecture on moodle; therefore, you have to study the entire chapters (20 pages each) in order to pass the class. She doesn't specify what is on the exams which makes the studying heavy
Stopped going to class after 3 lectures because of how terribly she ran the course. I hate to speak ill of anyone but she was by far the worst prof Ive ever had
Honestly, this teacher was horrible. Choosing a class at 7:15 am was my fault but she made it unbearable. She was a horrible teacher and if your opinion did not match hers, you're the one who is wrong. Weed was being legalized during our semester and she was CONVINCED we would all come to class high and spent 3 classes talking about this.
Can someone please tell her that is a 200level class ? And not a grad school course? If you take her class memorize every single word of the book before going to the exam . She was not kidding when she said it was detailed . Please save yourself and dont take this class with her .
She's is very rude to students, openly makes fun of people that she thinks is funny but its just awkward. She marks assignments easily but exams are hard and detailed multiple choice questions. You Need to read the textbook and know every little detail for the exam. overall, the class is interesting but I wouldn't take her again or recommend her
Ruttenberg is an amazing teacher. She cares that her students pass. she is very sarcastic so if you're sensitive i would not recommend her to you. Easily accessible, exams are 100 questions multiple choice which is very specific straight out of the book
Horrible multiple choice exams that are worded very poorly in order to confuse you and mix you up. Will not answer questions about exams or your grades. Very unapproachable. This class is not for students who want to learn, but for students who want to memorize minute details and confuse your brain in horribly constructed multiple choice exams.
Shes an amazing teacher . Her sarcasm is hilarious. Class discussions super interesting. Anyone who thinks her exams are hard simply did not do the reading. I have her for 2 classes and the exams were both easy and straight out of the readings. I wish I could take another class with her
I don't understand how her rating is so low. She was so nice and always made sure we understood. She is very knowledgeable and she made class interactive and interesting. I admit the assignments were a little tough, and the wording in the multiple choices exams was annoying, but that's just part of the multiple choice nature.
I loved this teacher! Shes hilarious but can sound harsh at times when you ask questions but its mostly because she just answered them or shes about to. You need to prepare yourself to take notes and read every page she assigns in the text book. Exams can be heavy as its 100 or more multiple choice questions. Overall, I would take her again!
Look, just don't take her class. Her exams are a complete joke (45-90 question multiple-choice?). Lectures are brutal, 2-3/4 hours with zero breaks, zero slides, and speeds through to the end. Expectations were seriously high for the group project, (oh yeah, 40-minute oral presentation with your group). Marked on trivial things as well. Don't take!
I had her for 2 courses one semester and found her easy to talk to. It's clear that she thinks critically about her behaviours and policies as an instructor and I really appreciate that. I also really respect how smart she is (compared to some profs) and she's really open to critical discussion. Big recommend her if you're interested in sociology!
The prof was super generous with grades. The class average was really high. Also, she is very reachable! Really recommended
She really cares for her students but isn't a pushover. A lot of assignments, but all pretty easy. Mandatory participation, if you're present and do everything then you can skip the final. I recommend buying the online version of the textbook, you can ctrl+f the whole exam word-for-word.
I cannot believe the ridiculous nature of her assignments. Having groups of 7 summarizing 3 pages INTO 6pages! The assignments actually detracted from the learning and I came out of the class with less knowledge than going in lol. textbook is very biased and tests are over 70 multiple choice questions on super specific stuff
Lots of group assignments, tough grading, and worst of all when I confronted her about incorrectly marking a few questions on my exam, for which I brought proof from the textbook, she told me it 'wasn't up for debate' and refused to even speak to me about it. She says she cares about her students... but fails to show it. Good luck fr
It is a mandatory course for the program, so there isn't much you can do about choice in professor. I highly suggest attending ALL lectures; the 1 makeup assignment you are allowed is the same one that is made for 8 people. There is no grading criteria for the assignments, so expect 70s, maybe 80s. I like her person, but she is not accommodating.
Unnecessarily rude and snappy then wonders why students don't like her. So many group projects (easy) but she marks hard for no reason. Changes the syllabus whenever she wants which makes everything confusing. Wouldn't recommend.
Lots of group projects, hard grader on very simple assignments. Rude and condescending to students, hard to approach.
the assignments are all group assignments and they are all extremely easy, but graded harshly. A lot of the assignments feel lack luster to what the text book has to offer. The exams were long and asked very specific questions from the textbook, and even though its open book many people got low marks and I'm not sure why.
A couple group assignments in class and 2 open book exam with about 100 mcq. Exams are long but are pretty straightforward and easy. Personally really liked her even though some found her a bit rude! Honestly think shes just misunderstood because she sometimes doesnt react well to silly commentary. Took her for 2 classes and got As in both!
Her assignments are pretty easy but she grades them harshly. There are group activities almost every class and several group assignments, so you end up spending a lot of time just trying to find a time to meet with your group that works for everyone.
HONESTLY she is just super RUDE. So rude it can really ruin your day. Better go with a teacher that is respectful towards her students. Contradictory because in her class you talk about equality yet because she's in the Teacher position she is rude and condescending. She SHAMES her students.
She is one of the worst profs I've ever taken. Really fails at every aspect. Makes the students teach instead of her. Ridiculous group projects, and way too many of them. I had to learn all the material on my own. Exam was 120 questions in two hours. She's often outright rude to students. Won't answer emails. Grades harshly with no feedback.
professor Ruttenberg lowers the grades on exams if the average is too high. there is an assignment for 8 pages which is only worth 8 points which is ridiculous at a 200 level course. attendance is not mandatory but she randomly makes it mandatory for certain classes. i would not say stay away but I am not ready to take again.
Exams consist of more than a hundred multiple choice questions, some of which are based on useless information from the textbook. Group projects are terrible if your teammates procrastinate and perform poorly in class. Ruttenberg is rude and cranky and does not give students enough time to complete their assignments.
I don't know why there are so many bad reviews for Professor Ruttenberg. Even though the experiential learning exercises are not mandatory, she brings in many of her interesting personal experiences! Her exams are fair and were open book. I recommend the online version of the textbook for the exams! The assignments are fair! no live lectures.
Great teacher and extremely organized. She's very clear about what she wants so follow her instructions and you'll pass.
Barbara is plain rude, she spends the first 3 classes of the semester "teaching" (showing a pre-recorded lecture), the rest of the semester is group presentations, where the class teaches for her and she rudely interrupts. She's unapproachable and will be condescending in her email replies. Exams are 130 questions in 2 hours, prepare to be quick.
Terrible teacher, any good reviews on here must have been written by her. She is a really unpleasant person and seems like she should be teaching in high school. AVOID
When I took the class, Professor Ruttenberg would play an older prerecorded lecture and go eat diner (Winter 2022). A part of the material was taught by the students in the form of a group presentation. The Midterm and exam were 120 multiple choice questions. Would I do it again? No.
I am very disappointed that I am spending my money on this class. Professor Ruttenberg seems to have no passion for teaching. Instead of doing engaging lectures she makes the students lecture for her (as group projects), which is boring and not university quality. The exams are straight from the readings but she will try to trip you up so beware.
She's clearly a disturbed person. She seems nice when approached by two or more people. She becomes extremely bad when dealing with me alone. She never answers emails. I believe she hides her authentic psychopathic tendencies.
Would not recommend taking her. Her grading is harsh; she does not answer questions during test and makes a scene if you try. The instructions she provides are not always clear, she's also quite snappy. She offers no study guides for her 100 question tests, asks very peculiar questions on dates and individuals we've seen once during the semester.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
53%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.50 avg changeRatings by Course
CRIMINOLOGY
5.0
(1)SOCZ203
5.0
(1)CRIME
5.0
(1)SOC353
5.0
(1)SOCI352
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
SOCI366
5.0
ANTH353
4.0
SOCI3XX
4.0
SOCI358
4.0
SOC230
4.0