2.4
Quality3.4
Difficulty11%
Would Retake86
Reviews11%
Would Retake
86
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
86 total ratings5
17
4
11
3
7
2
12
1
39
What Students Say
“Kids, it's just jargon”
ENG359 - 1.0 rating“I was very interested first, but then it turned out to be the class I've most regretted taking ever (and, oh, I've had terrible classes)”
ENGL587 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.80 avg changeRatings by Course
ENG3593
5.0
(1)ENGL490
5.0
(1)MANYENGCOURSE
5.0
(1)CULT
5.0
(1)POETICSBODY
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
GRADCHAIR
5.0
POPCULT
5.0
ENG101
5.0
ENG
5.0
GRADENGLISH
5.0
Reviews (85)
I never do well in her classes, but I keep coming back for more!?
No Comments
Interesting, but sometimes boring lectures. Good marker.
the best professor ever. knowledgeable, interesting, funny and inspiring.
Dear Berkeley, I love you.
I wanna be just like her when I grow up!
held my attention, interesting, engaging,easy marker once you get the hang of it
dishonest, underhanded, deceptive, stupid... I can think of many more.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? BK is an amazing teacher, and I organize my schedule around having her. She's brilliant and progressive and a good lecturer. Those past few comments were obviously done by someone who just got a D and feels cheated.
She is all right angles. Always well prepared. Awesome feminist values.
Not very bright, hides behind theory, very aggressive
She deals with television and pop culture because she cannot understand anything more substantial. Shallow, spiteful, and plays favorites. A really horrible prof -- it is incredible she is allowed to teach anything to anyone.
The personification of incompetence.
Kaite is by far the WORST professor I've had at McGill. I don't understand why she teaches, since she clearly dislikes the majority of her students. Uptight-pretentious-snob. Avoid her at all cost.
Nasty, unhelpful, and abrasive. Also, she doesn't know much about her job as Grad. Chair. She brings her personal feelings into her evaluations of people's work and has the REALLY unprofessional habit of making comments about students to other students
I have never disliked a professor more than her. She was so unbelievably patronising. She made the simple opaque and the difficult impossible. One of the main reasons I left McGill was that class.
The nastiest piece of work I have ever in my years come across. I can't believe a university with McGill's reputation would hire someone so ignorant in all aspects of literature. Her feminist approach borders on the archiac. Shame on you McGill.
THIS TEACHER IS HORRIBLE, SHE DOES NOT EXPLAIN ANYTHING. SHE EXPECTS YOU TO LEARN EVERYTHING FROM THE TEXT AND WHILES AWAY THE CLASSES WITHOUT EVER ACTUALLY CLARIFYING OR TEACHING ANYTHING. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU CAN AVOID IT.
You know, I'm surprised at all the hating going on here, I liked her a lot, thought she was interesting and difficult. The only problem is that you have to tailor your papers to her specific biases, which sucks. Otherwise, she's solid.
i think people are being way too harsh - she's got an interesting perspective and a sharp wit, you just need to be open-minded about both. true that she does have certain expectations about student responses, but overall an enjoyable class!
Lectures are given in poem-form. No sentence structure, just random terms thrown into the air-vague and sleep-enducing.
Terrible prof. Doesn't actually lecture about anything, just seems to talk around topics and never makes a point. Plays favourites and is totally dismissive of what students have to say.
The worst teacher I have had at McGill. She's the reason I changed my major from cultural studies. Her lectures were contradictory to the readings and she immediately dismissed everyone who disagreed with her. If you can avoid being taught by her, do.
crappy teacher. made the class crappy. avoid this one for sure.
Stop whining. What a concept it must be, to have to think through what a professor has to say, rather than eating it all prepared from the spoon, like pablum. Yes, she's complex, yes she's challenging. But isn't that what university is about?
You don't want to get on her bad side, its true, and she can be very unhelpful at times. But she is also an extremely insightful and clear teacher. She has a lot to offer if you are articulate in what you say and receptive to her ideas.
She is a great prof. I learned a lot in her class.
I liked this professor.
I like her, and her class was okay (The Body) and I know it's hard to structure a course based on such abstraction. But this class was like watching TV, or like getting high, philosophizing, and thinking you're brilliant. It was a waste of a credit.
feminist? feminist? more like anti-feminist joke. Makes professional decisions based on gossip and is highly prone to stereotyping. God forbid you have a strong presence and refuse to trade in your contacts for dark-rimmed glasses
Bad class. She's a terrible teacher!
The worst
Berkeley is by far the WORST professor I have EVER had. EVER. The WORST. I do not think she should be teaching. I do not think she enjoys teaching. In fact, I'm near positive she is only at McGill to do her own research. AVOID at all cost.
Kaite is a brilliant prof - but you have to earn her respect as a student and an intellectual. If you can't participate, this is NOT the class or prof for you. But if you give her a chance, you'll see she's possibly the best one at McGill
The comments here are WAY too harsh. I like her as a Professor and Grad. Director. True, you don't want to be on her bad side, but if you give her respect, she gives it back.
She's terribly incompetent.
she refused to answer email questions from students because she was "too busy," and the class was boring. much of her stuff is really strange. avoid.
Toxic.
I have never had a prof as bad as Berkeley Kaite. She isn't open to any opinion aside from her own, and expects you to regurgitate her opinions back to her instead of coming up with your own (this in a class that's supposed to be based on analysis and free thinking). SHE IS THE WORST PROF AT MCGILL!
She's not a great prof by any means, but some of these comments are WAY too harsh. She makes the assumption (not entirely unfounded) that first-year cult studies kids are idiots. Prove her wrong by doing the readings and contributing in class, you'll earn her respect and do fine.
I love her. During my first course with her, she intimidated me greatly. As I got to know her, and she got to know me, I learned what she expects of her students and we gained mutual respect for eachother. I loved her courses; they fascinate me! She is very helpful if you genuinely want it.
yeah, some of these comments go too far, she can be intimidating but she responds to you if you respond to her. if you want everything to be easy, then you should think twice about taking her class (& maybe university as well). she has an interesting mind & you can learn a lot if u put in the time
She has a great mind, and as a woman she's WONDERFUL. I think she has no patience for bad students and a lot of Cult-Studs students take the discipline because they think it's wishy-washy and unstructured when, in fact, it's rigorous and demands brains. Get to know her. She's hip and funny.
She is an amazing prof. At first, she might appear a little harsh but really she is such a sweet person. She doesn't like slackers, so if you participate and do your work you will succeed in her classes.
berkerly-kaite is a wicked professor. she's tough, but you'll learn alot in her classes if you want to. she's a no b.s prof, so if you aren't interested in applying yourself, than don't bother.
Oh boy. Send in the clowns. Prolonged contact is like having pernicious anemia. Arbitrary. Punitive. Dim, and inexplicably arrogant. Not house-trained. Proof that tenure can be based on pity alone. A gormless shrew. A surface with no depth whatsoever. You've been warned.
She is not the brightest light in the dept., but she holds her own and really knows her field and has some original and interesting ideas. Good sense of humour, too. People are too hard on her; grad. students act like little consumers and expect a "perfect product" when they should learn to live with a prof's humanity.
The prof's comments below about Kaite being a dim bulb are right, but clueless on everything else. We arent "little consumers who want a perfect product." We expect to be treated with consideration, professionalism and respect and Berkeley does not do that. Your (typical)attitude re. the students is why they despise the department.
The comments below nailed it. "Learn to live with a professor's humanity!?!? Are you for real?! So, your professorial title excuses you from professional behavior, and lets you treat students any way you feel like? Only a McGill professor could, or would, say something that cluless, arrogant, and stupid. You're probably an administrator.
This is by far the most obnoxious, incompetent prof I have ever had. Specializes in being pompous and condescending, without merit. So incoherent, at times, you wonder if she's "all there."
I took two subjects with Prof Kaite. Her courses were amongst the most interesting and challenging of any I took at McGill. She explained difficult theoretical concepts without assuming that you already understood them (as many profs in cult studies do). She is also funny, sensitive and supportive as a person.
About 5'7" of malicious gossiping evil. AVOID her as if your life depended on it.
She is a truly bizarre person, and I hated her class at first. But I've come to realize how interesting and unique her class is, and how brilliant she is. I still use my old coursepack, and constantly recognize new material from her class. But if you're going to take her class, you better love cultural studies, and all the attendant b.s.
she smells good
kaite should be avoided. she cares very little about how well her students do and just seems out to prove her greatness. dont be fooled by her pleasant demeanor at first. she bites! pompous and useless, she does not plan her assignments or exams well at all and loves giving students low grades!
Kaite is a disgrace to McGill. She treats her students with utmost disrespect, even refusing to return my e-mails all semester. Plays favorites and is the most conceited human (if that) being ever to teach a university class. Overuse of the textbook as the basis for class notes. AVOID her at ALL costs. Horrific experience!
I was very intimidated by her (I still am) and the way she spoke condescendingly, her harsh grading and remarks. However, with that said, I don't think that she's out to get her students, or as evil as people make her out to be. I think her arrogance is in her personality and she just fails to recognize this.
WORST PROF AT MCGILL! Will not pass you for the life of her. a snob, and prejudice.
I heard her reputation beforehand but I rarely take people's warnings about profs since most people are sour not about the teaching but about their grade. Boy was I ever wrong. Being a student in her class you cannot help getting the impression that she genuinely wants you to fail. profs like this show how little mcgill cares about the arts.
A completely rude, arrogant professor. Orders people around and is completely unprofessional. Openly makes fun of students as a way of disagreeing with them. This didn't happen to me, I witnessed it.
Please. She is a joke. Rude, shallow, arrogant, and imagines herself to be quite the bright penny. Stay away. Probably contagious, and most certainly depressing. Shame on you, McGill.
She is the most disgusting display of what a professional should be. She is a disgrace to the art of teaching and is a prejudice bi***. "Education students will not get higher than a C"-Kaite
wouldnt recommend unless u have 2 take her.gives participation marks 4 a class of 60+ students,is unclear in her assignment instructions, relies too much on student participation instead of lecturing,not approachable 4 help & has unclear grading standards w/ odd pet-peeves (no whispering&doesn't like repeating) interesting material not well taught
This course is both unsatisfying and misleading. Content is unfocused and upon completing the course I'm still confused as to what it was about. Her my-way-or-the-highway marking scheme and accepts only unidirectional work. The assignments aren't reflective of the course material and the topics assigned weren't touched in lectures or in readings.
Sometimes I just hated the class. Sometime I liked it. Overall though she needs to improve as an instructor, I wouldn't recommend her classes to anyone.
Insightful and intelligent. Unique and fair evaluation method. Kind if you give her a chance. Be prepared to be tactful, cordial and respectful. Helpful to those who seek it, but only if they heed her advice. Great readings and discussion.
The most pretentious prof I have ever had. Encourages class participation but does not appreciate anyones opinion but her own. Class discussion is based on students hopelessly trying to regurgitate her ideas. Would not recommend her class to anyone, it is a tedious waste of time.
I didn't hate Prof. Kaite. I thought she was a relatively fair marker and her expectations were fairly clear. Her lectures are a little unfocused. She does seem to love to hear herself talk, but Cultural Studies is an interesting topic so I didn't mind terribly. I probably wouldn't take a class with her again, but she wasn't too awful.
By far the worst prof at McGill. She was not necessarily an extremely hard grader, the assignments were very annoying and not related to material covered in class/readings usually. She was really uptight about attendance and won't give you comments on papers if you miss class which is annoying because even in high school they didnt do that. AVOID
The worst professor I have ever had at McGill. She is completely heartless, cold, and straight up unfit to be the instructor of an introductory course. It is extremely difficult to meet her unreasonable standards, and was overall a remarkably unpleasant person. If this is a required course, keep your head up, try your best. If not, STAY AWAY
She's really quite nice if you're polite with her. It was a small class, which is obviously more along her wave length than a huge one (intro to cult studies, for example.) She's never malicious; she just likes to tease. Her jokes are just that, not to be taken seriously. Not particularly recommended for those who cannot take a joke.
I have had Berkely Kaite three times. She is demanding and particular and awesome. She will not coddle you, but absolutely recognizes quality work. She does not suffer fools, that is certain, but for interested students, she is excellent.
I took Berkeley Kaite's intro to cultural studies almost 20 years ago and I'm still mad. Not so much at her, but at myself for letting her make me feel stupid with her condescension, her cruel mockery of 17 and 18 year old children and unreadable book. Kids, it's just jargon. Don't let her scare you. She's a lightweight.
I would not recommend this professor. She does not seem to understand that there is a middle ground between being too lax and being downright unpleasant.
I was very interested first, but then it turned out to be the class I've most regretted taking ever (and, oh, I've had terrible classes). I honestly don't understand how this woman has permission to teach. She grades depending on her opinions and moods, so you can get a 10 for one assignment and a 5 for the next. It was painful by the end.
Nasty, doesn't not listen to opinions other than her own, bizarre quiz and essay questions, and totally unapproachable.
Took her JFK class. It's hard work. See her during office hours to talk about your essay ideas, you'll have a much easier time getting a good grade. Make sure you do the readings/watch the film before class. She WILL kick you out if not. The syllabus is intimidating, but if you follow her rules you'll be fine. Be able to back up what you say.
Do not take this class if you don't like to participate! I always ignore these warnings but trust me, unless you are a suck up Kaite will not only give you a zero in participation but she will also hold it against you when marking your quizzes and assignments. Additionally, the material is useless and will not contribute anything to your life.
She's the worst, i dread going to her class because it's useless she only discusses the books after you've handed the essay. it's three hours of listening to other people's opinions, you can also see what opinions /people she likes as they often agree with her own. she hates when you mention real-world facts because it ruins her own opinions
Her class was beyond dreadful, she only discusses readings after she hands after you've handed the assignments ( which is so brutal that she expects us to write about something that we literally don't even know or have discussed) How could you give a grade to the student of a content you have not mentioned at all? so unfair, and so inconsiderate
Worst, worst teacher in Mcgill. She gives ridiculous assignments about things she hasn't talked about. She unimaginably expects us to read her mind and know certain topics and be able to write about them according to her weird, detailed requirements. She does not care if a student is doing bad.
very confusing woman, went to her office hour to talk about overall class progress, literally doesn't understand anything doesn't care and refuses to help. very full of herself. She only listens to a few people's opinions and the rest is trash. Honestly, cost me a semester, she shouldn't be teaching at all,
One of the worst experiences I've ever had at McGill. I don't mind if a teacher is a tough grader and expects a lot from their students, in fact I welcome it. But Professor Kaite is just kind of cruel. She doesn't seem to care about student improvement, just that they agree with her take on whatever book or film she assigns. I eventually withdrew.
I don't think I've cried more in one class. This professor has belittled me and made me feel extremely stupid, which is not something I signed up for. I try having meetings with her to discuss my ideas, but all she tells me is that my opinions are not good enough, and then she fails to give me advice on what she wants. This isn't worth the tears.
She will single-handedly ruin your semester. She expects you to read her mind and gives assignments without going over the content first. If you go to her office hours, she will literally shut down all of your ideas without redirecting you towards a better direction. The content is interesting but she is dreadful. Not worth all the stress!!!!!!!!!!
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.80 avg changeRatings by Course
ENG3593
5.0
(1)ENGL490
5.0
(1)MANYENGCOURSE
5.0
(1)CULT
5.0
(1)POETICSBODY
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
GRADCHAIR
5.0
POPCULT
5.0
ENG101
5.0
ENG
5.0
GRADENGLISH
5.0