2.8
Quality3.6
Difficulty42%
Would Retake115
Reviews42%
Would Retake
115
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
18
4
23
3
25
2
21
1
28
What Students Say
“You'll either love him or hate him”
SOCI203 - 1.0 rating“Runs his class like it's the 1950s: computers are forbidden, exams are 3 handwritten essays in one hour”
SOCI203 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
91%
Textbook Required
21%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.12 avg changeRatings by Course
SOCI498
5.0
(2)SOCI401
5.0
(1)SOCIFAM
5.0
(2)SOCI398
4.5
(2)SOCIFAMILY
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
SOCI
5.0
SOCI206
5.0
SOCI375
5.0
SOCIO201
5.0
SOCI202
4.5
Reviews (115)
No Comments
just attend every class and you'll do well, guaranteed (take a lot of notes and pay extra attention when he introduces the articles to be summarized- he's just given you more than half the work! no joke) he is very intelligent and is very approachable
No Comments
If you're looking for a boring class,then I guess you've found one!Forget about taking a class with this prof.Really and truely and honestly, this class was a real waste of time & $$.I call this prof, the offtopic prof that lives in his own world.NevaEva.
easy grader...BORING class. don't need to attend to pass :)
Boring! If you are thinking of taking a class with him, don't!
took the suicide course with him. was a fantastic course that I thoroughly enjoyed. could tell he was really interested in this subject. am looking to take another course with him next term.
No Comments
He's very intelligent & interested. Classes are quite good. YET, he is arrogant. Singles people out in front of others especially for non-attendance and when he feels a paper was not good enough (some upset students singled out in front of 150 others!). STAY AWAY unless you can handle this!
Dagenais definetly gives a bad name and rep. to all sociology/theory classes.He makes being a socio prof look bad & make students regret ever enrolling in the program & course.He is arrogant self-absorbed & imposes his own interpretations/opinions on theories &the different theorists approaches.
Y is he still teaching@Concordia?He's confused about what he expects from his students.He endlessly contradicts himself in his ideas/lectures&never fully corrects ur assignements(reads into+1/4 of the body)marks u unfairly afterwards. Criterias to be his student: be a male& suck up to him big time!
Very hard marker.
If you really have to take this course, you are f...d! This man is the most ****, and ignorant s.o.b I have came accross. On top of this, he's a separatist teaching at a English University. He will bore you to death with ignorant personal comments. He needs to go teach to a French University!
He should not be teaching. He is a theorist at heart but he is no teacher. He is very unhelpful to students and can't bring a clear idea out if his life depended on it. He is passionate about what he believes, I just haven't been able to figure out what it is that he believes.
An excellent professor with a great teaching style. Concordia is lucky to have him.
I was weary of him at the start because it seemed like he wanted to make the class confusing and hard but after a while I realized that he himself had settled down and the class turned out to be interesting. He is helpful and is has very interesting views on various issues, if you dare to be open minded. I learned a lot from him.
He is a very good professor. Sure he may seem difficult at first but with time he is helpful. He is passionate about what he teaches and that makes for an interesting course (the family) One of my best classes.
arrogant, ****, english as a second lang, unfair marker.
Super teacher. Extremely intelligent, and very helpful.
horrible teacher i can not believe they let im teach
Great teacher, very intelegent.
Took his suicide class had to work so hard to get a B i felt like commiting suicide when it was all done
very difficult to understand this prof, heis very abstract. a bunch of summaries to do for this class, very low marks, he is a really hard marker, and a bad explainer!
lotsa notes. knowlegeable and passionate. would take again.
If you do the work, go to class, go to office hours, you'll do well.
Low workload but very difficult material, very boring and difficult classes where all he does is talk, makes awkward gestures. Nice guy but does not approach the topic in an effective manner, you will probably not be able to learn or remember much. Don't take this unless you are going for grad school.
Shouldn't be teaching Sociology at this level simply just rambled on and on and nothing seemed to make sense. I went to his office hours and he was completely useless and had no interest in helping or discussing anything with me...He was very cocky.
DIFFICULT GRADER. He never fully says what he wants but constantly says he's disappointed. I used class notes to polish my paper and he put down him own points. Its difficult to succeed with him. He does however allow a cheat sheet to the final, but still.
DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS - I took it because I'm intelligent and I enjoy challenging professors, and I had heard he was smart and interesting. He's an idiot and it is impossible to get a good mark. This guy cost me my GPA. How is he teaching? Does he have tenure? I hope not because or else students for generations are in s***.
No Comments
He is demanding, expects a lot from his students, and really wants you to do well. People complain about him because they expect to get through on average effort...if you work hard in his class, he will recognize it.
When I took Professor Dagenais' class for social problems, I was quite pleased and interested. I got an A and I must say that I worked hard for it. However, when I took his soci 401, Wow!!! What the hell is that? Everyone in that class was smiling and nodding, but I don't think anyone really understood him. Thank God for the "Drop Class" button.
This teacher is quite knowledgable and he really loves his topic. I got an A+ in his course because I actually went to class and did ALL the readings. You cant slack off with him-but if your willing to do the work it will show.
The teacher is good. He needs to teach in a way that student can understand. Otherwise, he tells you what to expect from his assignment and you do them. No midterm at all and we have chi-cheat for the final exam. That is good for everyone. i hope all the teacher can be like him.
He is extremely passionate with what he does. Very well prepared for class, and explains things very well.
Don't be misled by all the negative comments. I will say do not take the class if you want an easy grade, but if you're interested in the subject matter he is the MOST inspiring prof i have had, and will inspire you to get good grades. I wouldnt recommend him for the academically uninvested. But if you want to learn i HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM!
Smart/fair man
Worst teacher ever. I can't understand a word he says and goes off and switches topics without even having them be related in any sort of way. Avoid this class at all costs. Switch your major if necessary.
Very good professor. He's very passionate about his ideas yet remains open to student's views. It is NOT hard to get a good grade in his class; he asks for understanding of ideas, not retention of redundant information. If you want to learn something, take this class.
This professor is really good and he knows a lot of stuff but he sometimes lose himself in useless explanation. He is pationate about sociologie and because of him the course is interesting. He is always avalaible to help his students if there is a need. Good luck! I hope you would like him he got a lot of energy!!!
Prof Dagenais is very intelligent, and obviously knows a lot about theory. He's very animated, which keeps your attention focused, amidst an often dry topic. He does however, teach at a very high level, and it is sometimes difficult to follow what his point is and what is really important. Overall a very passionate teacher.
Very hard course! Very tough professor!
I admit that Dr. Dagenais is extremely intelligent and knowledgeable because he knows a lot about contemporary sociological theories. However, his class is quite demanding and he is a really tough grader. If you are not ready for this class, then you must push yourself preparing for it; otherwise, you will definitely get a failing grade in the end!
Hard marker, arrogant, limited patience and helpfulness; If you are a student a disability you are marked as so. He's not very accommodating. Avoid if you can or prepare yourself for a ruff ride.
Very frustrating class but nice prof. tutorial takes place before the lecture for some reason. midterm is 4 questions, u must answer 3 essay style. find tutorials absolutely useless, u must attend but exams have nothing to do with them. I hope he reads this because Im not the only one who feels this way! They should revert to classes of 20 not 300!
OMG I always want to fall asleep when doing the readings, SO BORING! Very wordy and worst part is, they are online so u are responsible to print them for class and also to higlight, why not make them a course pack? Tutorial should follow lecture as to ask questions, but the TA's wont answer them. Required class but very boring and frustrating! BOOO
Boring, boring, boring, boring... Did I say boring? Unless class is required, AVOID. Prof Dagenais is not the worst, he acts like a 5th grade teacher when he wants to get a point across, like stare at students when he wants us to be quiet or sits right next to u when other profs lecture. BORING MATERIAL AND LOTS OF BORING READINGS, got a bad TA too
Entertaining man!
The Intro to soci class taught last semester was awesome. I see a lot of haters on this site (I guess you don't like intellectually challenging courses/free readings). Prof. Dagenais is an excellent and very passionate lecturer. People that had a problem with this course were probably the ones staring at their iPhones instead of listening.
HARD CLASS! but funny teacher, he is so passionate at what he does. However, you must attend every single lecture or you will automatically be lost. He gives the final exam questions and midterms so you can prepare for it in advance!
Once you understand him, you realize that he tells you exactly what you need to do for papers and exams. He can be confusing but this is my 2nd time taking him and I know what to expect and now used to his way. Expects a lot, decently hard marker, but this is University. Listen carefully and take lots of notes
Took his The Family class. Not a very good teacher at all. As far as grading papers, he seemed to think we needed to be on his level of knowledge and experience with the subject to receive a good grade. Takes it absolutely way too seriously. Failed a third of the class on the first paper. Stay away if you can.
He s very knowledgable on the subject, however, I do not feel he should teach at the undergraduate level. He is a difficult grader and expects students to be on the same level as him, he failed a third of his class on our first paper. I would avoid taking him. Difficult to follow and difficult to understand.
passionate teacher, however he is a very hard marker. he wants to help his students, however he may expect too much for an introductary course. i dont think i would take him again. he is funny though.
Professor Dagenais is knowledgeable about his field, no doubt. However very French and it is difficult to grasp what he is talking about in lecture because 1)his English accent is very bad, unclear, mumbles words, and is grammatically bad taking you further out of context. High expectations-hard grader, expects you grasp his concept out of books.
Hard marker, his 1st language is french so his translation to english is very difficult to understand. His long lectures are based on the weekly readings. The assignments are 3 summaries on designated articles by specific authors he chooses then the final is a take home essay comparing 2 authors of your choice. He very reasonable & open minded.
Passionate teacher! I found very interesting and helpful the new format of the course, starting Sept. 2013. It gave me an ideea of the main domains of sociological research thus helping me in choosing my future courses in Sociology.
Very passionate about his field for work, however he is very difficult to understand and rambles about random stuff. Expects way too much for an introductory course because he thinks we're all sociologists already. You'll either love him or hate him. He also will not communicate with students outside of class. Can be very rude as well.
Great lecturer
Though the course material was generally very interesting, i found Dagenais pretty arrogant which was a big turnoff. Luckily he only taught a few of the courses as this is an overview course with awesome guest lecturers. Poor communication and sweeping statements that are more opinion than fact, but he seems to think are law...
Fortunately the course was divided between 9 guest professors with Dagenais overseeing the whole course (he himself giving 4 of the lectures) because there would be no way I could take a whole semester of just him. Difficult to understand (strong accent, mumbles), so boring, strays off topic, and stops mid sentence/concept.... Disaster.
Prof Dagenais is amazing, he is very passionate about the material he teaches. Guest profs give interesting insight into their teaching styles for later courses. DONT expect this to be an easy intro class. It is harder than 300 level courses. A lot of work, hard readings, a lot of reading reports and hard exam questions. so be prepared!
I loved the layout of the class since it was very straight forward. You're given the test questions ahead of time, but that means that the tests are detail specific and hard especially with the time constraint of 1 hour. Although, if you make sure to do the readings, attend lecture and the tutorial class it should be easy to get a good mark.
I think Prof. Dagenais is great! he is not an easy grader but If people do the reading and attend to class it should not be so difficult to pass. I like the way the class was divided with other teachers. defenitly a new way to learn. I would take other class with Dagenais . he is so passionate about his area of expertise. I enjoyed the class :)
I don't get how this course is called introduction to society, the class is extremely philosophical for an introductory class. requires a lot of reading and you're supposed to understand them by yourself. the only help i got was from the TA during the tutorial; the TA is extremely helpful however not enough to pass.
Very hard to understand, thick accent and he spoke quietly and mumbled a lot. Luckily other guest profs taught most of the lectures, some were good others were not. The TAs grade everything so hope you get a good one. The TA I had was harsh and would laugh at students for asking questions she thought were "stupid" questions.
Great professor, enthusiastic, but hard to understand at times and rambles on. sometimes the rambling can be funny. TA's help with comprehension nice guy overall. I wouldn't take him as a professor by himself.
Hard to understand. He mumbles and has a thick accent. I have to give 150% of my attention at all times to him to even understand what he is saying. He's all over the place, and hard to follow. Taking notes is very hard.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS AT ALL PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF
He's a very arrogant person and doesn't take well to opposing arguments or broad questions. He doesn't like repeating himself, but luckily he does go over assignments during his office hours or after class. He's openly stated he thinks all under-grads are idiots. If his accent doesn't get to you, then I'm sure his personality will.
Daniel Dagenais' Intro to Society has been my favourite course so far. His tone is dull but if you get passed it he is actually fascinating. His class class consists of guest speakers. His exam questions are given to you before hand so there are no surprises. He makes you do reading reports but its an easy mark and keeps you up to speed.
Thank goodness there where other professors teaching this course because I could not understand what he was saying. He mumbles and sometimes goes off topic. He doesnt like it when students email him so everything is done through your TA. Read, attend lectures & see your TA and youll do well. I wouldnt recommend him for future courses.
He loves what he does and it shows. I loved this class and he made it even more interesting. It's a lot of reading but only papers (3 during the semester and the final paper), no written exams. Gives great feedback and always available when you need it.
HE TAKES OFF ONE LETTER GRADE IF YOU MISS 2 OR MORE CLASSES. WTF. so this is a HORRIBLE intro class. there are like 10 profs and they each teach different topics. Professor Dagenais's lectures were so boring, I couldn't understand anything, and worst part, there's always a question on the exam where we need to explain one of his lectures.
Cool intro 2 sociology! The reading lectures r super easy (even though you do have to do one every second week), but the exams are brutal. You have to write 300 words each for 3 questions in one hour but you get the questions in advance to prepare. IF YOU DO NOT ATTEND LECTURES YOU WILL NOT PASS AS THE CONTENT WILL BE ON THE EXAMS. Serious ppl only
He will make you work hard, he is very demanding, so the moment you understand what he wants you will be fine. He is very knowledgeable on the subject.
Most interactions do not occur with him. He uses TA's to do practically everything for him. Very hard to understand him speak due to a heavy accent. Tutorials and lectures occur on a weekly basis. For this course, usually a different professor is presented every week to lecture, Questions are given in advance for all the exams.
Dagenais was definitely a passionate prof, however his accent made it hard to understand, the class was a good intro. It was a lot of reading. The tutorial was before the lecture and the lectures were the main focus of the tests. The guest lecturers varied, some were great some were boring. However all presentations were on moodle. Overall was ok.
Your success in the class definitely depends on your TA. All assignments and exam prep is done through the TA during the tutorials. His lectures are interesting, however, his thick accent makes it very hard to understand. I suggest putting in the effort to go see your TA during office hours and you will do well. I ended with an A-.
Loved taking Dagenais' course. He is extremely knowledgeable and a passionate professor. Sometimes, his explanations are quite confusing simply because he is so passionate and excited about the topic. Overall happy I took this course, I learned a lot and he was very helpful when asking for help on the assignments. Will recommend his course !!
Should stick to teaching in French. He is extremely hard to understand, and also a hard grader. Hes nice but hes just difficult ... and very dull
The professor is incredibly knowledgable on the subject, having researched and written a lot of material on the family himself. He is super enthusiastic and his lectures were always a joy to attend. Some students on here complained about his heavy accent but honestly after a class or two, you can understand him just fine. An amazing class!
Changed the syllabus, readings, and the exam questions multiple times and didnt give them to us right after lectures like we were told would happen On my concordia our final was scheduled 9-12, an exam officer came in before and confirmed this but 30 min in he told us it was changed to 2hs. Pray you get a good TA
Speaks unclearly, he puts you to sleep -so monotone & unenthusiastic. Theres a guest speaker almost every class so thankfully he doesnt speak every week. Go to the tutorials bc the TAs take attendance, and dont miss a lecture (I recommend recording lectures). Exams consist of 4 essay questions based on lectures. Reading reports due every other week
Very passionate and very involved. He is dedicated to helping you learn. However, the material he covers is not simple, and demands a lot of outside individual reading and studying. You will most probably feel overwhelmed but do not worry too much because his grading is pretty fair. His lectures are sometimes very hard to follow.
Very smart but hard to understand. He should stick to higher-level courses. LOTS of reading/writing. Great topics, but it's very hard to follow in his lectures as he rambles w/o saying much! Exams are HARD if you don't understand the material. He's extremely knowledgeable though and passionate but I didn't get much from his lectures.
Avoid if you can, whenever students had questions after a lecture he never gave a solid answer, and when he did, it seemed like he didn't know what he was talking about. His accent is very heavy and it is difficult to understand the points he is trying to make. Would not take again.
This is my second time with Dagenais at Concordia. In both classes, I could clearly tell that he is passionate about what he is talking about, but he tends to space in a out of topics within his own lecture. He is a tough grader, he just wants you to write what he wants to hear, when you catch on it becomes much easier. Definitely a "mad genius".
Excellent prof. This class deals with lots of dense material at times, but Dagenais is always willing to break it down and discuss if needed. Loved his anecdotes during the lectures as well.
This class was ok I think it would have been more interesting in person. The professor was fine but without the really amazing ta I think I would have been a little lost. An easy good grade if you put in a little effort
Runs his class like it's the 1950s: computers are forbidden, exams are 3 handwritten essays in one hour. Grading system: He gives the TAs a secret list of keywords and you get a checkmark for each one you use - do NOT do the optional readings! Most lectures from him devolve into him talking about how white cis hetero males his age have it tough.
A lot of people complain about this professor, but tbh his lectures are pretty normal and decent, he's very passionate about teaching, which is a nice quality to have in a professor. As long as you listen in class, do the reading reports, and study for the exams, ur good. Wouldn't retake this class just bcs TA system was a joke, and grading sucked
the TA system in the 203 class is a jokeeee. every TA grades so differently there's some groups that get 70 at most and others that get 90s all the time (which is super unfair for those with harsher TA's). the lectures are boring and you can barely understand what he is saying half of the time. overall would not take recommend
very passionate about his topics, and truly wants people to learn. a lot of people criticized the class, but it was honestly a very normal university course. the TA system needs some work, in order for the entire class to be graded equally.
If you study in advance for the test and do the reading reports, you're gonna be fine. His lectures are ok, hard to follow but nonetheless make sense if you're trying to pay attention and take notes. 3 tests over the semester: 300 words per question and you pick 3 out of the 4 questions provided (based on lecture). Ask your TA for help.
It is easy if you put your mind to it, the exam is to write 3 essays in 1 hour, however, you know the questions in advance. Your experience in the class will rely on who you have as a TA, Dagenais himself is not the one grading us or teaching us, and each lecture is a different guess and a different subject.
I know this is probably an unpopular opinion but I loved his lectures. He is passionate about what he is teaching and it shows. They are a little hard to follow sometimes but if you listen you will get the main points. Other profs were ok, honestly, this guy was my favourite, lots of energy!
So professor Dagenais was pretty ok. Assignments wise, we only had to summarize three readings (that he gave us) and write one final paper. There is no midterm. He has a very thick french quebec accent so get ready for that. On the summaries, he always gives a ton of feedback on each copies in order to perform good in the final essay. No PowerPoint
Too much whining about Professor Dagenais... yes, a tough grader, demands attention, but this is university! Not an English speaker... cut him some slack! Helped a lot during office hours, quick response to emails. Lectures are passionate and enthusiastic, making them interesting and insightful. If you're trying, not slacking off, will help you.
Not an approachable person, extremely vague in guidelines and instructions (expects you to read his mind and if you can't don't bother asking him because he's so difficult to understand in every way that it's useless). Texts are so outdated, yes I understand it's sociology but i would like to talk about some current topics instead of the 1300s
Daniel Dagenais is by far the best professor I have had. At times, his vocabulary can be hard to understand. Although, when it comes to the exam questions that are based on his lectures, just read the passages in his book in your course reserves. He is the director of this course. You will have different professors teaching different lectures.
Daniel Dagenais is my favorite professor. His class about the family is based on his book: The (Un)Making of the Modern Family. If you attend class, pay attention to his lectures, and make an effort to be up to date with the readings, you can easily have a good grade in this class. Dagenais cares about the effort you put towards your work.
Honestly, the prof doesn't matter in this class as everything is graded by the TAs and they are the ones explaining everything to you, and good luck to you if you don't get a nice one. It seems as though they can choose to do whatever they want so some can allow you to retake tests, some don't. Some give you good feedback on your exam, some don't.
Very funny teacher. Despite his French accent, you can still understand him. I would totally take him again! Class was okay, only 3 small papers to write (750-950 words) and 1 final essay between 1200 to 1700 words. Even though attendance is not graded, he still takes it and if you miss more than 2 classes, your grade is lowered by one letter grade
Professor Dagenais is an entertaining lecturer and is clearly very knowledgeable on the subject he is teaching. He doesn't over-assign work and is a fair grader. Attending the lectures is mandatory but they certainly aren't boring and he doesn't make them longer than they have to be. Overall, I would take another class with him again.
His lectures are difficult to understand, so I would try to rely heavily on your TA's group lectures and notes. The reading reports and notes will help you greatly on the exams. He's very strict about his exam times and grading (ex. he didn't let a student who had an anxiety attack during their midterm retake it).
Dagenais' lectures are hit or miss, but engaging if you pay attention. The TA grading system is uneven, so do the reports and study hard. Unstuck Study AI helped me stay on top of the workload.
Really hard grader, but if you're interested in the subject you'll enjoy the readings and lectures. Attendance is mandatory tho so don't skip more than two classes because then your grade is allowed to drop an entire grade.
He may seem a bit intimidating at first, to the point i thought i was going to hate the class, but he is very passionate about his subject. He only had 4 graded assignments, which are all essentially summaries of short readings. First time I rate a professor. He ended up being the coolest and best class of my semester. Just do the readings & u good
Hard to grade a professor who barely teaches the class. Taught maybe three lectures. Also rude in emails to students who ask valid questions. Therefore, I find him unapproachable. TAs were wonderful as were other professors. TAs grade everything except students on probation, which is standard and fine. Overall do not recommend at all.
Since the class is giving by also other professors and the lectures are only 1 hour and 30 minutes, I personally enjoyed it. As long as you have a good TA that is not strict, which luckily i had, it helped me have really good grades. For an introduction class, i enjoyed the material. Just be prepared with the readings and you should all good.
Passing since I was lucky enough to get a chill TA but he's quite rude, condescending, makes attendance mandatory to pass in the exams, lectures are hard to follow since he doesn't convey the info clearly. Only positive is getting the exam questions in advance + being able to skip some readings (only do them for the reading report) do not recommend
Most of the work is done by the TA's. He gave like 2 lectures throughout the semester which i honestly wasn't able to follow. You get the exam questions before which is nice but they are pretty hard to answer since it was different professors every week and they were based on their lecture. Attendance is mandatory I wouldn't recommend skipping
SOCI 203 depends on your TA, who leads discussions and grades. I was lucky to have a great TA, but many students have had the opposite experience. Dagenais lectures only twice and can be hard to follow, but he's funny, knowledgeable, and passionate, which makes the material engaging. Overall I enjoyed this class and learned a lot about Sociology.
This class was formatted weird. The lectures (only 1.5hrs) consisted of different professors talking about different subjects. Then the prof would share a question based on the lecture and that would be the midterm question. All midterms are done in tutorials, so your TA is marking everything and you have to get lucky there. Easy but weird class
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
91%
Textbook Required
21%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.12 avg changeRatings by Course
SOCI498
5.0
(2)SOCI401
5.0
(1)SOCIFAM
5.0
(2)SOCI398
4.5
(2)SOCIFAMILY
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
SOCI
5.0
SOCI206
5.0
SOCI375
5.0
SOCIO201
5.0
SOCI202
4.5