Frankly, I don't see the problem in a teacher (correctly) telling his students they can't write well. He taught Race/Racism the right way - as a writing-intensive course. He doesn't treat you like a kid - he expects intelligence and articulation from us as he would a colleague. I found him clear and consice. Allen isn't the best, but he's good.

I found him amusing and up-front, despite the fact that some students feel insulted by him. He basically is under the impression that most people are morons and he won't sugarcoat that. But he does it in a matter-of-fact way, and expects you to work (ie, do the readings!) for your grade. 3 tests and 10 written responses to readings. Not too bad.

This professor is great. He expects his students to be responsible. He makes his students work for their grade and he is very good at stimulating class discussions. I enjoyed his classes and missed class one time. If you cannot be a responsible student then don't take him. He is only for the very serious students who want to do work. Good job.

He was a decent teacher...very nice and easy to follow. Fair teacher who cares about his students and tries to make it so that everyone does well in the class. He goes thru his outlines pretty briefly and quickly so be sure to stay ontop of your readings, but be sure to go to class, he takes attendance and does give very helpful info b4 all tests!

he can be very scattered, and readings didnt always compliment lecture and vice versa when i had him for social movements but if you want to engage the material and engage with him, he can be pretty great. hes been very helpful and supportive with me.

I think he was not that bad. I've had him for an upper level course and that was better than lower level. In higher classes, his conversations and topics are that worthless

I enjoyed the class. I thought that he was a great professor and he did not give to much work which is always a plus!

His lectures are quite interesting and he's a pretty decent teacher. He's clear and gives plenty of information, I took a lot of notes during his lectures. His tests were ok, not too hard or easy. If you keep good notes and read the book you'll most likely do well.

This professor rocks

dr allen was a good teacher, very nice guy, grades easy, enjoyable class...overall i liked it and am glad i took it. he takes attendance occasionally so if you go to class it helps, plus he will recognize you.

Dr. Allen knows his material and articulates it in a way that demonstrates his enthusiasm for the topic. However, if you don't share his perspectives, you might find yourself feeling uncomfortable during his lectures. But don't worry, he won't grade you based on how much you agree with him. He does grade harshly at times, and the reading is heavy.

He is a great guy for starters. He lets you know how it is. He wants you to learn about life through experience and states over and over that grades are not the issue. For people who do not want to learn life's lessons and experiences mayb this professor is not for you. In fact you might want to check yourself, and decide if school is for you.

I thought david Allen was a good teacher. You did learn if you paid attention, but he didn't read to you straight out of the book like some students perfer. I liked the way he taught the class. I would take him again!

Professor Allen is very experienced and passionate about this field, the subject and his students. Show this dude love for what he has done for the movement and cause.

Dr. Allen is a very good teacher. He comes off as arrogant, but its just him relaying what he knows to the students. Tips for the class: don't just go off the lecture notes. He gives assigned readings as well, and are duly represented on tests. He's also kinda strung up on dates and statistics, so keep that in mind. Wonderful grading opps, as well.

He is very clear when he speaks and the class is actually very interesting. You MUST read the assigned readings he gives becuase they will make or break you on tests. I would take him again.

I loved Dr. Allen. He fed what you wanted to know. His stories were interesting, but I do agree that he was a liberal and a bit biased. But, that was fine if you respected his opinion and clearly stated yours without dissing his or others. I would take him again and in fact, am switching my major from Finance to Sociology. I loved his class.

Dr. Allen is a great dude. He knows that he is talking about and has very interesting stories that relate to sociology. I didn't have an interest in this course but he made it fun. Talks openly about lots of wild subjects. He grades pretty easily. I would take his classes again if I had the chance.

Intelligent. Lenient. His tests are straigtforward and straight from the notes and lectures. He is very fair and capable. You have to be involved to do well, though. Read the chapters, show up to class, do the light work and you'll do very well.

Dr. Allen is the man. It was one of the few classes I knew I would leave with more information than I started with. At first I thought he was arrogant (sorry professor its true) but his arrogance is really a matter of factness that is rare to come across. His class is the kind where you can apply what you learn to real life.

hes the best!

I had Dr. Allen for intro to soc, and for dev. soc thought. In both I received a high B, when the work I had done deserved a C at best. He cares about the students, emails back promptly, cares about teaching and is really smart!

Took his class for my race core. He was great, taught the class with the idea that we were not all Socio majors and canceled the final because he felt we needed a break. Failing the class only happens when you stop showing up or blogging. Wants you to learn and makes success easy. Love this guy!

Great Teacher!!! I had almost no intrest in this class other than its required. He made it very intresting.. If your in class you dont ALWAYS have to do the reading.. He gave it a personal feel.. would take his classes again in a heartbeat!!

DR.ALLEN IS AN AWESOME PROF. HE IS GOING TO CHALLENGE YOU AND MAKE YOU THINK IN WAYS YOU HAVE NEVER IMAGINED. ONCE YOU MAKE IT THROUGH THE CHALLENGE YOU ARE MORE MARKETABLE AS A POSSIBLE EMPLOYEE AND OVERALL PERSON.

he asked us to read 7 different books.... never read one and still got a B+. show up to class , blog as much as he tells you to and you will do fine. he tends to control the discussion and GOES ON AND ON but hes really smart and knows his stuff.

Great Professor! He is opinionated and very unique which makes this class so interesting. You're expected to read a lot of books, but by paying attention in class you'll do just fine. I very much enjoyed this class and would definitely consider taking another one of his classes!

Dr, Allen is very intelligent, who knows alot about the subject & always incorporates current news & movies related to the subject. i felt that some topics were repetitive. the work is easy but he assigns a TON for a gen-ed class. u gotta blog daily, make 3 wiki entries, two exams & a final.

One of the best and most helpful profs at temple hands down! Prof Allen really knows his stuff and communicates it in an exciting manner. Exams are easy as long as one understands the big picture of what is being taught.

Best teacher ever. All you have to do is blog and go to class. Tests are easy, just know the vocab. He's really nice too!

took his gen-ed class, alot of work but it wasn't too hard. topics can get repetitive but overall an interesting class for some1 with little interest in Sociology. thought i was gonan end up with a B but got an overall A so that says alot

He's a really great teacher and gives a lot of effort into getting his students interested. He tries to make the class more interesting with movies and youtube clips. Take him if you can!!

Lots of work if you do what your supposed too. Blog twice a week, a wiki group, and constant reading... 5 books to read, along with a group book. Very hard to get an A. Extreme amount of work for a gen ed course, but taking this class can be extremely helpful.

I loved this class. Its an easy A. Just show up and sign in because attendance is mandatory and do two blog posts a week. I only read one book from his list and that was only because it was for the group project. Exams are easy if you actually pay attention in class. Oh and he canceled the final too (probably because he was too lazy to grade it).

He is very easy. I was absent from class a lot and always asked my friend to sign me in. Just go to class and take notes, you'll be fine. Tests are give extra time if you need to. He cancels the final, which is the best thing ever. Make sure to complete ur blogs and wiki books. Easy A class

Pretty good teacher. I went to class and never really listened much, just read the online articles and skimmed through the required books and got a B. He canceled the final.

Probably the hardest and most intellectually stimulating teacher you will ever have. He will change the way you think, but everybody just wants to know how to pass the class. BLOG, read the lecture notes and anything else he posts on Blackboard...but most importantly, SHOW UP! I've taken him three times and I'd do it again.

Overall he is a nice teacher but his lectures are very boring! for this course all you have to do is 2 weekly blogs, 2 individual wikis and one group wiki. Also he gives 2 midterms which are challenging but he canceled the final. As long as you do your blogs and wikis you will be fine. Shows a lot of movies and the topics are interesting

He is a great guy, but the class gets really boring. I should have failed the class, but somehow he gave me the points for the blogs and wikis which I did not do. And yes, he does cancel the final. If you have a liberal view about immigration, and you like reading books about it (the class is very reading intensive) then take this course.

Really nice guy, when I was having trouble in his class he met with me and helped do better. Class is really hard for intro class, but worth it. Readings are impossible I never ended up reading the books and still got a b+ he is ver into current events and movies. Really worth the little bit of extra work!

He's really into what he's teaching;can be opinionated at times but do not feel offended because he does not mean to be rude. Do not bother to do the readings, he gives out study guides and outline before tests,plus he requires way too many books for a gen ed class. Do your blogs and wikis, they really do make a difference on your final grade.

Good professor, good class. Workload is manageable. It's possible to do well without reading every assigned book- 5 or 6 books and all are newly published (2012/2013) so it can get costly. Doesn't use the same books next semester so buy them someplace other than the bookstore because they probably won't take them back!

This was one of my favorite classes this semester. If you are a sociology student I recommend the class. He requires 6-8 books for the whole semester but you can get away without reading if you go to every class. On paper the class looks rigorous but it really isn't. He is hilarious and extremely intelligent.

Had a hard time getting through the readings when i took his class, however looking back on it and re-reading some of the things we went over in that class. Dr. Allen really did open new horizons of thought.

I really enjoyed Professor Allen's class. He engaged students to participate and had a funny sarcastic personality. He assigned 5 books, but you can get away with not reading them. Instead of quizzes, you're assigned two weekly blogs and 3 wikis over the course of the semester so its easy to pass.

Really nice guy! Very smart and intelligent, knows his subject, and always informed about attest news. Lectures were boing sometimes, but because of topics, not him. Assigned 5 books to read, I read 1.5, still passed, after reading reviews and some summaries. Tests are pretty easy if you show up in class, take notes, and review the material

Allen is a cool guy, lectures really boring though he just talks the whole time hoping somebody will ask a question. Gives a few exams that are blue book style but pretty clear and fair. Assigns four books but I doubt anybody reads them he explains them in class. Decent class for a GenEd easy A.

He is very intimidating at first but turns into a very cool teacher near the end of the semester; he just wants you to do the work. But he loves to hear himself talk, that's all he does. I didn't read any of the books and did just fine. There's a midterm, "midterm 2", and final. We watched 6 movies and his outlines are super long.

I loved Professor Allen, but this class definitely isn't for everybody. To do well, you need to attend every class and pay close attention. Professor Allen's lectures are very interesting if you actually want to challenge your mind.

I can definitely see why people may not like him, but he has been one of my favorite professors here at Temple. Makes you work hard and earn your grade, but you get so much out of his class.

I took Allen for a race/diversity gen ed & thought he was great! As long as you show up to class you will do fine in his class. There is a lot of reading but I got A's on the exams with only skimming the books or just listening to his lectures. The class is very conversational but he doesn't force anyone to speak up. There's not a lot of homework.

So here is the deal with David. He tells you exactly how to get an A during the first day of class. You show up, take notes on the things he repeats, do your blogs and wikis and understand the books enough to write a little on them. This class could not be easier but he leaves the grade up to you.