2.4
Quality3.5
Difficulty28%
Would Retake283
Reviews28%
Would Retake
283
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
283 total ratings5
50
4
31
3
46
2
52
1
104
What Students Say
“Worst professor I have ever had”
SOC112 - 1.0 rating“He grades on grammar and has the worst I've ever seen”
SOC111 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
35%
Textbook Required
42%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.62 avg changeRatings by Course
ANT112
5.0
(1)SOCIOLOGY111
5.0
(1)490
4.3
(3)112
4.0
(2)SOC390
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
INTROANTH
5.0
ANTHRO
5.0
ANY
5.0
SOCIALSCI
4.5
ANTH112
4.5
Reviews (282)
good guy but very difficult, too smart for his own good
No Comments
awkardly over-intelligent guy, intense class, homework mandatory, provacative
Stares at the wall when he talks
No Comments
Worst class I've ever taken at SVSU.
Excited to teach but needs to teach more about Sociology instead of History.
very unorganized, lies, very unpleasant, desn't care about students needs.
the man hates america and lets you know about it... dont take the class!!
Jerk, When asking a question he makes you look like an idiot for his mistakes!
very opinionated, and ambiguous.
No Comments
The class was easy, but he made a lot of mistakes, and tried to cover them up. He would do something incorrectly, and then say he didn't.
He knows his stuff. I have never learned as much in any other class. Makes you think and tests you not to accept everything at face value.
HE gets confused, but it is funny. He seems like he smoked way to much in his younger years. A pretty easy grade with 15% ex credit.
yeah....what a goofball. i'm thinking Kramer from Seinfeld.
No Comments
If you pay attention to his lectures, and read the lecture notes online, you'll be fine. He's kinda crazy and wants you to make up your own mind on world subjects, doesnt like the President.
Spends more time on his own agenda then on class material. Publishes articles that are not based on fact and then slams students when they call him on it. Horrible class, horrilbe experience. My advise, stay away, far far away.
I like Elson as a person and I am not afraid to say it, he is a wonderful wonderful person. I am not a huge fan of the class, but that is because I waited four years between anthro and this class.
If you want a class where the professor jams his own political ideology down your throat--take this class, I cant believe the crap this guy tries to make his students believe Boles should be removed the staff at svsu
Great course - not the easiest, but you will really learn something! He is different, as we all are - don't let that stop you from a great learning experience!
Hair is frizzy, eyes are red, and looks like he just got back from talking with his favorite bong. His tests are hard but he gives you many opportunities for extra credit. Is very smart when it comes to world politics and you can learn a lot is his class
No Comments
Hated him at first... couldn't stand him!! But by the end, I began to see where he was coming from. Read everything, study in groups, you'll do fine!
No Comments
Dr. Boles is a little eccentric but a good teacher. You will really learn something in his class.
Dr. Boles looks like Kramer off of Seinfeld, but is an excellent teacher. He really promotes independent thought about institutions and laws.
He is horrible. Rather than teach, he simply spouts out his beliefs when it comes to politics and tries to convert students. He needs to realize that he is @ SVSU to educate, not recruit for anti-war protests. I pay to learn, not to be preached to.
If you are not a total liberal, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. HE GRADES UPON POLITICAL IDEOLOGY, NOT SOCIOLOGY. If you are liberal, you will get an A. Simple as that.
He teaches in circles and is so hard to follow. He often goes off on tangents of Disco and Pot smoking and he reminds me of "Cramer" off of Sinfield.
very good teach very easy class
dumb teacher not worth your time
Talks all the time about nothing. Goes on these rants that have nothing to do with the class! Not an easy course, I don't recommend him as a teacher. Yet, he is very knowledgeable with his material, almost knows TOO much!
I started in his class and he expects you to be on bb everyday discussing with your other partners. Yes, I am focused but i have other classes too...this is gen ed...not the school of sociology.
I would not recommend him to anyone. He is so liberal and if you do not think the same way he does, you'll get less points on assignments. This class is so much work! It's hard to keep up when you have 3 other classes to think about.
He was really good at explaining everything in detai.online quizzes were not hard at all & they make up the exam questions later So they are really convient!I think everyone should take this class with him,I feel like a better person because of that class
You learn nothing about global cultures. All you will get out of the class are his political views. He is hard to follow and his exams do not make any sense.
Horrible teacher. thinks he's funny but does not teach. All he does it tell his view and says read the book but then says the book is wrong and he is right. He is so full of himself and his own views he doesn't care if his students learn.Very Boring!
I am not liberal and I got an A. I think he is a nice and down to earth guy. I learned a lot.
He made the class extremely boring. He spends the entire time talking, mostly on off-subjects or his ideas to either change the world or what he thinks is wrong with the world. For exams, he finds a sentance from the book... you will be lost.
Interesting guy, but very weird. I didn't enjot it all the time, but it was different than most classes. Extra credit available all the time. Tests are hard but ask for a study guide.
Was by far the worst Prof I have ever had! What more can I say???
He needs to be more open minded.
The class is not enjoyable but it's not as bad as it could be the only thing I didn't understand is why I had to memorize all the countries of the world for an soc class. By the way, he does it for all his classes.
He's very passionate about what he does, but can't relate to people who are taking this course as a Gen Ed and CI. Funny guy, not intimidating and lots of Extra credit were good, but he likes to push his views on you.
he is great, he loves what he is doing and he is great with students. I enjoyed his teaching style and learned much great info from him.
worst prof I ever had
Worst teacher I've ever had. He is only interested in pushing his views. He's always right and doesn't teach anything the course is suppose to be about. Just plain obnoxious.
this teacher sucked big time he plays favorites to the max if your a soc major he might like you. word of advise go to Robert thaylers class instead.
Grading on blackboard was confusing- keep track of your own grade. Interesting class if your into politics- but someone please remind him what his degree is in.
HORRIBLE TEACHER! Dont take him! He is very confusing and wierd. He is no help to anyone. Everyone I know did bad in his class. Take soc with any other teacher except him...all the other ones are good.
No Comments
Mr. Boles is a very non helpful teacher. I don't know if it's his fault or if he dosen't realize it. He lectures the whole time in lamen terms but when we go to the quizes everything is in all these weird terms and wordings and I don't know what it means. So he if he starting explaining stuff better
he sucked!!! he doesn't help you at all and he trys to push his own political view on everyone. He needs to just stick to soc and not politics and the stupid election. He doesn't help anyone, and he just flat out doesn't care about any of the students. Don't take his class...he sucks.
yea he sucks
No Comments
Dr. Boles means well, but he can be very offensive when talking bout his political views. Words quizes funny, and the lectures make you fall asleep. Nice guy, but I would recommend someone else for sociology courses.
All I can say is what a great class and what a great guy. I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just listen to his views and go along with what he says. Some of the questions are worded badly on quizzes and exams, but a lot of the questions are the same between the two. Study for the exams by going over your answers from the quizzes. Not a bad prof.
Worst prof ever. He tries to impress his unamerican views upon his students, he lectures about things that will never appear on a quiz, test, or exam. I asked for help via email and got an automated message saying he cant help. Acts like the center of the universe. Dont take any of his classes.
Do not take him unless u want to fail!! He speaks to his students like he is a god. I enjoyed the material we learned, but could not stand the man, tests are very hard. You are graded only on tests, so my advice to you, never have him as a teacher. If you are a good test taker, then take his class!!
he means well, but he doesnt even know your name, your just another face in the crowd to him, if you like being graded on tests only TAKE HIM!
This guy what can I say? I really dreaded going to his classes. he has no idea who you are and everything is electronic. He is incredibly pompous and doesn't care what you think or about how you might react to his opinions. DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER!!!!!!!!
HORRIBLE....HATE THE CLASS AND HIM! YOU WILL GET NO WHERE
No Comments
Dr. Boles what can you say? other than he doesn't care about you, your grade, or if you even get anything from his class. He will not even know your name. He is all about him there is no you! Always late to classes, but god forbid if you are ever late or sick...DON'T TAKE HIM unless you want to fai!
This class wasnt that hard. It is an easy B. Study the quizzes for the tests, because they are pretty much the same. I found it kind of interesting. I don't know why the rating is so bad though, because i didn't work that hard at all and still managed to get a B+.
This man thinks he is a God. He talks to the class like they are all idiots. His lectures have nothing to do with the tests, and we never used to the book. The only way to do decent (C work) on an exam is by memorizing the quizzes. But you have to do well on the quiz first...IMPOSSIBLE
Dr. Boles is very helpful if you take the time to ask questions. He tries to come off as a strict prof but truly isnt, (unless it involves the writing format he requires). At one point I was failing the course, but ended up with an A-, almost an A. He is very knowledgable. I would recommend him.
This teacher is horrible and doesn't care if you learn anything. There is no point in going to class because it won't help on quizzes and exams. He gets carried away with stuff that doesn't deal with the class
Previous ratings state that he doesn't care about he students. Well, that is a bunch of crap. He bends over backwards for his students, and he DOES care!!! If you take time to ask questions, he will help you.
Unbelievable...thats all there is to it. Dont force your cracked out liberal views on the rest of us. This class is a joke, along with Boles.
I agree with what others have written -- his classes totally expanded my understanding of the real world. I've had three classes and noticed some criticisms look like they are written by the same person over and over just because they don't like to hear Dr. Boles speak truth about US policies.
Yeah, it does seem like the same person is writing false criticisms because they don't like Dr. Boles. He is an excellent professor, who cares about his students. He's a fun guy to talk to also outside of class. If you read, take notes, do study guides, and ask for help if needed, you will do fine!
Dr. Boles is great! The class gets easier. He answers questions!!! First week seems overwhelming - it gets better. Do the reading, study for tests (all MULT CHOICE!), and post on BB on time! He's particular, but lenient if he knows you are trying hard! Don't be afraid to take him!
I had Boles for Soc 280 last semester, and he WAS organized. Class was always fun, and I learned something new everyday. I am taking Soc 304 with him this semester and everything about the class is awesome! Dr. Boles is very helpful and very easy to talk to!
This is by far the most interesting and informative general ed I have had. Professor Boles taught us something new every class and he never got boring. Many people in my class disagreed with his point of view because it is not conventional, but he opened my mind up about many issues. Take him.
The guy is a joke. Tests on other extreme left wingers' opinions rather than actual facts. An overload of work for a GEN ED!! All the good ratings on this site are from him himself! Dont believe and of his malarchy. DO NOT TAKE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSANCES WHATSOEVER!!!!!
This professor is great. He offers an alternative to the BS media we get, but sticks to the facts. I think it's obvious that rightwingrs hate Dr. Boles just cause they don't like someone that disagrees with them.
No Comments
Dr. Boles is an interesting instructor. If you want to "think outside the box" then take this class.
This teacher is very unorganized and lacks teaching ability. Trying to get help is near impossible. I am liberal and I find many of his views interesting, but cannot understand what many of his views have to do with the course material. I would not recommend this professor.
The professor was very unhelpful and the class material was hard to comprehend. He isn't very good at bringing things down to a students level. This also isn't an easy class. I should have taken it with the woman who teaches it but wasn't able to get into her sections, now I know why!!!
I took this class thinking how bad can it be. It is AWFUL. Stay away from this man at all costs. I am not yet done with the semester but I have a C and its not because I am lazy or a conservative, it is because he sucks as a professor and is unable to relay his immense knowledge base to his students
Thinks everything is a conspiracy towards his views by rightwingers or conservatives. Can't teach well, and isn't well like either by more than half of the students in this class (granted it is a rather small class) Try to avoid as a professor, isn't worth the pain.
No Comments
Biggest joke of a professor. This class is nothing but the same rantings and ravings that I heard when I took him for intro as a freshman. Not the easiest prof either. Don't even get me started on his lack of helpfulness. avoid him
This prof is horrible. RANT AND RAVES AND THEN RANTS AND RAVES SOME MORE. Unapproachable and unavailable most of the time. Take some one else, anyone but him!
Great instructor. Never rants or raves. Lots of history detail, which can get boring if you don't like history. But other than that pretty interesting class.
Definitly a great class. Learned about the world's political problems. I don't think any of us in this upper level course would take this class if we didn't like Dr Boles. It isn't required. I think some of the criticisms below are by the same person and are dishonest.
Keep your extreme left winged views to yourself and teach an educational class.I thought college was supposed to educate both sides of everything but this guy proved that wrong.He writes all the positive things about himself and only registered users can rate him b/c of all the bad things people say
I enjoyed all of classes I have taken with Boles. I learned a lot and had fun at the same time. He is not as bad as everyone makes him out to be. Take him if you really want to learn the material!!
Interesting instructor. Changed my views. Lots to read, but exams aren't too hard.
Enjoyed class, a little difficult, but nothing one can't handle. Boles isn't that bad, he doesn't rant or rave. He gets hyped up about things but that's about it. Do the work, ask questions and you should be fine.
Intelligent professor, but doesn't know how to teach. I used over half of my print balance for this class alone! He attempts to cover material for the test, but never does, so be prepared to learn nearly 70% of the material outside of class. He's not approachable, because his door shut all the time.
Dr. Boles really helped me out when I had personal difficulties. Few other professors were as flexible and he opened my eyes to looking at things from a different perspective. I thought I was lucky to get him.
Probaly the worst teacher I have ever had. Made no attemtpt to help at all. Covers way to much material. Cannot relate to students. Does not let you have a point of view.
very full of himself, thinks he's better then everyone else because he has his PhD
Weird, but mostly misunderstood. Exams don't match what's covered in class, but he gives lots of easy extra credit opportunities. Some students hate him because he's very passionate about his politics, but contrary to other reviews, he doesn't penalize people who think differently. Study hard and try to keep an open mind, and do the extra credit!
He's a very energetic professor, which makes class rather enjoyable. He is not a bad prof. as other reviewer have said. While it is obvious where he stands politically, he doesn't force his views on you. He is always willing to help students, even if it isn't during his office hours. Take him if you want to really learn the material!!
No Comments
WORST TEACHER EVER
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Elson is an excellent person. Extremly knowledgeable and passionate about what he believes in, and isnt afraid to stand up for his beliefs. But as a professor.... I wouldnt honestly recomend him to people unless it is an upper level class.
This class ruined my 4.0. He is all over the place and nothing he talks about seems to tie together. There is way too much reading and it is all very hard to understand. Not right for the level of the class. He knows his stuff but expects everyone else to also. Learned nothing, avoid at all costs.
Awsome instructor. I know some of my classmates just don't want to take the time to figure it out. They want to be spoon fed everything. When I had problems, Dr. Boles gave me a break and explained things. I highly recommend his classes. I've had him twice and I'm taking him again.
Boles is an idiot! If you have the money and time to throw away, Dr. Elson E. Boles is your man, and has the experience to do it!
Great class! I have so far learned about anthropolgy, global cultures, pretty much nothing about Japanese "society", the class I paid for. Thanks for the wasted time.
At first, I wasn't sure about this prof. But after 2 weeks, I knew he was going to be great. He comes off as a hard ass, but he isn't. He's big a softie. Exams kinda hard cause of the wording, just take note & go to him if you lost, and you'll be fine. Not bad like everyone makes out to be; seriously
No Comments
Boles is so rude. I don't think he cares if learning takes place in his classes, instead, he ridicules and degrates you, so learning becomes difficult to do.
AVOID at all costs. Probably the worst instructor I have had in my 3 years in college. Quizzes and tests are unfair - do not reflect material in any lecture or assigned readings. Class was absolutely ridiculous! STRICT attendance policies. He was rude and not very understanding. I am a sociology minor, but would switch if it meant taking him again.
Would NOT suggest him, difficult teacher, confusing lessons. Provides zero notes for the exam and study guides are not helpful. Exams are online and everyone has a different test, unfair in my opinion. CRAZY hair!
I had been interested in taking this class before hand... after having boles I have no interest in soc at all. No study guides, tests worded bad, and not very understanding.
Very nice guy. His tests and quizzes are all online, so you can print them later to study. Make sure you study for the world countries test! Has big hair if you get bored.
If you wanna learn and study, Boles is right for you! Very nice guy, but you have to study, read, take quizes. I did enjoy classes, learned a lot new and helpful! I will recomend it for someone who is looking for knowlege. Everything is very orgonized and systimatic in his class. Great Professor!
This professor is terrible. He is very hard to follow to take any notes from his lectures. He is very opinionated and his tests are very hard. When taking his exams you have to think about how he would answer the questions.I would never recommend this man to anyone. I think that when you go in to his office to get help he is belittling and rude.
This professor is opinionated and somewhat difficult to follow. The class is sometimes based on what he thinks, not what the book says. Not a very difficult class but the lectures themselves are biased and judgemental.
He is the rudest professor I have ever met. I have never taken his class but I have met him in person. The whole experience was horrible. He is so full of himself and thinks he is God's gift to the world.
great proffessor!!!!!!!!!!very understanding And knowledgeable
Dr. Boles is just not a good teacher. He is biased, judgmental, and rude. It's really hard to listen if your opinions aren't the same as his. You have to know them though because half the quiz/test questions are his opinion-not the book. Don't take him unless you have to. Very uncooperative and unhelpful.
One interjection for ya, AAAAAAH! Unbelievable! He honestly believes that everyone came from black people in Africa, and we all migrated to different continents and our skin, and hair color changed to the climates, as did our body shapes and such. But this is all after the land-bridge, so how did the native-americans get over here? waste of money.
very hard
how do people like him even get hireD?
Class wasn't half bad. Boles is like genius so it may be hard to understand what he says or where he comes from. His off the wall comments keep you interested in a class that could be pretty boring. There are like 10 quizzes, open book/open note. Midterms ?'s come from the quizzes, so study up. Attendance is important, Boles is nice and funny =)
This guy seriously sux. If you like being tested on his opinions then you might like him. Half the time he doesn't even teach from the text - he'll tell you the text is wrong! I can't believe he is actually allowed to teach the outrageous things that he does.
Very poor instructor. Would not excuse absence for court subpoena and got marked down in class for it. Unless you know his "expert" opinion, you are screwed. do not take!
No Comments
The class is interesting and you learn a lot, however Boles is extremely condescending, especially if you don't understand or share his exact views. He also expects students to do their work on time, but rarely finds it necessary to finish grading them in time. Lectures are interesting, but he's very full of himself and unapproachable for questions
Don't take him. I feel like his lectures are on whatever he thinks about when he's driving to class. I have never been so bored in my life. He is a terrible teacher and weird. I wanted to die while in this class.
I think this is the worst class I have ever taken. Boles is arrogant and unaproachable. He insists that you follow his way of writing a paper, however, this guy does not even know what an outline is or how to write one. I am an A student and don't mind a difficult class, but this was rediculous... he is rediculous. Avoid him if you can.
This professor is amazing, he will open your mind and enlighten you with factual information to do so. you will never look at global issues or read the newspaper in the same way again. Sociology is not usually an at the edge of your seat subject, but if you take Boles class it will be. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Elson is an awesome professor, he is hard but once you get past that he is an awesome person! I adore him!
He is very strict about what he wants. I have never seen a teacher who wanted to see his students fail like he does. I wish I would have known before I signed up for the class how stupid the whole thing was going to be!!
lectures are hard to follow as he goes off on tangents. talks about off topic subjects, easily sidetracked. likes to see students do poorly. overall i would not recommend this teacher at all.
This guy is a complete JACKASS. By far the WORSE teacher here at SVSU. He thinks that he knows everything and is Gods gift to the world. He gives lectures and talks to you like you have a PhD. Horrible, horrible, horrible teacher! DO NOT TAKE him if you don't need to!
Boles is terrible! He will give you pages to read in the book that have nothing to do with what he gives for lectures that have nothing to do with the articles you print off. He believes his ideals are superior and everyone should believe them. At first if you ask for help, he will be a jackass, but he will try and help. Class is pointless, but
but he does take attendance. You won't learn anything in this class. He teaches like it's a grad class. Dont' take him!!! Don't even consider it! Just don't do it!
Really hard professor. Everything is online. Basicaly an online course. Very boring. Test are very pesific.
Boles isn't that bad. People who don't do well in his class are people who don't put in the effort. Yes, there's a lot of reading and studying. But if you do it, you'll be fine. I hated the topics and lecture, but he's fairly understanding as long as you DO THE WORK!
Pretty easy, all tests are exact same questions as quizzes
Rambles on on and on. There is no change in the way class is run it is 100 percent lectures and no other grades besides test quizzes and attendance.
He is VERY biased about what he teaches. If you are a repiblican or a conservative be prepared to bite your tongue. I don't believe a lot of what he taught mostly because he WAS so biased, and so the class was really just a filler. He's an okay guy, but he doesn't draw the line between his beliefs and the class material.
Fairly easy & interesting, but apparently hard to swallow if you're blindly conservative and insecure about having your ideas questioned for once. Exams are based off of online chapter tests: best way to ace class is to take all your tests the night before the exam so they're fresh in your head. Lectures don't require notes; concepts are basic.
I loved this professor. All of the quizzes come from the book and the exams are based off of the quizzes. As long as you read the chapters, you are guaranteed an "A". I don't understand why others have a problem with Dr. Boles. His lectures were interesting and easy to follow.
Elson Boles is not a cool guy. Any review on here that is positive in any way, was either posted by him or his family. I bet he sits there and writes comments about himself. He does ramble on. He needs to clear up his content and stay on topic.
Elson Boles does not teach a class. He teaches what he think is right or wrong. If you say other be prepared to get in to one of his many ramble ons. He uses all online quizes and tests. If he goes on one of his rambles, and doesn't cover the data he still expects you to know everything. Even though its all online I pay for him to teach not ramble.
Boles is generally an interesting professor. He's a really good looking guy and speaks Japanese. Though... I wasn't to interested in the subject (SOC).
Professor Boles is VERY biased. Goes off on random tangents that have nothing to do with the class. All tests and quizzes are online and even if he doesn't cover the material in class you are responsible for it. Class is relatively easy if your a motivated person ready to teach yourself.
Very hard. Tests are ridiculous and impossible to study for. Miss 3 days and its 5% off your final grade.
He was an awesome teacher, made class entertaining with random fits, he did have an attendance policy, but you didn't need to listen because you could learn everything from the quizzes, If you had any issues or questions and went to talk to him he'd give you extra credit, he had a nice perception on the world and interesting knowledge...
Very funny. Quizzes and exams online which i thought was convenient. Just look at lecture notes online and you'll do great on the quizzes. And I dont see how he is biased at all. He stated on countless occasions he states facts and gives real-life experience and examples.Some people may think he is biased because they are narrow-minded individuals.
He was a funny teacher. Got off topic a lot. If you dont pay attention you will fail the class. He talks about his other classes a little to much. If you get him I would try and switch teachers.
His lectures were all over the place. Very hard to follow and not very clear about the guidelines of the class. Talks frequently about stuff that is not on the tests and that has nothing to do with the class.
boles is a horrible professor. i don't even know what sociology is now because of him. i struggled to get a d.
Loved this professor! I try to take every one of his classes. Yes he lectures alot but that is what collage is about. He makes you think! Is harsh if your late or absent my sugestion is not to do it cuz if you get up during class he will watch you and stop the lecture to watch you walk out.
disorganized. disorganized. disorganized. but. enlightening.
I had a lot of fun in this class, primarily because he isn't as smart as he thinks he is and I pwnd him quite a bit. Almost nothing that is discussed in class, which is mandatory to attend, is on the exams which are online and, at least 5 years ago, were confusing. If you hate bleeding hearts, stay away. Though an A is relatively easy to get.
DO NOT TAKE HIM IF YOU ARE A CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN. He believes his way is right and republicans are liars, cheaters, and are useless to society. He is stuck up and thinks he is better than everyone else because he has been to a few different countries. He is completely unorgainzed. The only thing he has going for him is he is funny.
The ratings of the majority of these posts speak for themselves-listen to them! Description of Boles: arrogant, scatter-brained, and one-sided. Even as a liberal I know that just teaching one point of view is not good teaching.
Nice to hear a liberal teacher preaching his view - have had to stomach the conservative stuff everywhere, all the time, so its about time we hear the other side and loudly. Fair is fair.
Awesome guy! Class was really interesting and i learned alot even though he got off topic... Funny guy and an easy A!
Awesome guy! Class was really interesting and i learned alot even though he got off topic... Funny guy and an easy A! Really enjoyed going to class and I had him for both 111 and 112
Has a big brain and plenty of experience. Well-traveled. You must be a self-starter or forget it; everything is online. He is plainly liberal but reality has a liberal bias and he shows you why. My essays gave both points of view on issues and he raised my grade accordingly. Plus, perfect attendance adds 5% to your grade. For me, an easy A.
Very Interesting class. I've had Boles before and he's a great professor that has a sense of humor. Exams are easy, they are based on quizzes you take online which aren't graded for points. No papers, just online discussions which are easy and 3 exams and that's the entire class. Definitely Recommend.
Interesting class if you are a sociology major. Boles is a pretty funny guy and a great professor. Shows you the facts on what is really going on in the world and therefore people get angry because he sounds liberal/is liberal because of those facts. Class is not difficult at all. There are quizzes you take which are online, one bigger paper,1 exam
If you can't handle having your views insulted every class period then don't take him. His tests are pretty hard too, you've gotta read everything and don't be more than a minute late for class or you're marked absent and that's quite a few points. Definitely not my favorite class. He makes an interesting subject a view-slamming session.
Has a hard time staying focused while lecturing. he goes off on little side tangents. His tests cover nothing that was discussed during the lectures.
I do not recommend this class at all. The material that he went over in class were never on his tests and he is an all around horrible teacher. I absolutely dreaded this class and if i could go back i would never take his class again.
Professor Boles likes to get lost on tangents. The lectures are rather boring, hard to stay away for, but you have to attend class. Book quizzes are online and must be taken. These quizzes make up your tests. 3 tests total. Do the quizzes and memorize those answers and you will ace the exams. One paper to do, and 3 extra credit possibilities.
This class was a waste of my time and money, this professor is bad and should be removed from Saginaw Valley State University. The lectures were extremely dry, boring and the tests/online discussions were irrelevant to the material. Clarity of exam questions were not stated in this class. DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE.
Topics discussed in class were irrelevant to the online quizzes and the exams. I would not recommend this class, attended every class and never could grasp what he was trying teach.
Professor Boles was very unorganized. Lectures were boring and hard to follow because he kept veering off onto other topics. He is very rude to students. Not an incredibly hard class. Just do the online quizzes.
The lecture was painfully boring, and he talked about Japan a lot. The tests were the same questions as the online quizzes, so as long as you know those, you'll do fine. I wouldn't recommend him, but you'll be fine if you take this class.
Professor: awful. Class: Easy. If you can stay awake through his boring lectures you'll be fine. The power points make up the quizzes and the quiz questions make up the tests. MEMORIZE THE QUIZ QUESTIONS! also has lots of extra credit work available.
Unorganized, confusing, berates you if you ask him to clarify or if you ask him about something you're unsure of. Changes the schedule/due dates constantly. Rude. Rambles. He cannot write/communicate well, therefore the assignments he has you download online are hard to understand. Only take if you're a massive history buff.
DO NOT TAKE A CLASS WITH BOLES. He is extremely unorganized, doesn't stay on topic, and is very rude. He will talk about his political views in class, and then test you on them
Make sure to follow his schedule, he rarely deviates from it. Also, check the syllabus before asking ANY questions. Really cultured, knows the material, and has a passionate hate for the modern world-system.
I have never seen a professor that I so immediately knew was going to be useless. I have yet to figure out how he keeps his job, or got it to begin with. All course materials are online, and requires opening each part in a fresh window, with password, to get anything done with anything resembling efficiency. The webpages are not savable,either.
Took this as a hybrid class. Not the best professor, but its fairly easy. He lectures about personal and political views. The quizzes can be difficult with how he words the questions, but they are the exact same questions on the tests. Strong into team-based learning and group work. Overall decent class.
He teaches one thing and then tests over another thing. Book is boring and hard to understand.
All of his classes seem pretty similar and I honestly learned little from taking multiple classes with him. He really has a thing for Wallerstein and his theories about the world economy and inequalities. Seems to promote a liberal Wallersteinian perspective. Be ready to read academic articles and take quizzes and write about them weekly.
Extremely rude and disrespectful to students. Not helpful with any issues that may arise. Had different due dates for multiple things.
Terrible teacher and very disrespectful to students. Disagrees with anything they have to say and treats you as if you are not capable of learning. Very hard to work with.
Very long boring lectures, test are different than what he says they will be.
Very hard class. Isn't very clear when giving lectures. It would be best to read over material by yourself or you will get confused.
Is very opinionated. Listens to students only if they have enough evidence to back themselves up. Gives a lot of assignments, but they are not too difficult as long as you put work into it.
I really struggled in this class. His lectures were so boring and he barely got through a powerpoint in one class period. He expected your assignments to be perfect, yet had more grammatical errors than any other teacher I have had.
In this class you get one shot at each "assignment" made up of like 15 questions. You have about 12 of these assignments total. The questions you get wrong you have to explain the right answer. Quote it from the book and explain why you got it wrong. Test are questions straight from the assignments. Lectures are BORING& he takes attendance everyday
Last semester Boles "flipped the classroom" which meant tons of group assignments. Perks individual quizzes every week are followed by duplicate quiz to take with your group (can help grade), many assignments were with your group that he picks (so its good and bad depending on your group). Challenges you but is there to help. VERY OPINIONATED
the only thing I have learned in this class is grammar, which I already learned in English. He made more grammatical errors than anyone, and he is very hard to follow
Do not work on assignments with other people if they are individual unless you want to be taken to the dean's office for plagiarism. He also grades your papers on grammar while he has the worst I have ever seen. Only take him as a VERY last choice. He is very opinionated!
Every assignment is a group assignment. He takes a long time to grade the assignments. You have individual and team quizzes. We didn't have to buy a textbook.
A great professor! One of the few that I've stayed in contact with once the course was over. Has strong opinions, but they allow you to see things differently. I was more open-minded at the end of his course. Which has greatly benefited me as I finished my studies at SVSU and traveled to other parts of the world. I'm really glad I took his course!
Dr. Boles knows his stuff and cares whether students understand. He was my favorite professor in college.
In professor Boles' classes be prepared to learn, and be able to explain what you've learned. This class focused on applying theory to history and politics, and you had to be able to re-explain it clearly to show you understood. He's more than willing to clarify concepts, and if you are struggling simply make an appointment to see him.
This is a class where you are encouraged to express your opinions with the support of facts and objective knowledge. Boles cares about his students and is passionate about teaching. I learned so much from this class, and have been able to apply the knowledge to my other classes. If you are willing to put forth the effort, Boles will do the same.
He is good at what he does.
Worst professor I have ever had. Ask for help and he tells you to read instructions again. He would not post the resources needed to do homework and said we going to fail because we didn't read instructions and waited to do it the day before when he just assigned it that day. This class was a joke. He doesn't teach, leaves it all up to a computer.
Professor Boles is the worst professorteacher I have ever experienced! He is o liberal that he push's his own beliefs on everyone in the class. He is never prepare and never knows what's going on in class. He grades on grammar and has the worst I've ever seen. He is very rude to students at times. ONLY TAKE HIS CLASS AS A LAST RESORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He is a nice guy overall but asking him for help is a no. he will not help you and when you visit his office he will tell you , that you're not organized and hasn't even seen your things to know.
Look, I'm just as politically liberal as the next guy but this guy is nuts. I couldn't get through a class without a 20 minute lecture on how Bush ruined America. Dude, we get it, now please teach me about sociology. The class structure itself was fluid and didn't really feel substantial. We sort of just jumped around and it was hard to learn.
nice guy, but really confusing
Dr. Boles is the worst professor I have ever had. He's cancelled 3 weeks worth of classes, never checks to see if the materials he's teaching us work (power points, videos, etc.), and he routinely forgets what he teaches us on a day to day basis. He's honestly repeated an entire lecture before. His class is a waste of time and money!
Never knew what to study and I can't say that I learned anything. Everything you do with this class is online. I found Professor Boles a little unprofessional... He didn't show up to class twice and didn't notify the class until after 40 minutes after class was suppose to begin.
I understand what everyone else is saying with the class being canceled a lot and him being a little unhelpful with making sure the stuff worked but it really wasn't that big of a deal. I thought this was a pretty easy class. The quiz answers were online sometimes and you always had a group to work with. The tests were basically the quiz q's again
I would not take him again. He never helped any students in class and was very rude when stuff came up. I was in a car accident and couldn't make it to an exam and he gave me a zero, wouldn't let me take it, even though I had a tow receipt and pictures.
As long as you take notes and do the small readings (2-10 pages one every 3 weeks) you will do absolutely fine. The quizzes and tests are all online. Individual quizzes take at home and use note. Team quizzes using your team members (easy points). Discussions, individual, and team assignments easily played out. Test Same Quiz Questions Easy A
He is the most scattered professor I've ever had. He is very condescending and says he isn't expressing his views and opinions but definitely is. I would HIGHLY recommend not taking him. Find a different professor or wait out the semester. Honestly.
Prof Boles is a decent teacher. Lectures are understandable and easy but does not really follow the book. quizzes before every class, but very easy. Group work is necessary, so be sure to update with your group. Exams, are really different from lectures and quizzes due to wording so be sure to understand the lecture.
Dude's like that one nerdy, weedy guy in an action movie that ends up being the sociopathic villain. Likes to push his views on others, and told me that he doubted that I was Native American.
I would recommend if you get him as a professor run as fast as you can. He is a horrible teacher whos lectures and views make no sense. He is very rude to his students and is never prepared for any of his classes. Many students get up and walk out of his class in the middle of lecture.
Always says to follow the syllabus but does not follow the syllabus himself. Very unorganized as far as due dates for assignments so constantly check your email!! Quizzes and exams were easy as long as you read through the power points and watched the videos. Only good thing is he responds to emails quickly.
I would not take this professor again. This class should have been taught online. I truly did not learn one thing in this class which is very sad to say.
The class itself was not bad, but how he taught the class was the problem. Prepare for many class periods of him lecturing the entire time, going too far in depth so the whole class is lost. He starts the year off with a lot of work, but the work load gets significantly better as the semester goes on. Prepare to be confused.
If you don't have a laptop you wont pass! everything is online and very confusing. Lots of group work and overall horrible lectures.... would never take this again.
He is a very kind man who is always willing to help. Bring your laptop to class everyday! He is a stickler on grammar, but he always tells you exactly what he wants and it's not very difficult. At first it seems like a lot, but the amount of work dies down. There is a lot of group work which is nice, but you get the grade you work for individually.
While this was an online class he was more than willing to meet with me to clear up any confusion. Time needs to be put in to understand the material. He did give us expectations for each unit making it very easy to organize and focus on what will be on the quiz. Do beware, he does not accept late work. Missing one assignment won't kill your grade.
There's absolutely no point in coming to class. He posts all PowerPoints online and won't let you take notes on your laptop anyways. The way he lectures makes it very difficult to take written notes s the majority of the class just sits there the whole time. He always believes he's right so don't bother to try to correct him.
I took his online class, which seems to be the way to go with Dr. Boles. He gave a fair amount of work, but the videos and articles were all easy to follow and his PowerPoints were clear. It is a significant amount of reading, but not terrible. A very easy A.
I took him online, it was extremely easy. He gives you a lot of assignments and reading but it is all online according to the readings he posts or the powerpoints he posts. The quizzes are also easy. He doesn't make you buy a text book as he posts the readings online. Overall, super easy A as long as you do the work.
Avoid if you can. I took SOC111 online and ended up spending numerous hours on assignments. Group work is required and there is a lot to keep track of. Hard grader and likes things to be perfect and to his liking. Ended up dropping the class when I went from a B to a D from one assignment.
Wonderful prof. When I doubted his grading choice, he was willing to listen and change my grade. Made Sociology actually interesting. No essays. A lot of group projects. Everything you do is online, so remember your laptop.
Avoid this professor if possible. The work load isn't too bad, but the questions that are asked can be the most confusing you've experienced. He is not easy to get ahold of, when you ask a question he will just refer you to his syllabus without giving you a straight answer. Somewhat easy class, but the professor made it tough.
Boles is terrible. I'm taking his online SOC111 and there is SO much busy work! He doesn't accept late work at all (Even if you did all of the work and turned it in only a couple hours late!!). His assignments take forever to complete. His questions are confusing. Discussion posts are mandatory and also take a lot of time. Hate him >:(
Worst class Ive ever experienced! Avoid professor at all costs! His questions and directions are SO confusing and its his way or the highway. I asked for help on multiple occasions and he was very demeaning and didnt try to understand my side. He also has a grading assistant who is an extremely harsh grader.
If you are considering taking this class with professor Boles, do not do it. Find a different prof or wait to take the class. I have never met a professor as rude or inconsiderate. Any time I would ask for help, even if he made a mistake, he made me feel stupid for no reason what so ever. His questions and instructions hardly ever make sense.
Probably not the best choice to take if you can help it. Very condescending personality. Large individual assignments and discussion posts, which aren't too bad if you can figure out what the questions are asking. Gives little to no feedback on assignments. Overall relatively easy class, but the professor made it harder than it had to be.
Professor Boles gives a lot of material as if this is your only class, treated this 200 level class as if it was a 400 level class. If you do the work and do not miss anything and watch/read the modules you'll be fine.
Boles is very passionate about his classes. You leave his course with a broad understanding about the way the world works. Very, very helpful in office hours.
good class. Boles presents the issues around important social problems and gives you a good background for understanding why this problem exists and what we might do to solve it. he helps a lot if you visit him during his office hours.
Anyone who is interested in learning why our world is so crazy, will enjoy this class. Boles walks through why social problems exist in a completely understandable way. The assignments are easy.
Assignments are locked until you do the one before it, which wouldn't matter except a lot of them are OUT OF ORDER so you don't realize important details until afterwards. Assigns a LOT of reading and videos, which make up for not having a "textbook" (he posts pdf's of chapters and articles). Grammar quizzes (but he has so many typos!). Busy work.
Hes a good guy and gives you all the information you need. You'll end up redoing assignments often
A great person with a great personality. He will not let you fail the class and he will make sure that you have all of the tools that you need. He has revamped his classes so that they are super organized and easy to follow. He expects you to do your work and do your work well, however will let you redo assignments for full credit.
This was a hybrid class so all of your work was online. The teacher was hilarious and super educated. I learned a lot going to his lectures. He has high expectations from his students and wants you to have a full understanding. You get in what you put out in this class.
Elson is a very tough grader and is very picky about grammer. There are a lot of projects that are worth a ton of points, weekly quizzes, and detailed, long discussion questions. His questions are worded very weird and are hard to understand. On the bright side, all of the quiz questions show up again on your midterms and he responds quick to email
He is picky about language and grammar, but that is also something a college student should be okay with. his notes are a little vague, but gives a good outline of what will be covered. he is very specific, you need to put in work to your assignments. some assignments ended up taking days to finish. you need to pay attention to everything you read!
This class was fantastic for a required Soc class! Prof. Boles was incredibly knowledgable and accessible. The materials were laid out in a concise and efficient manner and weren't overwhelming. I had great discussions with him on some topics and could email and ask any questions I had. He's incredibly intelligent and willing to help.
Great class, great professor! Good feedback and easy to understand.
The online setup of his course is very straight to the point. However, he is a very tough and picky grader. Gives decent feedback, but if you answer something wrong, he tends to leave passive aggressive feedback. You need to read the materials provided and watch the videos posted or you will not do good on assignments, discussions, or quizzes!
STAY AWAY! Unless this is your only class and you dont have a job. His online class is totally consuming. Its tedious, nit-picky and Didnt leave any time to do homework for other classes. This one class had more homework than I got in an entire semester last year with 13 credits. Answers to emails are read the syllabus
One of the worst professors at SVSU. He is extremely rude and put so much unnecessary content in this course. Too much homework for an online class and had oddly high expectations for the students considering it is a mandatory gen ed. Take literally anyone else for this class.
I have never taken a course by someone who could care less about the actual content and more about grammar and passive sentences. I will NEVER be taking another class from him. The guidelines for the assignments are vague, yet he grades specifically. He also assigns around six projects, quizzes, and discussion for a single week.
This teacher's platform is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. I've never dealt with a teacher who is so preoccupied with his own book writing, that he could care less about teaching a class or engaging at all. I've tried to contact and work with him, however, the mind numbing assignments and withdraw from involvement shows he couldn't care.
Boles is the worst professor I have ever taken. I took his ONE HUNDRED level course because I needed three more credits to graduate and I regret it more than anything else in life. He is very rude and does not care about his students at all. Instead of grading a student for they did right you get a 0 if you answer something incorrect. I HATE IT!
If you don't have any spare time DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. This class requires about five hours of boring videos along with many articles you must read and basically memorize! He nit-picks just about everything and it is hard to even pass any of the assignments he gives out!
Although this class is an easy A, there is a lot of busy work. You have at least 4-6 assignments every week that go along with readings and long videos, so be prepared to spend a lot of time on this class. Also, he will mark you down a lot of points on grammar, but has tons of grammar mistakes himself.
If you already plan on taking this take it online with Boles. There is a good amount of reading but the assignments are not super difficult. Most assignments are worth 100 points, but he gives you up to 30 points just for being on time. He makes a lot of grammatical errors in his directions, but expects you to have none. Still better than in class
If you ask too many questions, he might become condescending. He expects you to just understand everything. Group assignment heavy. Hopefully, you get a good group. He's a stickler about grammar and will mark you down a lot. You get to take quizzes twice though, so that's nice.
He is a very tough grader and expects you to have zero grammar errors although he makes many grammar errors. 3 group projects and lots of busy work. Take online if you are required to take this class with him or avoid at all costs.
This professor has extremely rigid rules. I am a rule follower but there were so many rules I could not physically keep up. Not respectful AT ALL or understanding of when you genuinely make a mistake. But when he makes a mistake he expects grace.
Beware that you wont be graded on correctness but actually on grammar. If he feels you have too many grammar issues but have the correct answer your will get a zero out of hundred . There are no in tweet grades in this class
Do not take his class. As my last gen ed requirement I didn't have a choice. Huge mistake. The assignments are very poorly written, lots of typos and not specific at all. He has a TA harshly grade "mastery" assignments that are nearly impossible to master. The information seems to be hardly sociology related. Not designed as 100 level course.
The worst professor I have had in 4 years. He is very condescending when you email him so no one asks questions which affects our grade. Grammar-heavy grader despite the many mistakes on his end. Teaches from Wikipedia articles and YouTubers. Yes, an easy class but 10000/10 not worth it, don't do it he's literally awful
Professor Boles is insanely hard on grammar, but lacks the attention to detail when his students are struggling. He is incapable of properly teaching his students because frankly he doesn't care. Don't waste your time or money or hurt your mental health on this professor/any of his classes.
I would NOT recommend taking this class unless you have to for your major.
Uses Wikipedia for a lot of assignments and usually grades harsh with grammar. We were required to take a "Common Writing Errors" quiz twice throughout the semester and master them before moving on (Get 100%). The mastery assignments were sometimes helpful, but other times kind of annoying. Seem to be caring and class was easy A.
This class is tough as he is very specific in what he wants. You are able to correct some assignments, but not all. He is one of the toughest graders I've had. He has lots of little rules when you are writing and it takes awhile to get used to them. There are no exams just quizzes. If you go through all the material, you will be fine, but its a lot
I read the reviews on here before taking the class and thought Id try to make it through; however, here I am, one week into class, dropping it. The work isnt too hard, but the way he presents his information is AWFUL. Directions are long-winded, cares more about grammar and passive voice than global cultures info, LOTS of busy work.
Professor Boles was alright. Being that it was online I understand there isn't as much communication but I pretty much had no interaction with him unless I had a question. Communication when I did was difficult and oftentimes the grading rubrics were confusing. There was a lot of work in the beginning of the course and then it lightened up.
He's alright. He has larger assignments and discussion posts worth 100 points. No exams, just quizzes with study guides. Basically, he gives you what you need, you have to be disciplined enough to read and watch the videos. His assignments are graded tough but it's because he wants very clear details to prove you read the material. Manageable.
His assignments are all very easy and some kind of seem like busywork. His lectures help a lot and he always responds to emails quickly and offers to help. He cares a lot about formatting and grammar, but if you are good at that, you will be just fine. He offers two attempts on all quizzes which makes them very easy to get good scores!
I would take any of my chem minor classes again before this class. It was so hard and I don't understand how it was a gen ed. As an A student in English he didn't have difficulties finding mistakes in my work. He expects you to watch hour long boring documentaries and has due dates throughout the week so it's more work than in-person. Never again..
The only reason I took this class was because it was a CI and it counted for 2 things. He is so confusing and his assignments and quizzes usually make no sense. The module numbers he refers to don't line up which makes his assignments nearly impossible. He also has a ton of team projects so if your team members don't answer you're screwed. AVOID.
His class is pretty stupid and he doesn't explain his modules very well. Not a super hard class but his tests and quizzes aren't the easiest
Lots of busy work. No textbook he provides you with reading material. Most of the time, the answers do not make sense with the material. Make sure you are good at grammar; you will get graded on your grammar, not your answer. If you do not get the concept, you might feel degraded by the words the professor will say.
His class is not the most difficult, considering the material required for us to learn, and you barely get much work, but get ready for sudden big assignments every so often that almost define your whole grade, it is important that you stay on top of your work ethic because he is critical when it comes to grading.
Picky grader. The first 2 modules are all about grammar and how he would like you to format your answers to everything. Assignment descriptions claim the assignment is easy but because his sentences have many errors it's hard to follow the directions. He will find a way to mark you down for anything which is very degrading when trying to learn.
This is a good class to take. I knocked out all of the work at once and then waited to do the exam and did fine. Definitely set aside some time to complete the work at one time.
He doesn't realize that students have other classes, jobs, and lives. The time that his assignments take is RIDICULOUS. If the assignment has 20 questions, prepare for it to be upwards of 40 because each question has at least two or three sub-questions. He also holds us to standards he doesn't hold himself to in terms of grammar and spelling.
Class is heavily weighted and the assignments that weigh the most rely on group work, fail one and you might as well drop the class. Directions are hard to follow and assignments take hours to complete. Do not recommend.
Constantly teaches liberal ideology and gives quizzes on it. Another awful tenured professor.
I took SOC280 with him and failed due to his ridiculous teaching style and grading. Took it with another professor the next semester and passed with an A. His class is heavily weighted, he makes assignments way more difficult than they need to be, and has tons of group assignments. For a gen ed class he acts as though it's a grad level course.
The class is heavily weighted and tricky. Assignments rely on group work, and instructions can be confusing. Unfair grading. But unstuckstudy AI helped me prepare effectively.
pretty sure this guy has dementia or alzheimers. the material for this class isnt difficult but his assignments barely make sense and his grading doesnt make sense at all. tried to ask him a question after class once and he left before i even got up there. hes nice but very difficult to follow/understand and very forgetful. if u have him good luck.
I took Professor Boles online, and honestly its not as bad as people make it out to be. Yes, a fair amount of his assignments take a good amount of effort. His criteria and the way he words his assignments and articles is confusing at times. But honestly, you have to try harder to fail this class than you do to pass it.
This class was hybrid, but mainly online. His online meetings only discussed the lesson plan rather than helping us learn. He is passionate about the subject, but goes on tangents about his ideologies. He grades incredibly hard considering his lack of teaching. A bit passive-aggressive but not necessarily mean.
The class I took was fully online, he definitely goes into detail about what he expects your writing to look like. Confusing at first but you get used to it. It's not hard to pass.
This professor is so rude when it comes to emailing him. You have so be incredibly specific when emailing him or he will say that you are wasting his time. In reality he is waiting your time because you are asking him questions that should not have to asked because IT SHOULD BE IN THE SYLLABUS!!!!
AVOID AT ALL COSTS. The worst professor I have ever had at SVSU from an A student. His lectures don't help with any assignments or give any insight. He does not answer questions in the lecture and speaks like he knows everything. Will give you a 0 on assignments you turn in if he doesn't like them. Very unclear grading criteria and useless class.
Tendency to get off-topic during lecture, and go way over the allotted time. Despite this and his zany demeanor, I really liked Boles and this class. The material was super interesting (a mix of anthropology and economics), and Boles comes across as highly educated (if a little goofy). The class has a lot of writing involved, but it wasn't hard.
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35%
Textbook Required
42%
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