classes are interesting, laid back guy

cool guy, great lectures, really interesting researcher!

great lecturer and very knowledgable

Great Prof! Very Interesting! Must take 1 of his classes!

An amazing prof. Very approachable. Lectures are interesting and worth while.

Excellent Prof. - Important to attend lectures

Fred is soooo sexy. He is the most interesting prof.ever

He tells stories in class. It's so fun!

He knows what he's talking about!!! Very informative, interesting and at times, funny!

this guy is amazing, he lectures are interesting, you're never bored, he's extremely laid back and is clear on what he expects of you in his course

hard assignments, great prof

great lectures, reviews the books well hot to boot

Very good prof! I have taken now 4 of his classes and just love every minute of them. His classes are all very interesting and he is able to keep students interested and is always there whenever you need help. Great guy!

Great prof, interesting lectures and as long as you study your stuff you should get a decent mark

Very good prof!!! Goes into detail about theories, and answers every question that people have. Course readings are amazing and interesting. I will definately take another course with Desroches

GREAT PROF! So interesting, funny, down to earth and knowledgeable! I love every class he teaches and his exams are easy. Also the expectations for essays are clearly written on the course sheets.

He was very interesting and knowledgeable in criminology. Although he was more interested in teaching his own experiments and their findings. But overall he was interesting and not veyr difficult

his classes are very interesting and easy! He is very very hot!

Very interesting prof, and a fair marker. Seems to take real enjoyment in his classes and his students

Professor Desroches is the best professor I have had at UW! I didn't miss one of his lectures even if I was out partying the night before---informative, funny and has great stories! I'm in 2 more of his classes this term!

Yah....take home exam!!

Very good class. Professor clearly knows material. Highly recommended class. Test/exams are a bit tricky, however a clear understanding of course material will definitely earn you a good fuk'in mark beeyotch

AMAZING PROF! GREAT COURSE! Very interesting. stays after class to entertain questions, or further discuss lecture material. very fair prof when it comes to tests/assignments. will definitely take more courses from him.

40% essay, 60% final- sucks b/c need to know EVERYTHING you learned from the entire course. has guest lecturers who are sooo boring, some of which don't relate to the class at all. took this as a bird course...bad call on my part

He is very enthusiatic in what he lectures and very well knowledge. His lectures were always interesting and he was a very fair marker.

LOVE HIM. Great Prof. I loved going to his lectures... never wanted to miss one. I don't like the 40/60 split of essay/final. He's tough with essays, but fair. The final was VERY fair if you knew your stuff. He's very approachable, and i just couldn't get enough of him :)

Great Prof. He never ceases to amaze me. I've taken three of his four classes, and the fourth one will be taken next fall term. I definitely recommend him, assuming you have an interest in legal studies and criminology. He's an extremely fair marker, and his tests are very simple.

Fabulous prof! He knows so much about what he teaches and is very helpful in and out of class. He wants you to do well in his class. Exams are very fair, as long as you go to class you'll do well.

HANDS DOWN BEST PROF AT THE SCHOOL. SUCH A NICE GUY, AND KNOWS HIS STUFF. VERY FAIR. I took his Selected Topics of Criminology course. best course i've ever taken

This man made my career at UW enjoyable. I took all of his courses, and was so passionate about what he taught. He is approachable, and helpful, and dedicated to what he does.

Really good prof interesting topics and books. Straightforward lectures which are easy to follow, recommend going to lectures.

Some of the most interesting courses I've ever taken. Class materials are always interesting and well organized. Excellent assignments. Definately take any courses taught by Fred Desroches.

I have taken almost every course offered by him and he is by far my favorite prof at UW. He is fair, helpful and very knowledgeable about what he teaches. His own personal experiences add both insight and comedy into his lectures. Do not finish your UW career without taking a course from him!

Really intersting prof. Good stories and lectures, but he repeats stuff so some of it gets dull after a while. But overall really entertaining and fun. The work is reasonable too. Definetely recommended.

This man is AMAZING! One of the most caring, approachable profs at UW. I have numerous courses with him and I would prefer to take ALL my UW courses with him - his personal experiences are amazing and add insightful info to all his lectures. He really knows what he is talking about! Take his classes

Excellent prof! I actually looked forward to going to class. Class always ended too soon. Easier marker than I expected.

this professor is bar far the best in UW....i have also taken all of his classes but one...and i encourage him to teach more classes all the time! everyone loves him...i mean how could you not...go take one of his classes and ull understand why everyone loves this man!

Best Prof at Waterloo!

He is an awesome teacher! I love taking his classes, he really cares about the students, and is very helpful if you need anything. His smaller class lectures I find are better, because it is more personable, and he makes them funny and interesting. I would definitly recommend taking his classes.

I have taken pretty much all his classes. He is by far my favourite prof in all of UW (I've been here 5 years). Take one of his classes and I bet you'll switch majors if you aren't in Legal Studies already. He is easy to follow and listen to as the topics are so interesting. He is a fair marker, just follow instructions and you are fine!

No Comments

Great prof! Knows a lot about the subjects he teaches. He requires A LOT more in policing than he does in his 200 level classes. Take home exam is great

This prof is amazing. VERY approachable and helpful. His Policing course is by far the hardest one of his classes. He marks the papers REALLY hard. The info is really interesting. Smaller lectures are pretty relaxed and he is very personable. I highly recommend one of his classes.

He is a very good prof. Marking is fair, not really difficult. Uses great examples from his own experience in the field of criminology. If you think that Desroches was hard.....just wait until you are in upper years and get profs who are horrible

He's got a great sense of humour, and is very fair in his marking. and sorry, you fresh out of high school students, you don't get re-evaluations on papers, if you did bad, then too bad..he'd have to re-evaluate everyone's then.. he was very helpful outside class and responded quickly and very nicely to emails! great prof

Class is alright, but Desroches makes it waaay better. He draws from personal experiences to make the class interesting. Very cute and funny guy. The course is based on only an essay (40%) and the final (60%) but he marks the essay fairly easy and the final is very fair. Great professor!

A quiet yet funny man. Tells many personal stories and shows videos in class, which is a great bonus. Very fair tests. Promptly replies to emails in a friendly tone. Highly recommended! :)

amazing class and amazing prof. must go to class to get a good grade. super interesting stuff. if u go to class and study..guaranteed an 85.

fairly easy and intersting course. prof is a fair marker...wrote the essay the night before and got an A in it!...marking scheme is 50% essay, 50%midterm, 50% final...tests are easy as long as you study lecture material. If you do poorly in this class there is seriously something wrong with you.

Ls 01/102,Soc 227.Probably the greatest man to ever live!His lectures are very interesting,clear and easy to take notes on.He has a very vast knowledge on crime and the ppl how commit the crimes.He has written many books which are actually amazing,which is sooo sick!His test are very fair and decent to study for.Desroches is the rick flair of profs

My favourite prof at UW. I get jealous when my friends have a class with him. He is a fair marker, great lecturer, interesting, and really knows his stuff. My only problem is that he makes you buy a whole bunch of books. Thankfully, the used bookstore has most of them.

Ls 101, 102, soc 229 = Good prof, easy exams, fair though, pretty fricken cool and does cool studies. A little repetitive but it's just because he wants u to get the main points down that he repeats. Great humour when he cracks a joke! cool topics u cover in class, you will do fine if you take it

Great professor but I swear he used to be a hippy or something... he knows a lot of criminals and everyone has sued him at some point by the sounds of it... overall easy class good guy...

excellent professor, classes were extremely interesting, and he is so helpful to students...he actually wants you to do well and his test are fair...papers are marked fairly hard, but his commets are very specific and helpful so you know where you went wrong

Entertaining classes, but he marks papers very critically. Not a bird course.

3rd time having him. think he's a great prof now more than before. lectures were more interesting than in his ls101/102, largely based on his own studies. textbooks seemed quite useless as he goes through everything important in his lectures. lectures are a must. repetitive but wants to make points clear, and does so. exams fair, nothing unexpected

Humorous, easy going, creates relaxed atmosphere.

Wicked proff. Had him for 6 classes now. Awsome lecturer. It's in your best interest to go to classes. Usually only has a couple midterms and/or 1 paper. Know your APA, watch your grammar & spelling, reference decent sources & don't write stupid things & you'll be fine for his essays. Exams are VERY straight forward - just study.

Interesting cases looked at. Not overly humorous but when he is, he's very funny! Quick to reply to emails and course notes were perfect summary of course.

Make sure you read the course note book!!!!!

Hands down the best sociology professor at UW. Lectures are intersting. If you take good lecture notes, you'll do well on exams. Not the easiest essay marker but more than fair in his assessments. Is accessible and very helpful with students.

hes a good prof, really clear however a hard marker on exams :( but still came out with a 90% quite easily. If you attend classes and follow his assignments precisely you'll get a good mark

Really interesting classes but difficult to pick out the important information. Makes essay optional but makes life easier for those people who did it when it comes to exam time. Hard marker though and wrote huge red marks all over my paper - very demeaning. Im not a Soc major so I didnt expect to do well but came out with a decent grade.

I don't agree with his good reputation -- he's an average prof. His lectures seemed endless and...not exactly interesting. He nitpicks essays to death, don't expect anyone to get higher than B+ on anything. However, he does know his stuff, and his occasional stories were very comical.

humorous, helpful, interesting, knowledgable

Desroches is great, had him three times now, he's pretty much a genious when it comes to criminals and it seems like he's pretty renound in his research. he definitely knows his stuff and if you actively listen to his lectures you will learn a lot and it's easy to remember key componants cuz of his real life experiences and examples. great prof!

Incredible prof. You need to attend the lectures. Did not use the text very much. He is also very organized with his lectures; easy to follow.

Really enjoys what he's talking about, and that makes it interesting to listen to

He's an amazing prof, hes crystal clear on his expectations, if you deviate you will receive a poor mark. Hes such an engaging prof and its easy to grasp the main concepts because he applies it to real situations

The criminology legend himself. Has put a lifetime of work into the field and it shows. Not a hard marker - follow instructions very closely and you will get a good grade. If you do not abide by guidelines, you will do horrible.

He is the best professor I've ever had, taken 3 classes with him. He demonstrates his points in lecture very well so you can easily grasp concepts. If you just go to the lectures, you will do well, just follow the guidelines he gives for papers. He gave me an extension once, no questions asked and no deductions. Can't think of any flaws, really

AMAZING prof! though marks essays really hard. I got back my essay with a big d- circled on the front page. Went to talk it over with him and increased it to a c+! His lectures were very interesting and enjoyed his stories. Hope to take more of his courses.

Awesome.

He's incredibly knowledgeable, having written 2 of the texts and spent his life doing intense amounts of research. If you're interested, you'll love the experiences and knowledge he shares. Super easy going. I found his essay very hard, but he was understanding. Exam was easy if you went to class, I never even opened the books, got a good mark.

Great class and great professor! He has the best stories.

I found his course to be interesting, however I found that he is a ridiculously hard marker and expects his students to be highly knowledgeable in Criminology. I'm a mid 80s student and I've been getting straight 50s in this course. It was a big mistake taking a course with him.

Great class. Really interesting. Class attendance is mandatory for the take home final. Textbook use is minimal. I suggest not buying it, and go to the library during the take home final time to use it. He is a tough marker though, and doesn't like a lot of bs. You need to get to the point.

This is the second time I have had Desroches and he is one of my favourite profs I have had at UW. He has all the real life experience and has an abundance of knowledge in the field. Class is mandatory as there are no powerpoint slides, he simply just talks to you. He is extremely concise and repeats the most important info. Definitely recommended

I have taken SOC 229/249/325 with Dr. Desroches and he is my favorite Prof! He is very clear, to the point, shares intriguing stories and experience; course load is reasonable go to class and get a great grade :D

Best proff ever had at UW. He knows how to teach, and his stories are lovely to listen to.He makes his lectures so that attending class is a must, but it's worthit. Ended with a 90 for both SOC 249 and 229.

Desroches is the man. Has all the real world experience and its extremely clear in his delivery of material. Expects a lot for his papers but if you follow his guide, you will do very well. Finished with an 87 in the course

I have taken 2 courses with Prof Desroches and both of them were excellent. Lectures are well-organized and very interesting. He has high expectations for assignments, but the expectations are clear. It's obvious that he enjoys teaching. His courses are inspiring, yet challenging. Highly recommended!

Great proff!! Very intelligent, very passionate about the subjects he teaches-- I have taken his mental health class, criminology and his law 101.... the exams are a real reflection of what he teaches... he is fair and his lectures are interesting and informative. The information you learn will stick with you forever!

If all proffessors were like Dr.Desroches, the percentage of people in University would be close to 90%. He is absolutely amazing. I have taken 3 of his courses and each one not only have I learned tons of relevant information but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I wanted to go to every class. LOVE!!!

Although he doesn't post any of his lectures online, his classes are so worth going to. He's such a cute and humble man with so many awesome stories to share! One thing I'll say is make sure you review your paper with him before you submit it, he is straight to the point, but there are particular things he looks for in analytical papers.

His lectures are interesting and his knowledge of the subjects covered are vast, he makes you buy his books which aren't really necessary. His tests are tough but fair, his marking for written components is extremely hard, it's best to go to him ahead of time which I learned the hard way 50% paper makes getting a good grade in the course difficult.

Fascinating content even though the sources are outdated. Keeps lectures interesting with lots of examples and stories about his personal relationships with criminals. He wrote 34 of the textbooks so a little overlap. Little bit of a tough grader considering I basically paraphrased what he said in class on the test and it still wasn't good enough.

He is a tough grader, especially on the term paper. very specific instructions and worth 50% which was more stressful than actually writing the paper. only need the behind the bars book for the essay, no need for the other three. no powerpoints and does not use learn at all so attendance is mandatory :)

He was an amazing prof, really friendly. If i get the chance to take another course taught by him, I won't miss the oppurtunity to do so. He's a fair grader when it comes to the 40 percent essay, just do what it asks you to do and you won't have an issue.

His lectures are interesting. Taken SOC 229 and 327 with this prof. Highly recommend every Sociology student to take his courses. Just stay on top of readings and lectures each week and you're fine. Fair grader.

Fun lectures, includes many examples while he lectures on a certain topic. I find him to be a very easy grader- just follow the requirements. Exams and midterms were fairly easy.

His textbooks aren't necessary to do well in the course at all! His lectures are all really interesting! its obvious he's been teaching the same course content since the 70's when his texts were published but they're still really interesting! Since hes the author of some of his texts he knows the information in it really well which is nice!

Took every class he offered when I did my undergrad. He was also my thesis supervisor. Great lecturer. A lot of his exam questions are from his lectures. Fair marker. You better know how to write an essay with proper grammar, structure and referencing to do well!

One of my favourite courses in my undergrad. The content is really interesting, and he does a great job of including personal anecdotes from his research experiences. There are no transcripts for the lectures, so you have to listen and take notes. The majority of marks come from lecture content, but still give the textbook a read.

Honestly I was a little intimidated by him at first but he's definitely one of my top 5 favourites at UW. Lectures are entertaining and you can tell he's very well versed and passionate about the topics. I did very well in the class so I can't speak to him being a tough marker, but he gives great clarification & feedback if you approach him.

I love Desroches! He has high expectations for his students, but will do anything he can to help you succeed. There's a 50% paper but if you ask him to review it before you submit it, it should help you exponentially. His tests are easy - don't focus on the little details like stats, but the main concepts and theories

As long as you attend class & take good notes, studying & preparing for the 2 tests will be a breeze. He doesn't use powerpoint slides, (which wasn't enjoyable at first), but made studying a lot easier since you had processed that info already. Wanted to drop the class but so glad I stayed! He's very knowledgeable and passionate about the topics

One of the greatest profs here at Waterloo

One of my favourite profs at UW. He doesn't use powerpoint slides for his lectures but it's not a big deal if you attend class and take good notes. Enjoyed lectures because prof is passionate about the content and enjoyed the course overall

No slideshows, just audio clips to listen to, but there is a full transcript so you can just read that. Lectures are long but clear and easy to get through, and readings are not too bad. Three quizzes and a final exam. I find the lectures very engaging as he talks about his own experiences at times and is clearly passionate about the topic!

Professor Desroches' lectures are engaging, with personal anecdotes, but can be dense. While not relying on slides, the audio recordings are helpful. The course has 3 quizzes and a final exam, with the majority of marks from lecture content. Using Unstuck ai alongside the textbook is a great way to prepare.

Professor Desroches is probably one of the best professors I've had in my entire degree. He is super interesting, has such an extensive background in so many areas, and gives amazing and clear lectures.