3.1
Quality1.9
Difficulty61%
Would Retake107
Reviews61%
Would Retake
107
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
34
4
17
3
15
2
18
1
23
What Students Say
“I love JB and if you can manage your time you will as well”
CF2 - 5.0 rating“Easily the worst professor I've ever had”
CF2 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
48%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.02 avg changeRatings by Course
CULTFOUNDATION
5.0
(1)HUMANITIES
5.0
(1)CULTURALFOUD
5.0
(1)CULTSECT
5.0
(1)CF32
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CFISECT
4.0
CULTII
4.0
CFIFALL
4.0
CULTFOUND
3.0
CULTFOUNDATION
3.0
Reviews (107)
Boring, though has interesting stories. Class is a zoo, we do nothing. Make sure to bring a newspaper to keep yourself awake. Tests r easy though
barna is amazing, he is the best prof at nyu. highly reccomended
HE IS THE BEST PROFESSOR AT NYU....DEFINITELY TAKE THIS GUY......Just go to the class...sometimes he is BORING...Ok most of the time he is...but you cant help it...if u take him once you are going to take him again.
If you want an A, take him. But if you respect your mind and want to learn something.. do yourself a favor and NEVER take him. whoever says he is the best professor at nyu must just be happy that he/she never came to class and still got an A.
barna is crazy, youll get good grades and not have to work for them except for the study guide for the midterm and final - that you get to bring to the test once its done, you dont learn much but it is entertaining
barna is a really nice guy. it's a fun class, and you CAN learn a lot if you choose to. he gives you the possible test questions in advance. side tracks a little, but it's all part of his appeal, haha.
Extremely difficult to understand. Expected to read a ridiculous amount of literature and be tested on nothing he went over. Absolutely the worst class I have ever taken. Anyone enrolled, good luck...
Alright guy, but misleading. Talks about the most random, off-topic subjects. His essay grading is horrible - unclear what is wanted. Definitely not recommended.
Barna is awesome! Aside from being a brilliant man (i think he has degress from both Harvard and NYU)he's a totally nice guy. I worked hard, participated, and got an A. If ever there was a time I didn't understand something, I would come to him after class and he'd always help me. highly recommended
The class is really very boring. It is difficult to stay awake and not space out. If you want a reasonably easy A, take this class. But beware that you do need to show interest and do some work to get by. If you're interested in actually learning something DONT TAKE THIS COURSE.
Professor Barna is the worst teacher on this planet. He never hands back anywork in fact, no on in the class has ever gotten anything back. He also hates NYU he will spend entire classes talking about it. At the end you will just say, wow what a waste of money.
WOW! I dont think I have ever attended a more boring class. His class is a waste of money!!
Do not take this class! Barna goes off topic all the time,hardly says anything imp,will spend the first couple of weeks only telling you how much he hates NYU, how all deans are against him, how little he makes, and how great a prof he is while not teaching a single thing. Take Ostashevsky!
This class is a complete waste of time and money. It's a joke. I learned absolutely nothing in two semesters and was NEVER motivated to do work. He grades based on favoritism, not the amount of work you put into the course. In class he complains about the administration instead of teaching.
Boring and plays favorites. In order to get an A in this class you needed to be a jock, a member of his fraternity, or a kiss up.
He never attended a pretigious university!He's a nut case and doesn't teach at all!!!An easy A for those who kiss up.
grow up all you low raters. this isnt high school anymore, he is not here to baby you. bottomline- your not gonna remember**** anyway from your years in GSP. so stop whining!
Awesome teacher, period. I agree that you need to be engaged and participitory, but those who accusse Barna of Favoritism are sorely missing the point that from college and beyond, you cant get by in life sitting in the corner quietly taking notes. You have to make yourself noticed, and thats just a fact.
Barna is da man......really cool guy outside of class. Really understands kids and is a great friend. He is very knowledgeable , takethis class!
Barna is the man. You don't have to read anything in his class. Make sure to suck up and take good notes for the final. Easy A. Take him, he is the best.
Gorsh ! Copy Cat Spielberg ! Clammmmy. Darch!
No Comments
he spends a majority of the class talking about mtv and cleaning his apartment. we have two more classes left and have four books we HAVEN'T EVER TALKED ABOUT but will still be on the final. it's ridiculous. i haven't learned anything. seriously.
Don't know what the previous person is talking about...you don't even need to read those books to get an A....he doesn't give lower than a B+ to almost anyone....easiest A ever
He is a good teacher to take if you came to college to slack off and get easy As. However, if you would actually like to learn something from your college classes, I would not recommend him. He's nice, but really disorganized and spends half the time talking about unrelated topics.
he is a weird guy and u'll be entertained by him often. his midterms and finals are insane. my midterm took 4 1/2 hours to complete. there are a lot of books to read and usually not enough time. usually, he'll hand back an essay and ask you to do it over to get a better grade. if not, u'll get an A. be prepared to study hard for midterm and finals
Awesome guy. Truth is the class is typically boring except for when he goes off on these hilarious tangents. Really nice guy though and just have to make sure nto to be on his bad side. Only work you really have to do for the class (unless you enjoy the reading) are filling out the review sheets which you bring to the test and like 2 essays
He can be extremely boring but he is an all around nice guy.
He puts notes on the board some times but mainly talks 2 pass the midterm (and I'm guessing it's the same with the final) you have 2 listen and take notes because u won't get the right answers on ur own The only problem is, I (and a lot of other people) can't help but sleep SUggestion: bring something that will keep u up but allow u 2 still listen
Barna is the freakin' man. seroiusly, he is the coolest guy ever. i love him so much, take his class, get to know him. if your planning to jus have class and not really becoem friends with him, do not take him, but if you want to know the best man on the planet, take him
Professor Barna is awesome! He is so cool! Haha. He loves horror movies, Paul Walker, and hates holidays. I even had dinner with him one time. The really cool thing about him is that he's helpful He helped me with a paper that wasn't even for his class. He's always willing to help. Highly recommended.
pretty cool guy in general, however, he will like you better if you are a jock or are interested in sports. otherwise, he barely notices you. tests relatively easy, he gives out a study sheet and you can have it during the tests. pretty easy grader.
Nice guy but the class is the biggest waste of time-- I leaned nothing at all. Is horrible about going over readings that could be potentially interesting. Goes off on stupid rants. I seriously want my money back.
agree w/ comment below mine. tangents are way too long and I can't say I walked away learning anything. He's extremely smart and knows the material but just not a good TEACHER. I have no clue where my grade stands because I never received any midterm/paper back. spends more time complaining and writing notes we could have gotten on paper/online
Barna is awesome. I don't play sports and i'm not in his fraternity and still I got a good grade. He was a great teacher and smart! I reccommend this class.
Barna's the man! He's really funny and has a lot of opinions but is really passionate about the text. Midterms and finals he gives you the study guide that you fill in and bring to the test but make sure to write a LOT, the whole class usually does the guide together though. Very easy A.
This guy is the biggest idiot I've ever met. He claims to know a lot about what he teaches, but it seems like he's reading the material for the first time. He is ignorant and is not interesting. I've already fallen asleep in class. DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS. IT'S A WASTE OF YOUR MONEY!
Prof. Barna is a terrible teacher. He is very close minded and doesn't listen to his students, then complains about the lack of participation. If you want an easy A and don't mind being put to sleep in class, I say go for it. You don't need to do the reading, participate, or even pay attention. If you actually want to learn something, RUN.
Barna knows the material, but he will put you to sleep with his tangents. When he DOES ask for class participation (very rare), you are always wrong. He doesn't post anything online or give handouts - you need to decode what he has written on the board and copy it in your notes. You won't learn anything, but the class is an easy A.
By far the worst professor I've had. He doesn't do anything all year, then packs in 6 novels to read in the last few weeks. You will never know where your grade stands because he never gives anything back. Feel sorry for yourself if you are stuck with him.
This is the class that made me realize that my money is worth LEARNING, not just an A. the other reviews are spot on. I can't believe I took a FOUR HOUR final after the professor did NOTHING for 5 months. you can use a study guide for his unrealistic midterm/final and you will basically recopy his class notes verbatim. he mark off points otherwise.
he goes off on tangents and can be hard to understand what he saying but the study guie idea is GENIOUS i have not known that much of any other book, (since i havent read one book in lsp so far) since i had to write out like 15000 ansers outline the essays, hes chill and makes it easy, there are still essays and he asks super insightfull questions
This man is really a miserable teacher. I suggest choosing any other in LSP.
Goes off on a tangent every class and ends up trying to cram everything he should have been lecturing on in the last 20 minutes. Is pretty lenient on papers, if you talk to him he will extend the due date for you. Hard to stay focused in his class but you'll get good laughs. Midterm and Final are relatively easy, you use your study guide during the
There are three ways to get an A: participate, join one of his intramural teams, or beg for it. He himself declared that he rarely ever gives anyone below a B. He's a kind man though so it's sad seeing people take advantage of him.
GREAT!
Haha he one time he said when he was in college he spent one weekend reading through the entire Iliad in the same fashion as it was originally told -- **** off wine, and out loud. - Interesting guy but terrible class.
Professor Barna is a great professor. I learned a lot from him and his lessons sitting in class. Ignore the fools here, they're probably pissed they didn't get a good grade. If you put in the work, you can get a A, doable. For all the people who keep saying that he is a "useless teacher"...he went to Harvard and he's been teaching here for decades.
BARNA IS THE HOMIE TAKE THIS CLASS He is a great guy really cares about his students does tangent a lot but its pretty useful stuff. Very smart teacher he was one of my favorites when I took his class in 2007
Thanks Professor Barna for a great semester, enjoyed his class and worked hard to get an A-. He was not an "easy A", I wrote 11 pages on his final and studied for hours!!
I really enjoyed Prof. Barna. Great professor who cares about his students. Take him for cultural 1 or 2!
Ok, Barna is not an easy A. I don't think I've ever studied harder for an exam - cramming all the answers onto that sheet is painstaking but, if you do it, you can do quite well. Sure the daily HW readings can be avoided but, when answering his complex essay questions,you're going to wish you had read more! Very nice man who cares a lot.Recommended
AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Seriously the biggest waste of time/tuition dollars ever. Didn't learn a thing, was not an easy A as I was led to believe, and didn't enjoy a second of class. Never got back assignments, never said an insightful comment. Take ANYONE else.
Professor Barna makes a speech at the beginning of the year saying if you want to run, do it now. So DO IT! The only reason I didn't was the fabled "easy A," which doesn't really exist. 3 hour midterm that we never got back, 4 extra classes because he couldn't fit everything in. Waste of time, money, and energy. If you go, don't go sober...
He's horrible. If you want an easy A that only requires effort during the times surrounding the midterm and final, take the class. Otherwise, stay as far away as possible. He's a nice guy and all, but it's much easier to have a Professor that will actually teach and then give you normal sized exams and papers. Do yourself a favor, take someone else
Barna's lectures are pretty boring. They can be funny or hard to sit through depending on the day. He lets you prepare test answers in advance on a study sheet. If you take the time to study up and spend a few hours filling in complete answers on the test, you can get a good grade in this class. Barna's lectures stink but I recommend the course.
Professor Barna is absolutely amazing. He may seem intimidating at first but he truly cares about his students. Not only an amazing professor but a great friend. Class participation is important and attendance is a must. More importantly, I recommend you go to all extra help sessions offered -- will help you get that A. EASY!
VERY boring lectures. But if you want an easy A and don't care about learning, for sure take it. Just make sure to get to know him outside of class, and go to his review sessions right before the test. He basically gives you the midterm and final in advance and tells you all the answers in the study session. No work besides midterm and final
barna is a great guy...he may seem a little boring at times but he truly cares about his students and is always willing to help them out....he's a smart guy i recommend taking his class
barna is the coolest, funniest teacher in NYU. He gives you the midterm and final a week before the actual test and then he goes over it with you a day or two before the test. if you play intramural sports you get an easy A i highly suggest him he is my favorite teacher ever
He is the man. He is very nice and very helpful. He likes all of his students and will help anyone. I would definitely take him because its not difficult and he is awesome.
Barna is knowledgeable but not a good professor. He has his opinions on the course material and will not listen to anything contrary to that. You are given a study guide to fill out for the midterm and final that you can use during the exam but good luck filling it out without having learned anything from him all semester. I do not recommend him.
filling out the study guides for the midterm and final is TORTURE. Really long and hard.. especially when u don't learn anything the whole semester. and he looks for specific answers ( if not you will loose points, even if what you say is still right). RUN>>
John Barna is a great professor at NYU. One of the best I've had so far. I enjoyed the lectures. I don't know why people write these negative reviews about him, it's not his fault you didn't get an A and you did badly on the midterm...you just didn't study. I think that you can do well in this class if you put in the work. Def. recommend him.
Professors Barna is one of the most useless professors I have ever encountered at NYU. (Surprised how NYU hired him). He doesn't teach you anything. However, has this delusional view that he has been teaching ridiculous amounts of information and how extra class time will be necessary to get through the material. Waste of a class and time. Avoid.
Professor Barna is a great professor and also a great guy. He is very kind to his students and the work load is fair and manageable. He is very knowledgable in his expertise. He likes to get to know students, so introduce yourself and participate so that he knows you're paying attention. He doesn't ask for much, so do well and you'll score an A
Pro. Barna is a cool cat, knows a lot of stuff. You should have no prob acing is class. He also makes lots of jokes, some corny some funny, but they lighten the mood and make enjoyable.
You will do well in Barna's class as long as you realize that he only wants his own answers regurgitated back to him. If you write them down and split up the study guide as a group, the class is an easy A. I think he's a great guy and very entertaining, but I see how he'd irritate some people with his strong opinions.
so easy but EXTREMELY boring. take if you want the easy A but don't take if you want to actually learn
Please avoid taking this class...essay topics are not clear...he talks about everything else except culture foundations...he gives long study guides you can't finish for his five hour midterm and final. (yeah five hours). And no one knows how well they are doing in class until you see your grade posted. Please what more do you want...please avoid
Miserable. Goes off-topic constantly, cares more about sports than class, feels like a bad public high school teacher. If you're looking to do little work for a high grade and can pretend to pay attention when he talks, he's the professor for you.
He is one of the few professors who actually cares about his students if you are willing to talk to him. Whether it be through sports or one of his other interest, you can easily get to know him which will help your grade. It can be an easy A, but you need to show that you care about his class.
Easily the worst professor I've ever had. Enjoy the easy A, but know that you won't take anything from the course. His classes are exceptionally boring and he usually doesn't finish the curriculum on time, necessitating multiple make-up classes in the middle of finals week. To make matters worse, the final and midterm take between 3 and 7 hours.
His teaching style is not for all but all can succeed. Class can be rowdy and repetitive. The 3 papers are of little importance. Show effort on those, but don't kill yourself. Through the midterm and final he will see how well you listened in class and grade you on that. Easy A IF you do the work, as he says. As a person he is passionate and kind.
He is the man, works diligently, goes through great material, and funny!
Really just a wonderful man who wants his students to learn. Can get boring at times, so try to start discussions with him and you'll be amazed at how interesting it can turn out to be. Great overall professor.
Very disorganized and pretty incapable of staying on topic. Doesn't make it through a lot of the syllabus. As long as you read what he assigns, put in minimal effort, and participate once or twice in class so he knows your name, you are going to get an A
Boring, disorganized lectures. I really recommend you don't take him.
He is a really nice guy. He will give you review guide for exams, and during the exams, you are allowed to look at your notes on the review guide. He is sentimental but super friendly. Attendance seems to be mandatory, but he doesn't really care as long as you give him valid explanations for your abscence. I will definitely take him again!!!!!
His midterm is 4 hours long. His final is 6 hours long. NOT A JOKE. He NEVER stays on topic. If you're an athlete, you will DEFINITELY get an A. I feel bad because he seems to genuinely care about his students but at the same time -- all his attempts backfire and make the lives of his students a lot harder. Don't take him, please.
Such a nice guy. Very clear on his expectations and a fair grader. He is always willing to help and will make sure you understand all material before a midterm or final. Interesting lectures and great professor overall. Highly recommended
Professor Barna is a nice guy who is passionate about classic literature. His lectures can get so far off topic, however, that sometimes it feels as though he's really rushing through material. He spent the first two classes of the semester telling us how "different" he is from every other professor at NYU... which is what every professor thinks.
I thought I would be able to sit through his long, boring, useless, and off-topic lectures all semester for the easy A, but I was terribly mistaken. I did not learn a single useful thing, and to top it off, he EXPECTS you to attend extra classes OUTSIDE of the normal class schedule at the end of the year because of his disorganization.
He is truly an "old fashioned" professor. If you take him, prepare to have 2 very long midterms, but he gives you them beforehand and lets you take them with the test. Definitely do not wait to the last night to fill them out and you will be more than OK. I love JB and if you can manage your time you will as well.
He is genuinely very kind. He rambles off topic a lot; read and teach yourself and be up to date with booksHe is very lenient on work, I turned in everything on the last day of class. Literally just go to class do not skip and just talk to him time to time and you will probably get an A-. if you discuss in class (literally anything) he'll love you.
Living legend. Show up to class, fill out the study guides that you get to use on the exams and you will get an A. He's the easiest teacher at nyu.
Barna is the easiest A you'll ever recieve. Sweet guy and means well but if you actually want to learn something do NOT take him. Also trying to stay awake during his lectures proves incredibly difficult.
Barna's a legend - TAKE HIM!! Play for his intramural team/talk to him about sportsA. His lectures are quite useless so use them as a study hall. Midterm and finals are long but you get a study guide - and NOTHING else comes. In fact, u can even meet him outside class and he'll help u fill the whole study guide! He's the easiest professor at NYU.
Barna is the best professor at NYU! Easiest A and a great class to catch up on your sleep. Take him!
Definitely taking Barna again. Very understanding if you ever needed an extension or missed a class for something important. If you were late and spoke to him after class about it he'd usually just mark you as "present. " He gave study guides that could be filled out and used on midterm/final which were very easy but very long. No one really read.
great professor, talks a lot in class, does not care if you listen or not. one of the best in nyu
He's caring, very lenient with deadlines. He gives you a study guide for the exam with the questions related to the exam. Class is very relaxed, you don't need to participate and he talks a lot. You don't need to take a lot of notes in class.
DO NOT TAKE if you don't love culture things and these books. He has extra class which will influence your grade, and his study guide is horribly tough, though u can pass exams with study guide.
Professor Barna is a living LEGEND. Legit if you play sports and join his intramural team, you are guaranteed an A. I don't think he actually grades exams/papers (because we never got our midterm and final back+paper). And for those who don't play sport, just fill out the study guide because that is the exam.
Do yourself a favor, don't take Professor Barna. It is a solid waste of your tuition. He only cares about his sports teams, which you should join if you are stuck in his class. Never really teaches anything and his tests are at least three times as long as any other CF test (literally took me just under 4 hours).
Professor Barna is a funny person who enjoys talking about his fencing team. If you are not a fan of CF and want to get a good grade, consider taking his class.
John Barna's class is an absolute joke. He goes off topic for most of the class period, repeats himself every single lesson, and fills the rest of his class period with useless junk. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your tuition on taking this man's class.
NYU Liberal Studies is a HUGE waste of money and professors like Barna prove just why. Every class he goes off on random tangents talking about god knows what. Then when it hits finals and midterms he decides to cram all the info that he shouldve been teaching the entire time. Barna is a clown professor, so if you want to waste tuition hes great.
Professor Barna, if anything, is an amazing professor. Although he does tend to go off on tangents at times, it's not a bad thing to me. His tangents make his lectures more interesting, more entertaining, and, in my opinion, more efficient. His unique and distinct perspective on the books we read only further the previous statement. Take his class.
Professor Barna is the best. Super wise and hilarious, Prof. Barna knows a lot about historical cultures. His class is an attainable A if you just fill out the study guide for the finals and midterms. Almost no hw. He teaches based on what he wants us to know rather than what what we don't know(if that makes sense). Rambles sometimes. TAKE HIM!!!!
I would describe Barna's class as an acquired taste. If you don't care about the subject and just want to past then he is your man. If you participate in class he will absolutely ADORE YOU. He spends most classes rambling about random stuff, so perfect to just zone out. If you really care about the classics then i suggest a different professor.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS PROFESSOR! You will not learn anything. His lectures are long and boring. He kept us over time every single class
I strongly recommend not taking this professor. He is very nice but has no idea how to use zoom and is SO unclear. Lectures are unbearable and go long every single time. Pretty easy class but honestly not worth the stress of having no idea what your assignments are.
Funny guy. Easy A. Boring class. He does know his stuff pretty well so you can learn a lot if you try. Or just use his study guide. It's up to you how much you want to enjoy this class.
Barna in one word: terrible. His lectures make no sense, he doesn't teach anything yet expects you to read 10 books. It's an easy class, there aren't a lot of papers and he's an easy grader, but if you actually want to learn and utilize your college experience, don't take him. He's terrible.
Professor Barna is one of my favorite professors. He is so passionate in what he doing and he loves teaching. He loves to talk, which I like because I like to listen. The texts we read in class are boring, but his lectures are like story-telling. He is the best and I will def take him again. Class is overall easy and the work load isn't bad.
This was my first-ever NYU class and I was shocked by how cartoonish this man was. He rambles throughout the entire class while nobody pays attention, and there's just 1 mega test (4 hours long if I remember correctly, taken outside of class) that determines your grade. Unreal professor, didn't learn anything lol. Easiest A ever
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
48%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.02 avg changeRatings by Course
CULTFOUNDATION
5.0
(1)HUMANITIES
5.0
(1)CULTURALFOUD
5.0
(1)CULTSECT
5.0
(1)CF32
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CFISECT
4.0
CULTII
4.0
CFIFALL
4.0
CULTFOUND
3.0
CULTFOUNDATION
3.0