2.9
Quality2.9
Difficulty33%
Would Retake91
Reviews33%
Would Retake
91
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
20
4
19
3
14
2
14
1
24
What Students Say
“Plenty of extra credit opportunities”
SOC005 - 5.0 rating“Mimi is very passionate about what she teaches”
SOC5 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
43%
Textbook Required
18%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.42 avg changeRatings by Course
SOC
5.0
(1)SOCI5
5.0
(1)SOCOOOO
5.0
(1)SOC2RTVF12
4.0
(1)ABCABCA
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
SOCSOCI
5.0
SOCA
5.0
C2759
5.0
SOC2OR463
4.0
SOCIOLOGY
4.0
Reviews (91)
Great teacher! I always learn so many things when I come to class. She makes you read a LOT but it is usually worth it. Take her if you have the time
Teacher is not clear about fact and opinion. She mixes the two and adds her democratic viewpoint to everything, also her Mass Media and Society class is identical to her Sociology clasess in terms of coursework. She is not clear on a lot of things.
A sociology class that challenges your ideas is a must have for college students and Riley has a clear understanding of our social problems. There is a lot of reading and this class may appear easier at first but work is expected out of you want an A
Very unorganized. She never came to class with a plan. Midterm was really hard. She has good things to say but is not a very effective teacher. Would not recomend taking her class.
Very unorganized, and was always late to class. Too much reading about the same topics/opinions/ subject matter. If you tell her what she wants to hear she'll give you an A, or at least that's how I got my A.
Very good teacher. She has lots of extra credits. Quizes on anything she says and gives out study guides for it. Also the mid-term, essay, and the final, essay and test, are take home exames.
Best teacher I've ever had at Butte. She has extra credits that will help you earn an A. Wonderful in every way!
never came to class on time or let us out early, 10 pg midterm was due a week after it was assigned and the day we are to turn it in, she was a no show, she went to "paris." tests are easy if you do the study guide, but she goes against her word a LOT, if you can handle that...
Hard class...
pretty unorganized, and makes large assignments due in one week. try reading 300 pages in 7 days, serioulsy, or write 10pgs in 7. whats the point? although she does grade easy, even though im pretty liberal too, she doesnt give equal time to both view points at all
Prof. Riley is one of my favorite teachers at Butte. Taking her Soc. 2 class was a turning point in my life. I learned so much from that class. Conservative minds may not appreciate her that much, though. I still highly reccomend her. Very informed, and you cover lots of interesting material.
I really couldn't stand her. She taught her beliefs and didn't give a true education of both sides of issues.
Not very open-minded, organized, or truely knowledgable. Felt like she pretended to be full of wisdom and experience, but all that came out of her mouth was rhetoric from things she read or heard. Very poor instructor. Tell her what she wants to hear and you'll pass. Really a space cadet too.
I love sociology, but all we talked about was Bush. A day didn't go by that we didn't talk about politics. She also kept telling us about how everthing from Vietnam to 9-11 is a conspiracy. Sometimes i even had to leave class!
This woman is a communist. She praises Fidel Castro (who starves and steals from his people) and hates Bush. She is narrow minded and only out to brain wash people. She gave me the same grade as people who didn't even do their work just because I didn't agree with her. DO NOT TAKE HER CLASS!!!!
She smoked her fair share in her day, but that's why I liked her. Very interesting, but tons and tons of work!
Shes excellent! Very educated and artiuclate. The class is always intersting and never boring.Very mind opening. No, she's not really a communist, but a humanist.
Really nice teacher and person. She knows what she is talking about and opens your mind to ideas that you never hear anywhere else.
She looks like shes been smoking pot all day and then comes to class. She doesnt like you if you dont agree with her opinions, and shes a hypocrite. A lot of reading and writing. If you are a republican you will hate her class.
She is an awesome teacher!! There is a lot of reading and questions you have to answer, but its all so easy if you keep up since nothing has to be turned in till the end. Her quizes are easy and her midterm and final are take home. VERY EASY and shes very laid back..
She does look stoned the whole time. She doesn't take roll so if you late or not there you don't lose points. She doesn't have mid terms and the finial is a take home essay. What else could you ask for?! It's an easy A!
No Comments
i find it hard to understand her and the material. i don't always agree with her teachings but maybe its because the reading is hard. she requires too many books for her class that we will never use again. we can't sell back her packets unless we come into class next semester and try to sell it. money waisted!
Best teacher at Butte! she makes the 3 hours fly by because her lectures are interesting. there is a lot of reading, but if you just do the study guides when you get them you wont have any worries at the end of the semester and you will definately ace the class.
No Comments
She hates Republicans, and her only goal is to make you hate this country. She doesn't show both sides to any issue, just her side. Her class is all about brain washing, not teaching. Take someone else.
She never shows to class on time. She is always at least a half hour late. You don't have to attend class regular as she doesn't take attendence. She is very forgettfull, flakey and spacey. She has no organization at all and is very unclear about things she is speaking about. I would not rec. her class for sociology.
take notes, listen and read the required reading. Easy quiz's and a take home final based on the semesters readings.
a lot of readings, writings.
Everyone that is hating on Mimi are probably the same people who voted for Bush and are fed a diet of faux news channel daily. Obviously, people get pissed when they don't understand that this country is in civil war...a war for ideas (or against ideas..)
didn't read the books, didn't take notes, just listened in class. aced all the tests. She's open about her opinions, Doesn't punish you if yours are different or conflicting as long as they are well presented. She questioned a few of mine and I backed them up and didn't get dinged for it. not the greatest but definately not the worst.
very unacademic. if i wrote for most of my classes using the sources she uses to teach i would get an F. Wikipedia as a serious source in college? need i say more?
I really like Mimi a lot. She works hard from what I can tell, and her classes are UC quality curriculum. I enjoy that. I have learned so much in this class, she really finds ways to communicate important facts to us that I only had a vague idea about before. The books are good too, interesting enough to keep in my permanent collection!
This class was a total waste of time and money. I spent probably about $200 on books, 5 of 7 books we didn't even open. The other 2, we read a passage from. "HAD" to buy the study guide - never used it. She always went way off topic and never returned during lectures. Frankly - she looked and acted stoned most of the time. DON'T TAKE IT!!
You have to get a kick out of the negative responses from the BIGOTS out there. Yes, Mimi's unorganized and teaches through tangents. Get over it!!! Every teacher has their own style. You have to give her credit for tackling these issues in the midst of CA's own "bible belt". Learn to CRITICALLY THINK for yourselves... and QUESTION what you know.
Lots of quizzes, fairly high workload. Do the reading and you'll be fine.
Ms. Riley is great. The class is kept fun and she really wants to make sure that everyone really gets it. She is a little flighty at times but that kind of goes along with what you would expect from a true soc teacher. I love her!
Though she is a bit unorganized she is a great teacher. Her class provides a lot of shocking and useful info about our modern world. The work load isn't too intense as long as you make sure to keep up with the reading. Weekly Quizzes (easy as long as you pay attention is class somewhat). Overall she is a beautiful soul and a good teacher.
Her first time teaching honors - she has a beautiful mind and helps us use ours... but it's hard to make up for being as flaky as she is. If she was more clear about her expectations from day one, and started showing up on time - she'd be one of my favorite teachers. As is, she's awesome, but frustrating.
Mimi is a wonderful person. Very passionate about the environment, perhaps a little too passionate. She imposes her ideals very strongly. She's open to opposition, however she wont bring it up herself. The text books were horrible and EXTREMELY bias. Didn't have much of a plan. I loved her class, but wouldn't recommend her to serious SOC students.
She is a really nice person and helps in anyway she can. She is extremely unorganized and doesn't always return your emials in a timely matter but the class was informative and she is a really nice person. If you miss class here and there it isn't a big deal.
I took Soc 4 with Mimi last semester and although I got an A in the class, I didnt enjoy it. She is very flaky, unorganized, and unclear. She was always atleast 10 minutes late, never on syllabus, and wasn't clear about what to do. Shes a very nice lady dont get me wrong.
Worst a most flaky teacher I've ever had. She was late every day or she didn't show up. I was very frustrated by this class and so were my classmates. Avoid her as a teacher.
I took this class in 2006 but it stands out as one of the more enjoyable classes of JC days
Mimi is a great person... but as a teacher, she really sucks. Sometimes she's on it, sometimes she's not. Sometimes she goes crazy on you and others she's mellow and does nothing. Just don' take her seriously and be as mellow as she is, and you'll be fine. If you do take her seriously, you're going to be disappointed and unhappy.
Mimi is always late. It is frustrating and she doesn't show for class sometimes. She is good at teaching the material, very knowledgeable, and you can tell she knows her stuff. I would recommend that you really enjoy the subject to enjoy her as a teacher. She gets you thinking outside of class. I like her.
I like Mimi very much but she assigns an unrealistic amount of reading and homework. I feel as is I have to drop all my other classes because I have to dedicate my semester to her class. We never go over our reading or homework. She emails everything and she is so 'all-over-the-place' Make sure you are good at Soc before you take her class.
Took Soc5 & 55. Into Sustainability? She's your gal! Liberal, lenient, genuine good person. Allows catch up at the end of sem. Major player in sustainability @ Butte. More like a friend that an instructor. I feel she could influence personal change by pushing students to look into themselves; that's where the social transformation has to start. : )
Mimi Is a great person, very knowledgable and very intersted in what she does. However, during our Soc 5 class she made us read 5 books, and study guides that were at least 20-25 questions a week. We never went over homework, and it was hard to understand what she wanted out of us for our essays. A good teacher, but all over the place.
Mimi is a great teacher. Very enthusiastic about her subject. Yes there is alot of reading, but the discussions are helpful in understanding the material. That was a fun class.
Excellent teacher. Lots of homework but she know's it and she's fair about it as long as you try. Great class discussions, and fun if you have good people. She's also SOOO beautiful in a very different kind of way.
I'm never really quite sure how to feel about this class. The subject matter is really interesting if you're into sustainability. But, there is an almost unrealistic amount of outside work and we never do anything but watch videos during the actual class. Mimi is a great person, but I found this class to be really difficult.
The class was interesting, but Mimi just isn't a great teacher. She never responded to any of my emails and was never helpful. The amount of work she assigned was ridiculous, but interesting at the same time. It's a pretty easy class, but it just wasn't rewarding...
Great subject, but the instruction is in total disarray. We spent too much time on the hippy stuff and misc. YouTubing; glossed-over the truly important and valid topics, and wound up with the last three week's work dumped on us at the end. The volume of reading in this class is ridiculously excessive, but she grades easy. Chili Pepper for sure.
She was such a great teacher, and the class was awesome. It was very benificial and i felt like we talked about alot of things that interested me, so it was almost like hanging out with a whole bunch of friends. LOVE HER!
This was a complete waste of my time. Mimi did not teach both sides of issues. Instead, she preaches her political views. She also grades based on her views.I do not recommend her as a teacher.
Mimi is a nice enough lady, though not an ideal professor. She arrived late nearly every single day. She also does teach things in a one-sided kind of way, glossing over much and writing notes that mostly consisted of scattered lists, connections, and drawings. The reading is mostly very dense and there's a lot of it. A LOT.
Mimi Riley is about as spacey as she looks. She has an alright personality unless you try to argue with her way of thinking. She was late to class almost every day and was an hour and 45 minutes late to the last semester final.
I thought this class would be my hardest and it ended up being my easiest and most enjoyable. Mimi is a fun teacher and is very passionate about her subject. Highly recommend her. You will have fun.
I went to Butte College not knowing what I wanted to do and after taking Mimi's sociology classes I knew what I wanted to do with my life. This is an important topic that I think everyone should be informed about. I highly recommend her class.
If you love reading she is the teacher to take. I enjoyed this class, and it is what you make of it. If you listen, she has a lot to say. So long as your not incredibly close minded and you wish to challenge her, she is the one to talk to. Yes, she is definitely a "hippy" but I don't mean that in a bad way. I would take this class again.
Lots of reading in this class, but it was all incredibly interesting. Very insightful topics. This class got me thinking outside the box.
I really enjoyed this class with Mimi. I would take another class with her.
Mimi brings the modern hippie into the class room and you better not try to argue her "nature is god" complex. She is as all over the place as she looks. Potentially an interesting topic but thanks to Mimi I found myself fighting to bring reality to her class. A true waste and nothing less than everything that is wrong with colleges today.
Very disorganized class. Mostly watched videos in class. Almost no actual lectures. Heavy on reading, study guides and writing prompts. Very difficult to communicate with outside of class. Some of the information presented seemed relevant. Do the work and you'll pass.
I loved Mimi's class. The material is very relevant and I like the fact that she is using documentaries that are current and relate to the topic, instead of stuffy old textbooks. She is passionate about this subject, and gives tons of reading. Plenty of extra credit opportunities. No tests or quizzes, but, a couple of big projects.
I took Mimi's Our Sustainable Future class, and I enjoyed it. She made sure to cover multiple opinions of the issue of sustainability instead of just her opinion. Mimi is very passionate about what she teaches. Lots of reading and homework, but luckily no tests. She did cancel class a lot and was a little disorganized, but she's a very nice lady.
There's no denying global warming - so there's no "other side ".LOL. She is obviously teaching a course on Modern Social Problems and Culture of Capitalism to address how it & global warming are connected. Its a Sociology course. Lots of reading . Very understanding . Talk to her, shes very helpful. Go to class. Lots of videos.
Melinda is a great teacher!
I had no idea what to expect , but it was a long semester. Mimi gives readings on the topic every week along with a study guide and a concept paper. Just do them and you'll pass. It's easy, but tedious. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. It will get you in the end bc it's just so much work. She was a little too laid back, but she loves what she teaches.
Modern Social Problems was a very interesting class. Melinda is extremely easy going and understanding. Quizzes and homework are often but very simple, every quiz is straight from the reading, open note and conversation is allowed. Great class.
Super boring class but if you do the study guides youll be fine. The teacher is very all over the place but cares about the students. The tests are easy you can literally use your study guide.
All over the place, tough in grading and very controversial. Can barely get anywhere in class because everyone starts arguing. The teacher does nothing to help this either. Would not recommend.
Amazing professor and super inspiring. You will learn so much! Highly recommend.
She really got me thinking about our sustainable future and what I can do to ensure it
I PERSONALLY did not like this class. The professor was kind and knowledgeable about the subject but never seemed to have a structured class, which is something I like. She never took roll and lectured the ENTIRE class to the point where I would get bored. Not my cup of tea but hey, might be your's.
Mimi is very passionate, knowledgable, and empathetic. She explains everything very clearly in detail and I left the class feeling very inspired. I would take Mimi again. There are a couple of books that you have to read, but they are an easy read as long as you start them when she assigns them.
So much work for covid semester. More than any of my professors or my friends professors to the point it seemed unreasonable. Busy work. You write about the same thing every week except it has a different term. But its the same gist every week. You have to buy like 5 books and each one is only used for one assignment. Waste of money, waste of time
She is not easy to work with at all. She does not make sense half of the time and doesn't seem to really know what she wants to say. She has the attitude that she always needs to be right. You buy 4 books for this class and do not use them at all. Save yourself the hassle of signing up for her class and take someone else.
She expects a lot of work to be done especially for a covid semester only gives leniancy for homework when she decides she doesn't want extra to grade. Tries to act nice during lecture videos but is very rude when you write her and is very hard to get ahold of. Has you buy like 5 books that are pricey but you don't use them. Not taking her again.
I would not recommend online AT ALL! Covid made every class online and most teachers are understanding, but she seems to not care. She assigns multiple mandatory hour videos just for a discussion post, an excessive amount of reading for assignments that take decades all due in a week. It's easy work but it's an unreasonable amount, never again.
Melinda is lost, I took online class and it was terrible. Lots of reading. She dropped me from class accusing me of not doing my assignments then she started grading them.When I tried to explain to her she did not wanted to listen, and kept saying that I did not do my job. Awful teacher she is a mess. So unorganized, even with the zoom meetings.
She is very unorganized and forgot to post modules several times. Do not take her.
Throughout my college experience, I have never met a teacher who is so unorganized. She couldn't even start school on time. She said not to use Wikipedia as a resource which I agree with, But then the slides she used to "teach" I found on the internet which had information sourced from Wikipedia. If you have a choice in your teacher,DO NOT take her
DO NOT TAKE HER. She assigns a ridiculous amount of reading and homework, not to mention wanting students to PAY FOR NETFLIX to watch a film that is required for a discussion. She also expects her students to buy 6-7 very expensive books and does not even provide a link to the textbook. She started class late and is extremely unorganized.
I was excited to take a sociology class because the topic seemed interesting and at first she seemed pretty chill but after a couple weeks she started becoming more and more disorganized and very one-sided with all the topics she went on and on about. She was late to every class and went on tangents every class. Would not recommend.
Students beware. She came unprepared to an online course and did not have modules to post for weeks. She does not stay up on grading and is incredibly disorganized and kept pushing assignments because modules were not ready. She will also drop you without reason with no warning. Do not take her classes if you have the option. Terrible experience.
gives a lot of work, has so little regard for her students, and zero sense of compassion, is condescending and for someone who is all about social justice, she does not practice what she preaches.
Melinda is a very scattered and a perpetually late professor. She also does not communicate well when emailed or if she cancelled class.
Very cool professor, Melinda's pretty chill. The textbook is online which I am always grateful for. Assignments & supplementary material are very simple & thought-provoking, and spaced out so that you can get ahead a week if you want to! Melinda also seems to very much care about sociology, which I can deeply respect. Great course material & prof!
This class was off the rails. Mimi is a full-on tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist. After many lectures of her rambling for 40+ minutes about 911 being an inside job and COVID misinformation I had to stop attending class. Lucky for me none of the lectures are important and you can get 100% by just doing everything online minus the one in-class speech
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
43%
Textbook Required
18%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.42 avg changeRatings by Course
SOC
5.0
(1)SOCI5
5.0
(1)SOCOOOO
5.0
(1)SOC2RTVF12
4.0
(1)ABCABCA
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
SOCSOCI
5.0
SOCA
5.0
C2759
5.0
SOC2OR463
4.0
SOCIOLOGY
4.0