Kind of confusing sometimes, but interesting and does not grade hard

Discussions were interesting, easy class

EASY!!! His awesome way of thinking uptight republicans, this is a great class!

I loved his class. He cares about what he teaches. GREAT CLASS

Very passionate, makes you think, easy grader, lots of discussion

My favorite class so far at GV, Highly recommanded

very clear, opened minds: gives test questions ahead of time! great/helpful prof

AMAZING prof...

One of the best Professors/Teachers I have come across in my 16 years of school

makes class fun, talk in class, good at reviewing for tests

Great guy, Only a temp teacher but i hope he gets tenure. Good class.

Great professor!! Enjoyed class very much.

Best teacher I have ever had, grades on whether you can apply not memorize

Overall 4.5, he is a good teacher, sometimes wander too far into left field.

He is wonderful. My 2nd time taking 280 and he is GREAT!

Very nice and interesting class He is a great teacher willing to work with you

The most fair exams ever, a very stimulating class. Take This Prof.!

Amazing prof! I switched my major to soc after his class. Very intelligent man.

Great prof!!! easy tests and final....very helpful

WHERE HAS THIS TEACHER BEEN ALL MY LIFE?

Child of the sixties, complains about the "system" too much

amazing person. Helps you see the truth that the media hides

a wonderful professor, treats students as friends, makes an enjoyable atmosphere

Superintelligent and a good teacher, but stands on a very tall soapbox.

Very good teacher!!

He actually knows whats going on

Take this class! He actually knows what's going on in the world, easy tests too

Awesome class! Made me make SOC my minor, take it you'll learn a lot!

MAKE THE BEST DECISION OF YOUR LIFE: take this prof. My major is now SOC! Very smart. Very fair test - wants you to talk to him in your essays not just spit out stuff. Uses applications of the real world not just theories

Good at letting you know what's on the exams. Didn't care too much for him telling us how bad the world is. Puts a damper on life.

Gives essay questions before exams, very one sided on his views, a great teacher, take him!!

interesting class, easy essay exams, although i felt like during class i was being preached to

The best prof I've had so far. He'll point out some disturbing features of our society, but what he says is 100% true- don't blame the messenger. Has a wealth of life experience in religion as well as sociology and is an all around cool guy.

HE is an awesome teacher! He made me actually like sociology! He really cares for his students. Take him! You won't be sorry!

Teacher is very helpful in letting you know what is going on in the world. Lecutres are not boring to me. He keeps me intrested in the class.

Good guy with easy tests, but you have to be able to rehearse a little bit of communist doctrine.

never agree to a multiple choice exam! but take him he is extremely interesting.

GREAT prof. Really knew what he was talking about and had a passion for it... makes lectures interesting and is MORE than willing to help you increase your grade!

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He makes sense and really cares about his students. Sometimes his lectures are a bit preachy.

Great teacher. Makes class very interesting and makes you think. If you read and go to the last class before a test you will havce no problem.

He is a great teacher...really cares about the students and makes sure we all will do okay in the end. Take him for SOC...interesting class.

Made the information interesting. The course information is difficult but he makes it seem easy.

BEST PROFESSOR AT GV!!! wonderful man always willing to help. You can still get an A even if you don't agree with him as long as you explain yourself. nice guy, funny, i actually enjoyed class

He's a really nice guy and genuinely cares about and respects students. He will keep you interested all semester.

Very liberal (anti business, anti government) class. Book is extremely one-sided and so are the lectures. Nice prof though... Do the work and you'll get out in good shape.

Very nice man, but very liberal. Very anti-government. Left the class with a B.

hated having to sit through this class, lectures are the same everyday on how capitalism is bad. Nice man, gives questions for test beforehand. But NOT a fun class whatsoever!!

Quizzes can be very wordy. I've read everything and got B's and C's on them. Exams are fair. Knowledgeable prof but gets boring after awhile. Thinks capitalism is the devil and preaches his Green Party values 24/7. Presents economically-flawed solutions.

Nice guy and good prof. I'm a business major, so a lot of the material greatly contradicted what I have been taught. Even so, as long as you explain your viewpoints, you will do good.

Extremely smart guy. He knows what's going on in the world and lays it all out. He only seems 'liberal' because of these extreme far-right times we're living in. This class will challenge everything you've been taught. Easy too!

very easy to understand and adds things into his teachings that enable you to relate to what he's saying

Nice guy, class is a little repetive. Lectures are very opinionated. Class can be interesting to see a different viewpoint, but trys to drill it into you. Only 3 tests and thats it. So study!

I do not recommend this course if you are conservative!

Very smart guy,but very against capitalism and makes that clear in every lecture.He says things that are over your head, but he gives questions to essay test before you take it,so make sure to be there the day before an exam!

Great class! very well organized and quite easy to do well in if you review your notes for a few hours before exams. Ott is competant and lets you know his bias straight away so you can filter the information for yourself. I love his sense of humor too!

Great Professor, students try to argue with him because they don't agree with what he teaches and it is annoying. He is kind and considerate, one of GVSU's BEST.

Prof. Ott is a great prof. He is very knowledgable on the subject, and is always willing to talk with students after class. Exams are rough, so study HARD. Quizzes are pretty easy.

I really enjoy this professor. He's a very clear and interesting speaker. He's very passionate and gets you interested in the subject. Plus he helps you with the what's going to be on quizzes and tests.

Good guy and pretty good teacher. Only thing that bothers me about him is that he is very liberal and always is dogging on President Bush which can get annoying

very good but very tough. Only get about 7 minutes per essay.

He is a very good guy, very liberal. Let's you know up front how he is. All essay tests, gives questions b4 hand. Go to class and take notes, review b4 test and you're bound to do good. Always have his door open, go if you need help.

Awesome professor! He is very smart and has a lot of info about the world. I learned SO much in this class! If you have him, stick with him...you'll generally enjoy his class!

Amazing professor. He is perfect for teaching this class. Makes topics easy to understand and relate to everyday life. Do not take this professor if you believe society is perfect as it is, he does not mind revealing the actuality of situations. Tests ar hard, pay attention and study, you'll do fine

really funny/nice guy, very intelligent, and extremely well rounded, seems like he's experience a lot and is really involved in the material and its applications, grading is fairly easy if you read the material, lets you know the essay questions before hand, so study those and your golden!

Interesting lecturer, not sure I ever understood how to do well on the essay exams.

Some of the comments on here surprised me. I don't see how his views were in anyway "too left". If anything, it's mostly the entire establishment that Ott seems to disagree with, not just libers or conservatives. If that's all some people saw they need to use more imagination. Great prof, gets 5

Very knowledgable but presents all material with a far left bias. Class blames the white American male and capitalism for everything. As a conservative, I felt very uncomfortable with what he wanted me to write on the tests in order to do well.

Really nice, very liberal prof. I wouldn't suggest taking this class if you've taken a lot of upperlevel classes and are going back down to the 200's... wants answers on test to be more of his opinion, things that may differ from things you've previously learned. Just try and think like him.

He really changed the way I think and feel about this world. If you want your eyes opened, take him.

Nice guy, this class will definitly challange your way of thinking. Pretty interesting for a gen. ed.

This review is for the "globalization" seminar. The class was interesting at first but then became a bit repetative until we got to the presentations. I didn't understand his grading style on the papers but managed to do okay. Some very dry reading involved, even if you are interested in the topic.

Best class I have ever taken and most inspiring professor. The reading was intense and time consuming, but well worth it. Be prepared to work and be enlightened in the process.

I had him for another class as well but can't remember the course number. He's a wonderful professor, very enlightening, and difficult. He definitely will challenge you, and you need to read the material as it is assigned. Don't fall behind in the reading or you will have a really hard time.

Interesting class. He is very one sided. I agreed with most things he said but I'm sure many people did not. The tests were overly difficult for this class but it was alright.

He is very one sided but never said he doesnt support our soldiers. He said because you dont necessarily agree with the war doesnt mean you dont support them.

This professor has a very strong left-bias, making this course very difficult for someone such as myself with strong conservative views. I learned to push opinions aside though, and if you read the book and go to lecture you will be just fine. Dr. Ott is very willing to help you out, and wants you to do well.

This class was extremely hard for me to grasp but Dr.Ott's lectures always held my attention and he was always willing to help. Very biased but for me it was in a very good way.

This professor is amazing. He is very clear about what he expects of you in class, and tells you exactly what you need to know for the tests. Also, he is hilarious and makes the class very interesting. Just read the book and go to class and you will do just fine.

one of the best professors i've ever had.His tests can be hard but he tells you exactly whats on them.He keeps the lectures interesting and very thought provoking.People say hes to biased, but in reality he's just telling you what actually going on the world.Only take this class if your willing to but your previous beliefs aside and learn the truth

Dr. Ott is one of the best profs at GVSU. He is an excellent teacher and makes class very interesting. He wants his class to be conducted as an open discourse of the topic at hand and it is.

An amazing teacher with a real variety of knowledge, Professor Ott is honestly the best thing to happen to the Sociology department at GVSU. He presents all the information and lets you decide. Yes he is bias, but there isn’t a textbook or person which isn't, and unlike most, he is upfront about his opinions, and lets you form your own as well.

Very educated man, no doubt about that. HOWEVER, this class as well as his personal interests of the subject matter have a left-bias to them. Not much you can do about it. It's a good class, good gen ed. Males business majors probably should not take him though. He dislikes capitalism and most business. At least that's the impression I get from him

Ott is a great professor. He is extremely intelligent and wants nothing more than to share his knowledge with his students. There are 3 take home exams and a paper, but if you come to class and take good notes you'll do fine. He makes even the smartest students feel like they can still learn something, and he'll always give you a unique perspective

The best professor in the entire university. Passionate about what he teaches and incredibly well-informed. Upfront about his views, but still incredibly fair in his grading and treatment of students. Very helpful and friendly. As far as being biased goes, in the words of Stephen Colbert, "Reality has a well known liberal bias."

An amazing teacher who has a real passion for this profession. A fair grader, although perhaps a bit too lenient. Any student in social science owes it to themselves to take a class with professor. Even students who aren’t in social science can take a lot from a class with Prof. Ott. Highly recommended!

Amazing class in Social Change which will be around next semester. Professor Ott is the most qualified and most experienced teacher GVSU has in its social science section. Presents meterial which is often overlooked and is always willing to discuss many concepts other teachers shy away from. Both a poet and a scholar, Proessor Ott is a must-take!

The whole reason I'm in sociology - Professor Ott is knowledgeable about the world in a way I never thought possible. He brings all kinda of passion into his lectures and never leaves students in the dark about what he expects. More than memorization - he expects understanding and will lead you there. An Amazing Person and Professor!

Ridiculously nice teacher!! He is very concerned with sharing diverse views, and providing a good education.

I love Dr Ott! He is one of my favorite professors at GVSU. I was completely ignorant of politics and whatnot going into the class, but he really got me interrested. Tests are somewhat difficult, you have to know what your talking about. But he is so wonderful and I would definitely reccommend him to anyone!

Dr. Ott really challenges you to make a difference in this world. He gets you to think about where the world is headed and how to heal the divide between the religious and secular humanity groups. 3 take hopme exams which really allow you to state how you feel and reflect on what the readings are saying. Only one in class exam. It's a go.

Professor Ott is awsome. Take home exams are easy if you keep up on the reading. that is ur only challenge. keep reading and ofcourse go to class. final is easy. awsome review! class overall was awsome. TAKE HIM!

You will not find a better professor on the GVSU campus. Prof.Ott is awesome and most students who have had him before look for opportunities to take him again.

Michael Ott is my favorite professor at Grand Valley. He tries very hard to make sure that everybody gets their say, dispite his personal beliefs about their politics. He is very understanding, and will help you as much as he can. He has a genuine interest in his subject, students, and he will challenge you to challenge yourself and the status quo.

Dr. Ott was very sweet and VERY helpful. He cares a great deal about making a better world. The day before an exam he will basically give you the questions on the exam and let you ask questions. He is always open to questions and likes discussion. He has been known to get off track, but he always makes things interesting with his bad jokes :)

You have 3 50 question multiple choice exams, and attendance to make your grade. Lectures were boring and irrelevant to test material. Book was not required for class, but the test questions were all based on the book. Exams are on Mondays, and he tells you all of the questions on Friday.

Great teacher, tough material but he explains it well. Very personable.

He is an amazing prof!!!! He is really funny and very smart. He really knows what he is talking about and I actually get EXCITED to go to this class. Grade is based on 3 exams and attendance. Exams aren't too hard if you read the book. I highly recommend this class!!!

He is a very intelligent person and a great professor. I love going to class. You will learn a lot if you pay attention.

One of the best. He's passionate, experienced, helpful, informative, all of it. In fact, all the readings were online, so you didn't even have to buy a text! Goes way above and beyond and is very, very well informed on the topic. Take the class just for the professor.

Good prof that has interesting lectures most of the time. Occasionally he can get a bit long winded and hard to follow but always has a good review of what he wants you to know for the exams. Helpful and legitimately interested in his students.

Professor Ott without a doubt has taught my favorite class I have ever taken. Soc 280 with him was incredibly interesting, and he teaches it with such interest. This has been probably the only class I have taken in college where I looked forward to his class. His tests were not bad, I always didnt do as good as I expected (expected to ace it).

Used to be a pastor so he definitely likes to talk...and ramble, but it was a very interesting class. Grade is based on 3 exams (which are actually take-home papers) and attendance. If you want a good grade the papers should be around 8 pages each.

Good professor! Sets you up for success. Easy to get an A if you do all your work. Reviews for the exams are basically all you need to know to do well. Would definitely take this prof again. Both textbooks are used.

Prof. Ott is very passionate about social problems, although you will find the topic depressing. The course is very enlightening and I would recommend it to anyone- especially with Prof. Ott. Very friendly, knowledgable, and approachable. Also, there was very little HW, easy exams, and random attendance, usually once per week.

Any person who tells you not to take Ott because he is a "Communist" might want to get to the roots of communism and develop a clearer understanding of the communist system. All Ott wants is a better society, and that isn't going to happen if we all sit on our asses and talk about rainbows and butterflies. Take Ott and learn how to be better.

He is super interesting if you actually listen to him but his tests are super hard. Make sure you are there the day before the test for his reviews. I was actually entertained by the class.

One of the wisest people i have ever known. very personal professor and has the best old time lectures ever. I never had to take notes his lectures were so salient. if taking 215 though careful on the papers. he is VERY particular but they're are only 15% of your grade. i always felt like i left his class having really learned a lot.

This guy is awesome. He oozes world experience. His lectures are super interesting, you are never looking at a power point.I learned so much from this class. I can tell that he really respects his students, and doesn't look down upon them. He used to be a pastor and he graduated from Princeton.

This professor seriously changed my life. I have never had a class at Grand Valley like this one - it will make you think about why society is the way it is, and how it can be changed for the better. I learned so much in this class and I would take it with Ott 100 times over. Seriously. You have to have this professor. (And go to his office hours!)

Class has no extra crrdit or any ability to make up if you have a bad test. The tests are hard, the papers are easy (you write about 5 2pg papers on readings), he dosent give good notes just talks writes little on board. The test reviews are poor but he is fun to listen to. He has great passion.

Best prof ever super wise, kind and helpful. He truly wants a better world for his students and all people. Tests are mildly hard because you need to think critically. He inspires me to become a better person, best prof ever. TAKE HIS CLASS!!!