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Knows what his****. Nice guy with a good sense of humor. Lectures can get a little boring but majority of notes are on blackboard. Interesting class and he's a fair grader. Will give extra credit just for showing up to class.

Lectures are boring, he's kind of repetitive but the class is pretty easy and he does know what he's talking about. The class is good for the most part I guess it just got old towards the end.

If you read the text and listen in class you will ACE this course. It helps if you actually have an interest in criminal justice. Dr. Helms did great this quarter considering he is going thru a divorce and adjusting to being a single parent.....Course notes are on blackboard. Great class!

Great class, super interesting, awesome professor. I recommend Helms.

I had Helms for Criminology and he's very knowledgeable on the subject. You can tell that he really cares about what he's teaching. He showed some great movies like "american history x". Overall, he's a great teacher and I'd definitely recommend him.

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best teacher i had, will work with you if you cant complete on time

AND 397H...He was awesome in all three. He appreciates you coming to class and even gave some extra credit in 255 for doing so. His tests are straightforward (just study notes and read. He can get a little sidetracked sometimes but I seriously love the guy.

Helms is very straightforward, albeit unique, in his method of teaching: online notes are of great importance, book is slightly important, and what you take down in class comes last. His papers are easy, the subject matter interesting, but the lectures slightly mundane.

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Dr. Helms was an amazing professor. The first time I had him, I thought his lectures were a bit boring, but they got better. He was ALWAYS very approachable and helpful if you needed it. I also ended up being a TA for him and I really enjoyed hearing his lectures regarding criminal justice. Fair grader, tests are difficult but fair, and he's good about posting stuff on blackboard. His 255 class prepared me for Inverarity's 355 and for the capstone, so overall great professor.

So helpful, knows his stuff, very compassionate and understanding. Goes above and beyond what I would ever imagine

Great overall person. Very helpful to his students and very understanding. Only problem is he teaches directly from overheads so it makes it hard to want to come to class. Great guest lectures and good at making the topics applicable.

I heart helms, awesome professor, honest, fair, and excited about the subjects.

Great teacher!

Really nice guy. Genuinely interested in the subject and is always willing to clarify issues for students if necessary. I really enjoyed this class and plan to take others from this professor.

great teacher, you can tell he loves what he teaches. yes the lectures can be long and boring but download the notes before and follow along. for sure read the book, and he is willing to clarify anything. do the film summarys they help your grade!!

I loved all of Helms' classes and would recommend them to everyone. He is incredibly passionate about his work and he is not afraid to show it. While some of the other sociology professors are unwilling to, Helms takes the time to listen to and help his students. His tests can be difficult, so use the notes he provides, read and come to class.

Great teacher, knows his stuff. Dont miss a class even if he talks about how his notes are always posted because you end up missing somethin important. Hes very fast passed in this course and can be very confusing. To do well make sure you take advantage of his time to help students which is all the time. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE and you will do fine!

i love him!!! He is soooo cool!

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really nice prof, very helpful, read powerpoint slides, participate, do the work, you will do great, lectures can be dry but he knows it, only so much he can do, lots of videos, especially towards the end. my fav prof

People don't always like his classes, but he is clear and his tests are straight from lecture, which he gives notes for!

It's because he smokes it. This guy is a great teacher that will show you the sad truth of what this country is all about. There are a lot of article readings in all of his classes, but usually you can just skim over them. Very nice and easy to talk to. If you take summer quarter take the jails course!

Best professor ever! So passionate and enthusiastic about the subject made each day exciting to come to class. You watch a lot of interesting movies and learn a lot!!

Helms is an AWESOME professor. Lectures are a bit dry & boring, but go to class for extra credit points! Lots of articles/films to read & respond (very easy!), tests are hard but read the textbook and you will do fine. Very willing to help, very fair with grading, funny, and awesome!

Class can make you fall asleep but what class doesnt. Good teacher and tests are easy. Grades easy too but he is not clear or very good at telling us when things are due.

Great teacher. He is a really funny guy and gives you all the tools you need to succeed. Tests arent too hard and he gives you a study guide for each. I didnt read the book too much yet still did good. He keeps class interesting and makes it a lot of fun!

He is a boss.

Helms talks a mile per minute and his lectures are super fast paced, but he is a GREAT teacher. He's really passionate about sociology and works hard to make the students interested in it too. If you go to class, it's hard to get less than an A or high B. Highly recommended.

I loved this class! Not the best lecturer, but fun! He seems to get distracted easily and goes off topic often, but the class is great regardless. The powerpoints aren't super helpful in lecture, but they're on blackboard along with test study guides from the very beginning. Go to class to get the answers to bonus questions he puts on tests!

I love this guy! Takes a informed approach on social issues and rarely relies on popular ideologies.I plan on taking every class he offers. This teacher just clicks with me.

Ron is a good professor and more than that he is a good person. He truly cares about his students. He wants his students to not only succeed in his class but life. I took 3 of his classes. I messed up big time but he showed that there's more than class grade in life. Cool guy and my role model!I recommend his classes for interna/students as well.

he posts slides and everything on them comes from the books. so, you do not need to buy them. lecture can be a bit boring. he really wants all of his students to do well. two exams, one paper, one group presentation (very informal). take this class!

Love this guy. It's true that his powerpoints are a bit confusing, but if you actually listen to what he says you will get all the information you need to know for tests. He is funny and truly passionate about the subject, which makes learning from him very interesting. He presents different viewpoints without bias and will get you thinking.

This was a great summer class, and the tours at various jails tied in the material together. Get ready to learn something new; trust me, you will like it!

One of the best classes I have ever taking from one of the best teachers I have ever had. Criminology is an incredibly interesting topic and Helms makes it even better. This class is a fun one and is pretty easy to get through, if you fail, its your own fault.

Sweet and goofy guy! He genuinely cares for you and your learning and is easy going. He adds gives a lot examples to help you understand concepts. He cares more about participation than content. So just do the assignments! He makes his tests straight forward and designed NOT to trick you. Ask him questions if you need help. He wants to help!!

There were plenty of film reviews (1-2pgs ea) - easy. Fair and easy grader. Lectures are very longmany slides. Better attendance better grades typically. Exams are very fair. Don't stress too much, but DO study. Books were only used for end of qrter presentation and paper. Great prof. Extra credit for regular attendees - random days.

VERY interesting class. Military. Great theories analyzed. Too bad not many people attend class cause he's interesting and funny. Many examples for better comprehension. Weekly assignments. Eye opening class. Learned a lot. 2 tests - midterm and final. Very passionate about subject. Bubbly. One of the best profs.

I really enjoyed Ron Helms. Yes he got off topic very regularly and often took a while to start class but touring the jails through service learning was really cool. There are a lot of assignments in his class but he is a fairly easy grader so long as you do a decent job and keep up. I would take him again

Dr. Helms is by far the most accommodating professor that you will run across, as long as you put in the effort. Don't get flustered by his laissez-faire style, do good work in a timely manner. If you need a PowerPoint wizard steer clear, but if you want a terrific professor in an entertaining setting, you better register for him now.

Helms's classes have inspired/shaped my sociological career. He doesn't try to trick you, he is clear, concise/ has a good sense of humor. His lectures are interesting, I'd suggest printing them out and following along during lecture. He is always willing to help, there are no stupid questions. Overall informal/ interesting. Keep up with readings.

He loves really long lectures and is really interested in what he is teaching. This is the third class I've taken from him. Almost everything that is graded is through canvas online including all tests. Responds to emails well and open for conversation.

Interesting (and not too difficult) class. If you have any interest in criminal justice I suggest you take this class.

AWESOME professor all around, if people say he talks to much he does but he only wants you to succeed and make class entertaining! He's a really smart guy who has zero tricks on test, and he really cares about his students. I declared my Soc major because of him!!

Invested in students, always willing to answer questions and provide explanations. Makes sure everyone is on the same page and is understanding the material. Very reasonable grader, and maintains a really chill classroom feeling.

I really liked Helms as a professor and as a person. He is really funny and made two hours go by fast, most days. The exams are online and pretty straightforward, but going to class is necessary because his lectures are pretty jam packed and the exam questions are pulled right from the lecture notes. Barely opened the textbook..

Great teacher! Loved him, he was very caring and you will see that in his emails (:. Tests are straightforward and taken from powerpoints, videos, and text. If you put effort into the 1-2 paper assignments which are not hard, you'll always get 100% on them. Not a hard grader. Definitely recommend!

Ron is my favorite professor, he's so geeked about criminology and makes his classes so fun despite being so long. Long exams but they're online so essentially open-note, all MC, and is very up front that he will never give you anything close to a trick question. Can get distracted storytelling but they're always fun. I wanna be his friend!

I took his online 255 class and I thought it was great! He touches base with the students often, and takes the time to record lectures on the sections in the book. The assignments are mostly quizzes, which are pretty easy if you watch the videos. I learned a lot and had a great time in his class!

Helms is one of my favorite prof. He is extremely caring, and always wants the best for his students. I have taken two courses with him, and honestly I am a little worried because he would email the class at like 2 am. He is passionate about the subject, and gives fun examples. You learn a lot from the book so make sure to read. He is a kind dude.

I loved this class but i especially love Professor Helms. He is so caring and funny and overall a very nice guy. Don't be afraid to ask questions he is always a huge help. My advice sit towards the front and get to know him. This class is easy if you do your assignments. A bulk of assignments are videos with easy 10 question quizzes after.

Ron is without a doubt my absolute favorite professor at Western, he is charismatic, kind, and super accommodating. Every single day he is energetic and ready to teach his class, while his classes may be mundane somedays, he is always willing to talk to students to help them understand the material. All quizzes and exams are online.

Helms is a wonderful professor, his kind announcements on canvas to students to enjoy their weekends or go outside made my days, not to mention he is hilarious! Quiz and test questions are not meant to trick you and come right from the assignments or slides in class. since exams are online if you take good notes you will do good. highly recommend!

One of my favorite profs at WWU. I've taken SOC255 and SOC376 with him. Sometimes the lectures can be a bit dry but he spices them up with fun stories and videos, he's an awesome guy who really cares. Grading is very clear, there's not too much homework. Tests are multiple-choice and taken at home. The assigned readings are actually interesting :)

I took this as an async online course. It was really structured which I liked, there were no surprises. There were small assignments throughout the course, which were easy to get A's on. 3 big exams. Lots of reading but if you spread it out, it's not hard. The lecture presentations were a bit monotone but not bad. Overall I really liked this class.

Ron is the nicest professor, he did a really good job at helping me with my accommodations. His class is very well organized and it's easy to stay on top of everything.

I was pretty hesitant to take this course after reading the bad reviews. However, I think he reads his own reviews, since many mentioned issues have greatly improved. He sends heartfelt messages every 2 days or so, giving us advice and wishing us good luck. There are only a couple of assignments, but if you watch his lectures then you'll do great.

Ron was a great professor for the class is online. He responded to questions in a timely manner and always sent out cute inspirational announcements to everyone. You can tell he really cares about his students, even over the computer. Lectures are easy to follow along but slightly boring. The documentary are very interesting though. Overall, great!

Very sweet and caring teacher. Online course consisted of a lot of films with following quizzes and discussion posts, some reading and lectures. Have two read two books and write a 4-5 page book summary/critique on each one. Interesting course, easy to follow along and Helms is a very fair grader. I would definitely take another class with him.

This class was enjoyable to take and covered some really interesting things. Ron made the class easy and do-able, as long as you stay on top of things, which was easy to do. He seems like a genuine guy and cares about this subject a lot. It was asynchronous which I think made it a bit easier.

I am team Ron! Extremely kind and always willing to accommodate and meet outside of class to help. You can tell that he is so passionate about sociology and makes his lectures fun and chatty. He makes it clear that he is not a tough grader but just wants you to learn and try your best. I totally recommend!!!!

tbh I only went to a couple of classes and just completed all of my work online. easy GUR if you need the credit, pretty interesting too.

Ron is a sweet and caring professor. I took this class for the credit but I very much enjoyed it overall, lectures are a bit long but he tries to be engaging and gives us breaks. He gives out content warnings for anything that could be potentially "triggering" but if you need TW for everything you aren't cut out for the real world lets be honest.

Great prof!

I loved taking this class! The material was super interesting and you could tell that the professor was passionate about the subject! we watched a lot of videos and read 1 book for quizzes. The only problem i has was he went a bit fast for in class lecture, but he did end up posting his covid online lectures to canvas for us! would take again! :)

Ron is definitely a bit of a conspiracy theorist and has some controversial opinions, but I like how honest he is about his views. The course is made up of three exams, a paper, and some discussion boards / small quizzes. The book he has you read is really interesting if you're into drug decriminalization. Never opened the actual textbook though.

I like Ron as a professor and a person. He is a really funny guy and you can tell he genuinely cares about his students. He's very accommodating and has moved assignments and exams back when he saw that the class needed more time. I'm not sure why people think he's pro-cop, he's definitely not. His tests can be surprisingly difficult so study!

Professor Ron's class is a solid GUR - the material is interesting, and he makes an effort to engage students. Lectures can be long, but recorded ones are available. Quizzes, exams, and a required book make up the workload. Using unstuck ai alongside the textbook helped with study prep.

he was pretty cool

Best professor at Western.

Helms is a great professor and you can tell he cares about his students. He is happy to help or answer questions. He has an engaging lecture style and there are several films throughout the quarter with respective canvas quizzes. There are also a few canvas discussions and a final paper. All assignments are straightforward with clear grading.

If your schedule is packed and you need sociology credits, take him, you won't regret it. He's a breath of fresh air when you're drowning in studies for other classes. Just attend his lectures (no point in taking notes, he skips too fast) read the textbook and watch films he posts. All assignments and tests are online, open note (he doesn't care)