Very intellegent man. Sometimes his comments during class may seem like he doesnt like America. If you want to be happy in this class, check your patriotism at the door and pay attention objectively. Overall, easy professor and extremely helpful.

Hard to understand him due to his thick accent. However, just listen carefully and bare with him, you'll get his point. Tests arent bad. He'll provide study guides. Come visit him in his office. He actually is very nice. Overall, I enjoy his class.Take him if u like unstructureness way of teaching.

Really nice guy, but makes the class harder than a 100's level needs to be. Extends office hours and makes himself very available. Tests have fill in the blank in foreign languages... that's all I need to say.

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At first I didnt like him at all.Once I understood him, I came to really appreciate him.Tests are hard, if you're looking for a class to booste your GPA, I wouldnt suggest this, but if you're looking to get good information, go for it.He's very helpful, you feel like he really wants you to learn it.

An incredibly intelligent professor. The class is long but also very informative and interesting.However, you should not take this class with anything but an open mind. Mittal is a hilarious guy and it is very enjoyable being in his classroom.

An extremely nice man. Very intellegent and you can tell he really has a passion for what he teaches. He wants everyone to see that it's okay to believe differently than anyone else, but we are still all the same. He has a thick accent, but after you get used to it, it's very easy to understand.

Very nice guy. Keeps class interesting with personal stories . Was hard at first but was more than willing to listen to complaints and changed his tests based on students problems. I ended up with an A-. Go to class, take notes, and study and you'll be fine.

Mittal is a great guy - funny even when he doesn't try to be. I was really intrested in finding out about Jainism and the other lesser-known eastern religions, but we really spent the most time on Hinduism. Too many repetitive rants about bringing peace to the earth, but he really means well.

Very passionate Gandhi's teachings and keeps the audience captivated. Accent is strong and takes a few repetitions to understand (cant pronounce the letter "v" so it sounds like a "w"). Doesnt like grades, but a bit of a hard grader. Take only if your interested in subject matter.

It takes time to understand the accent, but he is a very nice guy that wants you to be passionate about the subject matter. Also, to have your own opinions as long as you think about something. Take his class if you are interested in the subject.

Sushil was a great teacher and JMU is lucky to get him for the religion department. Overall he really tries to get students to think, and while he goes overboard sometimes, he is a great teacher and a really nice guy. Assignments are really not that hard, just talk in class and you will get a B or higher.

Mittal is a really cool guy, however if you dont want to wirte 50 essays in a semester avoid him like the plauge. He is def. a little repeptitive too, all in all though, i really liked his class

I love Professor Mittal. He is so passionate about his work. He really tries to make you think and loves discussions. No tests, just 3-4 essays throught the semester. He gives you adequate time and is always lenient with the students. I loved this class and would recommend it to someone who is open to alternative ideas. It's a journey.

I took his Gandhi class, really great guy. He's interested in his students, passionate about his work, and he wants to help you as much as he can. He's a bit stuck in his beliefs, and you can't win an argument with him, but it's worth it to hear a different perspective.

I really disliked him at first because of some bold anti-American and anti-Christian comments. But once you get used to his teaching style and his personality you know his intentions are all good and it's just his strategy. He gave thorough study guides for tests. Be ready to be open to new ideas and criticisms.

He can become blatant and excessive in his views, however he means well. He is helpful and tries to explain things clearly. You will have to do a few short papers and responses, but no tests. Take if you have an open mind.

Can't stress enough how nice and lenient he is. The class is easy and pretty interesting. No tests throughout the whole semester, but the little one page papers get really annoying. They are only graded on completion though, so as long as you do them you'll be fine. Do all the papers and speak up in class and it's an easy A.

This class is amazing and so inspirational. He is the nicest man I have ever met. You can easily convince him to move dates around. DO come to class prepared. He once got offended when we didn't and ended class. The whole class felt terrible. You'll understand once you are in the class. I definitely recommend this course and it is not hard.

Mittal is a good guy. His lectures can be monotonous but he means well. The papers get really annoying but they arent graded, you basically just have to do them. There are no tests and its a fun class. Hes really understanding and ive never seen a professor care more about his students. I loved the class and id take him again if I could.

Cares so much about every single student. Give to get respect. If you take him early in the morning it is hard to discuss the meaning of life, global non-violence and such, but participating in class pays off, it does affect your grade. Take this class if you like writing papers over taking tests. He'll challenge you. Great Prof.!

learned alot, pushes you. offers a new kind of view but never says that anything opposing is wrong. really easy to get a B+ but I think he rarely gives As. great class though i'm glad i took it. no quizes and no final, just one page responses and 2 or 3 2page papers.

Amazing! Best prof. I have ever had. Passionate about teaching and his students. YOu have to work hard in his classes, but it is worth it.

Dr. Mitall is a really great teacher. You must do the reading and come to class. The only thing that is required of you is to write responses to the reading and then two five page papers but because of the topics they are on it is so easy to whip one out! Definitely take a class with him inf you get the opportunity!

he is a good man and i enjoyed this class, but he is very repetitive and an unfair grader. i was almost positive i had an A, but somehow wound up with a B. says he grades fair but he doesnt. the work isnt very hard, take this class if you dont mind getting snubbed by his grading system and dont mind him constantly bashing christianity and america

Ok, he's def a radical professor who teaches with passion. He doesn't give out any A's. Encourages discussion, but usually dominates it, and most people have hard time standing up to his views. You will learn about Hinduism by reading the book. There is no exams, just one page paper due every week, and one 10 page paper.

liked him at the beginning but then figured out that he wasn't who we all thought. all his lectures are straight from arvind sharma's section on hinduism in our religions. get the book.

I have read these other comments by other students. These students are loosers. I am sure they received a lower grade than they were expecting. Dr. Mittal is a fair person. He is super smart. He is THE best professor I have had in my three years at JMU. I would know because my GPA is 3.9. He does not give "A" but forces us to think critically.

He's offensive- just ignore it. You feel like you're not learning much with his lecture style, but you come to find you are. I wish there was more assignments, but it's nice to only have to worry about one major paper. Show that you can understand the material and apply it and you will do fine. High critical thinking skills are a must to do well.

The man is, plain and simple, a genius. He is one of the few professors around who seeks to force students to think and not memorize. If you are looking for a challenging but beneficial experience, this is the man for you.

he is the nicest professor, very understanding and cares a lot about his students. there are no quizes or tests only 500 word paper due each week and a 15 pg paper as a final. lectures can be a little long and boring but he his a great guy

Dr. Mittal is my favorite professor after Hindu Traditions. He just talked about general concepts the whole time, and it was really interesting. 25% for showing up, 25% for skimming the book and 50% on final paper, I wrote 12pages when it required 20 and I still got a B+.

He is one of the best social sciences I have had the pleasure of having. He takes an unbiased view on the course work and allows you to draw your own conclusions. It is a wonderful class and hope to take another one with him.

Dr.Mittal was a very compassionate professor. His main concern was making sure you walked away with knowledge. Also, there are no tests or quizzes, your grade is based on short papers and one final paper. If you do the readings and make an attempt, he will be sure to take that into consideration and it will definitely show in your grade.

great teacher

He rocks and he loves discussion. 14 précis that we didn't have to turn in till the end of the semester and a huge 15-20 page paper at the end. No exams. Not that hard of a class. Learned so much about Hinduism, and he shows a sick awesome movie in class.

Professor Mittal teaching style definitely shows how much he is into the subject. He enjoys what he teaches. Sometimes he can get confusing though. You write a short 2 page paper every week (sometimes 2) and a huge 15-20 pg paper at the end. He is helpful though, but really wants you to draw your own conclusions on things. Class wasn't too bad.

he is so passionate about what he teaches. he forces you to see things from different perspectives and he isn't afraid to push any boundaries. showing up to class is mandatory. 30 pages of reading and 2 page paper due every week. the final paper is very difficult. dr. mittal is everything a professor should be. challenging class. loved him!

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS unless you have a clear love for Gandhi. Makes you write "prezis" (2-5 page essays) every week based on long scholarly articles that you have to read (about 15-30 pgs long). 2 big papers and the final is a 15 pg paper on the influences of Gandhi. definitely not an easy Gen Ed. Also makes you read Gandhis autobiography

This class requires way too much work for a gen-ed, so avoid it if that's the only reason you're looking at it. Dr. Mittal is very into his subject but sometimes got so emotional that it made the whole class uncomfortable. He claims you are supposed to feel "dis-ease" but he lays it on a little too thick. In general just avoid - it's not worth it.

He's a great person at heart, get to know him and make sure to give your 100%. Go in for extra help and ask many questions as you can. Try and challenge him, he likes it. Read the material and keep an open mind in his class. He was definitely the best professor I have had at JMU

Dr. Mittal is an amazing man and the most inspirational professor I have had here. His class is very doable, the lectures are always intriguing and interesting, and he always adds humor to them. He is extremely thoughtful and accepting towards all students. Dr. Mittal also makes it a point that he is here to help anyone willing to learn.

great guy, although somewhat intimating he urges you to participate and ask questions. Oftentimes his lectures were insightful; however, it's sometimes hard to follow and he tends to ramble. But he makes jokes and always is there to clarify or to help. The tests were totally ridiculous, probably the only draw back. Your GPA might suffer b/c of this

I absolutely love Mittal. 310 was will easily be the most tedious class taken at JMU (20 page paper for final) but I learned more from this class about life and myself than any other class I have ever taken. Discussion in this smaller class is highly encouraged. Don't be afraid to challenge Mittal either. He will respect you. Awesome man.

Such a great professor, has a bit of an accent but does not mind repeating or writing down what he is trying to say and doesn't get offended when you ask. First two tests are hard if you don't study but once you figure them out you're good. Loves people who come to his office. Super interested in students' opinions on how to run his class.

Dr. Mittal is the best professor I have ever had. He really cares about his students and what everyone to be successful . If will attend the class and take good notes during his lectures and plus if you will read the textbook easy A. Take him, he is the best!

Professor Mittal is one of the best professors that I have had at JMU. He is so passionate about religion and really cares about the well being of his students. He's hard to understand at first because of his thick accent, but after a few classes you'll catch on. Tests are hard and require alot of studying, but I am so happy to have taken this!

I really liked him. He is so enthusiastic about what he is saying, and so inspirational. The tests are sometimes hard, but as long as you study and read the chapters you will be okay. He gives extra credit opportunities, and tells you exactly what will be on the test.

Dr. Mittal is the best professor I've had at JMU so far. I've never really been all that religious & I learned so much from him it was overwhelmingly humbling. He's totally unbiased when lecturing and is very thoughtful of everyone. You'll do well on tests if you study since it's all mostly memorization of notes. TAKE THIS CLASS IT'S AMAZING!!!

Professor Mittal is easily the best professor I've had at JMU. He connects to each student on a personal level (even in a class of 300) & speaks about topics without political correctness. The average American student will open their eyes to different perspectives of known topics & realize how Gandhi's Satyagraha can be applied to life & disputes.

He is one of the most passionate people I have ever met. He loves his job and you can really tell the amount he cares for his students. He is very knowledgeable, however, if he does not know the answer to something then he makes sure to do his research and addresses it next class. His tests are not easy but he wants people to do well.

Mittal comes off as really strict - which he is, but he also is an INCREDIBLE professor. 5 (pretty hard) exams, each worth 20%, but offers extra credit as well. One unexcused absence and he drops your final grade by 3%, but if you email, he'll understand. Strict polices, good class. One of my favorite gen eds here at JMU - he makes it interesting.

Mittal means well and is a nice guy, but I don't recommend this class for a gen ed. I would classify this as a 200/300 level difficulty of a class. It's a definite GPA killer because your grade is only based off of 5 hard tests (20 t/f and 20 MC). If you're really interested in religion then I recommend, if not, I think you'll struggle like I did

He is the most honest and caring professor I have had. He challenged us to reevaluate our ideas and beliefs. I felt like I have grown more as a student and person in this class than any other. He doesn't just teach us information, he challenges us. True, the tests are hard, but a great great professor. Take him if you want to LEARN and GROW.

His accent is hard to understand at first, but within a couple days you'll understand exactly what he is saying. There are only five tests throughout the semester and no final. Overall, Mittal is one of the most caring professors I have had at JMU. He cares about your grades and gives extra credit opportunities if he sees his class is struggling.

prof mittal is a great guy and you learn a lot of perspectives from this class, the tests are really hard tricky true/false questions but he gives a lot of extra credit essays so you can end with a B. dont take if you want an easy class

Mittal is one of my favorite professors this semester. He is a little hard to understand, but he does not mind at all if you ask him to repeat himself, he actually encourages it. You do have to read a lot, but his lectures are very entertaining and he is a funny guy. One of my favorite classes so far.

He is very passionate about what he teaches. If you read the study guides he posts online you'll do well on the tests. He has an extra credit opportunity after each exam which really helps out your grade. Overall an interesting class and I would take him again. Also there is no final so that's lit.

Dr. Mittal is an awesome professor because he really cares about your grade. He gave us six extra credit assignments that raised our grades 11% if we did them. He then also raised everyone's final grade a whole letter. There were 5 tests and each were only on one religion, which made it easy. Plus there was no cumulative final. A really fun class.

Professor Mittal is an amazing professor. He is passionate about the material and it shows when he lectures. He assigns a lot of readings which entail a lot of information for the tests. The tests are ok until there's true or false. His true or false questions are very tricky and he lets you know he's trying to trick you. Gives lots of extra credit

Smartest professor I've had but man his tests are hard and they're all that matters in the class

Super passionate, unbiased, and funny. Has strong accent. Note-taking is very heavy and needed. Don't leave reading for night before test. Tests are hard but if you truly study an A is achievable. EFFORT IS NEEDED FOR THIS CLASS. Do not take if you want an easy A. Really interesting class in general though. Would love to take him again.

Professor Mittal is extremely and clearly passionate about his teachings. This reflects, I think you generally learn a lot from this class. I had it at 8am and everyone was always engaged and awake. His tests are tough and tricky, but far from impossible. After every test he offers an extra credit essay that will bring your entire grade up 2 points

I really enjoyed Mittal's class. I had him at 8 am, and I was always engaged in class. He does have a strict attendance policy, but that is only because each lecture contributes to a big section of the exams. He offers tons of extra credit so do it and write down everything he says. I got an A in this class but I worked hard for it

attendance policy is extremely strict, you need to read to pass because his lectures can be confusing, but he offers extra credit papers for every test. he's such a sweet professor and really cares about students grades

He is amazing and so enthusiastic about teaching. He is unbiased when teaching religion. You have to attend class if you miss more than 3 you fail. However, his lectures are awesome and help tremendously. He truly cares about your grade as there is an easy extra credit in each unit he teaches. You have to study but it is a great class to take.

I took Professor Mittal this past fall semester and absolutely loved his class. You need to do your readings and attend lectures, but if you do that you will be fine. He also gives extra credit options. I have a lot of respect for him and he made his class really interesting. If you want a world perspective on different types of religions take this

I really enjoyed Professor Mittal. He was really nice and you could tell he really cared about his students. We had two books to read, but I never did... it still was fine anyways. If you don't pay attention and take notes in class, you're dead. I still really liked him and thought it was a great class!

This is probably the nicest man I have ever met in my life. He is so passionate about what he teaches and is ALWAYS willing to help if you don't understand material. Not to mention he gives up to 10 total points of extra credit on your final grade if you write a short essay for each unit.

Professor Mittal is Dedicated, Passionate, Caring, Excited, Motivated, Inspirational, Compassionate, Thoughtful, Understanding, Different, Humble, Student-Centered. Please, for the love of everything that is good in higher education, take a course with him.

He's very caring and lectures are super interesting, but the class is pretty hard. It's not your average religion class where you just memorize some terms. If you're looking for an easier class take someone else but he is definitely a great lecturer. A bit biased towards his own beliefs though.

The best professor, there are 5 quizzes each 40 questions but they are all open textbook. You are given a 10% boost to your final grade if you complete and earn all points of the extra credit assignment. Easy to achieve an A as long as you put in the work and are dedicated. He wants you to succeed and will do anything to help you!

Professor Mittal is a great person and really does care for his students. It's pretty hard to be successful in this class. Your grade is mostly made up of the 5 quizzes which are all based on readings (50+ pages each) and not the lectures. I have a lot of respect for him but if you're looking for an easy A you probably won't find that here.

Professor Mittal will leave you feeling like you learn something new in every lecture. He is a great professor and at the end of the semester, he gives you an opportunity to earn 10 extra credit points. The tests aren't easy, but if you read the textbook and take some notes, you'll do fine.

Professor Mittal is a great choice if you're already interested in religion. It would be a lot if it was simply a class you're taking for fun. But it is great for religion majors/minors. You will be challenged and will learn a ton. Just be ready to write constantly - two papers every week. One big final essay. But his grading is fair. Take him!

I thought he was a great and he really does care about his students and has they best interests in mind. He is very accessible outside of class. The only grades in his class are the unit "quizzes" (tests) and attendance. And many of the test questions are straight from the textbook and lecture notes. He doesn't have a final. I highly recommend him!

Class was graded on 5 exams and an optional extra credit paper. Loved the organization of the class - 5 religions, 3 lectures on each and then an exam. As long as you pay attention to lectures and take good notes, you'll do well. Take him.

This was a very class but tests were extremely difficult. You can do the readings closely and still wont score higher than a B. Sushil is very nice and cares a lot about his students. He is obsessed with what he is teaching. Attendance is mandatory and you will need to purchase two textbooks.

Online zoom class, cameras required to be on. Grade is completely based on the 5 quizzes, so it is important to do the readings. Extra credit paper available to do, adds 5 percent to overall grade and is graded by the TA. Lectures are very content heavy but you can tell he is passionate about what he does, which makes the class more enjoyable.

When I first started this class, I was taking it as an elective. I will end up using these thoughts and ideas for the rest of my life. I personally loved this class and there was a good amount of homework each week that I dreaded, but I learned more by the end. There is a 6000-word paper by the end of the semester. He is a great person.

Professor Mittal's REL101 class is rigorous, but engaging if you stay on top of the readings. The 5 quizzes are key, so study diligently. unstuckstudy was a huge help for prep alongside the textbook.

I have taken prof Mittal three times now and enjoy his classes every time. He can absolutely be tough on attendance/grades and the papers can be confusing (and worth a lot of your grade), but he genuinely cares about students and their grades. If you are struggling, I promise going to his office hours helps so much!

The content of the class was pretty interesting (if you want to nerd out over Gandhi). All he does is talk, no slides or anything to follow along with. You HAVE to talk or he will cold call. The only assignments are papers on readings and movies. It's pretty easy if you'd rather write papers instead of take exams. He does not check for AI on papers

Professor Mittal is very passionate about religion! The only thing is, he does not use notes or anything to go off of, so sometimes he was hard to follow. Everything he says is straight from his mind. And you must attend his class, or he will fail you, but he is very caring about his students! Not a hard class at all.

5 online tests that aren't lock down browser. I should have gotten an A but I did bad on the first test because I didn't realize I would just copy and paste questions into chat. You do have to attend all the zooms or he will take points off your final grade. Overall super easy just log onto the zoom and go back to bed.