Irving Epstein - Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL

Professor: Irving Epstein

Department: Education

College: Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: IS322
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I appreciate his efforts to make the class participate, but the readings he assigns are useless. We only talked about the specific readings a few times in class, other than that, we went off in tangents. His criteria for grading is not very clear, but he is a relatively easy grader still. I zone out almost 100% of the time in this class....

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: EDUC225
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The readings are completely unnecessary during the semester. However, there are two comprehensive papers to make sure you know the readings, but for those you do not need the whole reading. Otherwise he is an easy paper grader as long as you follow the prompt.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: 322
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Epstein is a good professor with interesting insights, but the quality of the class depends largely on which students are in it since most of it is class discussion. However it is easy and covers a lot of important topics, so it's a great Gen Ed to take.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: EDUC225
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Irv is awesome! Very knowledgable, extremely helpful in class and during office hours, and Hansen Fridays made Fridays fun! Not too hard, but helps keep students interested in teaching.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ED200
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

mediocrity...no rigor, no brains needed here... avoid

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: IS240
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is clueless as a teacher. He allows students to rant and rave about things like facebook instead of having actual discussions about the 1,001 books we read in his class. His ineptitude is shocking and disgraceful. He complains students don't go to his office hours- its because he is rude and asks inappropriate questions. Get your act together.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ED225
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

IRV is the man! I actually don't mind getting up for his 8 am class. He's off his rocker- but that's what makes him fun. You will write a LOT of papers and do a lot of useless reading. He tends to pile the assignments on at the end of the semester, so look ahead on the syllabus. Coaching can be a pain and you never get a grade for doing it

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: IS240
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Incredibly lazy, does not understand the material he assigns to students. You can't get to first base with him on any question you ask because he doesn't know what he is talking about. The reason he assigns SO much is so that you become buried and he doesn't have to talk about any of it. His "teaching" methods are appalling.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: EDUC225
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I disagree with the last posting. Professor Epstein is a nice man and a good professor. He did make us read a lot and the syllabus was changed a few times, and he is kind of scatter brained, but overall he is a good educator. He cares about what he's doing, but has a different way of showing it, has a quirky sense of humor, but I enjoyed the class

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ED225
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Epstein can be very difficult to get along with. He's incredibly unclear, not very helpful, and has an enormous capacity for hypocricy. He does care about the material, but he has a strange way of articulating it. Although he and I butted heads a lot during class, I can't say he's a bad person, but he is a mediocre professor.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: INST322
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

His class absolutely sucked!! He is the worst professor ever, he does not respect students that have views different form him!! VOID AT ALL COSTS, if possible

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: GWSECT
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The class description was extremely different from the actual class but as long as you participated and kept up with readings it wasn't bad. He didn't really like my style of writing but if you keep seeking his help eventually he will grow to like you.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: EDU373
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I took this as a may term and we had to read like six books and write a ton of papers and do tons of projects and it was a three week class! We were always there for the full three hours...and the first day of class he criticized what i want to do for the rest of my life...not a good impression

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HUM370
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Well we had 6 books to read and the class started of VERY demanding. Slowly it trickled off into more do-able amounts of homework. But at the end of the semester we have WAY TOO MUCH work to do. Interesting topics, and if you NEED the class, then it's not so bad.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ADVISOR
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He was my freshmand advisor. I went into education hoping for a double concentration in science and math. He screwed me over in math and did not tell me till it was too late.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ED
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Awful, just awful

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: EDUC
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

It's beem a while so I don't remember what class it was, but he gave me half a grade (as in a C+ instead of a B-) which made my GPA .01 too low to get into the education program. He was my advisor at the time so he knew this. That's the reason I transferred out of Wesleyan. Thanks Irv.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: INT370270
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Epstein is a great teacher. The readings he assigns are interesting and thought provoking. He makes you look at both sides of issues and question your beleifs. The debates were exciting, controversial and great fun. He facilitates self-learning and is overall a nice guy.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ADVISOR
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Wow this man needs to get over himself and start treating people as people and not as kindergardeners we have grown up a little

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: EDUCATION
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is boring and not a good teacher. Ask him what schools he has taught in and for how long. He did not finish his student teaching. He moved to Japan and taught at an all girl's school before coming here. He knows nothing about the art of teaching.