B. Singh Bolaria - University of Victoria

Professor: B. Singh Bolaria

Department: TBD

College: University of Victoria

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: SOC103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Very kind man. He doesn't use technology which can be tough at first. Super knowledgeable. Talk with him a little, he has had an interesting life. Great prof. Buy the texts

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: SOCI389
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Lectures are barely related to the tested material. Super arbitrary marking. Studied a ton for the 1st midterm and got a 73, barely studied for the 2nd and got an 80. Goes on tangents about whatever he pleases. No slides, no coursespaces. VERY unhelpful in office hours. He seems nice and can be funny, but not a good prof.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: SOCI389
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Bolaria is an extremely knowledgeable professor with a big heart. His grading is very tough, so you really have to work to get a good grade, but he is extremely helpful and friendly. I am very surprised at the negative reviews; i found him to very very clear and concise in his instructions, and very fair

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: SOCI345
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Bolaria is a really sweet guy, but a terrible teacher. I'm sure he was a good one once, but now he just teaches for fun and should probably retire. Lectures were rambling nonsense with no notes, in no way helpful to your learning. You can get an A in this class, but you'll have to put your blood sweat and tears into studying the textbook.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: SOCI345
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

No powerpoint slides, no coursespace, lectures are unrelated. Good Luck taking his course.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: SOC345
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Bolaria is an interesting character. His lectures are a bit disjointed and can result in rambling, but overall even when it was off-topic it was interesting. He makes his expectations very clear, and is accommodating if you are in need of more time for an assignment. I thought it was a very interesting class. Would recommend!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: SOCI215
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Bolaria is a very sweet man. His lectures can seem disjointed as he just talks about anything and everything that is related to social inequality but if you show up to class you will do better on exams and assignments. He gives review sessions. This is definitely a good class for learning about social inequality in our world.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: SOCI389
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Bolaria is complicated. His lectures seem really pointless, but they actually give you a good indication of what hes going to test on, and he marks papers within reason. That being said, don't expect feedback with your marks, and his grading seems unrealistic when it comes to exams and exam expectations. Read the textbook.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: SOCI103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

One of the worst classes I have ever taken. When I did attend, he never talked about course material. Really had to listen to understand what he was saying even though most of it had no meaning.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: SOC103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Interesting and accomplished professor. You need to attend class and pay attention in order to know what's going on. It's purely lecture - no slides, notes, etc. so not a class you can skip. I thought the course content and what he discusses in class is very interesting. Subject matter was mostly on immigration, racism, and inequality.

Rating # 11

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

I never skip class until I met him. The level of class interaction is fairly low, unlike other uvic classes.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: SOCI215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This prof's lectures are often quite vague and sometimes unrelated to the content, so you have to do a lot of reading outside of class time to do well. And there are a LOT of readings. But if you work hard you can still get a good grade, he's fair. And he gave us the exam questions ahead of time to study, so that was helpful.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: SOCI215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He's super sweet and obviously knows he is talking about, although on occasion he goes off topic. Cracks jokes a fair amount. He outlined every test question we would receive and I feel his marking was very fair. Although sometimes he's a little difficult to understand, I fully enjoyed taking his class

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: SOC285
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

If you're hoping to enhance your learning process, avoid this man. He does not provide comments on essays or midterms. He will not say more than a few words if you go to see him in his office hours, and he rarely responds to emails. Considering the superior quality of other Soc. professors here at UVIC, this man is just not worth the time.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: SOCI418
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

A kind and gracious man who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his classes. Lectures worth attending due to his great attitude. To succeed one must go beyond the course requirements. Seek his advice, talk to him, include him in your research process. He does not deserve the low ratings, exactly what a good prof should be.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: SOC285
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Avoid this man at all costs. Probably the worst professor I have had at UVic. Utterly lazy and arbitrary marking not to mention total lack of course content. Avoid.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: SOC285
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Likeable guy with a lot of experience in his field. However, he does not translate this into a practical course outline and structure. Very clear about what exam questions might and will be. Gives you a lot of liberty when writing hand-in essays. Don't expect anything higher that 75% (you will never get feedback too). Lectures are not mandatory.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: SOCI310
• 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:

Avoid Bolaria at all cost. (I got an A- so this isn't the rant of a bad student). He did not address the overt racism of the textbook. Exams (40%) are based solely on textbook readings and unclear, tangential lectures. Used "life experience" as academic proof for his lectures. Grading is haphazard- marked exam "comprehensively" not per question.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: SOC418
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

unreal.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: SOCI328
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I'm so sad I didn't discover Bolaria until my 4th year. My mind is blown that there are so many negative comments! This man knows his stuff, and he's hilarious. You won't regret going to chat with him outside of class time. His perspective on the world is something to really aspire to. No surprises on the tests, but make sure you memorize details.