Benjamin Lafarge - Bard College

Professor: Benjamin Lafarge

Department: TBD

College: Bard College

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: LIT210
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He is one of the best professors at the school and one of the only professors at the school with a sense of humor. If you're an effete pretentious person, which you most likely are if you're at this school, you might not enjoy his class.

Rating # 2

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Ben La Farge was the finest professor I have ever known, and you are missing out on one of Bard's finest experiences if you don't take a class with him.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: LIT209
• 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:

Offensive, condescending, demeaning, out of touch. Here's a sample direct quotation, completely accurate; verbatim: ?I know that you don?t have really any experience with Blacks. Maybe if you?re wealthy your family had a black cook or black maid. [Pause] Don?t be ashamed- it?s quite common.? I'd putmore quotations but am only allowed 350 characters

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MYTHTALE
• 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:

Ben is a very old-school teacher. Loves Freud and irony. Will go on tangents about his wives. Despite this, an awesome class. He knows a LOT. A bit self-important, but just laugh at him in your head a little and you'll be fine. He likes to hear himself quoted in essays, but if you disagree and have a good argument he respects that. He's great.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: LIT251
• 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:

La Farge is amazing. He talks a lot, but it's all helpful. He lets you know what's on the final. He's a pretty easy grader. The class pretty much runs itself. Take something with him if your interested in LIT

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: LIT202
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Metrical Verse is a very awesome class and Ben does a great job of teaching it, as long as you don't mind knowing a little too much about his sex life.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: LIT210
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

i'd never fallen asleep in class before this. not only lectures, not only reads aloud (both theoretically tolerable) but does so in a monotone, in rhythm. very lulling. unsure about his grading criterion. gives helpful feedback, i guess. very knowledgeable. could be worth it if you really like the subject.

Rating # 8

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

He gave me low grades on my essays, so I met with him to discuss how to improve. After the meeting, I realized that he wanted me to take copious notes of his lectures and then spit his ideas back out to him as if they were mine. It was all As after that. Fortunately, he was the only prof at Bard who I knew to do such a thing.

Rating # 9

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

The classes are somewhat boring, because they mostly consist of him lecturing. When discussion does occur it is very interesting, but I think this happens randomly, not because of encouragement from La Farge. He is very intelligent though. The class might be boring just because the reading material is boring, and so perhaps through no fault of his.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: AMERICANPOETS
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

His voice finds this one pitch, during class, somewhere in the middle of his range, and it just sticks there for a long time. Very difficult to pay attention to. Impressive belly. Old school, has an odd way of naming authors ("Robert the Frost", "TS the Eliot", or "Ezra the Pound") and likes to read aloud in class.

Rating # 11

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

fun to listen to him talk. traditional. the only professor at bard that has ever made me correct my grammar, which i still appreciate.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: LIT
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Despite what people have said, he's quite a good professor. He's extrememly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the subjects that he teaches, and it is obvious that he loves his job. He challenges his students to do their best work, and is a really tough grader, but I think everyone comes out better after learning from him.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENG201
• 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:

No Comments

Rating # 14

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

the classroom was on the 3rd floor so he was always panting for most of the class. impressive belly. will tell you he went to harvard, then oxford.enjoys talking about ewalks,muhamad ali and homosexuals. bring up these 3 subjects and he will give you an A.they called him toosh la farge in the 70s.

Rating # 15

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: AMERICANPOETS
• 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:

No Comments

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: FYSEM
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I do not recommend taking his class is you want to be empowered. He has poor people skills, does not moderate very well, and is boring. LaFarge's strength is his knowledge of history/literature. And when I met with him after class he offered useful/thoughtful feedback on my work.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENGLITI
• 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:

People don't like profs who are tough. Lafarge is funny and knowledgeable, but he won't go out of his way to make you feel better about yourself if your work isn't where it should be. He represents the old school. Who said college should be easy?

Rating # 19

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Well He gave me bad grades on my paper but was unavailable to help me out.. unapproachable.. classes felt uncomfortable...

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

He created a hostile discussion environment in my FYS where he mainly lectured. He does have some interesting stories and a lot of knowledge, but he is quite picky and very anti-PC. Quite pompous, but at least interesting.