Herb Golder - Boston University

Professor: Herb Golder

Department: TBD

College: Boston University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The worst, most uncaring professor I've ever had. He does not allow students to have access to lecture recordings unless they have a "good reason." He asked us to purchase 13 different books, but only assigns small passages from each one. His exams are insanely and unnecessarily difficult for the amount of actual teaching he does during class.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CL325
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Golder is not only a professor but a performer. He really goes all out in his lectures, which makes it easier to pay attention. He is a little self-absorbed, but he's a funny guy and a good educator. All you need to do to pass this class is watch the films, go to class, and take notes. Anything that he repeats take note of.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• 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:

Golder did very little teaching and quite a bit of talking about himself. You'll have to rely heavily on the TA because Golder's lectures consist of irrelevant tangents, so there was no time to discuss the material. The reading was pointless. The only way to pass is to sit through his mind-numbing lectures and hope your TA holds review sessions.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Probably a great prof but PLEASE DO NOT TAKE HIS GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY COURSE. The first two and a half months of the semester will be spent on cultures like Native American and Inuits. We probably spent less than a month on actual Greek mythology and he always uses big pretentious words. I cried out of frustration during class many times.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

If you go to class and take notes, you will get an A in this class. He tells you exactly what he wants to hear on your test if you're willing to show up and write it down. There are helpful review sessions before tests and he's willing to curve for students trying their best. Good guy and good class

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CI369
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Golder is clearly really smart, and he did change the way I thought about Greek tragedy - I feel I appreciate these works way more. That said, he's somewhat pretentious and self-obsessed (assigned several of his own works and name drops a lot). There's only a final and midterm, both difficult. It was an educational but irritating class.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CL325
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Herb's a nice guy and very approachable but as a professor his teaching style is extremely lecture heavy and almost entirely reliant on Tests. He does not tell you what to write down and often goes on tangents, leaving you to your own devices to determine whats important. If you do not do well on his tests don't expect a stellar grade.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Golder is definitely an interesting character. Seems a little self-absorbed but he'd actually done some pretty cool things. His class isn't what you expect a Greek and Roman mythology class to be, but if you get into it the ideas are actually very fascinating. Write down everything he says in lecture. You don't need to read.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CL325
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

There are pros and cons with Golder: he really knows his stuff, is extremely passionate, and fully invested in the course. HOWEVER, he goes on lots of tangents which concern his own experiences or opinions and both inflate his ego and waste time. Also- there are only 2 grades, midterm + final. That being said, I learned so much in his class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CL213CL369
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I loved his classes, especially his tragedy class. Inspirational and mind-changing, definitely reccomended. He doesn't go on tangents, everything he says enriches the works. It makes perfect sense to look at other myths and cultures. If you expect it to be story-time specifically on greek myths, please read them at home and don't take this class.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I loved Professor Golder's mythology class. A little off topic for the first couple of weeks but his lectures were entertaining and interesting. Doesn't test you on anything he doesn't cover in class so homework isn't a big deal. Test material all comes from class, so if you show up and take notes you'll be totally okay.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Honestly this class is not hard! I came out with an A- for the semester. All you have to do is GO TO CLASS! and write down literally everything he says. He will stress main ideas that he wants you to spit back to him on the 3 tests he does give. They are non-cumulative and I never read any of the readings, just studied my notes from class.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Golder is an interesting guy. He is clearly very passionate about what he teaches, but everyone is right when they say this class isn't what it seems (i.e. specifically Greek/Roman mythology). A ton of comparative myth, and grade only based on 3 exams. Write down everything he says, GO TO CLASS, make sure to read all the books, and you'll do fine.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He is very passionate about what he teaches, but what he taught was not what I signed up for. He hardly focuses on mythology at all. The films are irrelevant and there are WAY too many readings. You have to write down EVERYTHING he says in order to do well on the tests.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This is not a mythology class at all. It's all philosophy. The answers to the tests are not based on factual evidence in the MANY books you have to read, all the answers are based off of his own opinion. Unless you can remember every little tangent he yells in class, you are going to do very poorly on the exams.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• 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:

No Roman mythology though that would have been less of an issue if he had focused only on Greek mythology instead. He chose to cover topics and cultures outside his 13! textbooks and then put them on the tests... Also yells really loud and can be really uptight... could have been an interesting class anyway- if it was actually what I signed up for.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This class was pretty interesting. There's only two tests, and no other assignments other than the readings, which he spoon-feeds to you in class. Ultimately, he's a really interesting guy, but he can get off topic really easily and you won't always get what he's saying. Worth taking though.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

The class is nothing like description. NO Roman mythology whatsoever. Only Native American and Greek. Have to watch 3 movies that are COMPLETELY irrelevant to the class. Don't have to read anything, just attend class. Oh, and he is obsessed with talking about sex organs.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CL325
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Entertaining class, obviously extremely passionate. His problem is that he drank his own koolaid and now sees Greek tragedy in every movie and aspect of his life. Write down everything he says in class and regurgitate it on his tests (don't disagree with him) and you'll do fine. He has no problem embarrassing a student that annoys him publicly.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• 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:

I absolutely loved this class. The people who didn't enjoy the class were those who were offended by the prospect of working for a good grade. It was clear that Golder is passionate and very smart, and his love for the subject rubbed off on me throughout the semester. This class actually really changed me. I recommend this Golder's class!!