Razi, Alpen  

This Professor is a piece of cake. We watched movies in almost every class after our first midterm which he curved to give more students a B or A. If you show up to class and participate at least once per class enough that he knows your name then you will be guaranteed to get an A or at least an A minus. Show up to his office hours and maybe even kiss a little bit of ass and he'll like you. Honestly, you don't have to go to every class, and you don't have to read any of the textbook so long as you're quick on your feet in class and can say a little bit of bullshit for participation.

I wouldn't say he's "a piece of cake," but this shouldn't be a difficult class, given that you aren't sexist/racist/homophobic/transphobic/overall a piece of shit. Yeah, you don't really have to close read all the course material, but if you don't read, your papers will reflect that. Razi isn't the best at allotting time in class, sometimes we'll end up talking for a long time about one topic and not make it to the rest. He explains things clearly and is nice about different opinions. (I personally wish he would have called people out on some of their shit though) This class has A LOT of reading, and some of it is pretty difficult, but it's interesting. The vast majority of homework was reading and most of class is discussion, so participate where you can, be it comments or questions.

The first review definitely did not give Professor Razi the credit he deserves. This class changed the way I look at race and politics in the United States and I feel like I've learned a lot of things that will make me a much more educated and responsible person. Professor Razi does a great job at picking out readings that are scholarly but still very interesting. He also does a great job at making the class very discussion based which keeps things interesting and allows students to hear other peoples perspectives. He is unbiased about peoples comments, which is considerate and safe, but it would be interesting to hear him question peoples ideas a little bit more. We watched a fair amount of movies throughout the quarter but they were't just used to pass time, they were great supplements for the reading and reenforced material we were discussing. He puts a lot of weight on participation so you should go into the class ready to share your opinions, and doing that will make the class more interesting too! If you do the readings throughout the quarter and take notes on important concepts the midterm won't be too difficult. I am not an ES major but this was definitely my favorite class this quarter so if you want to learn about what's happening in the world of race, culture, and politics I would strongly recommend this class!

I could not have asked to have a better professor in my first quarter at Cal Poly. Prof. Razi is the fucking man! He is enthusiastic, engaging, and well prepared for each and every class. All of the material we read and films we watch were very interesting and pertinent to race, politics, and culture in our modern society. He changed the way I look at race, politics, and culture in the US and made me aware of so many things I had never really thought about. My best advice: participate, participate, participate. Build rapport and get him to know your name early in the quarter. You can tell that Prof. Razi is very knowledgeable about every topic he teaches and I liked how he respected everyone's opinions. Some of the shit he says is so funny and had me laughing all class long, but it's what kept me engaged and interested in the topics we were discussing! The course consisted of 2 midterms, 1 final essay, and 1 in-class final. TAKE HIS CLASS IF YOU CAN!

Probably one of the most intelligent professor's I will have had at Cal Poly. You just listen to him speak and can immediately see how passionate he is about what he teaches. He's also got a good sense of humor and tells some pretty funny personal stories every now and then. Overall he was a great professor and I would definitely recommend this class. Just make sure to do the readings and participate in class and you will do fine.

I named my pet fish after this man. Great class

W O W! He knows his stuff what more can I say. He made class very entertaining. You will read a lt of articles so be prepared; however, the discussions make it very easy to follow along with the reading. Very fair grader and his exams are very fair and reflect what you guys discussed. Razi you are the man if you are reading this!

So when he walked in the first day I though he was a student. And from the way he seemed to have prepared for class you would have guessed he was a student. But honestly, he was the best professor I've had so far. He had a TON of passion for his subject, and when it comes to any professor/teacher, that's one of the most important things. His PowerPoints/Movies/Videoclips/Anything electronic in nature rarely worked within the first 10 minutes of trying but it was so funny I didn't matter. You're classes consist of 80% listening to him talk and 10% watching videos and stuff and 10% students speaking. His content was very interesting to me and I never felt like falling asleep in class. He's from Canada and will share funny personal stories if you ask him too. He will also help with posting helpful things like study-guide-ish things for the final/midterm if you enough people ask in class. Overall I give him an 8.5/10 because his class is so interesting and so damn fun. Also, he'll like you if you participate a lot even if its easy answers/connections and bring a computer so you can look at the articles and take notes during class. You'll love him.

without a doubt one of the best and most inspirational teachers i have ever had. amazing with words, great at clarifying what he’s trying to teach as well as showing great respect to all the students. i was thrilled to go to class every time and was never let down by his content and lectures

Professor Razi plays chess while we play checkers. He is a god amongst men that honestly changed my entire world view. This man, while he comically struggles to operate technology, is probably one of the smartest people I have ever met. His mastery of history, philosophy, ethnic studies, and pretty much everything else in the universe definitely shows in everything he says. I feel like I am getting smarter just being around him. Every single day, I was more than excited to see how Razi would make us rethink everything we had ever known and question our place in society. Don't get turned off by his initial impression, he seems a bit disorganized, but I think it lends itself perfectly to a class that functions best as a discussion class. As for the structure of the class itself, there was a final, one midterm, two papers, and a participation grade. The midterm and final were very informal essays simply showing you had been paying attention and understand the material from lecture. The papers were a bit more difficult, but very short, only being two pages double spaced, with the intent to get you to critically think about the world around you. Even through all of this, I still do not think I have done Razi justice, as it becomes difficult to put into words how great of a professor he is. He is relatively new to Cal Poly, but taught better than any professor I had ever had and easily made this the best class I had ever taken. Please take him, and your world will be changed.

Dr. Razi is by far the best professor at CalPoly hands down. If you want to get an A in class, do the reading, engage in the classroom and ask him questions. He is very clear on what he expects from his students. He uses big words, but I loved it because it got me thinking. Taking his classes challenged my thinking. I LOVE THIS MAN. Definitely, take him if you get a chance.

Personally my favorite professor at cal poly, he doesn't really care that much for grading rather he cares more about if you understand the course material and participate. this course shouldn't be hard. midterms are really just topics that he'll talk about in earlier classes in which you have to connect them all together, he tells you the topics before hand so you can get prepared, again he cares if you understand the material hes not to hung up on grading. Personally im not a strong writer but this was easy for me

a freakin amazing teacher. take him if you get the chance. i loved his lectures-he is so smart and i felt smarter just listening to him. he is alos very funny and chill. great guy.

Alpen is da man. He's hilarious and truly has no filter, which makes him very easy to talk to and relatable. He uses profanity in class and isn't afraid to bring up touchy subjects (like sex for example). Class discussions were always a lot of fun. He loves hearing his students talk, and always gives you feedback and respects your personal opinion, even if he doesn't share it. He gets to know his students on a personal level and gives great feedback that shows he really went through assignments, and didn't just graze over them. This class was a medium work load, considering it was a GE. We had to read many articles, some that were boring (like I personally hate politics) and long, but others that are short and interesting. Overall great class and AWESOME teacher.

Such an incredibly inspirational human being. Apart from being a comedic genius, and connecting with the students on such a personal level, he just knows what people are thinking. He can take the simplest thought and elaborate it to exactly what you would have meant with bigger words. To me it just visualized all of his content perfectly, and always made me clarify and understand his points. Readings are a bit long, but he does not push students or penalize anyone in any way for not keeping up. It is up to you, but it makes class so much more interesting if you just try to understand the readings. Even if you don't he encourages you to always come to class as we will always state the points you needed to understand and take from the assignments so you won't miss out. Overall such a great person, amazing personality. So respectful. By far the best teacher I have ever had.

As others have expressed, whatever I say won't do Professor Razi justice. He has inspired a curiosity and motivation in me as a student and citizen of the world to try and step back and look at things from a new perspective. I have been challenged to question the privilage I have grown up knowing and to see the racial, sexuality, and gender issues that surround our campus, country and world. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to have Razi as a professor and am so thankful for all that he has taught me.

Yes, mainly because the material is neutral for most people. For others, it will really resonate with them. Also, the professor is awesome. Really outgoing and is just an interesting guy overall. Not for the kid who wants an easy A. Take if you're actually interested in material, otherwise don't bother.

As someone who comes from a STEM major, Alpen is one of the most intelligent people I have had the pleasure of meeting at Cal Poly. His lectures are always so interesting and he always seems to keep his students engaged. Grading for this class is straight-forward; participation, midterm exam, research paper, and final exam. The participation is graded by how much you speak in class, but don't worry. If you are shy he offers online discussion forums where you can post to get credit. The midterm exam is just an in class essay where he basically gives you the prompt before hand. The research paper is an easy grade if you follow his directions very carefully and add some of your own opinions rather than stating facts and paraphrasing articles. Finally the final is another in class essay where he will coach you very well so that everyone can get an A. The only thing you need to know for the in class essays are the books and videos watched, which are easy if you go to class. While you do not have to read every book, because he does a good job in class of summarizing the main points, they are genuinely interesting. Overall, every Cal Poly student try and take a class with this guy.

This class was very intimidating at first but gradually became easier throughout the quarter - especially after the midterm was handed back. Overall I learned a lot and found the class to be very engaging and worthwhile. The only thing that bothered me was that I expected this class to be taught in the form of lectures but in fact it was more of a seminar-based class. This can be tough for those who have a hard time speaking up in class. Regardless, this class helped me to reach outside of my comfort zone and grow. For this reason, I would recommend it.

Awesome class with an awesome professor. The whole class is based around writing your own screenplay which at first I wasn’t stoked about but after a while became excited to work on. He cancelled class a number of times during the quarter and during the whole duration of dead week so we could focus on our other classes. Also, 99% sure no one in our class got less than a B+. Overall, just do your work and you’ll pull a good grade in the class. Do some of the reading or at least skim them so you’re not totally out of the loop. Razi is a great professor who is not only super knowledgeable about his field but also a guy that makes class fun to go to. Take this class if you get the chance- dope professor and easy enough to get a good grade

Dr. Alpen Razi is thoughtful and engaging. Would take another class with him if I needed more ethnic studies courses. I wonder if he makes maple-pops.

Alpen is amazing. I looked forward to every single class because the content was so interesting. The reading is honestly not super required, as long as you do them every once in a while and participate you will pass because he genuinely wants you to do well. He is incredibly intelligent so sometimes what he says can get a little confusing because its hard to wrap your mind around it, but if you ask him to rephrase he will. The class is pretty easy, and the perspective and knowledge that you gain from it make it a no-brainer to take this class. You will not regret taking this course.

Razi is brilliant and I truly gained a lot from this class. He truly wants his students too succeed because and values students just understanding the concepts. He does tend to be a little disorganized and may not fully stick to the syllabus but he makes up with his intellect and hilarious charisma. The Critical Race textbook was used and you should just do your best to keep up with the readings. During my quarter we didn't spend a whole lot of time on the White Rage book, but it does encapsulate essentially the entire class. He had a midterm and a final, both of which were in class essays on 4 different texts we reviewed during the class. The essays are relatively easy, you just need to connect them and be able to write about the essence of the texts. There is one group collaborative project that is the same idea of the exam essays where each group member chooses a text not part of the syllabus and writes a couple page precis assignment on, then connects their work to other group members. This was my favorite class during the quarter and highly recommend to anyone who is thinking about taking it.