Pinard II, Leo  

This man has problems! He is not very good at teaching the students what he knows. I don't know how he ever got a job teaching!!

flashback!! I took this class in 1989 (that's when I was the senior)! I can tell you,the comments regarding Dr. Pinard's monotone lecture style, mumbling, use of filler words,lack of patience,poorly set up quizes and tests just go to show that times have NOT changed!! Reading those comments put me right back in to the frustration of being in his class. Tenure aside,why is he still allowed to pass himself off as a teacher?

Really challenges preconceived thoughts and this is hard but worth it as that is what I came to a university for.

A decent professor. Straighforward lecturing style. Mult choice test and fair grading scheme.

I had such a difficult time in Pinard's class. I asked him how I could do better or if he can help me to understand an assignment better, he was not very friendly about it. He also has an ego problem, he is aware that he knows his material well, but I think his cockiness is so irritating. He knows the subject very well, but I don't think he's very effective when it comes to teaching the students.

DON'T TAKE HIS CLASS!!! He could care less about his students and the class. His ego is annoying and he makes class horribly boring. This man should not be allowed to teach at Cal Poly, too bad he has tenure. I also failed all the quizzes and took only one test and still passed. I had a university recognized absence and he wouldn't reschedule the midterm, he made the final count double. In my case the whole class came down to the final. This policy should not be allowed to continue. Thank your favorite diety for CR/NC!!

He insults his students at least once a class period. I absolutly hated going to this class. It is 4 units, so if you have to take it from Pinard, don't take the 2 day a week option. It was horrible to have to sit there with this man for so long. The only advantage was that he gave many breaks. You do a lot of group work, but make sure to ask him what he thinks the answer is, and write that down. No matter what you think, his answer is the only way you will get points. He gives 5 quizzes, and unless you ask him when the next one is, he won't tell you ahead of time. The midterm and final are pretty easy, but I wouldn't recommend this professor.

A lot of people complain about the way he teaches. One thing he really makes you do is think. You have to look beyond the question and take it two or three steps farther. He will never flat out give you the answer. This class isn't too difficult and I recommend taking it!!!

JERK! He doesn't care about any of his students or how they're fairing in his class. He could give a rat's ass if we're learning or not.

I would never recommend taking this man for any class!! He contradicts everything he says, and everything his students say. He talks in circles, and always changes his mind. No matter what answer you give him, it's NEVER right! He grades extremely unfairly, and he does not grade on a curve at all, yet he nearly fails all his students. His tests seem easy, however, when you get your grade on them, believe me, everyone is surprised, because they fail. His quizzes are impossible to pass, no matter how much studying, because he'll give you the answer the class before, yet on the quiz, when you put that answer, he says it's wrong. He's the most impossible man to deal with, and he should not be teaching!!!!!

Did not present material very clearly. Information given in class did not coincide well with information given on quizzes and tests. Lectures very hard to follow. Midterm and final fair, straight from the book. Dr. Pinard does not answer students questions with straight-forward answers and can be frusterating. His quiz and classwork questions are confusing and nearly impossible to answer correctly unless you ask him.

Dr. Pinard is the absolute worst teacher I have encountered in my entire life. He doesn't present material well enough to apply it to the class work he makes us do almost every class meeting. All of the class work was ambiguous as well as the answers to his questions. He doen't care about his students and never gives help. All questions are answered with another question that you still don't know. Don't take this teacher unless you really want to start hating life. He should be fired or just quit because he obviously doesn't care about his profession.

First of all, avoid this professor at all costs. I chose the class because I thought I would enjoy Sociology. Well, he is very knowledgeable in the area of Sociology, but he can't teach worth beans! His overhead notes were disorganized and basically didn't mean squat to anybody, especially since he would ramble on FOREVER about the most unimportant things. His tests barely dealt with the material in the book, which you really don't need to read (which is a shame because the book is really, really good). If you want to learn about Sociology, take somebody else because he ruined the experience for me.

Wow, this guy is a real bastard. Pinard is one of the most pompus professors I have ever seen. 30% of your grade is based on class "participation," but if any of the answers you give go against what he believes, your group will get no credit for the day's work. There were several times when every group in the class did almost one whole page of work and they were given zeros because they didn't have the same brilliant insights that Dr. Pinard did. The tests are incredibly easy and you can get credit on the homework if you jump into his brain and give him what he wants. The lectures are boring too, so I would not recommend this guy.

This class is extremely boring, if you can do not take the two hour class because it really sucks. I didnt learn one thing about sociology during this class. There is a lot of reading and a lot of copying notes off the overhead. Because he shows videos almost everyday (only because he doesnt know what he is talking about) you can get away with a few good naps and still get a good grade in the class.

I have had Dr. Pinard for two Sociology classes, including SOC 306. I strongly recommend that you think twice before taking a class from this professor. In no way, does he make himself available to the students. He answers questions with other questions, and never gives a straight answer. When he asks students opinions in class, he always tells them that they are wrong. His quizes cover none of the material discussed in class or in the book. It is impossible to satisfy this man. He makes fun of his students. He has a habit with saying "um" that causes his lectures to be choppy and lengthy. His lectures and overheads are hard to follow and he takes so much time adding in personal stories, that you begin to loose track of what it is you are supposed to be learning about. I honestly can't figure out why this teacher still teaches- as you can tell, just by looking at him that he hates being there. I have never experienced the type of incompetence that this man exudes. The only reason why I passed SOC 105 is that he broke his leg halfway through the quarter and we got a new teacher. I am taking SOC 306 CR/NC because I know I could not pass his class with a decent grade. I made the mistake of taking two of his classes, I hope you do not do the same.

This guy was a jerk! I don't know how or why he is a teacher. It seems that he doenst want to be there at all. It was such a boring class and he is always right no matter what.

I didn't realize that he was such a bad teacher when I signed up for the class...He doesn't explain anything to you. I went to his office hours and he didn't help me at all...he just talked in "sociological" terms...It sucks. You will never be right in this class, he makes you feel like your stupid when you answer something wrong. The quizzes are hard...he brings up something that he said once like two months before the quiz. All the advice I can give you is to find another teacher for this class.

Pinard is a great guy. He is helpful if you seek help. I wish he based more of the grade on other things besides is impossible quizzes and one midterm and a final. It just puts to much pressure to do well on a four question quiz.

Pinard is working for the devil. He intentionally gives vague answers to almost anything he is asked. He is not concerned with the success of his students and going to his office hours is merely an extension of the frustration you will experience in his lectures. His quizzes cover nothing from the book and very few questions come from his lectures. He basically pulls them out of the air. By the way they are worth 50% of your final grade. DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR!

I took this class my first quarter at Cal Poly, and it really freaked me out. Dr. Pinard does not seem to care about students or put much effort into helping them understand the material. I went to his office hours to see how I could better understand the material and prepare for the quizes (which are impossible to pass), and he just talked to me in "sociological terms" the I didn't understand. By the midterm I felt like I was prepared and I left feeling like I would get an A or B. I got a D! My only advise is to not take his class if at all possible.

I am a sociology major and have taken many other sociology classes. I thought that soc 105 would be a nice easy class-mainly because it is an intro class.....it would have been if Pinard wasn't so awful. I really tried to learn and understand the material (which I did) and he would never clarify any of the information. He gives quizes that amount for half of your grade and are impossible to do well on. He does not test out of the book and he also contradicts the book on many occasions. This man basically trys to make all of his students believe in what HE believes in. There is no room for questions in this classroom. Don't even bother going to office hours because he will never give you a straight-forward answer. I don't think that Pinard means to be such a horrible teacher but I don't think that he enjoys teaching and this is reflected into the classroom. Don't take this teacher if you want to do well. There are many other great sociology instructors that present material in a straightforward and understandable way. Above all, he can be very disrespectful to students and a jerk...

It is ironic that one of the first things Dr. Pinard talks about is tenure, and what exactly tenure is for. He argues that it isn't for job security, but for freedom of speech. Well, that might be so, but for him I'm sure it's BOTH. Mind you, almost everyone besides him says tenure is for job security. Dr. Pinard is an example of a 'counterculture' in the society of sociology professors, and for many of you who will take his class, he is also an 'inconvenient fact.' You can read the textbook and assigned articles over and over until you memorize them, but almost all of his quiz questions are based on what he says in class. It doesn't help that what he says often directly contradicts what is in the books. Example in point: he has decided that the three important factors in determining your social class are education, occupation, and income. All good and well, but the foundational books (and some loon named Weber) say it's wealth, power, and prestige. I've taken SOC 315, so I know this is the generally accepted idea. Mind you, he did give credit for the latter three, but not full credit because it wasn't HIS answer. Did I mention the quizzes are a sizable chunk of your grade? Now, since I actually did get an A, let me tell you how to do likewise. First of all, take notes on everything he says. This can be difficult because he tends to mutter important concepts under his breath, as if he was talking to himself. Use a hearing aid or sit in the front row if you can't make him out. Copying the overheads he puts up isn't good enough, because everything on those is a one-liner and often not even a complete sentence. They also don't cover everything he'll test you on. Take especially close notice to the answers to the in-class activities, such as the after-video essays, as they WILL show up on quizzes. Now, aside from the sad fact that you have to sit through his lectures to do this (and may whatever god you believe in have mercy on your soul), it is important you also read the book material. This is because the midterm and final, which account for the rest of your grade, is anally recounted from the texts. If you have a photographic memory or are trained in total recall, now is the time to use it. Fortunately, if you have a passing memory, you might be able to do all right just by following the above instructions, because everyone else will be drooling on their desks halfway through the class period and have never opened the book. Good luck, and as a last bit of advice if it's not too late, you should probably have gotten a different professor in the first place.

Without argument, the worst teacher atPoly. And what's worse, in speaking with alums from thirty years ago, he was the worst teacher then too!!!

this guy's not so bad. naturally, his class room is not conducted like any other teacher's (his grading system's weird) but it is not difficult to get an A. just study your notes from lecture before quizes and even if you get the answers wrong(becuase they have to be his answers) the quizes are curved so it was no prob

he's a bad bad man

DO NOT TAKE PINARD! this guy is a prick. he looks like a bum, and is a complete jerk to his students. it seems like he enjoys putting kids down. take anyone but pinard.

I am a graduation senior, and I would just like to say that Dr. Pinard is the worst teacher I have ever had. I took him a few years ago, and still feel as strongly about it now as I did than. In my class, he admited to not ever reading the text book before. Keep in mind, the powerpoints and the tests were created by the author of the book, not him. You would think that this was better than having that sorry excuse for a sociologist write them, but in fact he would skip over a lot of material in the powerpoint, that would still be on the test. But, it is not like he would know that because he was pretty much just on auto pilot the whole time. What a joke!!! I don't even think that he knew what was going to be on the test. Anyway, I honestly don't know how he still has a job. It is pretty much a running joke in the Social Science department how bad he really is. I, myself, am going to be a teacher, and my worst fear is that I will be even half as bad as him. Seriously, who signed his disertation? I mean come on, If I had my Ph.D. I would feel like it meant nothing, knowing thatDr. Pinard had one too. I understand that it would be like telling an elderly person they can't drive anymore, but somebody needs to tell him he can't teach anymore. To tell you the truth, I FEEL LET DOWN BY CAL POLY, AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, FOR HAVING HIM ON STAFF AND WAISTING MY TIME, AND THE TIME OF MY FELLOW STUDENTS WITH HIS JOKE OF A CLASS!!!!!

Sometimes he can be a very interesting teacher but otherwise he makes things so confusing. Its impossible to ask a question in this class without looking like a total dumbass! If you ask a question he answers it with an other question! Its ridiculous!!! If you try to answer a question of his chances are you are wrong and he will embarass you infront of the entire class. The final and midterm are strait from the book and the quizes he says are from the notes but know the chapters to. The papers are hard to write because he wants you to use sources that come from the early to mid 90's so all the info isn't relevant anymore. They are pointless assignments and theye are only worth 10 points. This class is very easy if you do all your reading!

He's horrible! If you can, get out of his class. He will put you to sleep, and his classroom is always hot and stuffy (no windows). The course is already boring, but when you put him in front of the class to teach it, it's like going to a convalescent home. This guy needs to retire and you need to stay the hell away from his class. Overall, Dr. Pinard is an opinonated asshole who needs to take a public speaking course to get over saying "umm" every 3 seconds!

Alright, if you are stuck taking this course with this Prof, here's what you need to know. I've never called a humanbeing the names I have this man, and I got an A. First, don't go answering any questions he asks, you will never be right, he'll embarass you, and you'll resent him even more. Actually he got better towards the end of the quarter, but I wouldn't take the chance, sooooo not worth it. Second, take notes off his overhead, add some of his own statements, and try to stay awake. His quizzes, which you cannot miss are from his lecture - and can be quite tricky. If your notes suck, your quiz scores will also. For his midterm and final you must memorize the book - which is pretty nice as far as books go. The midterms and final are straight from the book and put the A in Anal. Know all the people and what they did for Soc for the first midterm, the final is basically half of the first midterm redone and then new stuff on the second. Both midterm and final cover each chapter equally so do not skip any chapters, or assume that the early chapters won't be covered as much - they will. And lastly, if you don't have to take this course at this time, or an opening in any other section is open - for God's sake drop this class. I remember reading these posts before the class and thinking WTF - it can't be that bad. Um, it is. It is not worth taking it with this prof and there is nothing easy about his grading or his attitude. If you have to take this class, take his quizzes and memorize the book (notecards, notecards, notecards) and I wish you luck.

Dr. Pinard is a MUMBLER!!! If you happen to by some horrible fate get into his class, you need to sit close to the front if you ever want to understand him, even then, you probably will only get a couple words in a sentence. Quizzes are worth way too much, and are very tricky. Take notes on what he says in addition to his overhead notes. Don't speak up because he'll shoot you down and flat out say "you are wrong". Remember "highest predictability" it seems to be the answer to everything. Read the books because he takes the tests straight from them. So, pretty much, unless you are good at interpreting his mumbling, just read the books.

This guy is a total dumb ass!! He has no idea how to present the material, his videos are pointless, and he has no personality. If you raise your hand in class and try to answer his questions you will always be wrong. He wants answers so specific that only he could get it and when you are wrong he will go out of his way to embarass you. This is quite possibly the worst professor at Cal Poly. FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who wants to actually create any sort of relationship with their teacher had better avoid Pinard like the plague. Every day in class is the same, with his monotone lectures on the overhead and then some stupid video that has no revelent point. Then you break into groups of four and answer some even less revelent questions, where if you don't actually psychically write the exact words he was looking for down, you will not get points. He doesn't explain what he wants, and if you ask he will make you feel like an idiot. He is looking for ways to take away points and make you miserable. It is quite obvious that he has no passion for the subject and is barely making it there himself. Basically this class is a horrible excuse for sociology and I feel like after having been in it, I'm actually losing intelligence. Please, I beg of you, do not take this teacher.

Wow, I think Satan woke up one day and decided to call himself Dr. Pinard. This was hands-down, 100% the worst class I've ever had. The man just doesn't care - about you, about your understanding of sociology, or anything a teacher should mind. He gives hour-long, dull lectures about what's in the book and then gives your pre-assigned group awhile to figure out a 'sociological problem' that doesn't make freakin' sense because you were just presented the material, and VERY poorly. I mean, why does the welfare department keep people in lines? To look busy! THAT was a question he gave us, but if you don't have his exact answer worded the way he wants it, kiss your grade goodbye. I've never met someone who was this condescending before to his students - talking in class is not a fun experience and believe me, I found out every day. Don't take this guy if you value your sanity.

Mr. Pinard gave informative lectures and the videos made class more interesting than it would have been without them. His quizzes are very difficult because they usually concern his opinion, so taking notes is very important. The tests are not too hard as long as you read the book and review your notes. Luckily he curves the grades because getting 3 or 4 out of 6 on the quizzes is pretty normal!

This guy is NOTTTTT bad. He makes you think, but since most people dont like to do that, they dont like this teacher. I really learned a lot from this class, and i am very happy that i took it with him. You only have one midterm and a final. With a few quizs, now come on, how hard is that? not hard. Take this class you will like it

very boring class. monotone lectures. shows no interest in students or subject. if you need to take sociology, but don't care much about the subject, then this prof is ok. attendance is important to get a good grade, since he assigns a bunch of in-class group assignments. five quizzes, one midterm, one final. quizzes off his lectures; midterm and final off the books. practical skeptic is a good buy, but don't bother with global sociology. it's boring to read, and only five outta the fifty questions are on that book on the midterm and final. you can get those answers off notes. good luck.

Avoid If posssible. He is knowledgeable, but he makes things so Damn vague that it's not worth it, and because somethings vague don't ask a ? he will make anyone who doesn't understand feel like an idiot, even though 90% of the class has no idea what the hell he's talking about

If you want to leave the class knowing what sociology is, don't expect to get that from this class. I pulled off an okay grade and I still have no idea what I was supposed to learn. Quizes are a joke, don't expect to get more than one or two points. And I've never seen overhead notes more confusing than his, I think they are his lecture notes (with key words to remind himself what he's talking about). I left each class wondering why I even bothered showing up. He would just stand in silence for a good 30 seconds, I think he would fall asleep. I'm sure he's a good man, but please....he needs to retire. P.S. he won't grade a paper if he can't read it, but every quiz he writes on the board and every time he HAD to read what he wrote, and he couldn't read it half the time.

I guess you could say Pinard is a crazy old man, but arent all sociologists crazy? He isn't an amazing teacher or friendly guy, but don't hate the class for this reason. He is always playing mind games with his students, its fun to hear him chuckle at everyones answers. He looks at things in a very different and maybe more practical way. Listen to his opinions and remember how hard it is to define deviancy bc u never know the norms and your grade will be fine. Im glad I took this class and i would encourage u to do so.

I think you get the general idea of what this teacher is like from the other evaluations. Honestly, the only way to survive this class if you're struggling is by going into his office hours and asking him for tips on how to do better. Do it!!! It's your only hope!

This is - unfortunately - my second sociology class with Pinard. My parents are shelling out big bucks for my college education, and it is a shame that Pinard is receiving any of it. the way he embarasses students is so immature and uncalled for, it's sickening. he spends more time laughing at anyone brave enough to even answer a question than he does teaching the material. he is the most unencouraging, rude and self centered professor i have ever had - and ive been here for 4.5 years. if u want an education, don't even bother with him.

FUCK YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH. And to those of you who actually like this guy, FUCK YOU TOO. This asshole is snakey, egotistical, and insults his students. Avoid at all costs.

The worst "professor" I have ever had. He can't teach, and he is a jerk. Oh, and if you miss a quiz he won't let you make them up, which was quite a burden since I had the class at 7 am. His assignments are meaningless, and no matter what you write down, he'll find something wrong with it and insult you. The guy probably paid for his degree instead of earning it. Pinard, if you are reading this, go retire, man. You obviously don't like teaching, and we don't like you.

What the Fuck Man?!!!?!!! Who does this guy think he is? After taking this class im pretty sure i could become a professor over night. Im sure i could ramble on and on in front of a class for two hours and talk about jack shit. His lectures are so fucking boring!!! The best part about this class were the movies we watched. Pinard aside, the class is a cakewalk. There are two tests--the midterm and the final-- both of which took a combined forty minutes to complete. This is so b/c these tests dont cover any of Pinards material--its straight from the book!! But add in the jackass Pinard and here comes the old "screwjee"!! Quizzes and Groupwork account for 50% of your grade. And oh yeah if you're doing groupwork and you come up with a common sense answer to one of Pinard's fucked up questions, you're wrong. I promise. He'll call on you in class and embarass you up the wazoo!! So forget Pinard. Do not take this class unless you absolutely have to.

FIRE THE FUCKING BASTARD

DO NOT TAKE PINARD!!!!! I may have got a decent grade, but I walked away from the class scratching my head. I didn't learn a fragment of information about sociology. The wierdest thing is, I got a B and I don't even understand how because I got a "F" percent on almost everything in that class, but he has a really twisted grading scale so I ended up with a B (and learned nothing). If you don't answer questions exactly as he expects, he will give you a zero.He often will ask questions in lecture and never answer them, but will put them on a test or quiz. Forget about raising your hand in class to answer one of his questions, you will always be wrong and he will insult and embarrass you.If you do take him, just stare at his huge handlebar mustashe and try to figure out what words are being mumbled out from behind it. For entertainment, keep a tally of the wierd pauses he makes while he talks....you'll see. caution:Taking this class might actually make you stupidier.

this guy is an ass. the worst professor at cal poly by far. ok you have 4 quizzes which come straight from the notes and a midterm and final that are ONLY from the book. on the first day you have to get into groups that are in alphabetical order and he doesn't help you. it takes like 10 minutes, and he justs laughs at everyone. that group is what you will be in all quarter. you do an assignment almost every class period. here is the deal, don't be the repoter because he will make you feel stupid with anything you say. common sense answers are wrong by the way. don't answer questions unless you want to be made fun of. the first quiz is a pop quiz so try to be looking over your notes periodically the first couple of weeks. you watch movies everyday because he is soooooooo lazy. i seriously can't think of a worst person to teach this class.

I don't think anybody in the entire class learned a single thing from Pinard. After taking one course with this guy, I have severe doubts that sociology is even a real science. Here's his method of teaching, broken down in detail: 1. He asks a question that, according to how far we're supposed to read in the book, we probably shouldn't know yet. 2. Awkward silence for a couple seconds, then somebody ventures a random guess. 3. He sorta shrugs, and makes a weird noise, leaving it unclear whether the person's answer was even partially correct. 4. Repeat steps 2&3 4-6 times. 5. He moves on to another topic. Nobody in the class knows what the answer to the original question was. Nobody is sure whether we were even supposed to learn anything from it. 6. Repeat steps 1-7 several times. 8. Play an obscure video that, once again, nobody learns anything from. 9. Break into groups. 10. Repeat step 6, this time with questions that are supposedly related to the video (which, of course, aren't.) There is one positive thing about this class: alhough you go through most of it believing that you're guaranteed to fail, you will probably accidentally end up with a good grade with minimal studying.

The only thing i have to add to what everyone else has already said at this point is to give some examples of some of the ridiculous things he's said. (by the way he doesn't say these things with some kind of explination, he just acts as if they are well known facts) 1. There are no psychological or physiological side effects of doing marajuana, opium, or extacy. 2. All american are criminals. 3. The government intentionally goes out of it's way to oppress anyone who isn't an upperclass white male. 4. all police are currupt and go around framing innocent people for fun. 5. the only positive result of government regulation is the fact that it makes jobs. Pinard is by far the worst teacher i have ever encountered. A closing note: He will give you zeros on assignments when the point of the assignment is to make us speculate about possible solutions (before we've discussed the topic in class). and if you don't come up with some of the ridiculous things i've stated above you will recieve no credit for your efforts.

In my 4 years at Poly, this guy was by far the saddest excuse for a professor. He shouldn't be allowed to teach anywhere, much less at a good university. He will take any interest you had in the subject and kill it with his worthless and disjointed lectures. THIS GUY IS EVERYTHING THAT'S WRONG WITH CAL POLY!

I mean My God. I think I'm stupider having taken his class. Listening to his lectures was liking banging your head against a brick wall. So if you like hitting your head against brick walls and killing brain cells...take Pinard.

This is not a good teacher to take at all, he is always right, the book is wrong, honestly it's a waste to buy it. You pay attention in class and guess what, it does you no good since his answer is usually something that you either didn't go over or just skimmer over for a second, what you think is the answer is wrong. The guy should not be teaching here at all, he's a bad rep for the school and a horrible teacher. I don't see how the school allows him to still be here and allows him to still teach. It's a waste to take the class, find another teacher because you'll get a better grade and you will actually learn something. My advice, DON'T TAKE PINARD AT ALL!!!!!!!

PINARD YOU FAT FAT UGLY SNUGGLY PIECE OF SHIT I HATE YOU and whats funny is i got an ''c'' in the class but its strange becaus i never got above an "F" on a fucking assignment he is an egotistic conceited bastard who asks you shit that has no possible answer like " if aliens invaded the u.s. and nobody knew about then and you could prove they were here how would you prove to the us population that there were aliens?'' what the fuck is that shit man DO NOT TAKE THIS PRICK HE IS AN ASS HOLE AND IF YOU LIKED HIM LICK MY NUTS

Pinard seems to take pleasure in mocking his students. He is one sadistic fuck. He'll ramble on, and when he asks you a question, you'll always be wrong. The punk probably made some kind of a deal in order to teach here, because the social sciences department doesnt seem to be doing jack shit.

a few comments about Leo Pinard II: 1)mumbles 2)very anal (You'll always be wrong) 3)lazy as hell 4)is so full of himself that there's no room for any brains 5)is one fat, funny-looking fuck.

Do not take this professor. If you do, none of his lectures on any of the exams...maybe on some of the random quizzes that he scrawls on the board. Very hard to understand and read handwritting on board. Oh and unless you want to agrue with a stubborn professor don't even try answering any of his questions; cause they're never what he's looking for. Would suggest someone else...he's frustrating.

One word comes to mind with Pinard.....Vomit.

The most interesting idea occurred to me today while reading through some of these hilarious comments. College seems to be more of a self fulfilling platform and personal agenda pursuit arena for college G.E professors as a posed to objective learning/student development. I

Don't take pinard, he can't even give the correct answers on his quizes two times in a row, you will be set to fail for the most part because he doesn't care about anyone and will do his best (by doing nothing) to make you fail. He is not a good teacher and you would think that after so many petitions to get him fired the school would take it into consideration. It's sad really, I love the school but this guy makes many things just not worth it, like learning and taking a needed class.

He is a bad, bad man.

Just like everyone else says, he is the absolute worst. Avoid this bum like a plague cuz he is way in over his head. He insists that his way is always the right way and he will choose favorites and victims to pick on. If you are desperate for a GE class, do not sign up for him. Just avoid him and all will be well.

Pinard is a big pinhead who does not deserve to teach here. He makes way too many mistakes and doesn't care to correct it. His lectures make absolutely no sense and he does not care about students at all. This is a bad professor way beyond repair and should be avoided at all costs. At least other bad professors can be reasoned with, but not with him.

Yes, it is that bad.

Do not take this fuck bag. He will shoot down everything you have to say and then belittle you. I feel sorry for his family for having to put up with a scumbag like him. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if his kids are as fucked up as he is. I hope Pinard dies a slow, painful death.

Pinard sucks for many reasons. The answers on his quizzes dont match those on the exams and he actually acknowledged this and the fact that he and the book disagree... but that was the class before the final. He apologized for not telling us sooner, but he didn't tell us exactly what he disagreed with in the book, so reading was pretty much pointless. It only hurt your grade. He had these just great powerpoint slides with absolutely no information on them. For example, most would have a picture of some random person/group/thing, then it would have a few bold words (none of which were explained) and that was it. Then he would spend the class talking about other random things that he thought were HUGE discoveries or points of interests (I actually don't know what he thought he was saying, I'm just assuming) and would lead himself in circular logic, just ending up where he started. Basically, he's a big deuche bag and I should have ran him over on my way to the final... look for him, big walrus on a road bike

Maybe the Social Sciences Department is using Pinard perform a sociology experiment on us.

The criticisms of Pinard are for the most part accurate. However, I would reccomend taking him. First of all, to get an A, you need to put in very very little effort. Second of all, his class is interesting, even if you disagree or even if he seems slighlty misinformed. Third, you get to watch some really interesting video clips. His quizes are straightforward, and require you to have paid attention during the last class (no studying required)and to be able to write down your ideas (this is not very hard, despite what others have said here). The midterm and final are both scantron, and to do well on both you might have to devote 1 hour of your time to reading some chapter reviews and taking the online tests (his questions for these come from a test bank, 50 easy multipe choice). So to sum it all up, you dont have to study or take notes, you sit and talk about random things and you get 4 untis of A. In the end, Pinard's opinions shouldn't deter you from taking his class.

I really got a lot out of this class, it's not for someone who just wants to be spoon fed. He makes you think and I really appreciated the challenge.

I signed up for this course thinking it would be similar to a course I took in high school that was quite interesting. However, I was completely blown away by his poor teaching style. I wasn't at all impressed and I felt I got more out of the book than his lectures. His quizzes are easy, just make sure to look over the notes he put on the overhead. His midterm and final are straight from the book so make sure you use the internet website the author has online. We had a couple of group papers done in class, but to get full credit ask him what he thinks of your answers and write them down. It's not a hard class, just a waste of time.

It was really interesting to observe how some classmates thought their opinion was just as good as the sociological research just because the subject matters were areas they had experienced. What I like about the course was that it really challenged me to see things differently and to see the patterns of society better. While my experiences are still my own, I've come to understand how much my interpretation of them is shaped by society's values. Professor Pinard brings many interesting everyday experiences to illustrate his points, beyond what was in the book, and I found that very helpful.

I found the class interesting and the examples very pertinent to my everyday experiences. There seems to be a difference in the class between those who have some employment-related or other type of life experiences and those who don't. Grading policies were fair and consistent with what was presented in the beginning of the quarter.

I wonder what Pinard is going to do for a face when the babboon wants its ass back. Seriously, every day during class I've debated the difference between Pinard and a bucket of shit - I've finally figured it out... the only difference is the bucket. Please retire Pinard.

This guy is without a doubt the worst teacher I have ever had in my life. There is one midterm, a final, and a bunch of quizzes in between. The midterm and final are from questions the author of the book wrote (the book is actually very good and interesting), and if you read the book, are very easy. I got a 45/50 on the midterm. The quizzes are what I'm worried is going to bring my grade down. He asks us very vague questions for the quizzes that can be answered several ways, but the only way to get full credit is if you put down exactly what Pinard thinks. I usually get less than half credit on the quizzes, which he marks with a couple question marks and my bad score. He is very opinionated and thinks he is always right. As for his lectures, they are all over the place and very hard to follow and pay attention to. He puts transparencies up with phrases that don't make much sense upon reading. He says "uhh" at least a couple times every sentence which is annoying and sometimes distracting. His attitude is very poor as well. He walks into class looking angry, tired, and not wanting to teach. He doesn't get excited during lecture, like a lot of good teachers do. I really dislike his class and I regret not reading what other students said here before I signed up for it. Do yourself a favor and do not take any of his courses unless you absolutely have to.

Do not take this class with Pinard. It doesn't matter if you have one class left, and this is that class: DON'T DO IT. The material may be "helpful in life", but all that means is you watch videos from Dateline NBC twice a week. For a class that meets twice a week anyway, that says something about Pinard's teaching ability. There is none. By the way, did I mention Pinard has NO teaching ability? Like the previous guy said, Pinard has never EVER read the textbook, and COMPLAINS about the content of the powerpoint presentations that he himself puts up in front of the class. The only usable display materials he uses are decade old transparencies. It is clear that Pinard has no intention of ever becoming proficient in using any sort of electrical device that requires a keyboard, or even a keypad. You will get marked down on everything you do. He will ask 3 random questions about these Dateline NBC videos and if your group of three or four students cannot come up with the right answers in 5 minutes, he will mark you down. If you put down an answer that corresponds exactly with what was said in the video, you will be marked down. If you come up with a creative answer that is totally logical and reasonable, he will mark you down. Don't build up hate and bitterness for Sociology. Stay away from Pinard.

Lectures are boring, but just 1mt 1 final and some weekly quizes

No need to even buy the book. all his quizzes come off his lecture. and he pretty much thinks you're wrong on everything. the final is off the book which was pretty easy.

Pinard is the worst teacher I have ever had. His class is completely one-sided. All the answers to the quizzes and tests are based on his opinion and solely that. I cannot count on two hands the times in lecture he would say that "although the book disagrees with me, the real reason for this is because...". Dont buy the book if you take his class, it wont matter because he doesn't care about the facts due to years and years of research by multiple scientists put into the readings in the book.

First of all, Pinard is extremely rude, doesn't care about his students, and is very bad at communication. In every class, students have to answer questions about the material they had just learned. Almost 100% of the time, the students' opinions were wrong, and he'd make them feel stupid. Then, he'd say what he believed was right (which most of the time, in my opinion, was wrong), and everyone would quickly erase their answers and put what he had just said. I don't know about you, but I call this brainwashing. The lecture essentially consisted of overheads that must have been about 20 years old, had several typos, and were extremely hard to understand. Then, the quizzes were based off of these lectures. Most people failed every single one of the quizzes. The midterm was also difficult, and yet again, most people failed. But somehow, almost everyone got C's in the class. The upside of the class was that there was no homework. So, if you want to take a frustrating, manipulating class, fail every test, and then get a C as your final grade, take SOC 110.

This was a horrible class. You would think the topic would be interesting but it was so boring. If you want to get a good grade on anything in the class you need to copy down exactly what he thinks about the issue. If you say anything that he doesn't think is impotant he just blows it off inclass and marks you down on the in class writing assignments.

He gives you random quizzes which are easy, but if it doesn't have the exact words that he is looking for in the answer it is all wrong even if it is just worded differently. The midterms were all on the lectures (overhead which was never visible) and the final was multiple choice taken straight from the book. He was the worst teacher, he would never show up and then when he does gives a quiz.... very unpredictable, overopinionated, horrible professor

This class is pretty simple, there is no homework and as long as you have him check your quiz before you turn it in you will receive full credit. The mid term was very specific, and the final was extremely broad. He personally isn't my favorite person ever, and he is a terrible teacher, i learned nothing. If you want to take an easy class though go for it

this guy is unbelievable, he really was astoundingly stupid. because of him, i hate history and anything surrounding it more than i thought possible. if you take this class you will walk out after the final wondering what exactly you were supposed to get out of that class. but hey, at least you get to look at the ridiculous fucking cum-catcher of a mustache he has for four hours a week.

this class was horrible. the lectures were ridiculously boring and were complemented by outdated john stossel segments. His quizzes were fine but the midterm and final were on stuff we never even talked about in class. Those came purely from the book which was dreadful. The thing that pissed me off the most was that his class felt more like a preaching of his own opinions and biases to the class. If you didn't really agree with his view on a certain subject and decided to speak up so the class could discuss it, he'd pretty much shut you down and say that he was right. lame.

This class consisted of two quizzes, a midterm, and a final. The classes were pointless to attend, except you did group work which you got credit for. However, any answer you and your group wrote down, most likely he disagreed with. Don't even try stating your opinion, because he will shoot it down. The quizzes are about random subjects "covered". Try and keep up with the reading so you won't stress yourself out right before exam time. I only read chapter summaries before the final. I got a D- on midterm because I didn't study. I got a D or C in quizzes and tests. He doesn't use blackboard and expects you to know your grade. The midterm and final questions are from the reading. I ended up with a C in the class. No idea how that happened. He says "uh" about 50 times a minute. No joke. I do NOT recommend this class to ANYONE.

Professor Pinard's 110 class was fairly easy, perhaps because I followed the advice of a previous evaluator which is basically: review lecture notes well before quizzes memorizing what seem like important definitions (often those things involving a few subdivisions e.g. what are the three components of culture), ask the Professor about group video answers before turning in, and use the online prep mysockit.com to help prepare for the midterm and final. There is no homework, only a few quizzes and one midterm and final. Like another evaluator said: Pinard's lectures sometimes lack clearly defined strucure but reviewing the book beforehand will show one that they do indeed closesly follow the book. Also his video questions are difficult because they are not asking for any general sociological evaluation but usually the conflict model's evaluation: this should be helpful for answering his questions. I recommend this course because, again, it requires studying to earn a high grade, but not that much - I managed to get an A by reviewing the course notes for about an hour before each class (ocassionaly a few more hours before an announced quiz) and by studying through the weekends before the midterm and final.

AVOID THIS CLASS AT ALL COSTS! This class is a total joke. 100% of the class grade is the 50 question, scan-tron final. Yes, 100%!!! He is probably the laziest person I have ever encountered. He uses the book\'s powerpoint and just flips through the slides while we scramble to right everything down. Every class we have about 5 or 6 5 minute breaks and he lets us out 15 mins early every class. So basically, we learn nothing. He also said several very insulting racist and sexist things throughout the quarter. I wish I had known what I was getting myself into. If you have to take this \"teacher\", take the class pass/fail.

This guy is a total and complete ass hole who never should have taught in the first place. Not only do you not want to take ANY of his classes, but you don\'t want to ever deal with HIM as a person. Avoid contact with him at all costs. He is a failure to his students, a failure at teaching and life.

READ POLY RATINGS AND SEE WHAT AN ASSHOLE THIS GUY IS FIRE HIM

Students who have taken this class should come together and sue Cal Poly. This teacher has been getting terrible reviews since 2001; it is 2010 and he is still incompetent. It is a crime to let this man teach; it is even worse that he teaches a GE class that so many students have to take. How many millions of dollars has this class brought Cal Poly over the years? And what have students got in return? Absolutely nothing. I do not understand how this great university has allowed such an incompetent man to get away with what he does for so many years. Do not simply avoid this class, boycott this class. Listen, I do not blame the man for being stupid. He is so terrible that I am convinced he can not help it. This is an issue that needs to be taken up with the university. How many more years will Cal Poly force students to waste their money and the potential of their young minds?

Pindard is a grade-A douche. There wasn\'t a single graded assignment the entire quarter and the final is tomorrow. It is worth 100% of the class and is only 50 questions long AND all he gave us a very vague list of things that may or may not be on the final. Most of his lectures revolve around how the rich oppress the poor; he is very one sided. he truly could careless how anyone does. The class has nearly 80 students in it, but on average less than 30 show up because his lectures are so boring and lack any sort of substance. he shows videos for almost 45 min each class that are pretty much the only thing that you learn from. homeboy needs to be dropped from cal poly because he makes a fairly interesting subject into absolute shit.

Ever wondered why there are tenured teachers? Neither do I but this teacher is proof on why we shouldn\'t have those kinds of teachers. I wouldn\'t go as far as calling him a \"Dousche\" but \"lazy old fart\" would do. I was a clueless 1st qt freshman when I walked into his class, thinking I could just BS it and get an A out of it. Don\'t think you can just skip every class and pull an A off on the 100%-of-your-grade final, the final is full of irrelavent material that you can\'t really review for. His class is literally so boring, it makes you want to skip it every day. Now I learned to listen to Poly Ratings when the teacher gets below a 1. Just avoid this class at all costs. If it\'s too late to switch classes, drop this class and fall 4 units behind instead. Seriously, don\'t take this teacher.

I agree with everybody's bitching and moaning that this fat walrus needs to be fired... the best part about the whole thing is he makes over $92,000 dollars a year and his wife is a politician .. the world is fucked

This guy was hands down the laziest teacher I have taken at Cal Poly. I went to all the classes but two and I still learned everything on my own. Even though he is awful it is still pretty easy to get an A in this class. All of the questions that are on the 50 question final (100% of grade)are at the end of the book. NOT the questions at the end of every chapter, I'm talking about the practice tests at the end of the book after Ch. 18. There are answers for all the questions and I did almost all of them and I left the final knowing that I dominated. This guy is honestly terrible but its really easy if you do it right.

Very difficult to follow in lecture. Extremely opinionated. Talks in circles and uses the most ridiculous abbreviations ever. Since when does "arranged marriage by parents" equal "arr mar by par" when abbreviated!? His tests seem easy, but pretty much everyone is shocked when they receive their graded papers back. If you're going to take this class take it credit/no credit. I don't recommend taking his class though.

The quarter I took this class was the first time that he offered midterms instead of just having the final be your entire grade. I was really nervous about passing this class since I got a 67% and a 63% on each of the midterms. If you study the questions in the back of the book they will help you SO MUCH on the multiple choice, but the essay questions are what killed me. For the final, I studied all the questions in the back of the book a few times and really focused on the old midterm questions. I felt really good during the final and somehow ended up with an A in the class. Not quite sure how that happened but I assume he curved the midterms or something.

Dr. Pinard does not teach the material, but rather tests on the book. His lectures are mostly biased and opinionated. They are irrelevant to his tests; DO THE PRACTICE PROBLEMS AT THE END OF THE BOOK! (Not the ones at the end of each chapter.) His lectures usually let out early and he has several breaks throughout. As you will see by the poor layout of his course policy, he is one of the laziest teachers at Cal Poly. His class is not overly challenging if you are good at learning from a textbook, but the course is stressful because his grade is based entirely on two 30% midterms and a 40% final which together make up the entire grade. While I found most of his comments entertaining or amusing, many of the students were easily offended by his rude and politically incorrect statements. Should you take this class, I reiterate, study by doing the practice problems at the end of the book!

I took this class my sophomore year and ended up dropping it within the 1st few days. This guy is the worst professor on the planet. I no it is hard to fire 10 year teachers but I talked to somebody who went to school @ Cal Poly 20 years ago and they said he was horrible back then to. The entire class is based on one final... yea THATS IT!!!..and when asked to give some example exam questions just so the class could no wat he test like...he responded with "I dont no about that"..u LAZY FUCK.. in fact he was so lazy that a student asked to teach the class himself and he accepted...and on the 3rd day of class after one of his many breaks takin throughout the class (every 10 min!!!)...he asked if anyone wanted to stay...and the whole class said HELL NO and walked out (true story)...All i hav to say is f u Colonel Sanders look alike and thank you Cal Poly administration for not firing this guy and wasting our tuition!

DO NOT TAKE LEO PINARD! He does not care about your success. The whole class is only a final. No homework or quizzes which you think would be nice in theory until you realize you have to learn 300 pages of material on your own. Lecture is pointless and he will even tell you this. All he does it put on the power point slides given to him from the maker of the book and read them out loud. He tries to start discussions, but then puts down your ideas. He plays horrible videos from the 80\'s that don\'t even help your understanding of the information. I am an \"A\" student and read the whole book, wrote over 40 pages of notes and studied my ass off for a \"C\". Just don\'t do it!

I graduated from Cal Poly in 1975. Dr Pinard was by far the best professor I ever had in my undergraduate or post graduate educational experiance. In fact I used to donate money to Cal Poly as an alumni because of how much he affected my life and future, When I learned of his treatment by the university I discontinued those donations.

I quit reading the book and listening to the lectures. My grade went from a D to a B. Thats all that needs to be said.

FUCK YOU, YOU FAT PRICK!

If you have a choice, DO NOT TAKE PINARD. Don't be that person that ignores every horrible Poly Rating that says he's a terrible teacher and think you're smart so you will get a good grade -- beacuse you will be wrong. He is the worst teacher I have had in my life. His class is made up 100% of the final, which he does absolutely no review for or no indication of what you should know. I repeat, do not take him! Take the class a different quarter if you have a choice. Sociology is a great subject but he made it hell.

Class has interesting topics, but lecture is hard to follow as it is just an overhead with main ideas. Really got to read to understand lecture. A few quizzes that are just questions he writes on the board. They are pretty though as they are very specific and hard to answer at times. Had good discussions about family. A really awkardly organized class, just like he makes things up as he goes, but really a laid back class. Not as bad as people seem to make it out to be.

This is the most unstructured class I have taken in my four years at Cal Poly. Lots of 80s movies, lots of pointless lectures that have nothing to do with the class, and a paper and presentation with absolutely no structure. If you read the rest of the evaluations for this guy you will see that he has not changed in a long time and probably never will. The guy has a .80 on this website, if that is not warning enough then I don't know what else could be said.

What the heck was this? A waste of my time!!! The quarter is not even over yet and I am not even sure what I will be receiving in the class. There were no quizzes or tests, not even a textbook!! Each student had to find three articles online and share the link with the class. That was our only assignment until towards the end of the quarter, when we had to do an \"experiment.\" No handouts, directions, structure. Just an experiment. \"and a short paper about our experiment.\" for our final, he wrote three questions on the board and said answer those. someone said, do we have to answer all three? and he said....uhhh well im hoping you guys will just want to answer two.\" such a weirdo...very opinionated, and you spend half the time waiting for him to figure out how to work the sound on the VHS player. Didnt take roll either. Easy class to miss..but frustating because you dont learn anything you didnt already know.

This professor has no desire to see his students learn and succeed. It's teachers like this that put Cal Poly to shame and its beyond me why he is even still teaching and why someone has not brought it to the attention of the administration that he is simply here for the salary. Also, he is very boring and ignorant. His class isnt too hard but you will learn absolutely nothing.

You can make what you want of this class and Pinard. If you want to engage in the subject, you can learn a lot from him. He is very intelligent, so if you ask questions and are interested in the concepts, he will gladly teach you. However, if you come in with the presumptions that he is “lazy” and a bad teacher, he will probably fulfill them. He lets the students take the reigns, which causes a lot of unstructured class sessions, but that is partly the fault of the students. You had to present 3 articles throughout the quarter (which took up about 87% of the class time), an experiment that you can either get really into or just BS (but careful, you have to use concepts that you learned throughout the quarter), and a take-home final consisting of two essay questions which, once again, you can make what you want out of. Regardless, it is an easy class, you don’t have to go most of the time, and he isn’t as bad as everyone says. Its simple: if you show the interest, he will; if you don’t, he won’t.

This class was a complete waste of time. You think it would be one of those classes that you can pass easily with little to no effort. This class was so brainless that it was hard to get a good grade (if that makes sense.) He gave little to no instruction to all the assignments and the take home final. We had to give three article presentations and do a write up on each one throughout the quarter and we were never given directions about the write up or what type of article to present. He is very opinionated so it was strange that when you would ask him how to do an assignment he would ignore you. After that we had to conduct an "experiment" which again had no directions. FInally, our final was take home three questions that had absolutely nothing to do with the entire class because we were never taught anything. Each class period was someone presenting their article. Save yourself the time and do not take this class. I was furious when I got a B because all my articles and presentations I got an A, when I asked him what happened he gave me a response e-mail simply stating "You got a B"

Dr. Pinard has tenure and that is why he continues to teach. He could care less about his students and his knowledge of the material is not impressive. He answers most questions by saying, "What do you think?" Well, if we knew, we wouldn't be asking, would we? It was laborious just to sit through his lectures. I failed every quiz he gave and still got an A in the class. Something is wrong with this man!

quite possibly the absolute worst instructor I've had in my years at Poly. He gives no help on the quiz or the project that's due at the end of the quarter. He doesn't use the book what so ever, so don't buy it. And he himself looks as if he's stuck in a time wharp of about 25 years ago. It doesn't even look like he wants to come to class, and he's so lathargic in his teaching. God, this guy sucks pretty bad.

Contrary to several evaluations on this site, Pinard does not make his students think. I received a decent grade in his class because I figured out that I needed to regurgitate his lecture on his quizzes and not waste my time reading the book. I took this class because I was interested in Sociology. Yes, I learned a little about public space (from a video, not Pinard himself) and memorized a few terms. However, after going to almost every class meeting, I realized that I cannot tell you what Urban Sociology is. Pinard didn't even bother to give a definition. Don't take this class. Towards the end of the quarter, Pinard even admitted that he doesn't care about evaluations and how much students learn from him. Avoid him if you can. If you have to take him, go to class and take good notes.

He is AWFUL. There are no dates on his syllabus, no format for the paper at the end, it just has to be long enough "to get your point across." OK? There are supposed to be 4 quizzes, I think he only actually gave 3 plus and extra make up one, as though none of us would get that he forgot to give us another one. If you don't have verbatim what he was looking for on the quiz he marks you down. I'm working on the paper right now and have no clue what I'm supposed to be doing. Repeated questions in class did not remedy this situation. Also he talks down to you (especially if you're a girl) and laughs at any point, in the book or otherwise that doesn't directly go along with his. He gets all up in arms about the "traffic congestion" on Marsh and thinks there are only 2 bridges in the Bay Area. And this is URBAN sociology. It's like he's stuck in 1975, as evidenced by the fact that all of his videos for the class are from that era, as though nothing has changed in 30 years. Also, he's anti-affirmative action. And said so. Such an ass. Don't take him.

Pinard is a VERY difficult instructor to deal with. I was looking foward to this class as it seemed like an interesting topic but walked away with very little worthwhile knowledge. The class is not hard to pass or get an A in but sitting through the lectures is a nightmare. He assigns readings which are discussed but the majority of the class is spent talking about and arguing over our personal experiences which of course are highly subjective and largely irrelevent. Pinard is extremely opionated based on his own childhood and parenting experience. He did seem to have a patronizing attitude which shut a lot of the students up but he can rarely back up what he says with actual research and/or facts so keep that in mind if you choose to argue with him. He gives 5 quizzes-5 or 6 short answer questions-and the last week of class offers a bonus one as make-up or extra credit. He also assigns a presentation/paper (1-3 page written summary) out of the assigned articles on aging. Both are very simple and short. He does try to stump you during the presentation by asking random questions that you and he do not know the answer to. Dont let him fluster you and you will do fine. The final was two questions given in advance to be typed up and turned in before or on the day of the final. He doesnt want it longer than ten pages but other than that there are no guidelines. Not nearly as hard or tedious as it sounds-I wrote mine in a couple of hours without looking at the book and got an A. Overall, I would say avoid if possible but it is at least an easy grade with very little work.

Pinard is by far the worst teacher I have ever had. He is rude and makes this students feel stupid. I don't understand why someone hasn't done something about him. It is outrageous that he is allowed to treat students this way. DO NOT TAKE PINARD.

Absolutely miserable professor. Completely unstructured class, no clue as to what might be on the midterm, mind numbing class experience. Defends his point to the grave, even if his information is wrong. I don\'t mean subjectively wrong, from an opinionated or moralistic perspective, I mean shamelessly, objectively, plain-faced incorrect. Absolutely sloppy research on topics he makes points about. I felt like the class was a personal soapbox for him to spout his opinions, or occasionally absolute fallacies. Reminds me of that old-fashioned gym coach you had in high school, who would say something like \"You know the problem with (issue)? The reason for that is (poorly researched conspiracy theory or barely comprehensible opinion.)\" There was also an occasion in which a student called him on his shit during class, making him look like a fool. He shouted at the student. Real mature. How this man was chosen as a suitable distributor of knowledge is beyond me.

the worst/laziest teacher i have ever had in my life. this class makes no sense what so ever. this guy gets so off topic so fast it is ridiculous. we have covered approximately 95% bullshit and 5% percent sociology(which was from the videos he brought for the class to watch). 1st half of the quarter consists of maybe half a page of notes on the overhead a class period and out dated irrelevant dateline videos. the mid term is 3 questions and the second half of the quarter is individual presentations by students that have no guidelines so he pretty much only teaches(if thats what you call it) half of the quarter and the second half does absolutely NOTHING!! and from the looks of his ratings it looks like it has been like this for the past 10 years. It is truly remarkable how this man is allowed to teach at a 4 year university like Cal Poly and even more remarkable that a worthless individual like this is able to control what grade I get in a class and furthermore affect my g.p.a.Pinard does not deserve to teach. do not take pinard

Definitely the worst class I've ever taken at Poly. Pinard is less than prepared every single day of class and relies on very dated movies to convey information that he fails to convey. He rambles on class after class about things that have nothing to do with what we're supposed to be learning. There's hardly ever any reason to go to class- in fact, most days, there were about 8 people there because it was just so ridiculous. You never have any idea what your grade is- I haven't the slightest notion how I got an A... I would avoid this class at all costs and avoid Pinard like the plague.

those of you who received poor grades and ripped on pinard either didn't put in the time, or aren't that smart (probably the latter). pinard makes you earn the grade you get. he asks the questions, and expects you to answer them. for all of you freshman who talked shit, quit your bitching and put in a little study time. this is your first year here and you are already complaining. if you want a challenging teacher, take pinard.

Dr.Pinard, a multi-millionaire in SLO, could not give a sh** about you, your grade, Cal Poly or anything else. This "teacher" is at Cal Poly because he gets lots of benefits: great pay, health insurance, pension, and a stroked ego just to mention a few perks. He has been reported numerous times to the Dean of the social sciences department and the fairness board. I encourage you to continue advocating for yourselves and to continue to report him. If at all possible, avoid him.

F.Y.I. Did you know that Dr.Pinard earns about $90,000 teaching here at Cal Poly? Did you know that when he retires (which should be soon) that he will likely enter into a program called F.E.R.P. making more money, earning more benefits? Aren't you glad YOU are supporting him? What is F.E.R.P.? FACULTY EARLY RETIREMENT PROGRAM (FERP) BENEFITS..."FERP employees generally have the same benefits as other retirees as described in this summary sheet, they are entitled to additional benefits." www.afd.calpoly.edu/hr/benefits/docs/RetContBens.doc

I took this class for a free elective because I enjoy sociology. If I could have one wish it would be that I had never met this man. His class has a total of 100 points to win or lose so if you miss an average of three points on each assignment, you have a C! His unwillingness to clarify the material or answer questions only complicates the matter. Once I realized how bad things were going to be, I started to ask him direct questions like; what specific requirements are you looking for on this assignment, format, length, content? He wouldn't even answer that. He also won't consider any answers other than his. Even if it is out of the book he asssigned! It is simply not likely that you will succeed in this course. You will only aquire frustration...forget about knowledge. Don't take this professor if you can avoid it.

Dr Pinard should not be a faculty member. He has no idea what he is talking about and cannot answer any questions when asked by a classmate. The only thing we talked about in class was how we should be tested. He gave breakes every 15 minutes because he did not have anything to say. This class was the biggest waist of time. I cannot even tell you what it was about because nothing was taught. He is very scattered and rambles on about nothing. Why are we paying him?

I really dont understand why everyone hates hims so much. He is a very relaxed person, with an ample amount of knowledge, interesting lectures and wants people to learn. I found it necessary to come to class to get lecture notes and to skim the chapters. The reading just helped with what was learned in class. He is a decent teacher.

Pinard is a very relaxed professor, who is very knowledgeable, and loves dateline and 60 minutes. We did weekly new article reports, which we discussed in a circle. The final was take home and was very fair. Overall, Pinard was a great soc professor.

By far the worst professor I have ever had. Let's start with grading policy: Pinard started the quarter with a grading scale that didn't quite add up to 100% (a bad sign already) and diverted from it throughout the quarter. For instance, we were supposed to have 5 quizzes which totaled 40% of the grade, with the lowest score being dropped. Unfortunately he forgot to give three of them, which meant 5 questions between the two quizzes counted for an absurd proportion of your grade. We also had a group project which was never really explained, but he sort of forgot about it halfway through the class so at least it didn't count against us. His lectures are unclear, irrelevant, confusing, boring, and pointless. I'm still not exactly sure what this class was about.