Christopher Bettinger

Chris is the most available professor in the Soc dept. He truly cares about his students and is determined to help you learn. It is obvious that he is passionate about teaching. Don't let his casual (and seemingly flaky) persona fool you. He is extremely intelligent and knowledgeable. He practices a more loose and approachable lecture style that can be amusing, but it is effective. His curriculum isn't too demanding, but you will certainly learn important concepts and ideas.

This class utterly confused me. It always kept me on edge because I was never sure of my grade. However, I think that was Chris intended purpose. The class has between 9-10 pop quizzes, a few of them which are group projects. The ones which you are to do by your self are pretty tricky, so make sure to read the chapters he assigns. Sometimes his lectures can drag on, but a lot of times they are pretty interesting. The quizzes are worth 65% of your grade, and a final paper which is worth 35%.

First, he insists you call him by his first name. From the first day you'll start to realize he's a very laid back, but very educated and knowledgeable professor. The work load is fairly light, but there is a lot of reading. His lectures are interesting, fun and engaging. Almost everyone in the class participates in his lectures. And while this may not be true, it seemed any question you could ask, he had an "in-depth" answer for (not in an arrogant way). He's goofy, and don't be suprised if he paces back and forth, then back and forth again while lecturing. It can get you a little stir crazy. I highly recommend him for entry level sociological studies, he'll make it fun and interesting.

Excellent instructor. I really learned a lot in this class. Chris Bettinger somehow made learning social statistics easy for us. All of the students who took his class liked his approach to statistics and will will continue to benefit from his instruction in graduate school.

I liked the lectures. They were interesting. The teacher, Dr. Bettinger, was good at answering our questions.

Professor Bettinger is an excellent professor! Although he often paces back and forth (like a caged tiger)during his lectures, he encodes his messages well and gets his points across with effeciency. Bettinger has been known to walk on tables, but he is not crazy by any means. . .just a little strange! He will undoubtably capture your interest for Sociology in this class.

Professor Bettinger assigns a lot of writing exercises but he is a fair grader and you will come away from his class a better writer for it.

after first reading the reviews for bettinger, i thought that i'd actually would enjoy the semester i took with him. little did i know that i was in for HELL. he's a moron. he gave us a book he knew nothing about and he assigned essays that were not connected to what was in the reader and what he lectured. he didn't carefully plan out the semester. ultimately i was screwed either way because i need to graduate and the school only offered this class at the most apporiate time when it came to a class in Global Sociology. after each lecture i came out of it more stupid and with more questions than i had in the last lecture. SOC students give him credit for his ability to still teach the class but i don't because he didn't know how to teach. i also know that if i were to take him in the summer i still would be screwed because he paces around the classroom like he's on tons of caffeine, which gets very annoying. sorry... he didn't teach me dick.

Lectures a little boring, but he's easygoing. Helpful when you need it and very easy to approach.

The radings weren't too bad. I liked the choices he chose. The midterms isn't too bad as well. The class discussions were a little annoying.

I would have given an A+ for his class performance, but the class subject was kind of dry, yet he made the best of it. The class is kind of weird, because it covers alot of ground but only skimming it, so it is hard to focus on any one topic. But Chris did his best to keep us interested. He's pretty leinent about attendance and assignments, which makes it easy to slack, but if you want a good grade it is crucial to finish the writing assignments. The class consists of 8 short writing assignments, midterm, and a final research project. It sounds harder then it really is.

Like most of the Soc. Dept. at sfsu, this instructor's approach is fresh everytime. CB presents the material at a pace well suited for the active mind. Discussion is invited, indeed celebrated, with thoughtful responses and lively cross-response from other students. While not meticulously organized, he spares students the agony of a dull and rigid lesson plan. The readings are primary sources, giving a rewardingly authentic feel.

I have never taken any of his math classes but I have taken his ethnic relations class. He had made the subject interesting. It is not a very stresssful class because all midterms are take home. I have learned a lot in his class. At least I know now why Rigobetta Menchu is famous. Before I have taken this class, I really don't know what have she done in her life. He grades fairly and you will certainly get the grade you deserve.

Chris Bettinger is not the best at explaining statistical procedures in a clear manner but he is great in all other areas: Helpful, relaxed about assignments, and provides detailed answer sheets for assignments and quizzes, which is really important especially for the research methods II class. He makes otherwise boring subject matter tolerable. Assignments are at least meaningful, and sometimes interesting to complete (for 392).

I didn't care much for this course. I thought it was too much work and he expected too much from students. I find his presentation style distracting as he paces back and forth a lot for no apparent reason. I also think that he undermines what he says by always poking fun at what he says. It makes you think that he doesn't really appreciate himself. I also feel that he does not always grade fairly. I felt like there was a certain select group of guys who like him and he likes them, and they seem to get more attention. Maybe, I am too critical, but I felt the grading was less than fair and that the cliquish guys got all the attention.

If you do not do well in math subject, this class is for you. C.B. does not concentrate on plain old calculation. Instead, he concentrates on concepts. Four quizzes and one final project are calculated toward your final grade. If you at least show him that you tried, you will at least get a passing grade. He is always there at his office hours. Students may seek extra help from him personally anytime during his office hours. He is a very responsible instructor who enthusiastically persuded his work. He is highly recommended.

Great guy. Really funny and fun to be in class with. It's a tough class if you are a math retard like me, but Chris did a great job of explaining things in a less technical, scary way. You need to attend class regularly and take advantage of office hours. If you do that, anybody who tries can pass. I wish they would make this class optional or at least let you take it at a JC. It's hard for people who aren't good at math.

Excellent professor. The only one I met who was really interested in his students. Easy to approach too and very patient with students -such as myself- who had trouble with math. He made his classes interesting and statistics were always applied to practical situations -someting that helped me remain interested in following the explanations. He also is critical of the tendency to reduce thing to mathematical models only, as if they alone could explain everything.

He deserves credit on making the sublject very interesting. He not only lectures on the black and white issues but many other minorities that have been neglected for years. Chris is always prepared for his lectures. You are guranteed to learn a great deal in his class. He is also a very understanding professor. If you have personal problems such as; grades, family, future carreer, graduate school, and etc., you can always go to him and he is happy to give you advices. Although he is a great teacher, he seems to load too much onto the students. He requires lots of reading, writting, and work. If you are a lazy student, you will not be able to get through his class. Or if you are taking more htan 15 units, it might be a little hard to accomplish what he wants.

This is the class that Soc and Urban Studies people dread. Luckily, there is one man who is on your side at SFSU. Chris Bettinger. Although I personally have no problem with analytical type stuff, most non-math/science students (which is like 95% of soc majors) freak when they see numbers. Chris does his best to make a tough situation at least bearable, and in fact, very fun. The dude is young, and he is easy to talk to. I've run into him on bart and unlike some teachers he likes to talk to his students instead of pretending he doesn't know you outside of class. Get to know him, and let him know you are trying. He holds a get together at a coffee ahop in Oakland every Sunday morning and he will walk you through the homework and any other problems you have. If you put in the effort, he will reward you. There is homework about every other week. It can be tough, but he will answer your questions and help you through it. The best thing is that, unlike some other teachers in this department, whe guy knows what email is. He will respond to your email questions within a few hours of asking. The tests are open book, note, whatever. He gives you a sample test from the previous semester that gives you the basic ideas he wants you to show mastery of on the exams. One word of caution: if you like to skip class, you will pay dearly. Because there is a progression from one class to the next in terms of ideas and concepts, you can easily blow it if you miss a class or two. Make friends with someone in class who is willing to help you if you fall behind. He allows you to work together on the homework. Again, make the best of what for some people is the nightmare class at state and take Bettinger.