Joe Safdie

ENGL249 · ENG215 · ENG205 · ENGL215 · ENGLISH56 · ENGL210 · ENGL221 · ENG201 · ENG216 · ENG105 · ENGL101 · ENG101 · ENGL205 · ENG240 · C · 122 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 28/100
RMP rating: 2.5/5
Take again: 31.25%
Difficulty: 3.9

The decision

Avoid unless you want a demanding writing or literature coach and can handle blunt criticism.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerTough GraderCondescending FeedbackVague ExpectationsHeavy Reading and WritingPolarizing Critic

Many students call him rude, passive-aggressive, and unclear about .
A smaller group of serious writers and lit students praise harsh but useful feedback.
Expect mandatory participation, heavy reading, slow grading, and no easy A culture.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

24/100

, and high writing standards make an A rare without serious skill and time.

Online and ; online adds more complaints about unclear criteria and demoralizing comments.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

, and transfer-level expectations keep the intellectual load high.

Online short-term sections feel especially fast-paced; - and discussion-heavy.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

18/100

Many reviews mark attendance mandatory and warn that skipping or low participation hurts you.

Both formats stress participation; online still expects steady engagement and discussion work.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

30/100

Only about one-third would take him again, with praise limited to students who want tough writing growth.

In-person and online both split sharply, but negative tone dominates overall.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Harsh

18/100

Students repeatedly call him a tough grader who docks for minor issues and vague prompt mismatches.

Format shift

Online reviews especially stress harsh, personal-feeling comments on essays.

Workload

Heavy

22/100

Expect lots of , and frequent online discussion posts.

Format shift

Online 8-week versions intensify the same heavy writing load.

Teaching experience

Poor

38/100

Some call him passionate and useful, but more describe unclear expectations, late grades, and a condescending classroom tone.

Format shift

A few online students still call him one of the best writing teachers if they want real critique.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

22/100

Assessment is almost all essays, journals, discussions, and oral reports rather than traditional tests.

Format shift

Online and .

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

41 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person classes center on discussion, journals, and essays with high standards, mandatory attendance, and a sharp divide between inspired fans and frustrated students.

Main concern

Unclear directions, late grading, and harsh personal tone make the room feel unsafe for many.

What students said

“If you want an easy A, don't take his class; if you honestly want to improve yourself; do.”
ENG105

“Very condescending. Often late .”
ENG215

“really tough grader, grades eng 101/105 as if it were eng 205 or higher”
ENG101

Remote format

Online

9 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

Online sections are fast-paced with heavy writing, blunt feedback, and frequent complaints about condescension and unclear criteria.

Main concern

Online students report demoralizing comments, vague prompts, and political or personal grading friction.

What students said

“Absolutely demoralizing and rude. He ridicules you when you ask questions”
ENG205

“He was condescending if he disagreed with my political views.”
ENG205

“ and comment saying this sucks!”
101

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

There is little evidence of proctored tests; risk comes from harsh essay grading and unclear prompts rather than exam software.

Essay HeavyJournalsDiscussion BasedFew or No Traditional ExamsHarsh Written Feedback

Assessment risk

Standard

52/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person classes rely on papers, journals, discussions, and oral reports with tough critical feedback.

Essay HeavyJournalsOral ReportDiscussion Based

“1 Oral report, 5-6 journal entries every 3 weeks, 2 essays”
ENG215

“ yet he s confused why students dont improve.”
ENG205

Online

, and discussions with blunt feedback and no clear proctoring claims.

Essay HeavyOnline DiscussionsOral Report via ChatVague Topics

“No tests but lots of essays. Topics are pretty vague.”
ENG105

“Unclear grading criteria and he forgets what he, wrote on the syllabus”
ENG205

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“If you want an easy A, don't take his class; if you honestly want to improve yourself; do.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (9 online, 41 in person), highlighting harsh critique and polarized value. Credibility rating: High.

👎 Recommendation Rate

30/100

“DONT TAKE THIS CLASS!!”

✏️

18/100

“Very condescending. Often late .”

📚 Workload Reality

22/100

“Don't take his class unless you can dedicate all of your time to his class because that's what he expects.”

🔥 For Serious Writers

70/100

“His feedback on my writing was the clearest and most specific I have received.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

He is extremely disrespectful and degrading.
Safdie is truly an inspiration.
He often uses class time to talk about his own agendas

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

You can't expect to get an A for half-assed work, it's college.
Expects a student to know how to write a research paper at the 101/105 level

Theme 3

💬 About Feedback & Clarity

His directions are vague and .
and comment saying this sucks!
His criticisms are very constructive but if you put in the work his comments aren't mean.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

122

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews across many courses and both formats show stable patterns of harsh feedback, heavy writing, and low recommendation rates.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 526

4 out of 517

3 out of 59

2 out of 527

1 out of 543

Course coverage

ENG20511 reviews

ENG2158 reviews

ENGL1015 reviews

ENG1014 reviews

ENGL2054 reviews

Show 13 more courses

ENG1053 reviews

2162 reviews

ENG2162 reviews

ENGL2152 reviews

1011 review

2051 review

C1 review

ENG2011 review

ENG2401 review

ENGL2101 review

ENGL2211 review

ENGL2491 review

ENGLISH561 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

14 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 1 · A 3 · A- 1

B range

B 2

C range

C+ 1 · C 1 · C- 1

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 3

Joe Safdie

Avoid unless you want a demanding writing or literature coach and can handle blunt criticism.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Challenging

Mandatory

Avoid

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

👎 Recommendation Rate

✏️ x x

📚 Workload Reality

🔥 For Serious Writers

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

💬 About Feedback & Clarity

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

✏️