AI Rate Professor

Sociology

David Riess

PSYCHB5 · PSYCB30 · SOCB1 · SOCIB1 · PSYCHB30 · PYSCHB1A · PYSCHB5 · PSYCB5 · 80 lifetime ratings

AI rating
86/100
RMP rating
4.3/5
Take again
90.16%
Difficulty
3.0

The decision

Take Riess if you want an engaging professor and while keeping up with , and exams.

Best fit · Effort For RewardFunny lecturesCaring teacherSlow gradingReading and testsExtra credit
  • Students , and strong at making sociology, psychology, and statistics engaging.
  • The main and delayed feedback, especially online.
  • Grades are often strong , and use or provided study materials.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

80/100

Many students earn A-range grades and mention or easy coursework, but tests, reading, and .

In person evidence more often supports easy grades with , while online evidence is positive but limited and .

Is the course easy?

Beginner

66/100

Riess makes the material approachable and entertaining, though , and .

In person sections feel easier because lectures and participation help, while online students rely more on videos and self-management.

Is attendance flexible?

Recommended

46/100

because lectures, notes, and participation support exams and grades.

Online , while in person reviews frequently stress showing up and paying attention.

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

88/100

Most students recommend him because , and makes difficult subjects enjoyable.

In person reviews drive the strongest recommendation, while online reviews are still positive but more mixed on communication.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

77/100

Students mention , and grade-lifting opportunities despite some tough-grader complaints.

Format shift

In person reviews provide stronger evidence of and fair grading, while but slow.

Workload

Moderate

60/100

Workload is usually manageable, with reading, quizzes, notes, and exams, but not usually described as overwhelming.

Format shift

Online reviews mention lectures and assignments, while in person , and participation.

Teaching experience

Excellent

88/100

Students repeatedly describe him as , and able to make difficult or awkward material engaging.

Format shift

Both formats praise teaching, but in person reviews are more consistently enthusiastic.

Assessment method

Balanced

64/100

Grades combine exams, quizzes, homework, papers, reading, participation, and occasional group work or .

Format shift

In person sections show broader assessment variety, while , and recorded lectures.

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 Effort For Reward

In person reviews are strongly positive, with students describing funny lectures, care, , and .

Main concern

Students still need to attend, read, and study because .

What students said

“His class is easy with and he definitely wants his students to succeed.”
SOCB1
“ so you realllyyyy have to study for those.”
SOCB1
“The only downside is that he's a ”
SOCB1

Remote format

Online

9 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online reviews praise lectures and flexibility but are mixed because and .

Main concern

Online communication and .

What students said

“Lecture videos= great.”
PSYCB5
“he is awful, absolutely awful at responding to emails.”
PSYCB5
“ but after he does your grade goes up.”
PSYCB5

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are usually fair and lecture-based, with some note-card support, but students still need to study closely.

Lecture-Based TestsReading QuizzesNote Card Allowed In Some ReviewsFour Big Exams In One ReviewOnline Vocabulary Quizzes

Assessment risk

Standard

63/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In person reviews mention lecture-based tests, reading quizzes, cumulative finals, and note cards, but .

Lecture-Based TestsReading QuizzesOne-Sided Note CardCumulative Final
“He lets you use a one-sided note card for Exams. 2 sided for Final. 4 big tests in total.”
SOCB1
“ and a .”
SOCB1
“ so you realllyyyy have to study for those.”
SOCB1

Online

Online reviews mention vocabulary quizzes and four big exams with work shown, but do .

Online Vocabulary QuizzesFour Big ExamsShow Work Required
“The and mainly vocabulary; for the to show all of your work.”
PSYCB5

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Professor Riess is very caring and funny in lectures. His class is easy with and he definitely wants his students to succeed.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and format differences. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

88/100

“He made the class so fun and entertaining.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

88/100

“ .”

⚖️

77/100

“He gives you plenty of opportunities to lift your grade up.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Professor Riess is very caring and funny in lectures.
  • and .
  • He made the material extremely relatable and fun.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty And Grades

  • As long as you show up and make an effort, you'll do well.
  • It's not an easy A but it's also not a difficult class.
  • His class is easy with and he definitely wants his students to succeed.

Theme 3

⏱️ And

  • The only downside is that he's a
  • and
  • but after he does your grade goes up.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

80

Lifetime ratings

92/100

Evidence confidence

The judgment is based on 50 reviews from 2017 to 2025, with many detailed comments and a large in person sample.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 548
4 out of 522
3 out of 54
2 out of 54
1 out of 52

Course coverage

SOCB120 reviews
PSYCB511 reviews
SOCIB19 reviews
PSYCHB303 reviews
PSYCB302 reviews
Show 3 more courses
PSYCHB52 reviews
PYSCHB52 reviews
PYSCHB1A1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

42 reported outcomes

A range

24

A+ 5 · A 17 · A- 2

B range

5

B+ 3 · B 2

C range

3

C+ 1 · C 2

D range

1

D 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

9

Not sure yet 6 · Rather not say 3