Although I like him as a person, Prof. Yeritsian often makes the content unnecessarily complicated. The subject matter itself is quite simple, but his lectures often go on distracting or pretentious tangents, which distract from understanding the topics and are not on the tests. His tests were also much too hard (my classmate had a D curve to a B+). The readings are often 50+ pages, twice a week, and you will be tested on the most obscure words from the text during the exams. Understanding the theories is not enough, a question on one of the exams was literally "Which reading refers to the most other texts?"...

Professor Yeritsian is one of the clearest lecturers I have had. He lays out exactly what he expects, which made the course feel very straightforward even though the material is challenging. Since I took this class during summer session, there were no homework assignments or discussion sections, everything came down to the midterm and final. Because of this, keeping up with the readings was not optional; it was the backbone of the course. This should not be a hard thing to do seeing as how you have 1 reading before each class.

He makes the room feel open and encourages people to ask questions or talk through difficult ideas without feeling intimidated. The course was about the main sociologists like: Simmel, Marx, and Durkheim. He walks through the hardest concepts and highlights important quotes so students don’t get lost in the academic language. He is very passionate about his field and it is obvious he cares about whether students actually understand the material, not just whether they pass the tests.

A few things to clarify based on other reviews:

- Comments claiming he is a “bad professor” are misleading. He expects students to think critically, and some people simply do not like being pushed intellectually. The professor is not hard the tests are hard.
- If you believe you can use ChatGPT to skim your way through this course, you will be disappointed. Half of every quiz is directly from the readings, and he phrases questions in ways that expose whether you actually read or not.
- The course is challenging, it is sociological theory after all, but if you genuinely do the readings, you will be fine.
- Since there is no homework, there is really no excuse not to keep up with the material.
- He does curve, and the curve is generous. If you have a basic grasp of the concepts and can articulate your thoughts clearly, you will do well.
- He is approachable, responsive, and transparent about his expectations so you will not be confused. One of the most organized syllabuses I have seen.
- Attendance is recorded, for me it was a written response about concepts or readings during class, which also helped reinforce the material.

Overall: I would absolutely recommend taking SOC 101 with him. He explains theory in a way that makes dense ideas understandable, encourages real engagement, and genuinely cares about his students. If you put the effort in, you will get a lot out of this class. I liked his teaching style so much I took him again for a different class. Do not get me wrong, the tests are hard. I am honestly a terrible test taker, and I still walked away with a B. I am telling you, if you put in the effort and actually keep up with the readings, you will be fine. The course is challenging, but the expectations are clear, the lectures help a ton, and he gives you the tools you need to succeed.