Busselen Jr., Harry  

Psychology and Human Development

1.65/4.00

28 evaluations


PSY 103


Senior
N/A
Elective
Aug 2001
Dr. Busselen is passionate about his work, a bit too passionate. The guy loves to hear himself talk, so students sit through two hours of utterly boring rambling. Even when someone attempts to participate, the student is struck down as the teacher bouces from subject to subject. Plus, Dr. Busselen doesn't give breaks, so sitting through an entire class is a mind-numbing experience. In regards to the workload and grading, too much work is required for this 100-level class as little credit is given to the lengthy papers which are due. There are three, 100-question multiple choice tests, all non-cumilative. If you like to write and love to hear an old guy talk about life, take this class.

SOC 105


Freshman
B
General Ed
Mar 2000
Do not go to this class unless you have something to turn in. His midterms and final is based upon 1 thing: KEYTERMS. It's ridiculous. Just study the keyterms that he assigns and you'll be fine. If you want an A, then I guess you should go to class but if you're just trying to plug through with a nice solid B, then don't fear . .it's a waste to even bother to go. He goes off on random tangents and you learn nothing from the lectures, not to mention that they are boring. However, you have like a million short essays to write throughout the quarter. It's kind of a bummer but I seriously doubts he evens reads all of them. Take it, it's no sweat. P.S. He talks a lot about sex, what's up with that?


Freshman
B
General Ed
Aug 2000
dont go to lectures unless you have to turn something in...just memorize the key terms and you will receive an easy A.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Feb 2001
Even though he can't teach but he is easy. You do not have to go to class. He does not lectures out of the book. I always falls asleep in his class. His tests are 100 Multiple Choice and they are mainly the Key Terms. If you want to get an A, do extra credit that he assigns during the quarter. You have to write critiques about chapter but they are easy. Only 1/1/2 page and he'll give you a "check," if you do better, you'll get a "check plus." Take him for Soc 105 if you have a chance. Not that hard at all..... He BS alot.

MATH 110


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Nov 2008
I'm going to break it down for you with a selected few examples because this professor has utterly astonished me with his ineptitude. This is a representative subset from an infinite pool of his glaring idiocies. ********He lies about current events********* One day he told the class that Physics courses no longer teach Newtonian Physics (Newton's classical laws of mechanics). He also told us, and I quote, "You don't even know what Newtonian Physics means, so they must not teach it." ********He lies about past events********* He tried to state that racism was not an issue in Shakespeare's day. He attempted to prove this by stating that Shakespeare did not write any plays that featured a black man. The existence of "Othello: the Moore of Venice" disproves this. Moore is an archaic derogatory term for a black man. **************He is ignorant************** He often mispronounces or misuses words. Every time he wants to say "accessible" he actually says "assessable" (three occasions). He masks his ignorance behind a few key words that he repeats many times each day (the phrase "What is transpiring?" is probably his favorite). I'm going to break it down for you with a selected few examples because this professor has utterly astonished me with his ineptitude. This is a representative subset from an infinite pool of his glaring idiocies. ********His lectures are irrelevant********* I actually left in the middle of class after a fifteen minute discussion that began with "Sperm are more active on a full moon" (which is a lie), and continued through "Coca-Cola is an effective spermicide" (also a lie). He even told the women in the class that they have to "douche" themselves with it for it to work. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** This man has many issues. He makes things up and touts them as facts. He is sexist. He tries in vain to make students laugh. He is conceited, and thinks that his status as a sociologist gives him vocal immunity. No real sociologist would ever take this man seriously. If you absolutely must take this class, please do not believe anything he says without checking a reference.

PSY 110


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Jan 2005
I really didn't like this class. When you enter a sociology class and one of the first things out of the teacher's mouth is "I hope that in my life time I never see a woman president" you know it's going to be a loong quarter. Going to class was pointless because everything was out of the book, except that he took attendance that affected your grade - so I sat there and doodled the whole time. He seems to just want to make his students angry. We just started to ignore him after a while, and just didn't react because we stopped taking him seriously. As for his claim of loving to hear himself talk, it's true. He even admitted it the first day of class. I'm just glad I got it out of the way, but if possible, take someone else...


Freshman
C
General Ed
Apr 2005
Dr. B is a good guy. Yes he is sorta old and somewhat twists his opinion in with the material, but show a professor that isn't/doesn't. The class was interesting overall, I would have done better if I was able to memorize terms and such. If you can do that well, you will have no trouble on the tests. 3 midterms, 100 questions each, multiple choice. You do a few short papers which are cake. A few meetings in a group setting and reading. Thats the class. Read and study and you'll come out with an A for sure.


Sophomore
C
General Ed
Mar 2006
Professor Busselen is a disgrace to Cal Poly. He's a total sexist, so females, I'm warning you now. Be ready to have to put up with a lot of sexist shit that you can't do anything about. The girls in my class banded together to get him in trouble, but he's on 10 year, and he made it clear that he was and we couldn't do shit to him. The class is rediculous and boring. I went to most classes and I only ended up broadening my poetry skills. Nothing he says is important, you just have to know the material in the book and the stupid vocab he gives you. He takes roll, so you really have to go. It's not that hard of a class, I actually got a C+ and I failed one of the midterms miserably because I messed up the dates. He gives lots of extra credit, do it. He's not as hard a grader as he says he is. The two papers you have to read are bull shit. They're easy enough, but he's anal about using peer reviewed journals and those are a bitch to find what you want in. If you have to take this guy, good luck, you'll need it. And girls, don't say I didn't warn you

SOC 110


Freshman
B
General Ed
Mar 2002
Stay away from this guy. Not only are his lectures boring and full of information you will never need nor want to know they are very sexist. This man has one thing on his mind. Sex. Little disturbing to see an old man evaluating how his students did on an exam compared to how much skin was exposed. Easy class if you can put up with it.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Mar 2002
My GOD does this professor like to hear himself talk. The entire class was basically him talking about the same exact things applied to different chapters. He has three exams (including the final), all multiple choice; if you never go to class, but read his handouts on the chapter, you'll get a C, at least. If you put in the mildest amount of effort, you'll get a B. Two words of warning: get him to clarify due dates! To get the actual due date for some of his assignments, you had to look at four different handouts (one to tell what the assignment was, one to see what week something was going to be discussed, and another to say when you had to have a certain number of mini-essays in by); the homework schedule was very confusing, so make sure you know when stuff is due either by asking him or figuring it out. Second, drink caffine before class! Finally, with 11 essays due for the class and the three exams, plus the group presentation, this class was WAY to much work for a 100-level GE.


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Apr 2002
Busselen is a really nice jolly old man. His lectures are quite interesting. However, the material he talks about in his lectures isnt really included in his tests. There are three exams, including the final, and none of them are cumulative. The class is relatively easy if you read the book. You'll have to write a lot of essays, but you can easily get full credit for the essays if you do them.


Sophomore
B
Elective
Jul 2002
This man is hands down one of the funniest professors I've ever encountered. He sprinkles his lectures with an encyclopedic knowledge of gender roles, sex and human behavior. However, sometimes he does get off on some pretty bizarre tangents. One of the funniest things about the class is watching some of the students react to his efforts to get discussions rolling. He'll argue from any position in order to get students to express an opinion. A few of the students went the entire quarter without figuring out that he was just trying to engender discussion! The rest of us were trying to stifle our laughter. He is a little old-fashioned, and I found that if I was showing much skin he'd pretty much not look in my direction (which, while definitely refreshing compared to some male professors who just ogle, made it a little tough to get called on).


Senior
B
Elective
Dec 2002
There are 340 points possible and 300 come from three 100 question multiple choice tests which are fairly hard if you haven't looked at the packets he hands out. The other 40 points come from two 4-page papers, and three 3-page article reviews. He gives a lot of extra credit opportunities. You don't need to come to class except to get the packets he hands out for each chapter b/c he never really goes over anything from the book.


Sophomore
C
General Ed
Feb 2003
After hearing about a friends SOC 110 class I was really looking forward to taking this class. Unfortuneately I was pretty dissapointed. Every day for the first two weeks of class people would look around at eachother at the end of class and ask "so...did you take any notes?" Study the handouts, they are the key to a good grade. I would suggest spending time on reading before spending time in class.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Mar 2003
I worked my ass off in this class. I remember studying for about 20 hours per test and getting C's in 2 of the 3. He gives you chapter handouts which help a little, but unless you want to worship the text, you will not get an A. No one got an A in my class. I got an 85 on one of the tests and I got the 2nd highest grade. Even though an 87 was the highest grade, which clearly points to teacher error, he doesn't curve the test scores. I am convinced that Busselen is more interested in shocking the students with his endless supply of "see how the world is going to hell" statistics than teaching his students. He likes to mess with peoples heads and try to get a reaction out of people. However, the class is very discussion oriented, which I like. It is just too bad that most of the class only shows up on test days. Bottom line: Its a GE, nobody is looking to learn a lot, they're just trying to get a general idea of sociology and an easy A. Avoid Busselen.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Mar 2003
He loves to hear himself talk, and he'll talk for the entire period without breaks if he could. Don't bother raising your hand in class, he doesn't like to be interrupted mid-thought and by the time he's done talking, he's on a different concept and your thought is rendered useless. He often cued up videos at the beginning of the class, but never got to them cause he got off topic just talking. His lectures are pointless to the test, read the chapters, do the study guides and you'll get a C. How you get anything Higher? Im not sure. He's an antagonist, he likes to say things to get peoples gruff, cause he finds it funny, and if he let us discuss them or debate them, it wouldnt be that bad, but he says controversial stuff, but doesnt let you react, cuase he likes to keep talking. There are tons of essays to do, between 5-6 essays, and three exams, the final being the last of them. They are 3-4 chapter exams, and the final is only the last 4 chapters. Dont take this class if you want an interactive sociology class. Take it if you want a class where you dont have to attend daily (just keep up with the essay assignments) but can pass the class.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Mar 2003
If you want to take a class, were u dont need to show up then this is the class for you. He takes about random bullshit and current events all class long. He never once talked about what a test would be on or what the book was talking about. The only reason to go to class is to sign in for extra credit and turn in your 3 papers that take about 30 min to type(i only signed in and then left within 3 min after class started). The test are extreamly hard because you dont know what he will test. As long as you understand the key terms on the handouts that he gives in class then you will be garenteed a C. So if you want a class wiht little direction, and barley any work then this is the class for you.


Senior
B
General Ed
Mar 2003
Ok, first of all, I made a mistake to wait to take a FRESHMAN GE class when I was a SENIOR! Now most people have been right that this guy loves to hear himself talk. In fact, he just talked the entire class. His lectures (if you can them that) aren't organized at all, and he usually asks the class what they want to hear. Most of the time he is just repeating exactly what you were to have read in the book the night before. So basically if you read the book before class, you were bored out of your mind. At times it was unclear what and when was due. Also, instructions for writting 2 journal critiques (actually more like a summary) were not clear. There was what he called "group work" which was basically everyone doing their own thing, then meeting together with him to hear him talk even more. Then he asked us to evaluate each group member and their contribution to the group. It was slightly hard since it really wasn't group work! His tests were decent, but quite long. 100 questions per test allowed him to get quite specific with his questions, which makes it hard to study for, especially with a boring GE book. But take him if you just want a class where you don't really have to show up every day and get a decent grade just for doing 3 easy essays, 2 critiques and 3 reading tests.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
May 2003
Prof. Busselen doesn't really teach the class like he wants to be there. He just goes over things, like graphs and some concepts from the book. If you read the book then you will get a good grade. I read everything and the only studying I did was from his handouts. He makes it incredibly simple to get a good grade, including the fact that he is an easy grader. He does give points for going to class, but there are lots of times that you will not have to meet at class. Also, class time is mostly spent doing discussion. Its just like a highschool class. My advice for taking this class is to read the material and go to class. Other than that, its a no brainer.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Feb 2004
ok, listen up to all of u who like good grades. all you have to do is read the book. seriosly it is really easy. He has three exams, 100 multiple choice questions on three sections of the book. Ex. test one is on ch 1-4, test 2 was on ch 5-9 and the final is on ch 10-14. Really simple!!! book is kinda wierd, but you dont even need to underdstand anything. Just like big vocab tests, just know the terms. you dont even have to know them fully. just be able to recognize it when you see it. other types of questions are just common sense if you read. tests are 100 pts each and usually have point adjustments of about 4. he gives lots of extra credit oppurtunities. Also there are 2 group presentations (very informal) on two countries(same for everybody). youll have to write a "summary" of an article in a journal for both of these countries(2pages double spaced) SOOOOOOOO easy. Also two take home essays, also really easy. such an easy grader!!!! just make it make sense u know? that is it. i have outlined the entire course. Gives credit for going to class, dont even have to pay attention. i recomend reading a chapter a day before the test and u will do fine!! nuttin to it. Alot of times you dont even have to come to class! normal amount of effort in 5 day spans(3 times, preparing for test). the rest of the time u dont have to do anything. just sit back and watch the 90's come in!! no plus or minus grades!! for u low achievers who shoot for b-,but really its verrrrry easy to get a b, but just a little more effort will get u that coveted A


Freshman
A
General Ed
Mar 2011
Prof Busselen is a nice guy. he says controversial statements meant to be jokes. so just try to laugh it off. his midterms are pretty hard. Do the extra credit and you'll have a good cushion on your grade. Lectures are a snooze but he takes attendance so GO...he will get off on tangents and make stats up but just learn to have a BS filter. Go to office hours cause he is genuinely caring about his students.

SCM 112


Freshman
B
General Ed
Nov 2002
Oh, god, is this guy boring. all he does is TALK. Your grade is based on attendance, which he takes randomly, a project requiring more work than points, a lot of homework, and 3 tests. I went to class about 25% of the time, didnt do the project, did about 30% of the homework, and reviewed the chapters and terms right before the tests and got a B. Enough said.

SOC 301


Junior
A
Required (Support)
Jan 2007
Okay, so Busselen knows a lot about current events and basically rambles on and on for two hours. If he ever stops rambling, ask a question. This will cause him to keep rambling and will make you look like you are into it, which he likes and he will remember with the final grade. His tests are ALL from the book, but you need to go to class because he takes attendance. This tests aren't bad IF YOU READ. You have to read, because some questions are specific. I recommend doing all the extra credit assignments he gives. Extra credit is going to guest speakers on campus and writing 1.5 to 2 pages on it. His doesn't clearly state what exactly he wants. He likes to initiate class discussion by making provoking comments. He is very smug with himself. If you don't need to take this course, don't.

SOC 306


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Aug 2001
Dr. Busselen makes his classes interesting and funny. However, the lecture is pretty unrelated to the material he tests on. You have to read the text book. He will take as much time as you need to clarify any topic. Great Proffessor!


Sophomore
A
Elective
Aug 2001
I've also had Harry for Adolescence, which I got a B+ in, and for an internship supervisor. He certainly sees to it that the interns he's suoervising are doing their hours, but isn't excessive about requiring work beyond the on-site hours. As for Adolescence and Social Work in the USA, I felt he was very clear about what he expects from students, and is a fair grader. He is very responsive to student concerns.


Sophomore
A
Elective
Jun 2001
Funny guy. I always went to class, but you really don't need to. He just rants on his opinions of the course material and presents a view contradictory to that of the textbook. He tries to start arguments, which is funny. The discussions are horrid though. Every class he talks for an hour and then has students lead the discussions, which inevitably turn into a lame outline of the chapter. THe class dragged by, especially spring quarter when it is warm outside and you are trying to listen to him for 2 hours knowing you don't have to take notes, just study the book...but this is an easy class, you learn some interesting stuff.


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Feb 2003
I cant believe how many positive reviews this man got, I am truly shocked. This class is the worst class I have ever taken. Only about 7 people ever show up for this class so this would be a great time to have discussions on the stuff we talk about, but nooooooo Busselen would rather hear himself talk about absolutely NOTHING for the entire class period. He talks until the very last minute of class and often keeps us overtime so he can finish his long boring, drawn out opinion. THis class was extremely boring and I learned absolutely nothing. He is a disgrace as a teacher and the only reason I attend class is becuase he takes roll and counts it toward your grade!

MU 525


Graduate Student
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2016
Missed the first day, went to the second day. Went to the midterm. Went to the Final. Three days of class total. I got a B, easy. This kind of shit gives our school a bad name.