Richard Bellon

School:	Michigan State University
Department:	History
Location:	East Lansing, MI

Overall Rating

rated by 21 students

Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness

Rating	Comment
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	He is top! Greatest in Michigan I can think of! He accepted my paper. He graded my paper. I gave him bare minimum english and high American History. He can handle every movement or piece. He has excellent record controls. He had me published at 18 years old.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	Pros: Gives lots of feedback and is willing to help you get a good grade. Cons: Very hard grader, gives out A LOT of work. Your grade reflects the amount of work you put into the class. Bellon is a very fair grader. I thought this class was going to be an easy blow off but it definitely was not. It is not impossible to 4.0 but there is a lot of reading involved and you must be willing to debate and share your ideas in class in order to get a good grade. I got a lot out of taking this class, but it took a lot of work to get a good grade.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	Pros: Not a lot of papers given Writes a lot of comments on your paper Cons: Boring topics Asshole Honestly I regret taking his corse and wished I had switched out. On my first paper back I received three pages of reason why my paper was horrible and that my opinions and style were the main reasons behind it. There was no explanation on how to improve besides that I had a "narrow minded opinion" and that if he had one recommendation it would be to "rewrite" and if he had three, "rewrite, rewrite and rewrite." That wasn't helpful. My recommendation, switch out.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	Pros: Good guy, very approachable and personable Cons: Can't see grade throughout entire semester Tough Grader LB 334 with Bellon is extremely discussion based. 90% of every class is peer dicussion, and much of the grade is based off that, so if you are not good at carrying out intelligent debates on topics such as the ethics of DNA patenting, pharmaceuticals, etc, then this course is most likely not for you.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	the only reason i am gving bellon a .5 instead of a 0 is because he doesn't give any exams. other than that his class is terrible. after devising a course syllabus he decided to change it halfway through the year to include a weekly quiz or book summary. There is a decent amount of reading and lots of writing. If you are not a good essay writer and a 16 page paper on eugenics does not sound fun get out of this class.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	FAIR!! would be one word to describe him. the class is hard work...takes time and effort but LEARNED A LOT. the key is to have bellon read over your paper before you turn it in. pay attention during lecture. if you put in the effort he can tell. hes awkward and really nice. sometimes i got jealous of the other prof becuase they were so easy but in the end i really learned how to write a good paper
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	So apparenly Rich Bellon is a Lyman Briggs professor, but ended up teaching this senior history seminar. He's quite the guy, he self proclaims himself as "one of these guys who obsess over the sex life of plants." Also by taking a class with him in the summer its apparent he doesn't go outside much cuz the guys as pale as a vampire. Anyways, once you get past how peculiar he is, he's not all that bad of a professor, but he's not all that good either. He assigns a huge load of reading and every class period was either presentaiton of discussion based, all led by students so be ready to participate in class often. He's a very nit picky grader, but if you just do what he tells you to do he seems to grade you easier. The most important thing to do to impress him is to cross themes between the assigned readings. Overall, Bellon is not the easiest or funnest professor, but he's tolerable and while he may demand a lot of effort for a 4.0, u can pretty much sit back, relax, and coast to a 3.0.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	Bellon assigns a lot of work and reading. He grades the essays he assigns really hard even if you go to his office hours. his lectures are incredibly boring and he makes you do these magazine study guides every week that are a waste of your time. and he also grades the study guides really harshly. This class is really difficult to get a 4.0 in and his grading is retarded. I recommend you do NOT take his class.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	i took bellon for 133 thinking that because of his reviews he would be a good teacher. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS unless youre ready to have 200 pages of reading along with a paper and a study guide due all in the same day, while the other hps classes have easy 4.0s and fill out worksheets in class. when i went to him to go over a paper before i turned it in, he made a bunch of corrections and gave it back so i could fix it. i fixed what he told me and still got a 2.5. basically unless you share all the same opinions as him he will mark you down. this class is an impossible 4.0 im not sure why everyone writes that he is a good teacher.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	I took me awhile to like him, but in the end his class ended up being one of my favorites. He is a hard grader, but he is always willing you help you out if you go to his office hours. And in the end, the grade you get is probably the grade you deserve. One of the only things I disliked about him was his love of handing out 92s on assignments when you need a 93 for a 4.0
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	Bellon is definitely one of the better HPS professors. His class is set up in a way that you end up with the grade that corresponds to the amount of work you put in. If you keep up on the reading, participate, and work hard on the papers, you'll get your 4.0. His lectures aren't the most exciting in the world, but they aren't anywhere near intolerable. For the papers, he gives you a lot of freedom on what you write about, and is always willing to help you craft your ideas into a solid paper. The weight of the papers increases throughout the semester, so if you do poorly on the first paper, it won't ruin your grade and you'll know what to expect for subsequent papers. The critique he gives on the papers is 100% fair as well as helpful. The one exam he gives is graded relatively easily, so as long as you've been paying attention all semester and study a little bit, you'll do fine. His class is by no means easy, but you'll definitely learn more in his class than you would from most other HPS classes. If you sincerely want to improve your writing and critical thinking skills, then Bellon is your man. If not, look elsewhere.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	Hell yes, Rich Bellon is a straight up g. He is ridiculously nice, really funny, and cares about every student in the class. His lecture style is interesting and the test/papers aren't too bad either. If you go to his office hours he will read your drafts of the papers, and pretty much "grade" them so you can fix the mistakes for the final draft. Bellon is a fantastic prof because the amount of work you put into the class will equal the grade you get out, which is how college courses should be taught. If you work hard on the papers and study it up hardcore for the test, you can 4.0 for sure.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	A very interesting and fun teacher. He tries really hard to find some aspect of science that will inspire his students. As long as you read the assigned chapters and take time in typing your papers, you will do fine. The more time you put into it, the better grade you will get. Remember to do the extra credit he assigned because even if you are really close to the next grade on his grading scale, he wont boost you. So do it!
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	I am not going to lie, this wasn't my favorite class or the easiest I have ever taken at MSU but Dr. Bellon is a great teacher. I learned more in this class than any other I have taken so far. READ all the material and don't start the night before. And when he says he will go over a paper before it is due TAKE it to him for help. He is very demanding but gives you the grade you deserve. Overall, Dr. Bellon is a great teacher!
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	This class really isnt that bad. He is going to make you work though, so if you like an easy 4.0, this one isnt for you. If you do the readings, and take your papers to him and get his opinions and make his corrections and turn your stuff in, you will have no problem getting a 4.0. His one test can be a little rough, but isnt too bad if you study at all.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	An awesome teacher, and very nice person. He is willing to talk to you outside of class if you need help, and most importantly cares about what you are interested in. He also, as someone said before, let us meet at the bar to turn in our final papers. He makes senior seminar fun and interesting.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	I really liked the guy. Really nice, really enthuisiastic, and even though the subject material can be boring at times, this class is worth it overall. The grading is fairly easy as well. I easily got a 4.0. Sure there's reading but I did very little of it. Just read key chapters or skim. Yes, this class can be boring, but consider yourself a Darwin intellectual and a knight for evolutionism by the end of the semester.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	Amazing prof - I learned waaay more from him than from any other prof I've had so far. Discussions were great. He'll really help you find your niche in whatever subject the class is about. We were always debating/discussing current events which made it interesting. He's really into what he teaches - I recommend taking his class if you really want to learn, but it's not an easy class.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	Bellon is a pimp. That is clear. His class does involve a lot of reading. However, it is more important to join in on discussion (which doesn't involve so much reading). I had him for senior seminar and he was just straight up nice. Great guy.
Overall Helpfulness Clarity Easiness	This was Dr. Bellon's first semester at LBS. Most people felt that he taught like it was a graduate research class and not an undergraduate science writing class. However, the class was very organized and he related all the material well. No body likes a lot of reading but it's an unavoidable part of college. I would suggest taking this class with Bellon if you are REALLY interested in Darwin or if you enjoy reading A LOT. Otherwise, pick another STS.

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