Steven Vallas is a Sociology professor at Northeastern University rated 3.44/5 by 63 students, with 3.37/5 difficulty and 62.0% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Steven Vallas professor reviews and ratings: 3.44/5 from 63 student reviews at Northeastern (62.0% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
I loved Professor Vallas. He was very inspirational. I liked his outlook on things and he seems like the type of guy that pushes the boundaries. I took this class a while ago and got a B so not great but I loved the class.SOCL1101 2025-01-15 00:17:23 +0000 UTC
I love him. He is so nice, the class was interesting, he's very passionate and the assignments were super straightforward. 5 written assignments and a midterm and final but they're all super easy if you pay attention in class. Def recommend taking his classessoci3300 2022-11-17 17:27:03 +0000 UTC
Gives lots of extra credit which is great cause the tests can be pretty hard (mostly because he's not too specific on what you should be preparing for, terrible with review sessions). A very animated and interesting guy.1101 2014-10-16 21:28:32 +0000 UTC
Not sure if my take on this class helps since I took it my first semester, but by far this was the most challenging course for me. There are lots of readings being given out and the lectures were long and disorganized. There are 3 midterms and participation (10%) + extra credit which I found helpful to my grade. Note: Take the written exam!SOCL1101 2022-12-20 01:06:08 +0000 UTC
Lectures feel somewhat scattered and tests are vague and imprecise. Tests on material briefly touched on with questions that are either very specific or could be wrong or right depending on interpretation. Writes tests to have a class average of about 80 in intro to sociology.SOCL1101 2022-12-12 19:24:30 +0000 UTC
I loved taking Intro to Sociology with Prof. Vallas. He made the subject super interested and accessible to everyone. He cared the most about people being into the material and facilitated casual class discussions. There are weekly discussion posts and 4 or so tests, but nothing daunting. I liked him!SOCL1101 2021-10-18 00:32:17 +0000 UTC
The class is pretty easy and you won't have much work for this class. However, the test is too specific.SOCL1101 2019-12-17 08:46:09 +0000 UTC
Spring 2019 semester: 2 midterms worth 25% and a final worth 40%. If you mess any of those up youre pretty much screwed. Final study guide was 60+ pages, expected to know everything you have ever discussed In class for the final and every supplemental reading. Exam multiple choice questions are extremely wordy, difficult, and designed to trick youSOCL1101 2019-12-12 20:48:01 +0000 UTC
LOVE LOVE LOVE Vallas! Class discussions were very interesting and he genuinely took the effort to get to know his students and connect. Choose the essay exam (instead of the multiple choice) for an A! Otherwise, easy class and a great professor.SOCL1101 2019-03-26 22:57:25 +0000 UTC
Easily my favorite teacher at NU so far. The fact that he bends over backwards to know our names in a large class means a lot to me. He truly cares about sociology and what we have to say. Highly recommend taking himSOCL1101 2017-04-17 02:08:50 +0000 UTC
Vallas keeps the classes very interesting and he is a very kind and accommodating teacher. My only complaint is that the tests are very specific on information I really do not remember learning. Also he is not totally organized in his teaching habits. Overall all very interesting and respectable teacher.SOCL1101 2017-04-05 20:40:55 +0000 UTC
I LOVED taking Dr. Vallas's class. His lectures are so informative, interesting, and easily accessible. Not to mention he's probably one of the nicest, most accommodating professors I've ever had. Make sure you sit in the front, because it can be easy to get bored if you're in the back and not super interested in Sociology.SOCL1101 2016-12-12 18:06:32 +0000 UTC
Amazing teacher ! Charismatic, funny, and knows what he is talking about. Gives moderate amounts of work and is very fair. Would love to have him again.SOCL1101 2016-12-06 15:47:51 +0000 UTC
A lot of the content on the tests are from the readings and in class readingsSOCL1101 2016-11-07 13:41:41 +0000 UTC
Didn't like Prof Vallas teaching too much. He went off on tangents in class and didn't finish what he planned for class-we always ended up doing something else or hurrying to finish up. Lectures were dry and powerpoints didn't have helpful info. Very slow to answer emails. Wouldn't recommend unless you enjoy the subject very much.SOCL1101 2016-05-02 18:47:06 +0000 UTC
Steven Vallas has an average rating of 3.44/5 from 63 student reviews. 62.0% of students said they would take them again.
Steven Vallas's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.37/5 based on student reviews.
Steven Vallas has taught SOCL1101, SOCL3300, SOCL7270, SOCL1280, SOCL7201, SOCL7200 at Northeastern.
Data updated July 2026.