WARNING: DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!! Like most people, I took this class for its easy ratings, but the class difficulty depends solely on the TA for that year. And unfortunately, our TA for that quarter was very demanding and difficult. For our midterm we were required to write FOUR essays in less than a week. For our finals, we had to write three essays. For some that may not be that big of a deterrent, but the fact that the professor does nothing but mumbles and reread the assign readings during lecture, leaves you to analyze all the readings yourself, and Italian Literature isn't the easiest subject to write about. Everyone I talked to, and I probably asked almost half of the class, received a C+/B on their midterms. There are also weekly quizzes that are very detail specific. I've reread many of the readings twice, and I still had difficulties remembering the insignificant details that are asked about. The problem is there are only three questions, and if you miss one, you're basically screwed. You spend eight weeks covering Dante's Inferno, but in the last two weeks you are expected to read Bocaccio's Decameron and Machiavelli's Prince. They are required because the finals are on them. Bottom line: Readings are really interesting. Professor is maybe the worst at UCLA. Lectures are dreadful (he also takes attendance). Weekly quizzes are ridiculous. Don't take this class unless you have no other choice.

I'm not writing all this out of bitterness, I actually got a really good grade in this class, but to warn everyone of this atrocity.

if you want to waste your money and college experience, take professor Betti. otherwise, AVOID. it may be an easy A, but being in class was EXCRUCIATING. Not only does he make a potentially interesting topic boring, but it is nearly impossible to understand his monotone, quiet, heavily accented voice. I couldn't even take notes if I wanted to. Seriously, he was so boring that I felt like my soul was being sucked out of me and into a black hole of nothingness.If he really cared about his students, he'd lecture to the students instead of mumbling to his lecture notes. you have been warned!!

Take this class, he is very easy! Plus, Erika is a very passionate TA who will help you get that A. She grades everything so write whatever she wants to hear and you're set. I took notes for the first lecture, and never did again. I only brought my laptop to keep myself entertained, and I think our TA did so as well. This class made taking four classes very bearable. I gained something meaningful out of his class, hopefully you will too.

MONOTONE. FAT ITALIAN ACCENT. HOT ROOM. QUIET VOICE. BORING SUBJECT. ... take it if you like any of the above three. otherwise please choose a different professor. i could not bear going to class but i did to about half of them. he drags on dante and rushes like mad thru other works. very confusing. and it would realllllly help if i could understand him.

Professor Betti is extremely knowledgable about the Italian classics, but his soft voice and heavy accent made lectures difficult to follow, and eventually, difficult to attend. This wouldn't have been so bad, except that he had no set syllabus, and we never knew what to have read by when. He spent 5 weeks on 1/3 of a book, and two days on the last 2/3. This was frustrating. Overall, the class was unorganized, though Betti had great potential as an interesting lecturer.

The readings in this class were VERY interesting and entertaining. But during class, prof Betti would just read random passages and it was hard to follow along. there was not much analysis. The 2 hour lecture would drag and I really got nothing out of the lecture. But the professor himself is a charming and funny man. but....I expected more out of this class.

Professor Betti is a great man with an awesome sense of humor. The books are long but you only read sections of them. I learned a great deal about Renassiance writers, and all the readings are quite witty. You will get out of it what you put into it, but even with little effort the class is manageable. On a good day, about a third of the class would show up. The entire class is graded on two take home papers which,if you go to class, are a breeze. I would definately take the class again.

Whoever said his class was "read-along-with-Betti-hour" got it right. all Prof Betti does is read aloud from the Dante, Boccaccio, Machiavelli and Castiglione texts for the entire hour. He scares his students into attending lecture by taking role for the first 3 weeks of school (which takes FOREVER in a class of 100+ students). although his exams are easy, they are BORING and time consuming.