Lalith Munasinghe

Lots of math but you can’t know the math parts alone, you also need to understand the explanations and concepts. Steep learning curve but taking math methods & intro helps. You must memorize definitions for exams. Lalith is good at explaining things and highlighting concepts but he’s bad at answering questions so you should direct questions to John. Addressing the other reviews, I don’t see how Lalith is arrogant; he’s just straightforward and doesn’t coddle you. He also cold calls but it isn’t that bad. You should attend every class. He’s a labor economist so he adds some random topics about labor econ at the end of the course like uncertainty, IRR, probability, job market signaling.

Not an approachable professor, made me unwilling to ask questions and difficult to understand

I had read all of these reviews and thought I was about to walk into the worst class ever. Instead, quite the opposite. I LOVED this class. Lalith is very stubborn, headstrong, and knows what he needs to teach (i.e doesn't appreciate deviations or attempts from students to spark discussions), but he is a fantastic teacher. This is the BEST class to take if you want to be prepared for higher level economics classes. Lalith knows what you need to know to succeed and isn't afraid to tell you if you won't. However, this class is NOT an easy A. The average midterm score was around a 60% both times, although if you really study and understand ALL the material (Lalith will find a way to put everything on every test) you WILL do well. Trust. The questions are very straight-forward and usually come straight from the lectures. The only reason people do bad in this class is because they don't put in the work and expect an A. I wouldn't want to continue in the Economics major without this class.

Overall excellent Econ Elective class with a solid well-spoken professor and clear outline. Pros. 1 Organization : Professor Munasinghe is extremely clear in his organization, and has excellent class notes that he posts online. He almost never rambles on like some other professors, and even his interesting stories always find a way to link back to the materials. 2. Lecture style : Professor Munasinghe is extremely engaging as a Professor and loves to teach this topic. The classes became increasingly interesting as he finished the microecon parts and moved on to interesting labor theories. 3. The content : I feel like Labor Economics is one course that could be great for everybody. We are all going to enter the labor market one way or another, and the theories seem extremely useful for both entry-level employees and future managers. Also less mathy than most Econ-electives. Con. 1. Lecture Style (not really) As noted in earlier reviews, he is not the most reciprocal speaker, in that he often cuts off less-than-adequate answers or dumb questions asked by his students (including me). But I mean if the question or answer does not contribute anything to the class discussion, I think it is the Professor's right to move on. Overall it never bothered me and made for a smooth flowing class environment. If you can't stand someone telling you that you are wrong, and you always need a Pro…

Lalith is definitely a fan of his own research, and prone to telling us about each of his studies and particular areas of interest several times without remembering entire half-lectures on it before. But still. He makes himself very available, encourages discussion in class (although it is true that he isn't too kind to people who get it wrong, so just learn to shake it off). He genuinely loves the topic, and it's obvious. His lectures are clear, he treats students with respect, and there was a definite camaraderie - this is what I came to Barnard for. I think he's pretty funny, too.

Lalith Munasinghe has got to be the most obviously self-centered professor I know. The only reason he gets away with it is because he is smart. I read reviews about him before I decided to take this class, and thought that he would be manageable to deal with because he just got back from his tenure, but I was wrong. He still sucks. All of these reviews are true. He interrupts you whenever you are trying to make a point. He tells you to "just stop" and says "nope, next" on to the next student who is trying to answer his incredibly vague questions. He asks the class to do small group presentations on a philosophical reading, and then when you don't present the material the exact way he wants it, he interrupts your presentation and basically makes you feel bad for even talking in the first place. On top of that, he is incredibly inaccessible and makes sure that you know he is a busy person and that his life is busier and more important than yours. At first, he will seem extremely cool and offer to give the class free wine tastings and etc, but he will not follow through. He is incredibly self-centered, doesn't think you're important, and is only teaching this class to make himself feel like he is benefitting humans in the long run; that his class is a gift to us. He sucks.

Lalith is a weird guy. Goes off on a ton of tangents and you really have to read the book because he is useless in class. One on one he is a good guy. Hard final, I got a B in his class but felt the grading was fair.

Indifferent and rude to students. Clear antipathy to his undergrads, the education process, and the world in general. It's certainly possible to get an A, and he is qualified as an instructor, but even his TAs have complained about him.

Pros: - Lalith has a great sense of humor, making his classes very engaging. - Lalith's course teaches you a lot about microeconomics. - Before exams, Lalith will often tell students what topics he will ask in each question. Cons: - Lalith isn't good at explaining concepts. - Sometimes, in lecture, Lalith says that he doesn't like answering questions from students and that they should just ask the TA John. I feel like this discourages some students from asking him questions. Every amazing thing previous reviews said about John is correct btw. - I remember ,in one lecture, Lalith asked students to give a definition of a concept, and while a few students were trying to answer the questions, he interrupted them and said "Wrong!" in a really dramatic way. I feel like this may discourage some students from participating in class. - Lalith does cold call. - Lalith's course is very difficult. To do well, you need to thoroughly read the lecture notes, memorize the definitions and concepts, and do the (optional, yet highly recommended) problem sets and his practice questions. If your semester will be very busy, do not take this class unless you have to. You really need to put in the time for this class. Each Midterm exam class average was in the late 50s (final exam grades didn't come out yet, we just took it the day before I'm writing this review). John grades and returns the exams in…

By far the best class I have taken all year. This guy is amazing! He is witty, a genius, and is passionate about food. He definetly taught our class how to break down difficult reading. The readings were equally fascinating. I would love to take another class with him. He's so cool that I just wanna hang out with him and talk about life and how depressing it is.