In my experience undergrads are almost universally seen as a nuisance by professors, especially at the most prestigious schools where professors see themselves

In my experience undergrads are almost universally seen as a nuisance by professors, especially at the most prestigious schools where professors see themselves as godly researchers. It also sounds like this class isn't even for students in the department, which usually means no one wants to teach it. Basically becoming a professor has almost nothing to do with ability to teach, so I'm not surprised when the least desirable classes to teach are taught by people who have next to 0 ability to do so.