You may want to check your school's policy on this. Some schools have a policy that their instructors must be proficient in English. If nothing else you may want to bring it up with the professor them self or the department chairperson to see if anything can be done.

The policy at Clemson University is listed in this PDF document: http://www.registrar.clemson.edu/publicat/catalog/2009/appendix.pdf Hopefully your school has something similar.

You might record the lecture, and replay it later. You might understand it and you can imply some nice iPod studying!

Yikes, if I was in that situation, I would definitely coordinate with other students in the class. The more people working on understanding the material presented, the better chance you'll have understanding.

Now, the best way to handle this could be just to be direct. Email your professor explaining that you sometimes have a hard time hearing what he/she is saying. If they are a good professor, they won't be offended and will take this as constructive criticism. If they know the problem, then they could make an effort to speak slower or louder.

Sadly, going to a public university which is also a state school, I have run into this problem a number of times. One of the big things you need to remember is that your professors are there for you - to teach you, to tutor you, to advise you, and yes, to even hear your criticisms. Do not be afraid to approach the professor(s) you are having trouble understanding. If they have trouble speaking or know they do not speak perfect English they (the majority of the time) will be willing to make concessions.

I ran into a problem understanding a professor of mine from Africa. However, I approached her and she actually told me off and told me that she had no trouble speaking English. Following that class, a well timed visit to the Dean's office, and she apologized to me following class one day. She slowed down her speech in class and was quite kind to the class for the rest of the semester.

Although professors are there to mainly teach students, most professors have never taken a class on education. They are hired based on their Doctoral Research, not how well they can teach. So, just remember that you are the one paying their salary. Do not be afraid to approach them. They may have the title of Dr., but they must still have humility.

Keep in mind that you often get better at comprehending an accent after a few classes, so don't get too scared if you aren't getting it in the first week.