He is an interesting instructor who cusses a lot. He is smart but very biased. If you want to listen to a raging socialist leftist every couple of days for 50 minutes, then pick this professor. Otherwise, don't be fooled and don't believe his rhetoric.

Even though he may be biased, as a science major I was for once drawn to a history class. He can hold attention very well, and at the end of 50 minutes you wonder why the time went by so fast. Very fast lecturer, a lot of reading, but VERY educational.

Great Professor. He's a really good lecturer. Lots of reading for class, but exams are relative fair base on reading and lectures. Uh, he's a little bit on the extreme left, but most history teachers have their own interpretations oh history anyway.

Very interesting course. Professor Widener was able to hold my attention throughout. He is very liberal, but it is always interesting to hear his take on certain event. I would recomend the course overall.

great guy whose fun to listen to, even if you dont agree with him. more than willing to help

Brilliant and beautiful. Easily the best class I have had at UCSD.

he lectures were awesome and always kept my attention, but yes he is very leftist. The class is pretty hard as far as grading goes. If you are up for a lot of reading and intense studying then take this course. I learned A LOT.

Way too much reading for one class. The book by Eric Mann was rediculous. Lectures didn't follow much of an order - hard to take notes off of. But he is funny and attractive.

He is to the far left but his perspectives are a refreshing change to the regular "no-opinion" stance that most of my professors have. I'm no far leftist but his points of view helped me understand them.His facts are easily distinguished from hi

I didn't really agree with a lot of his views, but he really impressed me in that through his lectures he could get me to really understand his side. Other than that none of the assigned reading is really necessary, i barely read and got an A-

Honestly, the absolute best and most interesting teacher I have ever had. The class was kind of hard but so worth it. He made me actually want to go to class.

Very easy class, class average was an A- I believe. Lots of required reading, although I found most of it to be interesting and you can still get an A in this course without doing all of it. Widener is an awesome, interesting lecturer who wants to help.

Widener is by far the most interesting lecturer I've ever had! The class has a lot of assigned reading which is useful to do for the papers, but not as much for the exams. So just do some of the reading, go to class, and you're straight.

He is a great lecturer! Make class fun, always making class laugh. He does go off on tangents and just a little hard to take notes from, but a good class! His ideas seem a little out there sometimes too, but that is ok cause he is great to look at! I totally recomend him and this class

Below poster must be bitter. He was there all the time, rarely late. Reading IS IMPORTANT, your final essay & 2 midterms are completely based on it. Lecture is not necessary, but MOST people, including me, always showed up coz he is VERY interesting. TA's had great lectures too! Intelligent & superb, but he rarely responds to emails. A MUST TAKE!!!

I guess having an opinion means you're arrogant these days. He is one of the most invigorating profs at UCSD. Lectures are difficult to follow, but its only supposed to supplement the reading. He TELLS you this!!! The readings are long, but very engaging, you can skim it, if you're bored. He cares more about what students learn in life. Got an A!!!

Loved the class. It was fun and the readings were really interesting. There are a few simple papers (film reviews) and a take-home final. He admits he grades easily. Take him.

lectures are interesting and they COMPLEMENT the readings so you must do the readings. the readings are pretty interesting but if you have trouble, you should go to OH. his class is an all-encompassing experience where it really tests you as a good student. its not easy but i managed an A-. prove your worthiness to him and you shall be rewarded.

I can see how people can love or hate this professor. I loved him. Very intelligent, eye opening, and more than anything, fascinating. The 1 hour 20 minute class would seriously fly by. Far leftist, I admit, but he backs his views up. A lot of reading, but what do you expect, it's a history class.

His teaching style is completely unique - which is a good thing at UCSD. He's extremely liberal and speaks about the way campus "used to be" in the 60's and 70's when students actually cared about their education and spoke out against genocide and the gov't. Bonus: He's handsdown the hottest prof at UCSD.

great lecturer! hes pretty funny and knows his stuff. one in class midterm and paper. readings are useful and reflective in the midterm. im not a fan of history, but this class wasnt too boring.

Widener is a GREAT History professor, he is absolutely FUNNY and he knows what he's talking about. He makes lecture very interesting- all around, he's a really great guy. As for TA's, DO NOT get Gloria- she is ridiculous. When you deserve an A, she gives you a B-. Ask anyone. Get Jed- He is the best TA ever!

He's a very good teacher. He keeps lectures interesting and draws you into the material. Some of the reading is boring and lenghty, but overall as long as you read it, it's a fairly easy class.

The reading for this class is absurd, and he never really brings it up in lecture or tests you on it. The tests, however, are really easy and he provides a study guide for the final.

Widener is a brilliant, awesome, humorous professor. A lot of people don't like him because he's not afraid to express his opinions--something that most prof are too scared to do. One on one, he is kind, caring, and incredibly smart. He is radical, but that's only because he has a true passion and concern for the world around him. Totally Awesome!

Funny teacher. He goes off topic sometimes, but you just have to make sure to read the book for midterms. Lots of reading though. but I liked it.

Superb fellow who cares about his students if they take the time to get to know him. Very articulate and brilliant, and extremely down to earth. He's absolutely precious! Very caring! Beautiful person down to the core.

funny guy but lots of content was irrelevant. exam questions did not really reflect what we had covered in class. almost impossible to contact outside of class

History & Hollywood provided a refreshing approach to history. Prof. Widener doesn't expect you to memorize dates and places, but rather to examine society through a different lens, namely media (i.e. movies/books). It was an interesting class, and his random tangents (although not really pertinent to the material) are fun to listen to anyway.

These ratings are riduculous. Prof Widener is the best prof at UCSD. Knows how to integrate storytelling into history in a meaningful way. Yes, a lot of reading, but we're in college you freaking idiots. He's the bomb. Take his class if you want to learn about real history.

Here is the thing about Professor Widener, he is great, entertaining, funny. But if you rely solely on his lectures you will not do well. You must do the reading and learn the material on your own. The lectures are just a nice supplement to the reading. And yes, he does go off on tangents all the time. But I found them interesting/enjoyable.

Professor Widener's class is easy in my opinion. His lectures are witty and hilarious. He's not afraid to talk about his opinions. There are times where he goes off topic, but heck, it makes class interesting. He does show films often though. Also, he doesn't like giving out D's or F's. Lots of reading, but hey, it's history.

Widener's lectures were both helpful and funny. He was not afraid to speak his mind about UCSD or anything else. His essays were easy to BS. The ID section was not that hard. Unfortunately, the final was pretty hard, but it was optional. In the end, I learned a lot about African-American history and I recommend this professor to everyone.

Didn't have his class but I loved going to his lectures!

Requires a lot of reading, the exams are simple, 3 essays and 1 ID. If you're not good at assessing, analyzing, and writing your opinions then you'll probably find the exams hard. His lectures are hilarious but are truly insightful and full of knowledge. If you're sensitive and don't like reality checks, don't take his class. Best Professor so far

Classes are the most interesting at UCSD. One of the better professors here. Exams are pretty straightforward considering he gives you a sense of what to expect. No final/three midterms. The only bad thing about this class was the ridiculous amount of reading that was expected each week.

Amazing professor. His lectures were interesting and funny. He's a very interesting guy. There is a lot of reading involved but if you do them the essays are quite easy. 3 tests no final. Discussion is 25% of grade so go to those as well. They help. Definitely recommend this prof!

I personally loved this class.Discussion are mandatory and very useful, the TA usually go over the reading for the week. I dont understand why others didnt care for the class. Lecture didnt cover the readings but instead gave more insight of the time period. His stories were funny but had some relevance to the class itself. Great professor

While his lectures are definitely interesting and funny, I did not find them helpful with the actual class. After a while, the readings become overwhelming and his hints before the midterm essays are what you really rely on. I ended up with a B in the class without reading the books. Definitely a good outcome considering the effort I put in.

Great Lectures! It was my fav class. He gives hella reading, but I didn't read for his class and still got an A, just went to every class.

Interesting lectures most of the time. You HAVE to read all three of the textbooks otherwise you probably won't do so well. Go to office hours because he tends to reward the kids that go with a question related to what was talked about.

He's great!! This class was taught by two professors and his lectures were great. I regret taking p/np because I ended up with an A. He is very engaging and said hi to me around campus even though I never went to office hours. I didn't do any of the readings!

The class was taught by two professors and Widener was easily the better professor of the two. He made learning interesting and was very fair in his grading, the only reason I did not receive an A in the class is because of the other professor. Very entertaining, would highly recommend. Readings necessary for take home midterm and final.

For HILD7A you must do the reading, but if you do the class is easy. The professor is a great speaker, keeps you engaged, and makes you want to be a revolutionary. He's also funny!

Widener is funny and explains the material, but he tends to ramble and go off on funny tangents. You definitely need to read a lot--we had to buy 3 books, and keeping up with the readings was a struggle. Good amount of writing as well since we had film reviews and the midterms and final were essays. Wish he actually posted up his lecture slides.

Widener is an incredible professor, enough so that students clapped after one of his lectures. He is very dedicated to the material, and wants the student to really read the books and learn the material well. As long as you read, write notes, and participate during discussion, you will get a good grade.

Great Professor! Dr. Widener's stories are hilarious and his informal attitude towards teaching makes him and the material easier to relate to. His passion for history and progress is amazing and inspiring. Plus, his corny jokes never fail to lighten up your day!

Fantastic professor! Hilarious guy with some really engaging lectures! Grade is split by fourth. Pretty easy TA's. Talk at least once in discussion section, write a half decent 4 page paper, read (skim) weekly readings, and you'll do great.

lectures were really interesting and fun keeping you awake best lecturer I've ever had. Beware if you're conservative because he very much is not. Gives a good amount of reading but as long as you skim it and at least pretend to give insight in discussion you'll be good. Does have essays and long final but totally doable,

Widener is a real goofball and a good professor at the same time. His lectures are straightforward and easy to grasp (if you do the readings and keep up with the syllabus), and he makes them entertaining by throwing in a lot of political and economic jokes. But beware, his light personality and lectures hide somewhat difficult tests and an essay.

Prof. Widener is a great teacher. His lectures are really interesting and he is very knowledgeable on the subject. It's not the easiest class you will ever take but it's not too bad. The paper is doable and the final is long but it's not hard.

Professor Widener is not the perfect professor. For example, he takes about 4-7 days to respond to an email. However, he grades very fairly. I took this class online, so it was all essays and no tests. Only downside about this class is that there is a decent amount of reading that must be done. You will get an A as long as the essay makes sense.

(Took his class online during COVID-19 shut down so in person classes may be a bit different) Widener is an awesome professor. His class was my favorite of the quarter. Super easy going. It is a lot of reading and essay prep but he has been an easy grader and you learn a lot from the work you do. Highly recommend, wish I took his classes sooner.

This quarter of HITO155 was different than the usual due to COVID, but I loved how Professor Widener changed the course structure entirely to accommodate students. It was more of an independent learning experience since we had modules, and he would give great lectures every Thursday. His lectures are very interesting and 10000% recommend him!

Danny's classes are always about what you put into it. Make an effort to show up to office hours & get to know him on a personal level. While the class was amazing, & one of my favorite classes I've ever taken, it was getting to know Danny that was the best experience. He is very knowledgeable & a great person to know academically & professionally

Such an amazing professor! He really knows what he's talking about and really gets deep into so many subjects! I learned more in this class than any other history class ever! The class is so interesting so it makes it fun. Just 2 essays and a final. The final was an online essay with a 3 our timeline. May change. Super amazing class overall!!!

Amazing professor! Definitely made lecture very entertaining and would joke around about some of his hatred for the school. Great at explaining concepts and definitely makes history entertaining.

He is such an awesome guy and can get on some tangents, but it doesn't really take away from the content. He shares what he feels is important to know about the history he is teaching and the papers are based on how you see history and how you support it. There wasn't a rubric for my class, but the papers were graded fairly.

Even though attendance wasn't mandatory, it helped a lot with the midterm and was more than worth it to go. He's very passionate and the class is super interesting, but there is a lot of reading. Would take again but you do need the time to study/read, especially if you don't plan on going to lecture all the time.

VERY different from your typical History professor. He makes the lectures super interesting and meaningful. Prof Widener goes off on tangents and stories about himself, but nonetheless are interesting and makes the lectures fun. Nothing wrong with that. Lots of reading and emails are barely answered, but you can get around by doing the "minimum."

Pros: Prof Widener's lectures were super engaging. Sometimes he strays away from the main course content with anecdotes, but, I don't think it took away from the course. Really interesting perspective on race and US history. Cons: LOTS of reading. ~120 pages/week. A People's History of The US was interesting tho. Highly recommend his class.

Very easy and fun class in my opinion. Passed the class without buying any books. As long as you understand the concepts of the readings and learn some facts you should be solid.

His lectures were pretty fun and engaging, despite being an 8am class. Widener is clearly passionate about what he teaches, but he expects an immense amount of reading (150 pages to read in week 1) and the textbooks aren't exactly easy reads. Exams were written response. The readings and the class are insightful, but you could totally skim and pass

There is a lot of heavy reading in this class. Widener has great stories to share in lectures, although they don't always directly correlate to the lecture material. One thing I liked: Professor Widener's humor. One thing I thought could be improved: Professor Widener sometimes ran out of time to cover all of the slides.