1.7
Quality4.1
Difficulty7%
Would Retake89
Reviews7%
Would Retake
89
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
6
4
2
3
8
2
25
1
48
What Students Say
“She is all over the place when lecturing”
HIS103 - 1.0 rating“most students in class were uncomfortable”
HIS371 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
57%
Textbook Required
92%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.21 avg changeRatings by Course
HIST101
5.0
(1)HIS521
5.0
(1)HIS391
4.0
(1)HIST103
3.5
(2)HIS396
3.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
HST103
5.0
HIS01
5.0
HIS271
5.0
HIS264
4.5
HIS371
4.3
Reviews (89)
This woman has no clue what she is doing. She is so unfocused and no one in the class understood anything.
About the worst lecturer I've ever been forced to put up with. I haven't had a test yet, but I'm fearing SO badly. Makes you wish humanity spontaneously appeared when you were born so you wouldn't have to study history.
The lectures are so hard to stay awake in. I really try too. You are never quite sure where she is going with the topic or what she exactly means. The side classes are easy, cause her TA's are cool, but it's just hard to understand her, in general.
her lectures are not in any clear order, and they are very boring. she is very snotty and has an attitude a lot of the time. But im sure ill have worse.
I say the your success in this class all depends on the TA you get for your Rec class. Mark Chambers rocked. He was awesome, alwas knew what he was talking about. Her, on the other hand, made lectures nap time. Plus her final is gonna be so hard it' not even funny.
TA MARK CHAMBERS TAUGHT BETTER THAN HER. WHEN ASKED WHAT IS ON THE FINAL..... SHE REPLIED THE IMPORTANT STUFF. DOESNT HELP STUDENTS AT ALL AND IF YOU EVER TAKE HER CLASS DONT STAY UP ALL NIGHT TO READ THE MATERIAL IT WILL ONLY BE DUE THE NEXT WEEK ANYWAY WHEN YOU GET TO CLASS
The class is a 100 level survey class and half the students failed the first midterm. WTF. I also took HIS 104, got an A-, becasue the teacher taught in that class. Rilling very unorganized, jumped around. didnt test, but expected use to read the american revolution!!!!!!!!
very focused and helpful
VERY boring, and monotonous. There was way too much of the book covered for the final. You just never know what to emphasize on when studying for the exams. I always had a difficult time making connections between what she was saying. Wordy, and unclear.
MAKE A POINT....PLEASE. She just CANNOT make a POINT. Rilling's lectures are all over the place, and you know, that happens sometimes with history. But combine this with her boringness, crappy assigned textbooks, and HIDEOUS test reviews. Im a history major, do not take her, save yourself the grief.
PLEASE DONT EVER TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. she has a big attitude problem and her style of teaching is ridiculous. if u dont do the reading, she will throw you out of her class and her TA is just as rude as she is. tests, papers, and reading are all difficult and she is incredibly rude on top of that.
Horrible, horrible teacher, her lectures are the worst that I've ever experienced, i'm a his major and i've had some boring his classes but this is by far the worst, do not take her class!
She can never make a point. I was interested in taking this class before i actually started attending it. I was greeted by lectures that have no real point or direction and a professor who could care less about helping students
One word... terrible.
Has seemingly improved from prev. ratings in receptivity, however her efforts in response are weak and useless.She could care less about the students, passionless.Her teaching style remains horrible.Forcefed lectures, lack of knowledge on the subject,and inability to focus=TERRIBLE.Exams are very difficult,test prep was the entire book.DO NOT TAKE.
Her lectures are really boring. The recitation is mandatory but the lecture is not. She speak in a shaky, monotone voice and gets annoyed when people ask questions. There is a lot of reading involved and quizzes in recitation often. I don't recommend taking the class unless its something youre really interested in.
I wouldn't recommend this professor, she wasn't quite pro at the material and the way she teaches was really boring. she would lecture on every detail of events and waste class time. (Does not get to a point!) Just read the text then you would understand. good luck!
as the head of the history dept. you'd think she would be able to conduct a lecture without an "uhh" before a sentence. disorganized, boring & irrelevant. i didn't count but i think the reading is somewhere up to 1,000+ pages that you never fully discuss. the amount of work load for an introduction level class is ridiculous. avoid! avoid! avoid!
I love History and am a good student but this was the most boring, least engaging class I have ever taken. Don't expect her to do anything other than read from notes and get annoyed if you want her to clarify something. Just seriously and wholeheartedly read the texts and go to your recitation class with the TA's.
For being the head of the department, she certainly does not know how to teach her subject
I can honestly say she is the worst teacher i have had in my lifetime. Don't bother taking this class. An overabundance of readings leave you confused, and a majority of them are never clarified by her or the TAs. Boring lectures that are just the textbook reworded, and don't bother asking questions, she'll get quite annoyed and avoid it completely
She is probably the worst teacher I have ever had the misfortune to sit through a class with. Her tests really have nothing to do with any of the reading that you do, and she rambles on in a monotone the whole class. The amount of work you have to do and the difficulty of it makes this class a waste of time. She has honestly ruined history for me
I though I was going ot enjoy an American History class but this teachers doens't really do much at all. She gives you a lot of reading but never discuss the reading in class at all. Her first test was horrible because the topic she talked about wasn't even in the test even the TA didn't pass the test when he did the test. Most people failed it.
I used to like history, but Riling killed it. Lectures put you to sleep, way too much reading, and she is not nice at all. Definately has favorites...nasty attitude, walks around like she is better than the students. Head of the department? Who put her there??? AVOID
Not very caring. A very dry, passive aggressive personality. She doesn't seem to know much about the subject. If you ask her a question she doesn't know the answer unless it is in her notes. A very tough grader, and just rambles about pointless info and not enough on what you need to know. Take class P/NC or don't take it at all.
The lectures were the only source of information but she presented things in such a manner that it was very difficult to take notes. She seemed angry almost everyday she came in, yelling at students for texting,getting upset for people leaving the room, and even one day telling all those who hadn't done the reading to just leave.
Seriously the worst class that Stony Brook could offer. Actually, it might be educational under another professor. Lectures have no structure. Her reading quizzes can be hard and she explained that this is because she bases her questions on what is easy to grade, not what is relevant to the book or class. Very difficult grader. Thank you professor.
the material is ridiculously easy but if no one raises their hands in class or if you dont bring the reading to class she for some reason gets a nasty attitude. i cut class 90% of the time and still found the midterm and final ridiculously easy. if she didnt get a nasty attitude the class would have been much more enjoyable
Not easy, a lot of reading, but if you do the reading and the work, come to class, participate, no reason one cannot get an A. Rilling is tough, serious and no nonsense, but if you get the chance to know her, she is friendly, caring nice and helpful. Too bad she has a bad rap on this website.
I think she gets a bad rap because she's fed up with students. The first time I approached her early in the semester, she was kind of rude to me. However, as she got to know me better and saw I was putting in the work, she became much friendlier. She tries to keep discussions interesting. My one complaint is she presents alot of extraneous material
I gotta say that if you put forth the effort, you'll do good. Shes very serious, no nonsence. Just come to class, listen, take good notes, and be prepared to write like hell on her midterm and finals, and you'll pass with a good grade. All in all i think shes great.
Shes the very worst kind of History Prof
bad professor! sarah palin for sure, not worth taking class
By far the most useless class I've ever taken in my life. I have attended all of her classes, took many notes, did the readings, and I still got sucky grades on most of the assignments. She shows no mercy when it comes to her online quizzes, it is almost impossible to get above 60%. If you guess on the quizzes, you can probably get a better grade.
Took her for law and society in early America. For a three hundred level class there was not much reading-two books and articles that were mostly less than 30 pages. I thought the online quizzes and her grading were fair although her attitude was somewhat "nasty" at times.
Took her for an American history class and she sucked. Her lectures have no structure. Also assigns way too much reading and then never even references any of it. The TA clearly doesn't even like her and confuses us even further in recitation. Don't take her classes. She makes a History major dislike history.
Horrible professor. Does not know how to teach nor does she care about the class. She is very arrogant and the class is based off of FICTIONAL books, there is no textbook. I DO NOT recommend that you take the class. This will butcher your GPA.
She was a great teacher.
Honestly, she is the worst! Her lectures are so boring its not even funny and she clearly doesnt give a crap about her students. I have no idea why I took this class as a DEC but I so regret it. Please please please I cant say this enough, take any professor but her she is so stingy with her grading its horrible. Her exams were ridiculous too.
The class has a fair amount of readings each recitation period, two papers, and two exams. It's a reasonable 200 level history class that serves as a dec and a skill 4.
This class forces you to work. Material is never handed to you; you MUST take notes on both the lectures and readings. I had to take notes every single minute of the lecture. Lectures and readings complement each other, but lectures provided more detail and explanation. There are no powerpoints or lecture video recordings. Recitations were useless.
A lot of materials to read, extremely hard if you are not intersted in history. Horrible!
This course requires a lot of work. It can easily become overwhelming especially to those who are are history majors. If you're taking the class just for a DEC, I would highly recommend against it. Her lectures are extremely boring and she has a rude attitude towards her students. Doing well in the course can be a challenge for some if not most.
She is such a rude teacher and really does not give a rats about any of her students. The majority of the class failed the mid term and her lectures never have any point to them. Its basically her just rambling the whole time about nothing. DO NOT TAKE HER!
I'm a HIS major and found this hard - she doesn't know how to teach! She rambles on and on. Presentations are on MS Word and unorganized - bullet points of random points that do not help draw a conclusive picture. Complained that we did the 5pg. essay wrong when her intro. was 2pg. single spaced, without a clear direct question. Stay Away Please!
Professor doesn't think highly of her students, the reading material was mediocre and very boring. Probably one of the stingiest graders I've experienced at Stony Brook. Avoid HIS 371, its a massive head ache.
She is beyond terrible. Essay questions make no sense . Class lectures are so boring and all she does is ramble.
Definitely a tough grader. Doesn't have good notes and is all over the place with her lectures. Do the readings and you should be able to pull out at least a B.
Is the only bad history professor at Stony Brook.
The worst history professor ever!!!!! Super hard grader. DON'T TAKE HER!!!!!
TERRIBLE. Do not take her class, im in a HIS 103 class with her and I have never seen a 100 level class that requires this much effort. That, combined with the fact that she does not give a crap about actually teaching really irks me. All she does is ramble on and not actually teach, the fact that she expects anybody to be interested puzzles me.
Professor's grading is seemingly arbitrary. I received a 70 on the test, and got a B on the midterm and the final, and ended up with an A- in the course. The lecture is extremely boring, half the class stops attending or falls asleep. Almost everything I learned was learned in recitation. Lots of reading from a bad book. TL;DR - Avoid if possible.
This class is miserable and she could care less about her students. The material is exhaustive and is almost always impossible to get through without wanting to pass out. She's rude beyond comprehension. I am shocked that she's been a professor for this long and that her unprofessional antics have been accepted and/or ignored by the administration.
I never take the time to rate professors on this site but this class was literally so horrible I had to take the time to do it. She is the worst professor, and has the worst attitude of any professor I've ever met. She cares nothing about her students and she makes sure you know that. Class is way harder than necessary.
This is the first time I have ever commented on this site before. This is because I believe it is imperative for students to see my review before enrolling in this class. Many of what I felt has been said before, please please do not enroll in this class you will regret it. Even if you need the DEC it will greatly behoove you to find it elsewhere.
This class wouldn't be so hard if the professor was more helpful. There's little transparency in posting grades so I have no idea what my grade is going to be. The comments I received on my first paper were so condescending that I cried. Only class I know where the margins of your paper affect your grade. 0/10 do not take this class
Had a panic attack before every test even though I had done the massive amount of readings she assigned. she is not helpful and sort of condescending, gives random pop quizzes, her questions are hard to understand, her slides are all pictures. I had taken this class to fulfill a dec and it was a nightmare, I suggest not taking this class.
I've never had such an awful professor before, therefore I felt that this was needed to save the rest of you. She is the absolute worst professor in the world. Don't take her! You'll regret it! There's no textbook to help you, just awful books that you HAVE TO READ. & then w lecture she just rambles & is so unclear. Oh &all her tests are essays-_-
Can all these students be wrong? Yes! Got to go in with an open mind, ready to work, ready to learn, ready to improve your writing. Yes, essay exams. This is college! All you have to do is ask a question if things aren't clear. Office hours well worth the time.
Extremely unorganized lecture and no structure, she is all over the place. Test design was different each time, and usually not based off lecture. Lecture was extremely boring and she takes everything personally. Read the books, they will greatly benefit you for the quizestests, which arent too bad. Overall, unpleasant experience.
very good teacher. Loved her
While she herself is very smart and passionate about what she teachers, she is not approachable and gives off a very arrogant vibe. It often seems like she could care less about her students, and as for grading you have to fight tooth and nail to pull off anything above a B.
She is all over the place when lecturing. Doesn't seem like she knows what she's talking about. She rambles on about random things and nothing that seems to be relevant for the tests. Focuses on what students are doing on their computer more than teaching. Makes no sense and doesn't talk loud enough for a 100+ student audience. Rude also.
For a 100 level class, it is very hard and theres alot of tedious, nonsense work. Shes a tough grader and the TA, Caroline is horrible. She acts like shes the professor herself and will give you bad grades w bad feedback. She assigns hw that the professor doesnt assign. The 2 of them make this class A nightmare. You will regret taking this class
Every negative thing you are reading here is right. She is awful. I am in another history class that is studying the same exact time period but is a higher level class and I am doing better in that class than this one. Ridiculous.
Pretty demanding for a 100-level survey course. Only 2 exams: a midterm and a final, plus 3 small papers during the semester. Exams are primarily essay questions and require extensive interpretation and analysis of readings. You won't pass this class with a multiple-choice mindset or if you don't do some research beyond the assigned readings.
If you want to take this class, BEWARE! Sis is very boring, with a voice that will put you to sleep. She knows what she's teaching, but her slides are meaningless and lectures are hard to follow because she has NO organizational skills WHATSOEVER. One of the worst History classes I have taken in a while, and I have taken many.
Took her twice, once as an undergraduate for HIS 371 and once as a grad student for HIS 521. Don't take her if you expect an easy A, but if you are interested in the subject and are willing to do the reading and participate in class, you will have no problems. Among the most supportive professors I've ever had
the professor is controlling, makes snide remarks about conservatives, republicans, right-wing views, which is fine sometimes, but crosses a line often. most students in class were uncomfortable
The absolute worst professor I've ever had. The quiz questions don't ask about anything that you would remember from the readings. Despite doing ALL of the homework I never passed a single quiz because they don't reflect the reading materials. It's a poorly organized, absurdly difficult class taught by a mean old woman. Avoid!
Worst professor ever. Tough grader and her essay prompts are vague and confusing. She loves leaving notes about "passive voice" on your paper yet she does a poor job at explaining what it is. Goes on tangents and her conservative views arise when you bring up an opposing opinion. Readings are useful but exam questions are confusing.
She can be quite stuck in her own ways, and she has a way of accepting only what she wants, but if you go to office hours with your papers you are likely to get a high grade. If she knows your name, in the good way, you are better off in the long run when asking for help. Her lectures are fast speed, so best record audio. Remember fine details.
Ive never seen such condescending comments from a professor on my papers before. Her lectures are unorganized, confusing, and her essay prompts are vague but she expects you to know exactly what she wants. Listen to the majority of the reviews. Dont make my mistake.
The previous reviews are correct. She is terrible a lecturer. Often didn't have answers for questions that were asked and at times even gave the wrong information. This class is not about early law rather its about early American culture. I was considering dropping this class early in the semester instead I decided to stick it out. Big mistake.
She has a condescending personality, and her lectures couldn't make less sense. Do not expect any study guide from this class; the TAs of this class suck too, I seriously doubt some of their academic qualifications sometimes.
She was the WORST professor I ever encountered, I would give her a 0 if I could, her essay topics are extremely vague, lecture content is scattered, she has a major attitude problem, the workload is crazy and it definitely didn't feel like a 200 level class. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU AREN'T A HISTORY MAJOR.... and if you are, god bless you.
Do not take this class, not even as an SBC. You will get a C and this is if she curves. Read the other reviews and LISTEN TO THEM. Heed this warning cause the outcome will be reflected on your GPA.
Worst professor I have had so far
RUN AWAY!!! This class is awful the professor way of teaching is terrible. Her slides have no meaning and she talks meaninglessly for the whole time without asking question. The class is not worth the 3 sbcs it covers so goodluck.
She's a passionate teacher and knows about her topics but that doesn't make her a good professor at all...her lecture slides are very minimum and she goes on and on about her topics. Assigns reading every week from an online textbook. The TAs were definitely way more helpful than her. Attend recitation! You will not understand the topic otherwise!
The class itself isn't hard but it's extremely hard to follow along during the lectures. She goes off topic often and sticks to said topic for a good 5-10 minutes. The TA's are arguably more informative than the professor. As long as you know the topic already or read the online textbook I would say you should do fine.
Professor Rilling lectures from a small set of slides that have very little information on them (mostly pictures), it's very hard to follow along in class as she goes off topic often. For the mid-term and the final she gives poorly made review guides that are hard to follow.
The professor is very knowledgeable and is a well-versed researcher in early American History. Yet, the professor needs to rethink their pedagogy and lecture style. I understand the class is very large and much of the class is skimming through American History. There are ways to make American History interesting and engaging for a freshman course
I needed the USA SBC which is why I took the course. I would suggest you drop it or don't take it. It can really bring down your GPA.Aside from her terrible lecture style the class is only made of 3 assignments which is why if you do bad on one exam it can ruin your grade. There is no extra credit or curve. My TA was good his name was John Bradley.
Only 4 weeks into HIS 371 at SBU and mildly regretting taking this course. We aren't learning anything other than basic, common knowledge of the establishment of the 13 colonies and how slavery worked. Basic middle school level stuff. I recommend taking a different course if you can, but I've taken worse.
By far, the most inconsiderate professor I've ever taken. I'm not done with my course yet (6 weeks left), and it is the most regrettable course I've ever sat through. Failed me on a paper, saying it didn't answer the prompt (it did; I got 2nd opinions after this) and did the same to some of my classmates. EXTREMELY passive-aggressive and selfish.
Prof. Rilling is an awful professor. Her lectures are boring. Attendance not mandatory. Recitation assistant was great and help me a lot. No Review sheet given. A Final, A midterm and a Paper
I was willing to give this Prof the benefit of the doubt at first, because I thought she was upset at the state of the country. (She always brings it up) Nasty, ego driven, mocks students constantly in class. Wouldn't talk to a dog that way. Adjusted a male students collar in class after mentioning it being messed up. Never again, avoid!!!
Stepping into this class ruined my day. There were many times when I didn't even attend class. She doesn't even post the slides, and she speaks in a very dull and monotone manner. She is also very rude and a tough grader; avoid her if you can.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
57%
Textbook Required
92%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.21 avg changeRatings by Course
HIST101
5.0
(1)HIS521
5.0
(1)HIS391
4.0
(1)HIST103
3.5
(2)HIS396
3.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
HST103
5.0
HIS01
5.0
HIS271
5.0
HIS264
4.5
HIS371
4.3