2.2
Quality4.1
Difficulty15%
Would Retake114
Reviews15%
Would Retake
114
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
15
4
9
3
16
2
31
1
43
What Students Say
“but, remember to cite your work”
TEXAS001 - 1.0 rating“He made the class interesting and tolerable”
HIST1320 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
41%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.37 avg changeRatings by Course
USHIST
5.0
(1)HST1320
4.0
(1)HST13101320
4.0
(1)1310HISTO
3.5
(2)HISTORY
3.4
(5)Difficulty by Course
HIST
5.0
HISTO1310
5.0
1320
4.6
HIST1310
4.6
HST1310
4.5
Reviews (114)
He is not helpful, lectures are unclear, studied hard for a C
Horrible Prof. went off on tangets that had nothing to do with the class.boring, unhelpful, bad experience.
I do not advise anyone to take this class, it was a horrible experience
No Comments
Very hard, skips around a lot, try to avoid this class...
Very often Mr Watson talks about random things, but he somehow ties them in with what he's teaching. I have a B in the class, though. Studying ahead is a must, lots of work involved.
Class is very difficult. Lots of quizes. Must study hard if you want to pass. Extrememly hard to make a B. Impossible to make an A.
Hard as hell
Unnecessarily difficult. Dr. Watson enjoys ruining your college experience and destroying your GPA. He teaches well, but you have to discern the substance from his ramblings occasionally. He is helpful one on one, however.
Not a bad guy all around. Tends to wander in his teaching. Tends to teach from a biased black perspective.
Great teacher, Really good guy. If you go to class he will help you out. Ta's are great, they help you out.
Rambling non-linear lectures, thinks highly of himself, tests are of moderate difficulty, use the lectures as a guide for further study with the supplemental course materials. I will not take him again.
He's better in 1320 than 1310, he doesn't pull tricks... drastic ones anyway.
He is very hard and you have to study a lot for his tests. He rambles on about how he can cook and he used to be a police officier, he has to tell a story for everything that serves no purpose. He thinks he is the smartest man in the world. Dont take him!
He tends to babble about things in a way that no one understands what he is saying, and then he will laugh at himself for no reason. Yet he gets angry we we don't have a clue what is going on.
This guy is TERRIBLE. He is by far the worst teacher and the hardest history teacher you will ever have. He focuses WAY too much on civil rights and not enough on objective subject matter.
Easy IF you do the READING. He tells you what'll be on the quizzes, provides opportunities for EC and TAs have rvw sessions for tests. (Watch out for TAs; they're the ones to worry about!) Come to his classes and he WILL help you! He's also very funny.
Hardest class I ever took. Then again, I just finished my Freshman year.
Very Great Prof. Awesome story teller!his class is very good and quite easy for e not for some people as is i'm a genius . prof. watson an inspiration to all of us one funny and great man
total ****, i withdrew from the class within the first 2 weeks: biased perspectives, smartmouth, and talks way too fast to be able to take notes
His teachings were slightly biased, and I didn't feel like I was getting the entire picture. Although I studied HOURS for the test, the grading policy seemed unfair.
worst teacher at Texas State. Very biased and brags on the hundred # of history books that he has in his office that the test questios are pulled from. only gives 8 A's and 10 B's per class so basicly you are screwed. don't take him!~
bad bad bad prof. dont take him...
Knows what he's talking about. Tends to nag about students not being able to participate in class discussions because they didn't ready their book though. I liked the class though, I think he thouroughly explains everything. :)
If you don't want a D in history then don't take him. He's unbiased and asks for everything. His TA's were rude and because they knew it by heart thought you must too. Study sessions don't help unless you just want to regurgitate what you already know. He deserves no good reviews.
Dont take Watson. He is the most horrible teacher I have ever had. He is ****, and is just overall a very bad teacher. He should be fired. Do not take watston, all he will do is lower your gpa. take anyone but him!
I think he did a good job. He is NOT an easy professor though, but if you do what's expected you'll be fine. Read the book, come to class EVERY DAY, take good notes and make flahscards for the test. I thought his lectures were really clear and made a lot of sense.
He is real straight forward with his demands and class expectations. In class he is funny and does an exelent relating the facts.
I recommend his class, very nice professor and willing to help you if you want help. Tests are fill-in the blank, ID, and essay, but he helps you prepare for them. TA's grade fairly and SI holds really good study sessions. He's a funny guy and down to earth - but ask for help if you need it!
dr watson is an absolutely terrible teacher. i hated going to his class every day. he gave study guides but they never covered test material, and even his TA's are evil. he is **** against white people, and i really believe he likes to give people the worst grade possible. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS
Very knowledgeable and clearly interested in current civil rights and race issues. TAs grade extermely hard, take points off for ridiculous things such as "could have been better said" or "could have closed essay better" as if the class were an eng comp. class!~ overall, lecture was excellent
boring and seemingly easy. Feels like a grade school history class. Pretty much was a waste of time and money.
No Comments
Little hard, great proffesor though.And NO, he has NOTHING against white people. I'm white and I didn't catch the slightest vibe that suggested that. Study hard and go to class... Ask for help if you need.
this class is really hard---but you have to study. the lectures are very clear and he does review---just ask!!!!! not a bad guy just a very strict teacher. do not slack off...
Very interesting lectures but extremely hard exams, and he doesn't prepare you well enough for them!
hated this class! do not take it in the a.m. especially. i do not hate history but just could not get this class to work for me
I have to agree with most of the comments here - Watson is pretty much unqualified to be teaching at a University. Nice guy, knows his material, but has no idea how to operate a classroom, grade a paper, organize a lecture, or conduct an exam. He brings out the worst type of stereotypes and prejudices in people because of this, and any progress that could be made backfires, because you find yourself questioning his competency.
His class is difficult- no doubt about it. But he will try everything in his power to help you out. Just go into his office & show that you are dedicated...and I promise he will tweak your grade to your benefit. But you have to show him that you are trying. He seriously helped me out in his class.
Sadly, Mr. Watson seems to have a great knowledge base but he needs serious improvement in both his classroom organization and his negative attitude towards his students. I had two classes with him while at TX State that were much more difficult than they should have been thanks to his constant absenteeism, (both semesters) a serious lack of pertinent lecture material, and a moody disposition. One instance that comes to mind is when he told our clas "I know some of yall dont like me, I dont like you ei
I love Dr. Watson and I love the class. He is very entertaing and puts personal stories to keep your interest, the tests are hard, but he gives study guides.
HATED IT!! Just all around, use to live in Brogdon Hall and he lived there too, Yeah i know, residence life.. anyway.. even then got to know us, and was just an ASS!! IF you can take someone else.. Nice guy to hang with and talk about whatever, but not History.. doesnt get to the point.
Not concerned about students in any way. Arrogant. Very Rude. Claims to be helpful but isn't. Criticizes/yells constantly. Test are ridiculously hard. Test 1 study guide=helpful. 2nd=guide didn't even relate to material. Final=no guide and hardest test ever. Lectures=scattered & non consistent day to day, your notes will be crazy! I DON'T recommend
Very Rude and arrogant. Don't dare ask for help. Made a B in class, but not due to any help from him.
I've never had a teacher who blatently lied to his classroom. He knows his stuff (or at least acts like it), but he cannot operate a classroom. His lectures are all over the place. Hope you get a TA that can help you out (un like my class!). Make a study group and learn every WORD in the book. Its the only way you'll pass.
This prof. has a tendency to speak to the classroom as if they have read the textbook once before. Strays off topic some but funny. Very good if you have taken an APUSH class
I had no desire to take Texas History, but Dr. Watson got me very interested. Wish we had spent more time on the Texa Revolution. Writing the paper was interesting. he is a very good prof., he has been having some health problems which made him make a few mistakes. But well worth your taking him for any class
he is a good professor but the class is hard. he is interesting to listen to but the test are rediculously hard. i never had ample time to finish the test there was way too much to do on them in 50 min. his ta grades them all apparently he is an english major too b/c he grills you. i studied alot and will be lucky to get a C. prob hardest class
Too demanding for a required intro course and throws in a lot of excess information during lectures that can overload students. Pointers from TAs are survival tips. SI sessions are highly recommended. Essay grading is very strict and basis behind some of it is often irrelevant to the course itself. Reviews aren't guaranteed, study guides don't exist.
Very difficult class, but a great professor. I see people say that he is incompetent, and that is completely untrue. Very, very, knowledgeable and intelligent. Well organized lectures. He actually teaches, rather than acting like a human study guide. Know every name, event, and year in the text.
Dr. Watson is a horrible prof. He rambles and attending his class is a waste of time. Definately have to rely on your book and that's not even a gaurantee that you'll understand enough for the tests which make no sense as well.
Yes his lectures are random but all of what he says (besides personal stories) are important. He would confuse himself but that doesn't mean he's incompetent. He's intelligent and entertaining...just some what confusing. Either read the whole book or go to class everyday- just keep organized notes. Don't take him for an intro level
Watson is a good professor, fun class and ready available. However, you work a lot, you read a lot, and you must hand in papers EXACTLY as he specifies. I suggest using the writing center.I felt that he was confusing in his specifics, so ask questions. He's hard but completely fair. Got a B, should have been an A, but I'm not perfect. I give a B-.
If you are a teacher's pet or hate yourself, take him. He is the worst lecturer and goes off talking about himself the majority of the time. He boasts about how much he wants to help, come to his office hours, etc, but then he's 15 minutes late to his office hours and only wants you in there for a min. 1st & only class i've dropped & it's bc of
He has some entertaining jokes, but his age is showing in his ability to remember facts. He will cover up his lack of knowledge with blaming it on students not asking enough questions, but never gives room in his lecture for questions. His TA is a terrible grader. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!!
this is not a class you can slack off in! pay attention. takes good notes, sit up front so that you do not get distracted, READ what he asks and dont miss class, and you shouldnt have any problems! he's a pretty cool teacher, funny too!
sit in front, take lots of notes! you have to read the text book to pass the class. he messes up the facts sometimes. he does allow time in class to go over info for test and gives a study guide. but def take watson instead of selcraig!!!
Great great great!
He made the class interesting and tolerable. However, I recommend not taking it during the summer!!Be prepared to write FAST & A LOT!! Sit close to the front of the class because he talks kind of quiet. Powerpoints are pointless, write down everything he says!!
most unprepared/disaffected prof ever seen. changes assignments mid stream, changes in class test to take home AND required citations AFTER everyone prepped for exam, makes wrong statements in class, never holds class for entire class length, people now say -- oh, you actually took him for class -- when I say I have him, unprofessional attitude
the evil of tenure....no way to affect his manners in the classroom, berates students, pulls 7th grade assignments and then kills on others, HAS ZERO TEACHING SKILLS, why do we let "experts" teach and not be taught to teach....ZERO PREPARATION, rambles, keeps an 80-min class only 30 min, several walks, NO RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS on assgmnt format
Great teacher, good guy, fun class. Brutally honest, clear and concise. Just a lot of work, writing and the like.
He was very very disrespectful to his students. He makes unprofessional comments constantly that make students uncomfortable. He grades unfairly and does not take attendance but says he remembers who was there everyday and lowers your grade if he thinks you missed. He will not answer most questions, and makes you feel dumb for even asking them.
Maybe Dr. Watson teaches different in his other classes, but i took Desegregation of the South. I'm a junior and i would have to say his lectures have been my favorite since going to Texas State. He answers ALL questions with concision and factual backup. His exams and essays are not impossible to do well on. Take him if you're a responsible studen
Very stimulating lectures, POOR organization. Syllabus was wrong, didn't provide instruction for major assignment. Essays all take home; with instructions on page that conflicted. Changed assignments whenever he felt like it. Felt stupid when I asked questions. Refused to email; poor office hours.
What can say? He's funny as hell, but sometimes his comments can be humiliating. I'd NOT recommend anybody to take him if you are an international student, specially. HARD to understand his lecture. Jumps from topic to topic then he comes back, etc. NOT so organized during lectures.must read, must prepare FOR EVERYDAY.
assigned a mid-term, when students showed, he passed out the mid-term and said it is now a ake home exam.....but, remember to cite your work.....turned an inclass exam to an out of class reasearch paper without a seeming understanding that people spent hours studying and now will have to double thir effort to write a paper....totally clueless/weak
We did not talk about African-American families. We had repeat lectures about urbanization. The guest prof was 100 better. Dr. Watson didn't finish I solid thought. Lots of rambling. Stressful tests because you don't learn. Not enough course work to boost grade. Cuts you off and expects you to be on his level.
Listen to the other rates... He didnt have the grades posted, my classmates and I didnt know what our grade was until after finals which was posted on the txst app. I overlooked what they rated him because I really wanted to know about the history of African Americans. As a teacher he doesnt teach well, as a person his really nice.
Dr. Watson is an amazing guy , but TERRIBLE professor. The class was online due to COVID-19. The class was set to met at a certain time each week, but we only had class when he felt like it. SMH. We only had 2 tests the whole semester, mid term and final. Overall I would not suggest you take this class, save yourself and take regular history.
Don't take unless you want your gpa to be ruined and want to write impossible essays.
Very tough to understand what he wanted from us. There was no clarity to his grading, but did give us the option to bump the grade if we took the paper to the writing center. Does not tell you what your grade is...you wont know until the day final grades go in. Make sure to include all info possible about what you are writing. who, what,where,why.
If you're 10 minutes early you're on time and if you're on time you're late. Professor Watson shares a lot of information and answers questions super early. He does seem like he cares about you but honestly, you're on your own. He makes it seem like you can attend his office hours for help but discourages you in class if you don't know something.
Do not take this professor. He does not provide any PowerPoint, never abides by the syllabus, and talks out of his butt every class with no preparation. He is very wise but often he just talks about random historical facts and not what is on the test. The mean test score on the first test was 50. Tough grader, and impossible to follow, AVOID!!!
all the other comments are true
I do not recommend Dr. Watson, he was very scatterbrained, always giving us the wrong information regarding the material given on the test, and always changing when the tests were. He goes into several tangents when lecturing making it hard to understand what information is important. He and the TA grade very harshly also.
He is an okay professor to say the least, very scatterbrained and goes off topic a lot. His TA was extremely helpful in the material. Easy class for me to say the least. Would not reccomend him if you are not good at history.
He rambles during lecture and is very hard to understand. He will put up the study guide terms in the first minute of class randomly then take them off the board, leaving you almost no time to write them down. If you ask him a question he will often refuse to answer it and tell you to ask one of your classmates.
He rambles a lot and it's hard to understand what he is talking about. The tests are extremely difficult its two essays and 5 fill in blank questions and vocab questions where you have to explain what it is and give specific examples. On the brightside he is a funny and nice professor.
Only had 2 tests the entire semester for grades. That's it. He is super lecture heavy and doesn't post the slide shows. He does seem to care about his students and their performance, but doesn't do anything to help s boost our grades. He rambles and get's mad when you don't know the material. I would not recommend this professor at all.
Absolutely the worst professor I have ever taken. He is awful like god awful. He only puts test in so be ready to fail if u do not do good but also never answers
He is very educated man and passionate but his course is very hard. His lectures are verbal and do not ask him to repeat himself, he won't. His test grades are the only grades hands out. He gives test reviews with about 45 or so terms just for 1/3 to be on the exam. His exams/ essays on exam are in pen. Wouldn't recommend. Also read a lot.
His instructions are not very clear and when you ask him to clarify something he will not respond. This class is graded on 3 exams only and some pop quizzes or essays he has. I would not recommend him because of his unorganized lectures and rambling about something. He also doesn't post anything on Canvas. Take another professor, save yourself.
Always cancels class
Don't take this professor. He does the bare minimum, and the course is very test heavy. Only grades 3 tests and doesn't care if the whole class fails.
Extremely disrespectful and rude to students, doesn't teach the material needed. SO unorganized and never knows what is going on in his own class. When a student asks a question he does not answer answer, will just stare at you and never answer the question. Have never had such an issue with a professor before.
Do not take this professor. He always cancels class but then expects students to automatically know the material. No assignments, only 2 exams which are extremely difficult, so if you arent a great test taker do not take this professor. Can never understand what he's saying in lecture and when asked to repeat himself he refuses. EXTREMELY RUDE.
Won't grade any assignments until the end of the semester, talks purely in hard to understand ebonics, goes off on tangents every couple minutes during lecture, gets all of his material for lecture off of searching google before class, punishes you for asking questions in class and often tells you to ask one of the other students for the answer.
STAY AWAY PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS PROFESSOR S T A Y A W A Y
Do not take Watson unless you have already graduated college with a history degree, because that is what you'll need to pass this course. My course only had 6 grades in the grade book and I still haven't gotten my grades back for them. There are no student resources other than the TA and for a while, there wasn't even a textbook.
Do NOT take this class. He is very lecture heavy and does not post the powerpoints and is not very clear on what he says and if you ask him to repeat himself he won't answer. There was only 3 grades including the final and they were all tests. His class is very stressful
He be yapping and things that are on the test were never even talked about during the lectures. Cool guy tho.
Worse professor at Texas State by a mile. Do not take course unless you want an F. Lectures are a waste of time his lectures he just rambells about personal stories.
Show up to class. Take notes. Ask some questions when youre confused, he'll always answer or tell you to meet after class if there isnt time. Study a bit before the test (At least skim the textbook) Know how to write a decent essay. Do that and you'll pass easily. He's test heavy, but if you show up to class, then the tests are easy.
Yes he is a hard professor, if you read the test book, actually listen to his lectures and study you will be fine. If you can't do those things then you are SOL. These things are required for college. Put in the work and you will be fine
AVOID, he goes off topic during his lecture many times and tells you to just read the textbook. His exams are very difficult as you have to write the essay during his lecture period without knowing the prompt while being paired with other questions. He gives no homework or any practice problems, making three exams your grade for the semester.
Many people give him bad reviews, but these people don't go to class. The tests are made up of fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, ID questions or essays (depending on the test). We had 2 in-person tests, 1 take-home essay, and an in-person final. He reads directly off the test during the review so go to class, take notes and you should be fine.
For HIST 1310. I would recommend getting a feel of his teaching style to see if you want him as a professor, cause his method might work for you. If you are good on reading a lot and attending almost every class, then I think this class will be good for you. Reading the textbook and attending the lectures are required if you want to succeed here.
I would absolutely not take another course with Dr. Watson. He has been the least organized and consistent professor I've had. His syllabus is maybe 4 paragraphs long and details almost nothing useful. His lectures were interesting and the test consisted mostly of what was in the lectures but he is terrible at communication and inconsistent.
This guy frusturates me. I had to take the class for credit and do not recommend this man. He is smart, and gives good lectures, but he whines and punishes the class if you don't answer his random questions in class. He regularly throws tantrums in class. Then he wonders why nobody shows unless it's a test day. Save the stress and skip this guy.
If you want to succeed PLEASE do NOT take this class with Professor Watson. He doesn't give out study guides/post anything on his canvas page. All he does is complain in class about how the students are failing but he doesn't set you up for success. ANY professor would be better than him please take someone else for the sake of your GPA and sanity.
TBH, I never got the rating given to this professor. This is quite literally the easiest professor you could ever take for History. As long as you come to class, ask for feedback after the test, and study, you'll be perfectly fine. I never understood people who want everything handed to them. Do your work and you'll pass.
Dr. Watson knows his history and gives a great lecture. He is very personable. Just show up, be respectful, listen, and participate. Do your part, put the work in and you will pass.
Professor Watson's class is a challenge, but engaging with the material can pay off. The lectures are dense, so staying on top of the textbook and utilizing resources like unstuck study for study prep are key. With diligence, this course is manageable.
Very unorganized and doesn't follow his syllabus. Grading is all over the place and doesn't match his rubrics. He gives valuable information that you normally wouldn't learn, but he doesn't have PowerPoint, so you can retain the information. You will also get tasked to read material that won't be graded and is not on the syllabus.
Literally the most horrible professor I have ever encountered. I had to drop his class because he is actually the worst at communicating and following his word. NEVER TAKE HIM you will 100% regret it.
"It is not my job to teach you what is on the test my job is to teach you History" Awful Professor. Class is often extremely disorganized and there are NO resources taught in class accessible on Canvas. Professor is vindictive to class despite providing very few opportunities to succeed. Only grades are 3 open ended exams. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!
Great professor very knowledgeable!!! Being at a pwi taking this class was huge help , Dr. Watson is also a very good mentor when it comes to continuing education and the outside world. You can learn a lot in this class come ready to learn and ask questions and to be taught to write the correct way academically!
Pick a religion and pray if you have to take his class. Goes off topic, doesn't give any kind of guideline for grading, and is one of the worst communicators I have met at this school. Syllabus might as well not have not existed for how often he didn't abide by it. Changes his mind every 5 minutes and just overall BAD. Save yourself.
Only take Dr. Watson if you are confident in your essay-writing abilities. He is definitely knowledgeable and passionate about history, but his expectations are definitely high for a freshman-level course. Only grades in the class were 3 exams, each consisting of an essay portion and fill-in-the-blank portion.
Professor Watson has been the worst instructor I've had. His class was a joke from start to finish, constantly changing instructions, unclear grading, and discussions repeatedly pushed towards race. Any time students raised concerns, he reacted by playing the victim card and shifting blame. Overall, the class felt unprofessional and frustrating.
So we had an instance where the violated FERPA and the school basically told us too bad so sad. He does NOT adhere to his syllabus and whatever instructions he gives you in class will change by the time he posts it, I promise you. He is very knowledgeable about what he teaches, it's just in a very disorganized and uncommunicative way. God speed
This has been the most disorganized university class I have ever taken. Doctor Watson is obviously very passionate and knowledgeable about the subject, but that's the only good thing I have to say about him. Inconsistent scheduling, communication, going off the syllabus, etc. Class only consists of oral lectures and 3 exam grades, good luck.
do not under any circumstance ever take this professor ever
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
41%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.37 avg changeRatings by Course
USHIST
5.0
(1)HST1320
4.0
(1)HST13101320
4.0
(1)1310HISTO
3.5
(2)HISTORY
3.4
(5)Difficulty by Course
HIST
5.0
HISTO1310
5.0
1320
4.6
HIST1310
4.6
HST1310
4.5