2.6
Quality3.6
Difficulty29%
Would Retake105
Reviews29%
Would Retake
105
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
33
4
7
3
9
2
7
1
49
What Students Say
“I could have just read the textbooks on my own, not paid tuition for the course, and learned just as much”
HIST4050 - 3.0 rating“I respect her very much, and any class she teaches will be quite enlightening”
HISTA - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
73%
Textbook Required
25%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
HST
5.0
(1)HIST
5.0
(1)4THMED
5.0
(1)MEDIEVAL205
5.0
(1)HISTA
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HISTA
5.0
HI205H
4.8
HIST2051
4.4
HI4905
4.3
HIST101
4.3
Reviews (105)
No Comments
No Comments
She rules. Best teacher ever
No Comments
No Comments
Best teacher ever - she's great!
she probably schedules when she is going to blink,she is too nervous as a prof
No Comments
Fiona exudes a genuine care for her students.
Tough but fair. A great person - get to know her! Mean to those who deserve it.
Very approachable.
Seems more interested in teaching feminist-oriented material.
Great lectures, very interesting!
The Storyteller , if the music doesn't get to you first, her lectures = sleep
She's great! Lectures are clearly presented and she is super-approachable. NOTE: to the individual who can not spell - it's medieval.
Boring...
I'm great. My lectures are clearly presented and I'm super approachable
Scares me...
A nice teacher who is entirely approachable but quite boring when it comes to lectures. Intro music is an interesting touch but seems out of place once she starts talking. Has a good knowledge of her field but is a bit of a feminist.
No Comments
She is uncompassionate and contradictory. Like the nerdy girl in high school who was always right and she was the smartest. no good.
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star-Nietzsche. Any course with Prof. S. is a star. Humble, helpful, informative, fair, and funny. I embrace her chaos--brilliance is born in such places.
The best prof at Trent. Nuff said.
She is the best history teacher I had at Trent University. She is very helpful and very informative. If you like history you will love Prof. Stoertz!
Very confused. Lectures have no structure. I got an A but that was not due to anything she did!!!
Prof. Harris-Stoertz made me work, but it was worth it. She obviously loves her topic, and covered it with clarity and a refreshing perspective. She made useful comments on my papers and always had time to talk. Stay on top of that READING...
Prof.Stoertz is a nice enough prof..but all the readings from HI120 are repeated again and again. Make sure you bring coffee to stay awake.Feminisim overkill
why oh why, did the cow jump over the moon.If you thought that sentence was abstract then you should try sitting through one class that this prof lectures in. It's like when she talks about history stuff, it like does not like re;ate to anything that is relivant or anything like that stuff yeah stu
Always had very interesting discussions in her class.
Waste of time. This woman is confused and confusing.Does she know about anything other than medieval girl? I don't think so. I want my money back - and, by the way, I got an A.
Terrible terrible teacher!
She is such a smart woman and she is very kind and approachable. She is a fairly hard marker, but is willing to help you a lot along the way. If you are willing to try, you can get a lot out of her course.
Feminism overkill from the Medieval girl. Lookout.
Good prof
singlehandedly destroyed my trent experience. thanks.
Very knowledgable about her topics and VERY helpful -always happy to suggest/loan books. Also willing to sit down and help students with their papers. Also very accomodating and willing to let students write about topics they want, even if beyond the parameters of the course
Fiona rocks! One of the best profs I ever had.
One of the best profs at Trent. Fantastic. She is always willing to help with essays, suggests books for them, and even lends to students from her personal library! Absolutely fantastic prof.
brilliant
Is there anyone else as dry and dull as this one?
The lectures were overwhelming and the readings were tedious. However, Fiona is a wonderful professor who cares deeply about her students. If you’re prepared to do the work you will find her a fair marker.
Does not seem to know much about anything beyond her specific interest. Can't relate to other humans. Not of this earth
I deeply disagree with the last posting. A caring professor who is definitely hot
Smug, petty, trite, narrow-minded, arrogant, pompous, and cold. She does not have the intelligence to teach at the university level nor the compassion to be an effective instructor. She is a black mark on the institution. DO NOT take her classes.
disappointing all around
I don't know what the other ratings are complaining about. I found her to be extremely helpful and friendly. Would take a class again with her.
I could have just read the textbooks on my own, not paid tuition for the course, and learned just as much.
awful. That's it. Awful.
She knows her field so very well, and doesn't flaunt that knowledge like she's got something to prove. I respect her very much, and any class she teaches will be quite enlightening.
Did not give good feedback. Lectures hard to understand and boring
Great Prof
I have taken three courses with Fiona, and plan to take more. She is by far my favourite professor at Trent. She genuinely cares about her students and their success. She is a fair marker, a good lecturer, and goes the extra mile to give you feedback. Her office door is always open for you, even if you just want to chat. She lets you be creative.
Fiona is such a great prof! She knows what she's talking about and is really passionate about her field. While she's a tough marker, she gives excellent feedback on how to improve and is really kind and friendly.
She is very knowledgeable and is very kind. I feel like I learned a lot from her. Is willing to meet outside of class. Also will give you an extension on an essay no questions asked, as long as you talk to her well in advance.
Pt 1: This prof is by far the most inconsiderate, boring and unfair person I have ever encountered. She puts too much emphasis on screwing over her students when she has provided such inadequate instructions. She takes forever to give back work and barely offers make up time to finish when she has taken the time away from you.
Fiona is very knowledgable, friendly, and willing to go out of her way to help students. She has very flexible extension policies and offers students who need to miss seminars the chance to make up the grades. Her courses have a fairly heavy reading load, mostly primary sources. If you read and participate in seminar, you will do well.
Fiona is one of the most down to earth professors I've ever met. I understand lecture content is not always the most fascinating thing, but she gives so much feedback and is even willing to talk to students on the phone to ensure they succeed. If you take advantage of all she offers, you can really succeed with Fiona.
Fiona is a wonderful, compassionate professor who consistently strives to ensure that her students are well-prepared for academic success. She is more than willing to discuss potential paper topics, provide feedback, and help you understand course material. Her extension policy is pretty cool, too! She clearly cares deeply for all of her students.
Worst teacher at Trent. She has no clue whats talking about. Reads off cue cards like an anxious child and has absolutely no brain without them. Hard marker. Likes to be nice in public, rude in private. Surprised the department hasnt fired her yet. Never again.
I would love to give her a good rating but I cannot - she reads off a script and then gets mad that you do not understand her brutal readings and neither can she! She likes giving disappointing feedback. I am lucky I got an A with her. She should quit and move back to Santa Barbara where she belongs - dont take anything in her name
Too hard of a marker for a pointless course. Would rather take feminist studies
Mediocre prof, bland material, and awful strategies for marking. Her understanding of Chicago referencing is outdated. Her textbook is complete nonsense, have to read readings 6 times over and still have no idea. Even she cant understand it. Business students beware, not the fun history credit to take. Food history was better
I do not mind her, she is very helpful and good hearted. Shes always happy to help when you need it, I just wish she didnt mark so hard, its her only let down really
Teaching methods are outdated with a very winging it kinda style... especially with the cue cards. I think if Im paying thousands to go to University, I should be getting taught by a real professional. Sometimes I could not tell if she was trying to act as a student doing a presentation for the first time. F for Fiona!
I get better marks in graduate year classes and do half the work
The reviews for Prof. Harris Stoertz are skewed negatively due to the fact that multiple one star reviews were spammed on this page on May 3, 2020. They repeat the same information with different course codes, some of which arent even currently taught at Trent. Seems like someone was mad they didnt do well. Real mature, yall. (BTW Fiona rocks!!)
80-120 pages of reading a week. She's ultra picky, especially with your writing style your writing style. I'd put lots of effort into her essays and get low 60s, then do an essay for another prof, write not even close to my full potential because I am burnt out from her essay, and get an 85-95% on the essay with the other prof. Thats what 2 expect
Waaaaaaay too much work for the field she presents. You dont learn anything from her readings, truly unacceptable for history students - she almost made me wanna switch my major!
Fiona is always a delight to have as a professor. She is kind, caring, and approachable. I especially enjoyed how she adapted the course on warfare to focus on a broader scope than simply military history, as her inclusion of social and cultural history made the course incredibly interesting. She clearly goes above and beyond for her students.
I really liked Dr Harris-Stoertz. She worked with me on my papers, helped me write on my interests, gave good feedback, but I can see what some bad reviews are saying. Her lectures can be dry, her reading load was very heavy, and her final exam was scary. Take her if youre into medieval history and want to research and write on something specific.
Too much wokedom, not enough historical content. Please teach this course as if you're teaching a class of prospective historians. Not a class of social justice elites. Would be much obliged. Take care!
Fiona is incredibly kind and caring. She is always willing to help her students, and goes above and beyond to ensure everyone who wants assistance is able to get it. That having been said, she has very high standards. She works hard for her students and expects them to work hard in return, especially since she gives all the tools needed to succeed.
I think Fiona is a wonderful Prof/person. That said I want to warn everyone that she is a History Majors Prof. You'll work hard and learn a lot. If you're just looking for a fun elective I'd stay away. Also, Fiona is allergic to scents (which is noted in the syllabus). It's not just a weird request like that other review suggested.
Nice to you in public. Disgustingly rude in private. I quit history.
Highly recommend her class, but make sure you do the readings. The seminar is a readings discussion, and it's actually very fun.
The lectures were entertaining because you could tell she was genuinely interested in what she was teaching. She is very nice, a fair marker, and makes it clear that she is there to help you if you are struggling with an assignment.
Absolutely horrible methods of teaching. Being a 4th year history major, Fiona had given me the absolute worst experience out of all 4 years at Trent. She is rude, snobby, and bland. Having no option but to take her course to fill up a credit I needed, it was remarkable getting 50s on her essays while I was getting 90s in every other history class.
Not the professor you need if you want to truly utilize your passions for history as a career.
Not that great tbh
Someone who forces you to speak for marks shows that their class ain't interesting. I'm talkative with everyone else though. Amen to Trent for choosing other history faculty that can teach a class that feels welcoming and comfortable!
Very inconsiderate of feedback.
Literally the female Joe Biden, she will read "(pause)" while she's reading her cue cards. Super funny! Nice woman otherwise but wow! Maybe she needs to retire...
Completely uninspiring and a frustrating waste of time. You would be wise to choose a different professor.
Fiona is absolutely terrible. I took this course because I needed to complete my history major criteria and thought I'd give her a shot. I remember years ago having a friend tell me how she is a hard marker and will make you fail. I thought I'd take my chances. Every bad review is spot on. What on earth is trent doing hiring someone so unorthodox!!
Pros: shes kind Cons: reads off cue cards Hates the smell of freshness (no joke, check out her syllabus!) Will wokeify history Forces you to talk since her classes are that dry that most people are crickets if she didn't have that 'executive order' Will be nice to you in public, but will scold you in private emails Overall grade for her: F!
How on Earth is she still teaching? I am amazed. The board needs to come in and sit in one of her lectures! And don't give her time to prepare and memorize her cue cards either. Her knowledge of Chicago referencing hasn't been updated since 1812 and her level of teaching is close to the same as my grade 6 son trying to explain volcanos 🌋
I will never understand the bad feedback on Fiona. She is undeniably the best prof I've had at Trent. She is so full of knowledge and is so willing to share it and clearly loves what she is teaching. Her assignments are incredibly clear and well detailed as long as you put the work in you'll do well.
So the person who wrote that last review is apart of the 1% who got treated well. 99% of the rest, not so much. Worst history course I've ever taken.
Man I can't believe she's still teaching! I remember my dad had her as a professor back in the day. Anyways, she was using cue cards back then and is still using cue cards. Its wild to think that by this point, someone who used cue cards for 20 ish years would have already memorized the material! Absolutely mind blown. Y'all gonna love her!
I think the board should do an audit. For real. She is lacking professionalism !!!
disorganized and past best before date
Fiona is by far the worst. I don't think I've ever met a teacher of such low caliber. She nitpicks anything you do that extends outwards of research she is comfortable with. Very crystallized thinking, not fluid at all. Typical boomer. Its astonishing that people like this have a say in our federal election tbh
Welp... these reviews have it down pat! What more can I say?
Beware folks. 4th year student here who took her 2nd year class since I needed a credit in her 'B Category' History. After taking this class, my GPA dropped from a 4.0. I was getting As in my 4th year classes during this time and she yanked my work down to the value of a C-.
Perhaps one of the most arrogant people I've yet to meet. The course would be way better taught by a 6th grader imo
Took this class and thought, what the heck. Let's try it! On day one, I was amazed on how bizarre her understanding of medieval research is - I am genuinely shocked. She will not touch anything outside of her comfort zones regarding history, leading to me thinking she is programmed and not fluid. Definitely not a good role model for historians!
Does she understand Chicago referencing at all??! Yo.. the school should audit her. Totally unacceptable!!
Fiona is passionate about Medieval studies. She shares that with her students and expects you to reflect the work she put into the course. Participation and critical thinking matters. Her lectures are from cue cards, but it helps her stay on track, not because she doesn't know the material. She is a tough grader that challenges your thinking. 10/10
Yep. Switching out of her class immediately by this weekend. I saw these ratings and thought ahhh, maybe they be skewed. Nope! They are spot on. Very sad sad day, luckily I have time to switch this course for intro to Anthro
Imagine what life would be like without those cue cards. Probably sitting in the far back for her, scrambling thru lollipop and ricola wrappers, praying nobody notices. Remarkable to the high O!
Shes tough with grading but lacks to get you to critically think. Not sure whats up with that. Not a great fan in all honesty
Fiona is a caring, passionate, and knowledgable professor. Always gave engaging lectures (with cue cards to stay on track and not ramble). Makes you put in hard work and pushes you harder than most profs because she wants to see you do well. Sounds like people on here aren't prepared to work hard. Her depth of knowledge of her field amazes me.
She is horrible, so rude outside of class. Went to her three times with qustions about an essay and each she gave me rude and not helpful answers. Also does she understand how to cite in Chicago because how she explains it is so different to other profs.
Run. Literally run. Do not take her classes. The lectures are ok but it's really heavy and you will be lost if you misheard even one word. Her grading is whack and extremely late. It took her a month just to get back essay proposals (which was less than one week before the essay was due) and still told people to redo it. R.U.N.
Fiona is a fair grader. Late extensions are long and the most lenient penalty wise. The medieval period is a large topic with lots to learn and READ. Fiona knows who the slackers are and who is genuinely interested. I wrote this review before final grades and actually got an (A) 85 which I did not expect. She offers to help, take her up on it.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
73%
Textbook Required
25%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
HST
5.0
(1)HIST
5.0
(1)4THMED
5.0
(1)MEDIEVAL205
5.0
(1)HISTA
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HISTA
5.0
HI205H
4.8
HIST2051
4.4
HI4905
4.3
HIST101
4.3