3.2
Quality3.7
Difficulty52%
Would Retake93
Reviews52%
Would Retake
93
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
93 total ratings5
35
4
11
3
11
2
19
1
17
What Students Say
“His lectures were hard to follow, and not just because of his accent”
EUH3323 - 2.0 rating“He is pompous,and inconsiderate”
MEM3003 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
27%
Textbook Required
64%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.34 avg changeRatings by Course
HIS4905
5.0
(1)EUHSECT
5.0
(1)EUH6000
5.0
(1)EUH1000
5.0
(1)EUH4185
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
HIS4905
5.0
EUH3432
4.7
EUH3500
4.5
EUH3121
4.1
EUH3300
4.0
Reviews (92)
Outstanding teacher who is very effective in presenting needed Information.
hard to understand sometimes with his accent.
Excellent Professor! You have to be an honest student who does the work but overall the experience will be good! Knows his history like no other I have seen
Very knowledgable. I learned a lot in his class.
A fantastic, spellbinding, leanient, clever, knowledgeable professor. He knows everthing!! Incorporates funny anecdotes and stories into the readings.
Very smart; he knows his stuff, and speaks 7+ languages. Unfortunately, he is very difficult to understand at times. He is tough, but very fair. Make sure to attend class.
The reading requirements for his class is big. Difficult to understand his accent.
It's not his problem if you have trouble with the accent.
Very hard course, but taught very well.
Very hard to understand. Pop quizzes are ambiguously-worded at times and always very difficult.
VERY BRILLANT MAN. Please take his classes only if you want to, he requires a good bit of reading, but never attendance. Don't waste his time, he won't waste yours. He's a great lecturer, does go a little fast sometimes and with a slight accent can blur together. DESERVES A LOT OF RESPECT!
I never knew someone could make learning about the Vikings so boring. Don't go to his office hours unless you want to be talked down to.
oh gosh!!! im soo disappointed and upset. i was psychd to take this class but i had to drop it b4 spring break! his accent deters one's learning. quizzes are completely ambiguous. hard to pass even if u try to learn the info urself. it couldve been a great class =(. he lectures TOO FAST and ALL OER
He is a brilliant man - he really knows his stuff. The quizzes are difficult and the readings are long, but he puts as much effort into teaching as he expects his students to put into learning. The class is fascinating.
He is Amazing!You will learn in his class what you should know in history at college level.His tests are hard, so I sugest u review every week!Quizes are not that hard. I love this class, and I am lucky to the opportunity to be in there, and his acent is sexy, very diff and attractive!!;)!!
I don't think I've hated a class more than this one. I couldn't understand what he said and when I would go to his office hours, it seemed that he would always brush me off and never answer any of my questions. I definitely don't recommend him.
he's a really interesting teacher, and his class is fast paced and he knows his stuff. i think its hard to take notes for b/c he talks about EVERYTHING related in the slightest bit AND he speaks incredibly fast. however, the material is intersting because he is very into his job. The exams were easy, he told us 6 essays for them and chose one for t
Terribly hard to understand at times during class, but the real problem comes with his astounding lack of clarity. It's never clear just what you need to study and his readings are ridiculously long. No one warrants an undergrad class with a 1200 page cous
A brilliant man, no question, but in my opinion whether or not you do well depends on whether or not you can understand his accent. He requires a lot of reading, and his lectures are separate from the reading assignments, so you really do have to keep up in all aspects to do well (he took attendance in my class). I agree with others in that his quizzes were oftentimes very "out there". Very interesting class though.
The greatest history professor I had. He personifies what history should be at the collegiate level. After class, he was always available to clear up any questions regarding subject matter. His grading is much simpler than most students realize. He gives ample readings, however, they far surpass the level of the testing. Prepare to learn a lot!!!
Really good history prof. His accent was almost never an issue. Extremely knowledgeable about what he's teaching. He's really more of an archaeologist than a teacher, but you can tell that he loves what he teaches. He didn't give us quizzes/tests, just bi-weekly journal entries and a final paper.
The best history teacher at UF. If you love history take his classes. He is absolutely brilliant.
He is the best teacher ever.
Dr. Curta is very unprofessional as he has recently changed an extra credit assignment and exam with less than three days to go before it is due. If you are smart, AVOID THIS CLASS!!!
He is a very good teacher. Truly enjoyed his class. One of his TAs acted in a very unprofessional way giving away the questions for the exam. No wonder he had to clarify things a few days before the final. He asked us to study all the questions provided to us three weeks in advance. Some people were unhappy but it was really not his fault.
Horrible professor. He is pompous,and inconsiderate. Very unclear in both speaking skills and expectations. I give him an overall grade of: F.
He is the best teacher ever. You do have to work in his classes. He has high standards. Check out his website and CV. Is absolutely impressive.
Very unprofessional, at end of semester had rejected extra credit papers that were to his credentials but were approved by TA's and not him. The day before the final added subjects to study. Avoid class's taught by this teacher
First do not bother giving your precious time to this Professor. Curta is rude and self absorved. I feel sorry for him because the highliht of his life is HIS DEGREES. As a human being this life he failed.
As stated before, Curta rejected extra credit papers and added a question to the exam MERE DAYS before it. His teaching his no coherency, his method of grading (random quizzes that have questions that simply speculate on the reading - if you get it wrong, one point off your final grade) is terrible, and his class has little substance. Awful prof.
He is the best professor ever. Very well informed and considerate. You guys don't know anything when you label him as rude. He is an amazing person and a wonderful professor.
Great course! Those folks talking crap about him obviously weren't serious about his class. He is a wealth of knowledge and offers help to ANY student who asks him! All he asks is that we do our part--which requires EFFORT and HARD WORK! Too many folks want an easy "A". Well this is not that easy "A" it's a challenging course but so worth it!!!
Great professor. One of the smartest people in world. If you work hard and go to class you will really enjoy it and do well.
I took a few graduate courses with him and he is a very good teacher and brilliant scholar.
He is obviously a brilliant scholar and I had a lot of respect for him in that way. What he lacked as a professor was structure. He gives pop quizzes that are based largely on lecture and can be very detail oriented, so take good notes.
A very knowledgeable and intelligent professor who gives disorganized lectures and follows them with difficult quizzes and exams. This is not a casual class. I would only recommend him to serious history buffs.
Very smart! By far one of my favorite teachers at UF. Have to attend his classes all of the exam questions and quizzes come from his lectures. Very helpful if you go to office hours.
Amazing professor! The best history teacher! He has amazing lectures and goes out of his way to help students.
Professor Curta is by far the best history teacher I had at UF. Brilliant teaching, exciting topics, never got bored in his class. He changed my views on history.
Brilliant professor and a nice man.
He cannot make up his mind as to the type of answer he wants on tests and quizzes. He thinks he is teaching a history class to history majors.
treats good life as a history class, so maybe half of the information in lecture is actually relevant. I stopped going after a few weeks. he seems very nice though and I can imagine he is an excellent history professor
Dr. Curta is a very good professor, just not for Good Life. He uses Tophat so attendance is kinda mandatory. All the clicker questions are history related, only a few of the many we've had so far were actually related to the readings. Smokin' Notes helped me pass the midterm.
Dr. Curta knows what he is talking about...regarding history. But he is a very bad professor for Good Life, all of his lectures are just history-related and can't help you with the midterm or final. I still can't answer the question, "what is the good life?" Hope you have a good T.A
Curta's lectures put me to sleep beause they were primary based on history and I am not a fan. Clicker points are used for attendance, primarily history based, and the answer is usually all of the above... Besides that, my TA was great so the weekly discussions were what I got the most out of. Good luck!
Rather than teach about What Is The Good Life, he complies a list of things that he finds interesting and teaches about that instead. This course is terrible, and Dr. Curta doesn't make it any better.
Dr. Curta is one of the best teachers I have encountered at UF. He has such a deep passion for history that it really shows in his lectures. The class wasn't the easiest I've taken, but certainly not difficult. He really pushes his students to learn something, and as long as you remained somewhat interested.. You will learn A LOT!
To everyone complaining about Dr. Curta's accenthe speaks eight languages, and is perfectly comprehensible. He is truly one of the most brilliant people at UF, and any history major would be lucky to learn from him.
To everyone complaining about Dr. Curta's accent--he speaks eight languages, and is perfectly comprehensible. He is truly one of the most brilliant people at UF, and any history major would be lucky to learn from him.
This professor is awesome at what he does. He knows EVERYTHING! He is very passionate about what he teaches, which can make him excited at times and go quickly through the lectures. His accent is a bit difficult at first especially if he rushes, but he can definitely be understood if you pay attention. No final, just little tests. Awesome teacher!
While Professor Curta is extremely knowledgeable and intelligent, his class was extremely intensive on reading and his pop quizzes seem to be based little on the reading at all. Format for the entire class was pop quizzes, a midterm, and a final. Hard to understand his accent and follow his powerpoints at times especially as he moves very fast.
Professor Curta is very knowledgeable and impressive in his field, but I found his class very challenging. The readings were dense (and I'm no stranger to long reading assignments) and hard to understand in general. His lectures were hard to follow, and not just because of his accent. Quizzes were extremely specific and seemed to come from no where
Most of the reviews don't seem fair to him. This dude is smart and knows what he's talking about, however it was difficult for me to keep up with his course when combined with my other courses. He doesn't set unrealistic expectations, but at the same time he expects us all to work. And his accent is actually easy to understand. Try and he'll help.
He is a brilliant individual who loves history, but he moves way too fast and does a poor job at putting things in perspective, which is necessary for such a dense course. His pop quizzes are impossible and his attendance policy is unreasonable. I slowly lost interest in this class as the semester went on because his teaching method is chaotic.
Dr. Curta is a great teacher that I would definitely take again. The grade for this class was based on 4 pop quizzes and 2 tests (midterm and non-cumulative final). The quizzes are based on the primary readings, so I definitely recommend keeping up with the readings every week (theyre not that bad) or else you will do poorly on the quizzes.
He is a fantastic lecturer, definitely one of my favorites at UF. Just as a lot of people have already said, he is a very intelligent and talented individual. In my experience, he can sometimes come off as a bit rude in emails, but he is genuinely very kind and helpful in person, and is always happy to discuss things in his office hours.
Very rarely would you find a professor as knowledgeable as Dr. Curta. He's smart to the point that it's intimidating sometimes. He is kind and easy to talk to in office hours. Readings are reasonable in length, but can be extremely difficult to understand. I wish he would use more time for discussion and interacting with the class.
I would avoid if you can. I went to every lecture, but learned far more, if not everything, from the readings. Lectures are too full and he talks so fast it is hard to understand him sometimes. There were 4 quizzes that were impossible to do well on, weekly journal entries, and the midterm and final are essay questions.
Professor Curta is enthusiastic about what he teaches and has good lectures. Attendance is not mandatory but if you skip class you won't do good on the quizzes. He gives pop quizzes so read the assigned chapters and pay attention in class. He's a reasonable grader and gives good feedback.
I have taken 3 classes with Dr. Curta and I wish I had taken more before graduating. Dr. Curta is very passionate about what he teaches and really does care about his students learning. Though his class is difficult if you come to class and listen to his lectures and reading of the primary sources you should be able to pass the class with no issue.
I had Dr. Curta for the Viking Experience. The class was different due to COVID and everything was online. We had 200 word reading journals everyday and 5 in-class assignments that were akin to take home tests. They were hard. The class was hard. But if you love history, take a class with him because its truly rewarding. You will learn a lot.
Has favorites in class. I wouldnt take this professor for anything else
Average professor lectures cover a lot of material but and with so many names you can get bogged down in the details. Your grade is made of 4 quizzes, 10 points each all MC and 2 exams with a few MC a few definitions but mainly an essay with no word count each worth 30 points. You need to go to lecture to learn, reading and presentation are lacking
This class was definitely tough but he intended it to be that way. Dr. Curta's lectures are pretty interesting and it's obvious he's passionate about history. He definitely sets his class up as a challenge to his students but offers extra credit and fairly clear guidelines. The quizzes are surprises but the exams you know ahead of time.,
You are expected to read a good amount, but his weekly reading expectations were fair. Your grade is based on tri-weekly journal entries based on readings (you can pass the class with a 70% just doing these) and 5 in-class assignments (doing well on these boosts your grade). He's a walking historical encyclopedia, definitely recommend his classes.
Dr. Curta is a tough professor, his classes are centered on his lectures, as well as the readings he assigns which are a bit heavy but doable. His in-class assignments are difficult if don't you have a really good understanding of the class. He wants you to come to him, so ask questions/for help if you need it. Ultimately, a good professor.
He changed the number of assignments mid-semester. The majority of the reading contributed nothing to the class (as well as the books), and his inability to record and input grades, made this class far harder than it needed to be. On top of this, he was not very helpful or willing to meet with students unless it suited him the best way possible.
Dr. Curta is a very knowledgeable person, almost to the point of being a walking encyclopedia. That being said, he quite literally never put in any grades. I only discovered my grade after the semester was over. His criteria for grading are completely unclear and it felt like a lot of the readings weren't actually necessary for the class.
Professor Curta is very knowledgeable but seems to not be able to translate it to his students. His accent makes it hard to understand and his lectures are very dense. I do not suggest you take him.
Dr. Curta is knowledgable about anything. I had him for Medieval Germany and it was based on lectures. Reading journals before every class and a research paper. You will read a lot. If you are interested in the subject you will love his classes. They allow you to actually learn the material. He also offers one extra credit assignment.
Dr Curta is wonderful! He is knowledgeable and his interest in the topics covered truly carry his courses! Some lectures can be lengthy & complex but never fail to captivate! some courses have difficult and info specific pop quizzes but they are passable! With interest in the topic and participation in readings and lectures you will do well!
For his seminar EUH4903 it was a easy in terms of grading. There is a lot of reading and writing, but as long as you do it you will get an A. There are weekly essays until around Halloween he stops giving hw and you just work on your research. It was a great class to learn the research method and how to use UF libraries effectively, great overall.
Never underestimate his ability to respond rudely to an email. Never underestimate the attention to minuscule detail that the quizzes require. More importantly, never take the course. He is the epitome of the stereotypical college professor in ways that are unceasingly negative.
This professor makes the case for abolishing tenure. I don't know why but he always responds to emails in a sarcastic or mocking way, going out of his way to belittle those who are trying to learn something or ask a question. His lectures are also very disorganized.
What to say about Florin Curta? Every email I've ever received from him is coated in condescension. Reading back his emails to me has literally brought me to tears. Every question I have ever asked in class or in email has been met with disregard and blatant disrespect. He teaches because he likes the sound of his own voice.
Dr. Curta made me feel like a stupid baby that doesn't know anything at all. Quizzes are impossible, exams are pretty easy tho. He's a nice guy and I like him as a person, do not take this class if you dont care abt medieval history.
This professor is incapable of empathy and proper instruction. He thinks he knows everything and will insist that he is always right, even when confronted with his own mistakes in writing. The only person he respects is himself and this lack of respect is despicable.
Professor Curta does as little as possible and expects to be feted for it. He claims to have office hours and then makes it extremely difficult for students to actually see him. How such an inaccessible individual could still be employed at UF is troubling.
You can read every on the 4 books he assigned (despite saying you only need one for the quizzes, which itself isn't true), attend every one of his ramble lectures, and you still won't do well in the class. A complete waste of time to have so much information thrown at you and not having more then 4 quizzes to actually pass his insane grading scale.
Easy grader, but one of the worst Professors you can have in History. Lectures are rambling and incoherent, will frequently demean and belittle students, does not believe in teaching anything that doesn't already gel with his particular, super-Christian worldview (he WILL force it on you), impossible to get in touch with in-person for office hours.
DO NOT take any of his courses unless you have 15 hours of free time daily for the readings :) Half of the time lectures were incoherent and very hard to follow as Curta loves to ramble about things that do not really relate to the topic at hand. Only take his classes as a last resort. Please save yourself from the unnecessary stress!!:)
Dr. Curta is knowledgeable and demands a lot of attention from students. I've taken Early Medieval Italy + Byzantine History, and neither is beginner-friendly. Lectures are dense + fast. He's condescending. History dudebros fill his classes. But if you can read and think with a critical, historical mind, it's a good challenge/skill-builder.
I took multiple classes with Dr. Curta and honestly love him. Although he is a tough grader, he genuinely cares for his students and will happily offer help and sometimes extra credit if you meet with him during office hours. He is so passionate about history and education, and was by far my favorite professor from UF.
I am a first year freshman and this class is definitely a culture shock for me. He definitely knows what he's talking about, but the lectures feel unengaging. I respect the knowledge, but the admin of the course isn't my cup of tea. If you take this class, take notes on the key terms and do not take notes on all of the examples. No tests. Show up.
This has been the most boring class I've ever taken; I do not recommend it. The topics of Migration and Identity are really touched on, but the class primarily revolves around historical examples, which, by providing background context, half of the class has already passed. The work is easy to do, and the history is not very necessary.
VERY easy quest class. Super chill TA's, and lectures (objectively) don't feel and aren't mandatory to succeed. If you show up, note the key definitions and use them in your writings. No tests, quizzes, midterms or finals. only 4 assignments in the course and they are self-explanatory. He knows what he is talking about for fs. He posts his lecture.
Great teacher. You talk to the TA more. Lectures every class, the whole time. SO many things to read for hw. Lots of discussion posts, 3 writing assignments, NO TESTS! Funny dude, just (in my opinion) boring topic/class.
Dr Curta has a genuine love for the topic he is teaching. The lectures are fun and interesting. You spend more time with your TA. But the TAs are amazing. Definitely would take another class with Dr. Curta.
Dr. Curta is very passionate about history and loves talking about it. If you talk to him 1:1 at the end of class or during office hours he is incredibly approachable and nice, good guy overall. If you like history you'll like the lectures, if not you might be a little bored. Assignments were light and not graded harshly, really liked him.
This entire class is basically graded on 3 written assignments and a discussion post. His lectures were not engaging, but I loved the TA's lectures. Attendance isn't mandatory but TA's take a participation grade at the end of the semester? He would also only reply in discussion posts to correct people which I thought was very strange.
Professor Curta was very knowledgeable about what he taught, but his lectures were a bit disengaging and I often found myself zoning out. He is an extremely kind person who is willing to help. I LOVED my TA and really enjoyed her lectures. Participation only matters in discussions, from what I experienced.
Prof. Curta was clearly very passionate about the field of study but make sure you have at least a background in the time period. I had none, and struggled because of it. His lectures are very quick and if you don't keep up with the information he's giving, you'll be very confused on the quizzes.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
27%
Textbook Required
64%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.34 avg changeRatings by Course
HIS4905
5.0
(1)EUHSECT
5.0
(1)EUH6000
5.0
(1)EUH1000
5.0
(1)EUH4185
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
HIS4905
5.0
EUH3432
4.7
EUH3500
4.5
EUH3121
4.1
EUH3300
4.0