2.7
Quality2.5
Difficulty20%
Would Retake85
Reviews20%
Would Retake
85
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
14
4
13
3
15
2
31
1
12
What Students Say
“Fran is extremely intelligent and a very nice person”
ASIA318 - 2.0 rating“She is by far the most confusing professor ive ever had”
ASIA318 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
0%
Textbook Required
83%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.30 avg changeRatings by Course
ASIA338418
5.0
(1)ASIA200
4.0
(1)ALL
4.0
(1)HIST403
4.0
(1)ASIA001
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HISTORYOFINDIA
4.0
100
3.0
ASIAN100
3.0
ASIA
3.0
INDIAHISTORY
3.0
Reviews (85)
No Comments
humorous prof ^^, beware of the final though!!
Dr. Larry Preson is one of the best profs that I have had at UBC.
very nice guy, exams are super easy
I learned nothing this entire course. His lectures were useless.
midterms were ok, finals gotta watch out!
lectures are all over the map but nice guy
No Comments
I didn't like his class at all. A very biased viewpoint, and his course wasn't structured well.
marks well if you agree with his archaic perspective on india. british weren't so bad, eh?
One of the worst teachers ever. I did not learn anything all year except what I learned from my own research for the paper. His marking is wacky, his lectures are all over the place. Nice guy, but really needs to get some structure. Not recommended.
Preston was awesome...I don't know what people are complaining about. Has become one of my fave profs at UBC. Wow...he is so cultured. Has traveled through India. Really eager to talk and will spend his whole office hour helping you out! Good prof ;)
No Comments
Not trendy but definately excellant.
Larry, is defiently a character! He's funny, easy going and very informative. He's not convential but thank god for that - its nice to take a break from the drabness of profs who are way to high strung. He's accessible, helpful and listens to students!
He is a totally nice guy and very informative, but the class was all over the place. Needs more structure!
totally non-structured classes. i NEVER know when to take notes and when not to cuz i just dunno if any of the things he's talking about is relevant or not since he always goes off topic -_-he's fun, but damn, gimme info i need not to make me laugh
learned little from his lectures~just learned things from the textbook~He is nice~the test is easy, but course is non-structured.....not recommended.
I've taken every class that Larry teaches. He brings a lot to the table in terms of his personal cultivation of obscure sources you wouldn't get elsewhere. He is a great prof for an already-motivated student (with some prior knowledge)
A nice enough guy and uber knowledgeable but very disorganized and I don't feel like i've really learned much of anything in the course
Larry is a very knowledgeable prof but a bit socially shy. I learned a lot from him, especially in after-class questions where he was very unselfish with his time and steered me to some great paper topics. I would love to take a senior level course with Larry.
horrible. not clear at all during lectures, sometimes he mumbles so much that you cant figure out what he's saying. highly disorganized and not helpful when you go to talk to him. but...he marked one of my papers and he's definitely a fair maker
He tends to be confusing and mumbles a lot. He was a bit behind because he talked too much during class. His fashion style is "different". But he is a nice guy and quite funny. Lectures are VERY BORING.
If you study the main topics in detail you will do very well. He is very interesting, funny and helpful. I'd recommend taking any or all of his courses. Definitely the best prof at UBC!
No Comments
No Comments
He is a very nice person but his lectures are way too boring. It's not only that, but he mumbles sooo much it is sometimes impossible to understand what he is saying, seriously you get so confused and lost! His notes aren't helpful, he does not give enough background information, only names with one or two words attached to them as description.
He is a very nice person but his lectures are way too boring. It's not only that, but he mumbles sooo much it is sometimes impossible to understand what he is saying, seriously you get so confused and lost! His notes aren't helful, he does not give enough background information, only names with one or two words attached to them as description.
Don't know what he is talking about in lectures. Noone shows up (only half the class). Very disorganzied and did not really finish the course. Overall, boring and time-wasting class, do not take it.
A very nice prof but can't teach.Does not breathe, just rambles on and on and never gets to the point. Notes are not helpful and there is no textbook to learn the stuff other than a usless optional text that wastes money. But TAs are extremely nice. Prepare for a easy but confusing class. Take the class if you don't mind not learning anything.
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
I learned nothing from this class. Got a decent mark but it was painfully boring to attend class and lectures were unstructured, confussing and boring. Would not recommend, waste of time and money!
Not at all what i expected. Lectures are all over the place and then for the last 5 minutes the prof speeds up and tries to make up for wasted time. I thought id learn something new and get a decent grade, both were debatable. I wouldnt recommend this prof.
Generally easy. Sometimes hard to follow. Listen carefully, and take notes.
No Comments
she is definitely a character, but there is no textbook, class outline, or helpful notes, therefore its impossible to study for exams.. only take her classes if you know the subject matter already
Amusing - classes were usually entertaining. She goes off on tangents a bit too often and occasionally mumbles, but the lectures are still worthwhile. Also very knowledgeable, she really knows her stuff and it shows. Notes and sourcebook material were nicely organized online. Overall, a good class.
ta's determine all
VERY BORING. Tests are unfair. Unhelpful. TAs have too much power. This is my interest area but this class was so boring i found it hard just because I could not maintain a level of interest. Avoid.
Worst asian studies class i have ever taken. Prof is very hard to follow in class, notes are vague and the TAs are in full control of marks. So TAs mark final and midterm for there own sections and there is no class average. I've done ALOT better in 3rd asian studies courses compared to this one. AVOID THIS CLASS
I don't understand why people dislike her class. If you actually listen to her lectures (w/o sleeping) and with her online notes, it's really easy to follow what she's saying. Take notes people!!
Nice enough person, lectures are deadly boring and usually go off-topic. Very little was covered on countries beyond India and China, and the focus was mostly on religion. Going to class is pointless since slides are posted on the net, and the class gives no extra clarity for them. Go to your discussion, that's where you learn everything.
boring class/ never use $100 worth textbook/ topics based only on India and China/ nice person though. I liked her
No Comments
She's nice, really. And I tried SO hard to pay attention during the first few lectures, but Harlow doesn't do anything to really engage students and get them interested in the topic. The material was drier than I could have imagined, and I eventually stopped going to lecture because all the material is online anyway.
Fran is prone to endless, soul-crushing digression. We are about 2/3rds the way through the course and I have learned VERY little about the subject. I'm actually incredulous at how little I've learned. Half the time I leave class without having written down a single note. She can and will spend all class talking about something entirely irrelevant.
No Comments
No Comments
Easy class, absolutely no point in attending lectures, TA sessions are important everything I learned was from there. He/She looks like a bear.
It's all about the TAs
Confusing prof, no point going to class. All she talks about is weird indian poetry with allusions to sex and lectures are absolutely pointless. Tests are easy though, talk to her before you write your papers! All in all, an easy course with no reading and the paper is the only real work in the class; an easy B+ to an A
No Comments
Prof. Harlow is brilliant, she knows so much about what she's talking about that anyone could benefit from it. However, her lectures are a bit confusing, but if you keep up with the outlines she posts and do the readings on WebCT you'll have a great time in that class, she's actually pretty funny! No textbooks and she's a fair marker.
No Comments
GO TO ALL YOUR TA SECTIONS!! Lectures were really boring but do go if you have time because sometimes it does clarify the notes online. Lots of themes in lectures are vague so go to your TA sections because they help you clarify lots of things! I only found topic 3 interesting (with Ashoka) other than that, it didnt seem like Harlow knew much..
Your fate basically lies with the TA's, lectures are a complete mess but I'd still encourage attendance because in the end that's all you have to work with (since there is basically no textbook). Final is basically just essay writing so you've got to be prepared.
Nice prof. Work hard on your papers and you'll do great. The exam is very very easy... class attendance is not mandatory, if you go to every other class you can get a B+.
No one can follow the lectures. But you should still go because a) not everything is in the online "textbook" (useless), and b) you should try to pick up some of the things she rambles on about (if you can) to bs for the essays. the TAs are much more helpful than Harlow. Study the online notes for MC questions.
As an upper-level student, I tend to not put too much weight on really negative ratings by 1st-years (no offense), but in this case, it's quite accurate. I don't feel that Dr. Harlow did too much to create interest in the topic, and went way too quickly for most to follow. I think I learned more from the TA during tutorial than from her lectures.
Professor Harlow's lectures are quite messy. The online notes are disorganized and she doesn't do a very good job at maintaining interest for the course subject. Like someone said, your fate relies on the TAs. If Nianhua Feng is going to be a TA again, go for him! You can't go wrong and you'll end up doing really well as long as you try.
Asia 100/101 under Fran was a pretty average class. Fran frequently went off topic, a lot of the information she gave was irrelevant, and a whole class could pass by without really anything useful or interesting being said. However, Fran is basically a G.P.A. booster professor--the midterm and final were very general and marked pretty easily.
If you're applying for grad school, do NOT ask this woman for a reference. I asked her and she said she would be happy to give a good reference. I went to talk to her in her office and she was very encouraging. Then she disappeared, without writing any of the references she had promised. All my aps came back incomplete. :(
I didnt really attend to her lectures (went only 5-6 times) because she doesnt explain her notes well and notes that are important are posted on the internet...however finals and midterms are very easy and i didnt really study a lot, because t.a helps a lot to prepare exam....
Outline note show this prof as a well organized lecturer but in class she's all over the place. She doesn't give students any clarity in explaining assignments and goes off topic every 30 secs which makes her lectures extemely confussing.
After a month, I didn't miss a single class. Still, have no clue what this class is about!!Boring and confusing!!
Very Helpful Professor!!!
She is an amazing professor! Extremely helpful and makes students interested in the class with all of her personal experiences and travel. If you listen to the instructions she gives, and you make an effort to talk to her in her office hours, you will do very well in any of her courses.
Fran's brain is stuffed full of knowledge which she will generously share with you, particularly if you drop by her office. Her personal asides, peppered throughout lectures, are witty, fun and help build student interest. You'll either adore her or be confused. I adore her - as do many others!
Noone showed up to class & I only showed up because I felt bad her class was half empty. First time I saw the full class was on the day of the final. Never really understood what she said and gave myself a crash course 3 days before the final exam/paper were due. I didn't really do any of her assignments properly therefore she's a generous marker.
Fran is great in that she has a ton of knowledge already stored in her head about anything and everything in Indian history. She's also very nice and has great personal stories. However, the content of her classes is hard to follow and, depending on your expectations, its easy to get 8/10 but very difficult to get 9/10 or higher!
A very friendly and witty prof. She seems a bit scatterbrained sometimes and was ridiculously late (2 months!) in handing back an assignment. I can see why her teacher style would be frustrating for some, but personally I didn't mind it :0
Dr. Harlow's an awesome prof, sometimes her lectures are repetitive but the info's usually in the final. If you put the effort in your writing and assignments she rewards you.
Dr. Harlow really knows her stuff. Great class if you do the work she will reward you. she really wants to make you think about what was going on and how people understood their changing world.
Fran is very sweet, very knowledgeable, and her lectures are pretty interesting. I had a busy semester with work and other commitments, so I went to maybe 5 of the classes? Ended up with a B+. Just be able to write a decent paper and you're good to go.
Fran is such a sweet lady, she marks fair and has exceptional knowledge about Asian history and culture. Recommended!
Fran is extremely intelligent and a very nice person. However, she was incredibly disorganized in her lectures. She barely connected to the readings but they saved me leading up to the exam. The course had very interesting material so I wish that the class was more than her spewing knowledge.
She is by far the most confusing professor ive ever had. Not because the material is hard, but because she goes off on tangents every minute, gives way too much subjective info, and rambles off information that is wither unrelated at all, or way too indepth and random to comprehend. Im here for the grade and credit. Thats all this class is good for
Fran is very knowledgeable in her field of study and really loves what she does. However she fails to explain the material clearly due to her irrelevant tangents in class and unclear powerpoint notes. What even kept me awake in her lectures was her witty sense of humor and her warm personality. If you can, avoid her.
Unclear notes, and heavy percentaged exams
I feel like screaming Right now. Her lectures are very disorganized. Im nearing almost the end of the semester with the second Mid-term of the course comin up and 1.5 weeks of class left and I have absolutely no idea whats going on becuse Fran just goes on long rants,terrible lectures, and powerpoints are disorganized.
Goes off topic a lot, has a voice deeper than me and I sang bass in choir. Rambles a lot, no one shows up to lectures. Material may be interesting if you like ancient china and india.
Fran is super nice, but her lectures are quite difficult to understand. She does post content (lecture slides, extra readings, topic briefings) online, but they are not as detailed as a student would like/needs. It's pretty much a self-taught course. :-(
The topics and her lecture are all pretty boring. The materials take a lot of memorization but if you study her slides and vocabulary lists well, you will do well on her midterms (she calls them quizzes or whatever) and final. Definitely hard to get an A but not difficult to get an above average grade. Go to her lectures for final paper information
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
0%
Textbook Required
83%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.30 avg changeRatings by Course
ASIA338418
5.0
(1)ASIA200
4.0
(1)ALL
4.0
(1)HIST403
4.0
(1)ASIA001
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HISTORYOFINDIA
4.0
100
3.0
ASIAN100
3.0
ASIA
3.0
INDIAHISTORY
3.0