Honestly, this professor can be so rude! If you are late he will stop what hes doing and just stare at you and say some snarky remark. Also, if people aren't particpating in the class he will call on you but get right in your face until you give him an answer. I will NOT be taking him for anymore politics classes.

His lectures often follow whatever rabbit trail he decides to go down for the day. He often used class time for complaining. His reviews were never accurate and often left me feeling unprepared despite days of studying. Dont take unless you have an extensive knowledge of politics or are able to memorize a whole textbook. Still, wouldnt recommend.

Very rude professor. He thinks he's better than everyone. Do not skip class or you WILL NOT pass.

I would give him a 0 but that's not an option. He is so rude and tells students to participate but then says they're wrong for everything so few speak. He is not very caring about peoples needs. The class is huge and he says you should have sat closer to where you can hear. He doesn't teach well at all and the test don't relate to his slides.

Just for perspective, out of 450 students in the class, 10 people made an A, around 30-40 made a B and more than 50% failed his first test. The month between tests, he lectured about 3 times. He is a really really poor lecturer, a great person, but a poor teacher. Your grade is your test. If you need a high GPA or you're premed avoid Esparza.

Man, I respect Esparza as a person but would never take his class again. He has class discussion for the whole time allowed and limits his lectures which sucks for tests. I really only learned anything from reading the textbook which is boring because this is politics. Just dont take this with him, it felt like a waste of time and money.

Attendance is taken every day at the very start of class, maybe even a few minutes before the official start time and he only keeps it open for maybe a minute. Iclicker is required for polls and attendance. Youre grade is based on 4 test, attendance, and an optional EC essay. Doesnt put slides online so make sure to take pics of them.

This was one of the first classes I took and it was the worst thing I ever did. He always said he was arrogant and that we had to deal with it. If we failed it was our fault. His PowerPoint and the book didnt match up. He graded us on the 4 exams we took and participation (mandatory). One extra credit, an essay.

I would never take this professor again. He made me hate the class. He doesnt lecture properly and always insterts his opinions in on the lectures. Literally take any other professor lol.

He hides behind the whole Im strict because I want you guys to do better. In reality hes just a disrespectful , if you try to email him he is very disrespectful and if you try to call him out on a mistake he made he will deny it and try to make you feel bad. If you can find a new professor, this isnt difficult hes just very rude.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS 350 Characters not enough to describe how awful he is. He tried assigning us materials to study and wanted us to take an exam on the first day back from extended break. He treats you like you're stupid in emails some written in ALL CAPS so you get the message. Refused a curve first exam avg was a 75. guides didn't match exams.

Avoid him at all costs. It's not worth your sanity 1st exam had a 52 average, refused a curve. Guides don't match material refuses any personal responsibility for his own errors. Condescending, rude and flat out mean. I don't understand how he's respected by some students and in the department. would give 0 if possible.

He tells you attendance is mandatory and he takes attendance but its not worth one single point. The grade is 90% the test scores and 10% quiz scores. His emails, powerpoints, and tests are written atrociously. Its almost as if he never took a college composition course. He is very proud that people dont get good grades in his class.

He gives his opinion when it is not needed or even asked for. He rambles entirely too much. None of what he says is clear. He is too arrogant. He does not respect DSS students. I have no idea how I got a C in his class even though I got As and high Bs on all other tests etc. Get another professor. It'll help your GPA. I wish I could rate him a 0.

Honestly, 0/10 would recommend. He's disrespectful and self absorbed, and spends half the class talking about himself. When we switched online because of COVID, he was extremely unaccommodating and wouldn't answer emails or post final grades. I'm an A and B student and I got a C in this class. Just do yourself a huge favor and don't take his class.

He would loudly berate students, who were on their phones/had fallen asleep, in front of all their peers (about 300). This is completely unethical because you don't know if someone has just received a message about a death in the family or fallen asleep due to narcolepsy. Everyone's just trying to make it through life, yet he shows no compassion.

Here's the thing. This class was supposed to be asynchronous online as we were not going in to school. This lad had this class dumped on him at the last minute and it seems he was taking it out on us. So much of what he did was not shared with the class as he has alluded to attendance being graded despite being ASYNCHRONOUS. Difficult to deal with.

Don't take his class. Save yourself the money and time. The absolute WORST professor I've ever taken. Doesn't care about his students one bit. Half my class failed from this guy.

Blames students for not understanding his emails. Very passive aggressive. Unclear on instructions and does not post regularly to keep in sync with class. Unhelpful and moody from every email, I just message the TA now. Tests are 8- noon, one day only and if you work those hours get ready to argue. Topic is interesting but teacher is awful.

This was the wort professor I have ever had. Very unprofessional and inflexible with students. I do not recommend this professor at all.

I would definitely not ever recommend this prof for an online class. He is extremely egotistical and there were many problems throughout the semester. The department deans even had to reach out to him and he pretty much lied to him about the syllabus change that happened with only 4 weeks left. He is the worst do yourself a favor and avoid him

This class started out terrible, the professor changed the class times from 9 am to 8 am to accommodate his schedule. Mind the class was not required to attend lectures it was all online only, but you were forced to go and attend the lectures on his time because he would never load the lectures. So many errors and just flat out disorganized.

In the syllabus he says this (asynchronous) class is not for the faint of heart. What he means by this is it's not for anybody that needs asynchronicity, good communication, a humble professor, a learning experience that transcends reading out of a textbook, an exam that isn't formatted like a 3rd grader's work, etc. to succeed. Skip him pls. 0/10

Henry Esparza, or E has he calls himself, is by far the most disrespectful professor at UTSA. He refuses to admit he makes mistakes, which he often does, and failed to make a correct answer key half the time. His exams include such verbose questions as "The Paris Accords:" followed by 5 facts about the Paris Accords. It's astonishing he's employed.

The class was taken asynchronously however there were strict timeframes for all the exams that he gave in addition to regular lectures of which we were not informed till the first day of class. In addition to this, his emails and exams were full of spelling and grammatical mistakes that a college professor should not make. Terrible experience.

Professor Esparza is the most rude, arrogant, and most unhelpful professor I have ever met. Wile the content itself isn't the hardest, he himself as a person is what makes this class miserable. He schedules mandatory test times outside of class hours, gives out wrong textbook isbn then doesn't accept accountability and puts blame on students. SKIP!

Professor Esparza is the most disrespectful prof I've ever taken. I took him prior to lockdown but was trying to see the good in him being stressed having to go online mid semester. He failed at accommodating my SDS needs. I was locked out of the classroom when I took an allotted break. He responded to emails as if I was stupid. Best Advice? Run

His lectures were 100% discussion- not much over the textbook. The tests are too specific and are hidden in the textbook. Lectures are a waste of time. You have to read the textbook multiple times to understand, and even then you can miss stuff. Almost impossible to get an A on exams. Be prepared to do hours every week of independent study.

This is probably one of the worst professors I've ever had. His entire ego is based off impressing 18 yearold's with his "rebellious behavior" and he thrives off of making people angry which he says is to broaden our minds but I've had teachers who have done that effectively and he isn't one of them. He's just a jerk that likes to hear himself talk

The most unpleasant professor I have ever taken a class with. Prof. Esparza prides himself on making his class as complicated as possible. Misleading study guides, cryptic exams, he has it all! He is egotistical and narcissistic. He preaches respect but treats his students with none. Asking him questions is asking to be berated and belittled. run.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!! He makes very long ppts but he never goes through them bc he's too busy starting useless arguments & triggering SJW's and Alt Rights You will have to sit in his crude, oftentimes offensive lectures and watch him argue with kids. Save yourself the money and choose someone who doesn't have a superiority complex.

This professor has used the classroom as a soap-box to describe the overarching principles of the class. The test only goes through the book and class is assumed you read the book. 80% is why, ethics, and morals 20% is over testable material. You need a deep habit of reading the textbook to excel in this class. Lectures do not go material.

Professor Esparza makes Tx Politics way too harder than it needs to be. His lectures are not specific, yet his exams are way too specific. You have to pick out and know specific details from the book and his powerpoint lectures. He does not provide us many resources and makes it hard for his students to be successful in his class. Do not take him!!

Henry Esparza seems to be unaware that he is teaching an introductory level course. One test had a 38% passing rate and instead of looking at the test and seeing if there might have been an issue with the test he chastized my class for not trying hard enough. He also praised the homophobic students while policing the students that are hurt by them

The only grades you will get from this class are from 4 tests and extra credit. The tests were super specific, and hard to pass. Unless you are super studious and are willing to put in 6 hours to study for one exam, I wouldn't recommend.

one of the worst professors I've ever had in my entire life his tests are extremely difficult than they have to be He makes long PowerPoints just to start talking about something else for the next 30 mins of class something that wont be on the test and gives us less than 1 min to note down his long PowerPoints RUN don' take his class you'l thank me

Professor Esparza is a very strict man. Despite saying he is open to opinions, he truly isn't. He will either let you speak then criticize you, or he will interrupt you before you state your point. Often times when listening to a student speak he will say "uh-huh, yup, yeah" as if he is not listening. Also very arrogant, rude and opinionated.

One of the hardest classes I have ever taken. If you do not show up to class, read,or pay attention YOU WILL FAIL.

First of all, his test reviews are extremely misleading; he is not helpful in his lectures that usually go off topic. Not very organized, did not even show up for an exam once, changed the final without an email, and is overall a bad professor. WOULD NOT recommend to anybody, especially those who value their grades.

Im here to help you, do yourself a favor and take another professor.

Professor Esparza is unique to say the least. I find him very funny and actually enjoyed his lectures but the lectures do not fall in line with exams. Expect to read the book constantly and take notes off of that because lectures are purely socratic. SI meetings are the only way to do decent, if you can, take a different professor.

professor Esparza is a horrible professor. whatever you do, do NOT take this class. your entire grade is based off of 4 exams and nothing else, meaning if you fail one you're already receiving a C. . this professor is never wrong according to him so don't even try to argue with him. if you plan to take this class your best bet of passing is reading

If you're thinking about taking a class with Professor Esparza, DON'T AND RUN AWAY AS FAR AS YOU CAN AND DONT LOOK BACK! His tests are unnecessarily difficult, too specific, and studying for them is like prepping for being on the game show Jeopardy! No matter how much you study, you'll still miss something because you're only human, not a computer.

Awful experience, his lectures are cool but don't really relate to what's on the test as he always gets sidetracked. You'll be learning everything by yourself through the textbook, which the tests are mostly based on. His tests are also far harder and specific than they need to be. Esparza ain't the move take this course with literally anyone else.

Whatever you do do not take his class. Probably one of the worst experiences Ive ever had with a professor before. Hes arrogant, unprofessional, constantly contradicting himself, and overall just an awful communicator. He clearly has some issues that he needs to work out not only regarding his teaching but also his treatment of others.

You must show up ready to take a lot, a lot , a lot and a lot of notes. He lectures fast and most of his PowerPoints don't even cover what's on the test which is 90% of your course average. Its up to you to read the textbook and be prepared to answer his type of questions along with his wording on his Exams.

Attendance isnt mandatory, but if you arent at his lectures taking thorough notes it wont go well. Also found some of his lecture content problematic; he encouraged negative discussions. I ended up dropping the class just to take it with a different professor.

Went to his office hours to discuss my TERRIBLE grade in his class, he told my that I thought too literally and that I need to think stuff out in his class??? Terrible class, do not do it! Such a waste of my money.

By far the worst professor I have ever had. 4 Exams 4 grades. Man likes to hear himself speak, he does not care for you or your grade. "Life is not fair, therefore I am not fair." He will be the worst professor you will ever take if you chose to take this gentlemen for anything that he teaches. Most ignorant man I have ever had an interaction with.

When signing up for his class, I thought having a "tough" professor would be good. The worst decision I have ever had. He is very knowledgeable about the things he teaches which I respect, but he does not care about you or your grade whatsoever. His "amended" syllabus ended up doing more harm than good for a lot of students. Confused everyone. BAD!

Professor Esparza is the worst professor i have ever had in 3 years of college. Bullied kids because because they were late even on the first day. He uses naughty language and does his best to make you fail. I am now unable to graduate due to Professor Esparza. I am now set up for failure in life due to him.

They only type of people that would like this professor is the type of student that loves whatever topic he's teaching. Then loves to read and learn. Also loves to talk and hear terrible dad jokes. This professor means well and trys but this class is miserable. Dosen't teach, reviews are terrible, powerpoints are terrible.

Only had 4 tests and that was the only thing he ever graded so studying was up to you. I could not understand the textbook. I tried so hard, made a study group, prepared the best I could but got an F and failed every test. He went around humiliating you by asking you questions in front of the 200 people in class.

professor is very tough on students and does not assign homework to help grade out. Grade is based mainly on midterms and a few quizzes.

He only has 4 grades a semester and does his best to make them extremely hard and his test reviews don't even match the test most of the time. This class was harder to go to every other day than my 8:00 am class, and that says something. His lectures also never cover test information, definitely don't recommend. Take this class online instead.

I HATE THIS CLASS WANTED TO KMS

If you memorize every slide, every page of the textbook, and every single opinion he has, you just MIGHT pass. I've done decent on tests but it's taken a huge toll on me. If you're students are popping pills JUST to pass a course, you're doing something wrong as a professor. He is ready and willing to humiliate you in front of the entire class.

Out of the 15+ classes I have taken at UTSA, Henry Esparza's Texas politics is the worst. Does not care about his students' success. Extremely narcissistic and will send rude emails. Will not provide extra help to students; the whole class is graded on a few tests. Note: he is proud that the majority of his students despise him.

His tests and slides are incredibly random and poorly written. His extra credit system is very unfair and he just assumes you can attend all SI sessions and office hours. I spent HOURS studying for this and I'm still teetering on the edge between an A and B. Esparza cares about his students, but needs to make some major changes to his classes.

This was awful. For a prerequisite class this was way too hard. Did not provide us with correct resources for test. Only 4 major test. No extra credit, no bonus points, no make ups. Likes to hear himself talk and argue with students. Test reviews are useless for the tests. DONT TAKE HIM

worst professor ever! bullies students and thinks he knows everything and makes it very clear he wants you to be afraid of him. Dont take professor esparza if you dont want to cry every night because of his quizzes and test. taking esparzas class is like asking for a death sentence. worst class ever!!!

Your grade in this class only depends on 4 major tests, there is no extra credit nor can you make up a test if you missed one. He calls out students and is extremely old school. His tests are all in person and there are different versions. The tests are hard and the professor does not provide useful information in lectures therefore you must read.

I didn't enjoy this class. The only grades we get are 4 exams which are all overly difficult. The test reviews are always released too late, and they barely even help you understand what is going to be on the test. Majority of the students do not even do well on the exams according to bar graphs that he shows us after each exam. I don't reccomend.

Professor Esparza is a GREAT GUY! But I would only recommend taking his class if your major is Political science or something like that. His class was NOT EASY and if you're only taking it because you are required to, I DO NOT recommend his class. Tests are in-person only and no retests, study guide will not help much must go to SI sessions.

Super cool guy who cares deeply about his students. Unfortunately, very unreasonable about random things. CANNOT get an A without a good SI leader/going to sessions; Tests cover a ton of material and you never know what to focus your study on. Most stressful/difficult A I've ever gotten, and I was familiar with the topics prior to the class!!

His tests were unclear throughout the entire semester, you would have little idea what would be on there and suddenly be hit with questions that have nothing to do with anything discussed. If you have his course, get ready to listen to him essentially gloat and brag any and every chance he can get, because he's prepared to spend all lecture on it.

Do not take this class!! You go to learn about politics and instead he starts talking about one topic then turns the rest of class time into a debate amongst our peers. The textbook doesn't give all the answers to the review and the review is only half helpful on the exam. The things I did learn in this class was stuff taught in the study sessions.

Don't waste your time!!! He has a fragile ego and will take time out of lecture to personally embarrass students and get in their faces. He says inappropriate jokes and gets mad when reported, then proceeds to yell at the class for it and his TA can't teach. Rejected student feedback HE ASKED. I wasted a semester in this class so you don't have to.

It is a hard class. He is strict with due dates. If you are not a big test taker this class is not for you. Your grade is based on 4 exams and a few quizzes. He is a nice person but when it comes to class material he is strict. The book is really long and the lectures do not fully help. If you have any issues with your grade or his class, drop it.

Run.

It so hard to pass he is very harsh on grading and limited assignment, however great professor that lecture.

Weird grading policy and test-heavy course. Don't take it

He likes to argue but only when he thinks he'll win.There's only 4 tests with 60 questions that all make no sense. Will take off test points if you don't participate in lectures. If you fall asleep he will make it his mission to embarrass you in front of 200 other students. The definition of insufferable.

class is only made up of 4 test so theres no room for any mistakes

He's like that one grandpa you don't really feel comfortable around. He talks about unrelated topics. I always feel like he'll say something messed up He seems very stand offish, like he just wants to talk about what he thinks about but hates when people bring up facts that go against him.

This professor knows a lot more than he teaches. He seems to lack theory of mind when teaching and speaks in a way that requires prior knowledge to understand. The textbook does this to an even greater degree. This class is not a freshman level class, and I am appalled that UTSA advertises it as such.

very weird, did not feel safe taking his class. said a few unsavory things about LGBT people and defended some violent hate groups. openly claimed to be anti-vaxx and the list goes on. aside from that, the only grades are 4 exams, READ THE TEXTBOOK, the review does not help. refuses to take any criticism and is rude with an obvious ego.

Esparza is incredibly passionate about government/politics, which made attending lectures a joy. HOWEVER, he and his TA's had a tendency to not sync the quiz due dates on canvas and McGraw, which made planning and emailing them absurdly frustrating. READ THE TEXTBOOK and ATTEND LECTURES, most test questions are based on niche bits of info. Avoid.

I'm not the one who gives bad reviews to my professor, but he was AWFUL. He cyberbullied me when I email him. Worst. Professor. Ever!!! Beware Henry Esparza!

Professor Esparza is an awful teacher!!! He does nothing but bully and gaslight his students. When giving tests, he promises a certain amount of time that is not given. He then gaslights his students for his own mistakes! This professor also has bad grammar when it comes to writing, yet relishes in pointing out your mistakes in class.

Extremely disrespectful when responding to emails, will never answer your question directly even if its a simple yes or no. Makes it required that you spend more time and effort studying for this class then another basic core curriculum classes or else you'll face the threat of failing this class.

Do not take this class if you are trying to get the credit for your core and care about your gpa. It is not worth your time investment.

I never submit a review, but I had to this time. Please do not take this course if you are taking other classes. Extremely time consuming for an introductory course. Relies HEAVILY on test scores. Extremely confusing guidelines as well. Hate to have to drop a course, really did not want to - but GPA is being taken account for.

Do not take this course. Prof changed the whole syllabus midway through the semester which also changed the exam dates, however, he didn't change them on the canvas calendar which made 50 people miss the exam. He isn't issuing redos either. Also gave no reminders that the test was coming up. Maybe the worst professor I've ever had. DO NOT TAKE.

He is very inconsistent when it comes to grading when you use the PowerPoints he takes marks for plagiarism then when you don't he accuses you of it. In addition, he is very condescending to his students as well as an egotistical professor if there's another professor just go with that one, he is by the far worst professor I have had at utsa.

If you don't have to DO NOT take Professor Esparza. The grade consists of 14 quizzes that are 20 percent of your grade along with 4 tests that each are 20 percent of your grade for the class. He left towards the end of the semester and refused to tell us why and left us with his TA and SI, a waste of money and time.

Only take unless you're willing to put in a lot of work to get an 80 or enjoy politics. Graded by 14 quizzes as 20% of our grade and 4 tests that were each 20% of our grade. Only 5 questions each quiz. There were no assignments to show and help your knowledge over the subject. Everything was based solely on how much you read/understand the book.

If you plan to take backshots after studying this is the class for you. Professor Esparzas lectures aren't on the test except for one question and it's all text book reading with no interactive stuff to help. If you have the choice DO NOT take this professor.

Honestly, this class was the hardest I have ever taken. Every exam is worth 20% of your final grade and the exams are hard. The study guide doesn't help, going to class and taking notes doesn't help. Nothing helps.

Esparza's message is correct, but his delivery is all wrong. You won't like him. But don't let that or the illiterate cry babies in the previous evaluations stop you from taking a softball-class. Attendance isn't mandatory, take your time on the exams, and read your syllabus and textbook, damn it.

Would I take Esparza again? Haha... hell no, I've already left a review here to warn people about him, but I also forgot to mention almost none of the content on the study guide is EVER on the exam. Save yourself the trouble and go with LITERALLY ANYONE ELSE. Cannot stress this enough. I'm a STEM major and this class was such a pain. Don't. Do. It.

Embarrassed me in front of the class for having a disability

Bro called out a guy for leaving class early and proceeded to chase him down when literally no other professor would care. Also, just horrible teaching and yaps the entire time. You basically have to teach yourself.

ALL THESE 5.0S ARE ON CRACK NGL

Very ruthless. Grade is dependent on 3 test 1 final and a quiz all of which had due and access dates for the online quizzes moved around. Syllabus changed mid semester with the old one still on canvas. Unhelpful lectures that he hardly ever showed up to and debate heavy which also didn't help. Confusing wording on test. prides himself on unfairness

Do not take any course with Henry Esparza. He does not respect his students and any takes no accountability. If you question him he will only demean you and insult your intelligence. He makes a class with easy material difficult. Thankfully all my other courses had an A+ so his failure as an instructor had little effect.

This professor made me come to class with my severe concussion to take the final exam because he couldn't give me special treatment. I had to put up with his racist comments all year. Do not take him. He will ruin your GPA even if you do your work. If you are bad at exams you won't do good in this class. He does not teach.

This class should not have been this difficult for a mandatory/introductory course. Graded by 4 tests/1 quiz score and you can't review the quizzes/tests so you have no idea what areas of studying you need to improve on. Upper quartile grades for tests were constantly under 70%, so at least 3/4 of the class was scoring under that for the exams.

He's highly disrespectful and condescending in his lectures as well as any chance he gets when students are asking for help. Multiple people reported him to the dean, rightfully so.

He didn't even give me my extra credit points to my final average

This is the worst professor at UTSA. Terrible class, did not learn anything. Felt extremely stressed every day and night just because of this course. I wish this class was taught by another professor. Just do not take this class. Just don't.

OH MY GOD DONT TAKE THIS CLASS. Makes it his life goal to prove that college is hard and actively tries to make it harder. Spends all of class giving his opinion on frivolous topics and then asks you about the most insignificant portion of the lecture. Graded on 4 exams so there is no room for error. If you're stuck with him go to the SI sessions.

Professor Esparza is the worst professor I've had, and my grade reflects his teaching ability. I've gotten an A in all my classes except this class. There is no feedback on the online quizzes There are only 4 exams for 80% of your grade, each of which he complained about when the class average was 58 He puts people on the spot in front of 250+ppl

The worst of the department! if you can avoid him and take it during summer

BEWARE, seriously. Taking this as a first semester freshman was terrifying. I found him to be very unapproachable and can even seem mean. You only have quizzes and tests. If you bomb a test, it's really hard to come back from. While he doesn't take attendance, you pretty much can't miss the lecture if you want to do good.

Every time I walked to his class, I would wish the Runner would hit me so I wouldn't have to go to his class.

He is very full of himself, he literally doesn't have any test reviews because he “wants students to show up to his lectures” , yet the class is half full, and his books doesn't help at. Honestly, I suggest you find another professor for this credit. He ain't it.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! Professor Esparza was beyond unprofessional. He routinely blamed students for his coursework not aligning with the textbook, which he does on purpose, for better ONLINE lecture turnout. He included questions on each EXAM over his own personal beliefs. Students are restricted from viewing their scores on quizzes.

This professor is RUDE and condescending. The class and material is not too hard. If you read and pay attention you will pass but his test require a lot of outside research on the topics. He rambles on and on in class about things that are not important and honestly he just doesn't know how to give a good lecture. I think he should just retire .

Such a rude professor. Graded by only quizzes and tests. It's so hard to do well when the material from these assignments CAN'T EVEN BE FOUND IN THE TEXTBOOK. Assignments are not locked and do have a reasonable time limit, but it's still so hard to do good. He's also not good about announcing when tests/quizzes will be, no reminders on canvas.

Very few grades. Often lectured on his opinions or contradictory/incorrect info. Included exam questions over his opinions. Class average for exams was 50,

Henry was very difficult, he treated a basic requirement like it was the most important class ever, and made it far too difficult, if you must take his class, at least take it online. I had a friend who was miserable taking his class in person.

Professor Esparza was one of the most difficult professors ive EVER had at UTSA ive never got a C in any college course until this one he was also constantly rude and always turned debates into arguments. would NOT recommend!!

His presentations often had mistakes in them. Questions on the exam were confusing and often did not matter in the real world. He treated this like a upper division course when he was teaching intro. The purpose of this class being required is that people understand the government we have however he seemed to think we must memorize everything.

Taking this class with him is not worth your time. Any other professor would be better.

I was in UTSA in spring 24.Took his class and let me tell you his class made me depressed.I failed the class because what in the lecture didn't show up in the text book.He one time got mad a student for putting her head down during my time there.He chased down a student who left to.Ppl don't take him ,cause of this experience I transferred schools

Test questions didn't even portray to what we had to study… critical thinking required with tests that should be based on factual real life information. Didn't even make sense lol

Study like your life depends on it. Doesn't drop any grades. Quizzes focus on the tiniest details. Lectures? More like a podcast. entertaining more than informative. Provides PPT, but there's no homework. Anything not in the PPT is in the book, anything not in the book is in the lecture, and anything not covered anywhere still ends up on the test.

goes on 40 minute tangents unrelated to lecture and spends like 2 seconds per lecture slide. avoid this guy at all costs

DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS‼️ SAVE YOURSELF AND SAVE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH, he is actually the WORST professor i have EVER take...if you do end up taking him...god bless your mental health.

He is really mean, he demands students tu tell him how he can improve in his teaching and whenever someone is brave enough to answer he just shuts them down telling them that whatever they said is not his fault or that he's offended by their questions.BAD TEACHER. He knows a lot of stuff, but he is not a teacher at all. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!!

The structure of his class is terrible, chapters and exams are broad, its impossible to predict whats going to be on the exam. Critical thinking is useless on the exams, either you memorise everything or you fail. I can deal with his strict and prideful attitude but to much information to be graded on at once. He's lucky they put a character count

I shouldve listened to other people when they said dont take him, I should have listened

He is not helpful when you ask him questions, he makes an easy class unnecessarily difficult, the tests are almost impossible to pass, and any good reviews of him were definitely written by him. He'll say "just be prepared and you'll do well" but no amount of preparation will help you do well. DO NOT TAKE HIM AS YOUR PROFESSOR!!

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! His lectures are all the same rants and gets stuck on only one topic the whole lecture when we are scheduled to learn 5. He loves to criticize students for anything, including if you get called on and dont answer his question. All tests combined are about 60-70% of your grade & are not lecture related. All test are in person

50 question tests vs 3 5 question quizzes, and one attempt each. Takes at least a month to grade journals. Only 4 assignments a month. Crude jokes/humor, and when a quiz auto-submitted because he put the due date in wrong resulting in a zero, he said to not procrastinate and did not fix it. Test 2, highest grade out of 350+ people was like a 78.

He's a horrible professor. Exam score had an average of 45, I couldn't drop his class because he didn't post the exam grades before the deadline to drop. People take this class people take because they need to and he thinks his class is vital. If you're STEM, don't take this class, it'll ruin your GPA for no reason. TA's are also stingy graders.

Took his class last minute as a freshman and still don't know how I managed to pass. He was not considerate of those taking notes off of his slides because he goes at his own pace and still expects you to memorize everything for exams. Having him at 8:30 was also not it. Don't recommend at all.

said it was a good thing rvw got overturned. also spent all of class dedicated to chkirk the day after. if this doesnt tell u anything idk what will. avoid at all costs

Take any other professor but this guy, final grades is 70% tests, and all the test always include things sometimes not even talked about. Gave on test curve when all the test averages are below a 70, and the TAs grade journals super harsh. Quizzes are 5 questions and worth 15% of your grade. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS

be prepared to receive your grades 20 business days later

Very difficult and lecture heavy.

lectures would just include a whole bunch of non useful information that would be full slides and at the end would say "you don't need this". very broad lectures that you don't even know what you need to know and just take a gamble. would always said no dumb question but when someone asked something he would bash them and said he was "passionate".

Very passive aggressive and does not teach material to the best of its ability in order for us to prepare for exams. The class averages speak for themselves. He'd rather argue/debate with a student the whole class period rather than teach.

Genuinely one of the worst classes I've taken, the professor spends the majority of classes verbally degrading the students for the test grades or amount of work not completed. The test hardly cover the textbook and is basically verbatim of what he says during the lecture.

Journals can take up to a month to be graded and can be graded harshly if you don't give the TAs 1k+ words. Class averages would speak for themselves, no one got higher than a 90 without curves. Be prepared to waste time completing and studying the review just for half of it not to be on the test.

He is very passionate and clearly cares about what he is teaching. But often the tests do not reflect what he covers in lectures. He can also be rude and over the top. Ive seen him yell at several students that fell asleep in his class. Also clearly has a biased political opinion and isnt afraid to show it.

This is my first semester here at utsa and by far he was the worst professor I've had , I genuinely dreaded going to his lectures. Like a few others have said , the stuff for the exams was barely on the review, the journals are graded way to hard, and he honestly seems to emotional to teach this specific course in my opinion

Save yourself. Do not take him, especially if this is your first semester at UTSA. You will be very stressed about your grade. The tests make up 70-80% of your grade and are weighted individually so there's no room to slip up. He deflects blame onto students for his mistakes. I didn't have a problem with the TAs grading journals, only with Prof. E.

He is not afraid to share his personal political beliefs and will speak poorly of people who oppose him. He doesn't like to receive negative feedback, even if he asks for it. He grades harshly. Something his TA's graded me an 80 on, he gave me a 60. Take another professor if you take your grades seriously and want to do well.

sitting in this class made me feel like joe biden

picks on minorities in class. very biased in favor of the republican party. his tests don't reflect what is gone over in class. he says he means what he says then flip flops back and forth over everything. says he wants feedback negative or positive but if its negative he blames it on his TAs or us

Don't be fool by his charisma that he displays, he is a very tough grader, and will embarrass you in front of the whole class. Ironically, he always preaches about how important education is and protecting your GPA; but literally almost everyone is failing his class.

He's very strict and grades unfairly. Ironically, he always says things like, "Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions, tell me how I can help you." But what's the point of talking to him if he's always going to contradict us? I recommend taking the class online or choosing a different professor so you don't waste your time.

This class should've not been as challenging as it was and I wouldn't recommend taking his class.

Esparza is strict and moralistic. TAs could not grade assignments in time and when Esparza stepped in to help he was a harsh grader. Grades were not finished submitting until the day before the final. Feedback that could be used to improve other assignments was not given until the day before the final.

Don't recommend taking this class at all. If you have the option, choose a different professor or take it online. He is a very tough grader and will call students out at any time during lectures. I personally avoided going to his class because of this.

good god i dont even know where to start i have so many terrible things to say but not enough character space, just do not take this guy unless you wanna feel like dropping out only after your first semester of college. this guy is literally just a highschool bully. Loser that did nothing with his life and this is the only way he can feel power

Mr. Esparza is one of the most interesting people to listen to when he lectures. And he upholds academic integrity. But that`s the only positive things there are to say about him. He is NOT a good professor. Out of my four semesters here, he is hands down the most underprepared and untimely professor I've had the displeasure of having. Pitiful.

Do yourself a favor and dont. this guys is a joke. Has so many excuses as to why he cant do his job correctly.

If you have high anxiety I really would avoid this mans class at all costs. He is somewhat of a bully.

I dont understand how this professor is even allowed to work here. This is an intro elective course and he treated it like it was some upper level class. Dont expect comments on your journal entries on why you got the grade you did. He wont do it.

Amazing lecturer, but he is a terrible professor. Late with grades, spelling and grammar errors on his lessons and exams, and is just straight up a rude person. This kind of professor is what makes freshman think they dont belong in college when the really do.

Avoid at all costs. Save yourself the displeasure.

"Your are what your record is." ~ Henry "2.8 on rate my professor" Esparza. Absolute joke. DO NOT TAKE

His journal grading is awful. He will not leave comments on what you did wrong. He likes to embarrass students in front of the class for not knowing a question.

Has trouble getting grades in on time. Dont ask him a question someone from the back of the lecture hall asked. He wont repeat himself.

He seems like a nice guy, but he isnt a very good professor. I tried really hard to like him, but he comes off as a bit unprepared when it comes to his teaching duties. Then he expects a lot out of the students, even though he doesnt go the extra mile himself.

Mr. Esparza said in the beginning of this semester that some of us freshman would realize we don't belong in college. I think thats a pretty hurtful thing to say to year one students, especially if they have enough on their plate already. I find that he went out of his way to make things more difficult than they needed to be.

As someone dealing with anxiety and depression, he really didnt make things easy for me.

He is very passionate about this subject, but when its time to submit grades, or leave feedback on assignments, he loses that passion. I do not recommend at all.

What ever you do DONT take him! I'd say his lectures are almost pointless and his slides don't give much information. Majority of ur grade comes from the tests which are hard and not curved. If you HAVE to take him be prepared to just hang it up and go home…

Just no, save your soul and keep your peace.

horrible, drove without seatbelt omw to class

As a freshman, as in my first semester of college this class absolutely drained me. Esparza wanted students to ask questions, but then would completely disregard the said question as “irrelevant”. I am genuinely surprised I passed this class. If you are taking Texas Politics please please look for another professor.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS ESPECIALLY AS A FRESHMAN!! Taking this class is the worst thing you can do to yourself ESPECIALLY if this is your first year and you're just starting out. If you're a really structural person and believe you can, by all means. Overall i hated this course you miss one test and you're done for the rest of it, keep that in mind!

Never again. the worst professor ive had so far. If you take him be prepared for his technological incompetence.

PLEASE AVOID TAKING HIM. HE IS NOT A GOOD PROFFESOR. ABSOLUTELY THE WORST.

this guy is unable to do his job effectively. he is terrible with technology and will give every excuse in the book for his lack of readiness. i highly advise taking any other professor. class average for almost every exam was like a 60. hes horrible.

Not a very good teacher. The first exam we had almost everyone failed and he even agreed that he failed us, but never made an effort to be a better teacher. He does not take criticism very well. And he is a very unpleasant person to have a conversation or asks questions to. Real shame, i really wanted to like him.

If you are a freshman do not take his class. He made me hate coming to school, and when he was at fault he would blame everyone else but him self. He is clearly to old to be doing this job, because he cannot seem to upload files and post grades effectively. He messed up my exam grades multiple times.

4 exams that are 70% weight all together, TA took so long to grade my journals that they couldn't finished it in time oh and they have all the control for grades and Professor E would not intervene, oh the podcast was terrible, everything was just bad. I believe grade scope messed up my grades but it's it what it is. I'm happy to say I survived.

……………………….

He is a great man but not a good professor.

PLEASE listen to others, this class is TOUGH and if you have the chance to take another professor then do so! Each Exam is worth a part of your final grade and I barely passed each one even if I studied which is obviously stressful. Had a handful of times he would stop/delay lectures to talk about gradescope issues or tardiness

Do not. just dont.