A great lecturer does not go too fast and is always available if you need help. Gives study guides for what is directly on the test. Easy A

Easily one of the coolest and best lecture based professors I have ever taken. Take him.

I really appreciate how he tries to engage with the students and hold their attention, especially when discussing more difficult topics. I am not someone who cares that much about geography or the history of countries and lands but I really enjoyed his class and the way he taught

Makes an hour and a half lecture really fun and easy. Lots of class discussions, but participation in them isn't mandatory or graded. Few grades, but he gives you plenty of study material for them so you can easily ace them. Show up if you care about your attendance grade, but you'll be fine missing a day of lecture

Mr. Watkins is truly one of the best teachers I have had in my life. His lectures were always entertaining and engaging and the material was very interesting. There are about four quizzes and three exams which are not very hard as well as a term paper, which has many options. This class with Jake is a great experience I would always recommend!

Watkins is so fun and entertaining, I learned a lot of useful skills in this class and would take it again. 10/10 human who genuinely is a nice person and helpful.

Hes great and so laid back

Professor Watkins was by far my favorite professor ever at UT. I actually retook Geography 101 this semester because I did not get a good grade a few semesters ago. Having him as a professor made the class 100 times more interesting! Even though he took attendance, I would not have wanted to miss his class either way. Funny stories every class.

Professor Watkins gives some of the most entertaining lectures you'll find at UT. He's a genuinely funny dude and makes everything interesting. The class itself is super easy. If you show up, do the study guides, and study for the map quizzes, you're golden. It's an easy A, and you learn a lot about a bunch of countries and cultures. It's a Win-Win

He is the absolute GOAT. No question about it he is the best teacher on campus, I never want to miss class because I love it so much. Cannot stress how great this class is.

Professor Watkins is easily one of the best professors I have ever had. It is evident that he cares about what he is teaching, and it makes for a much better learning environment. He is also easy to talk to, as I find most professors are intimidating to approach, but he is the total opposite. Definitely take his classes!

very good teacher I recommend him.

Jake is awesome, we streamed on twitch for half the semester, how freaking cool. He is super engaging and funny in his lectures, they aren't mandatory but I always wanted to go. If you have a basic understanding of what is going on you will do great. Also his spotify playlists slap, check them out.

Jake is awesome! I really loved his class. If you study, the tests are not hard. He gives very clear study guides. I would definitely take again. SO SO funny!

He is very knowledgable and makes the class fun and easy. He very funny and easy to get along with. His test are easy and straightforward. He gives study guides that are exactly like the test. Fill out the study guides and you should be fine.

Jake was one of my favorite professors ever! He made the hour and a half lectures enjoyable. Plus he gives you a study guide that is almost word for word of the test. The map quizzes are easy if you just give them a little bit of work with online map games. Easy A if you do a little bit of studying and notes and studying.

Such a great guy. This was by far my favorite class this semester. All classes were zoom recorded, so you could go back and watch any time. The lectures were extremely interesting, and I feel much more knowledgeable about the world because of them. Just take notes. Also Jake has amazing music taste, so definitely check out his Spotify playlists.

Honestly one of the best classes Ive taken, both in course material and content. Make sure you pay attention during lectures because thats where all the test questions will come from as well as from the study guides. Highly recommend!

Jakes class was honestly one of the best I have taken in college. He gives great lectures and they're super interesting. He's also really funny! The few assignments outside of exams are meant to be fun. I can't recommend him and this class enough.

Took him online during covid, but he was great! Professor Watkins is a really great teacher and the content is fun to learn about. Take this class for an easy A!

Jake is great! He makes lectures fun and interesting. He gives you a study guide and if you complete that, the tests are not difficult. He is very informal and relatable. He says his course is an easy A and a GPA booster, but I worked hard to get an A. There are map tests, 5 unit exams, some discussion posts, and a project.

Jake's class is so fun and engaging. His lectures are so interesting that you won't want to miss any. The tests and map quizzes are exactly like the study guides he provides. The end of the semester project is a lot of work but its a free A if you try your best and fulfill the requirements. You don't want to miss this amazing teacher!!!!

Jake is an amazing professor. His lectures are always interesting and meaningful, not to mention his great sense of humor. Tests and quizzes were easy to prepare for.

Jake is easily the best professor here at UTK. If you get the chance to take him, do yourself a favor and sign up. He is very accessible outside of class and is willing to help you out. He stresses that he doesn't want to be the guy that makes your life hard. He gives the best lectures too, its easy to stay engaged. He is also very funny. 10/10 guy

This is my fourth class with Watkins and won't be my last. I cannot stress this enough, please take him. He inspired me to major in geography. Amazing guy.

If you are thinking about taking a class with Jake, DEFINITELY DO IT!! He is my favorite Teacher I've taken a class with at UT. He is hilarious and his lectures are super engaging. I never thought I would like Geography, but he made it so interesting to learn about and I didn't want to leave the class.

Nice and funny teacher. Very understandable class and kinda simple.

He will be the reason you want to go to class.

Jake is the best professor I have had at UTK. I have had him nearly every semester here. He is good at what he does and is always fun in class. Definitely take his classes!

Jake is one of the best professors Ive ever had. Hes super funny and he makes it really easy to be interested in geography. Theres no homework but there are map quizzes, exams, and a final project. Definitely take the class if you can! Its lowkey an easy class but its hard to memorize where all of the countries/cities are.

Mr. Watkins is everything good about the faculty at UTK. His teaching style and contagious humor makes his class the highlight of my week. The lessons are incredibly engaging and easy to absorb. The only negative about this class is there isn't enough time to cover all parts of the world, as I would love to learn more in his class.

He is so funny and the content of his lectures is so interesting! Exams are basically trivia on the countries you talk about and he gives a study guide with every single question..no homework, 4 map quizzes and.4 exams overall. One final powerpoint project that isn't painful at all. Can't recommend enough!

TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!I am currently a junior and Jake Watkins is by far one of the best professors I have ever had. His material is straight forward. Just go to class and you will be set. Honestly mandatory attendance can sometimes suck, but Jake makes you want to go to class! He is absolutely hilarious and does not put any pressure on his students.

Good Professor! Highly recommend

This brother in Christ is a certified hood classic. His lectures are super entertaining and engaging, and I loved going to every lecture we had through the semester. Map quizzes are automatic 100%. Tests are easy enough, and attendance is easy because class is fun. 10/10 would take again. Jake is a beast

Overall a really cool guy. Attendance is "mandatory" but there are easy ways to get around it. Grades easily and has a basic system, funny, makes a lecture fun and interesting. Would take again

Jake is goated and if I could take his classes again I would in a heartbeat. Lectures make you want to attend class. No homework (swag), grades come from map quizzes and exams (which he gives study guides with exactly what you need to know). This mans saved my whole gpa and I adore him for his approach to learning. He is a token professor !!!

This man is literally amazing. His teaching style is entertaining and makes me enjoy coming to a gen ed requirement. He's funny and loud, just all around adore the guy. He's also really thoughtful and makes sure his students are listened to, despite him having hundreds. Awesome guy, awesome class.

Easily the best professor at UTK. I genuinely loved going to his class and he made lectures super interesting and entertaining. I'm sad I don't have to take anymore Geography classes because I want him as professor again so bad. His approach to learning is so amazing and we need more professors like him. 1000000/10 PLEASE TAKE HIM!!!!!!

the worst thing about this class was that it had to end

very good and funny teacher. very laid back class and easy going.

Watkins 320 class was easy, entertaining and I feel like I learned a lot. Theres not a lot of exams/assignments so I never felt stressed walking into his class. The exams were also online and open book! The only way you can do poorly is if you do not show up for class. As long as you show up and take notes, its an easy A!

TAKE HIS CLASS. I had Jake last year, and he is still, by far, one of my favorite professors I've had. In fact, I loved his class so much that I went out of my way to find another class of his that satisfied a requirement for me. I learned so much in such a short period in time, and had a good time while doing it. Don't walk- RUN to take his class!

Jake is easily one of the best professors on this campus. He's funny and makes even boring subjects engaging. He is extremely approachable and laid-back, yet he cares a lot about his students and what he teaches. Do not worry too much on exams and papers as they aren't too much of a hassle. Overall, I highly recommend to take his classes.

Jake was the best professor I had this year. The tests are the exact same as the study guide and quilts are already made from years past. Memorize the study guide and the maps and you'll do great.The test and quizzes are your entire grade, I failed 1/4 tests and got a B.

Great professor, especially for my first semester. Very fun and interactive with the class but dont piss him off. No homeworks and minimal test/quizzes. Overall great guy

Quite interesting class and makes the subject matter fun to learn. Great guy. Made me actually wanna go to class.

Professor Watkins was by far my favorite teacher this semester! He made the class so interesting and all of his quizzes were the same as the study guides pretty much. The only homework we had was studying and I still learned the most from this class than from any of my other classes. Funniest professor ever!

Best teacher I have had by far. He genuinely cares about his students and what he is teaching. Grades are made up of quizzes and exams but if you study and take notes you will be fine. He made his class something I looked forward to going to every day.

Professor Watkins is amazing! He is hands down the best professor at UTK! I'm not a Geography major, but I took four classes with Professor Watkins. His lectures are interesting and he has a great sense of humor. I always looked forward to his lectures. Quizzes weren't too bad, assignments were manageable, the course content was intriguing.

Jake Watkins is probably the best professor you could get at UTK. I'm not anywhere near a geography major but Watkins is my favorite teacher by far. Please if his name is available take him. He isn't hard on grading gives the entire study guide a long time before the exams which then is word for word on the exams. Take his class!

Very good professor, I always had a good time in his class. Test are easy if you study and pay attention. Map quizzes too.

Professor Watkins is the best professor that I have had. I have taken his 101, 320 and 361 courses and all of them were amazing. Each class has little to no homework and your grade is based off of the tests and quizzes. He genuinely cares about his students and wants them to learn as much as possible. His lectures are fun and he's an easy grader.

Great class great teacher. I will definitely be taking another class taught by him.

Great Professor. The class is actually interesting, and he is a funny dude. Map quizzes are easy and Exams are just the study guide questions. Not difficult at all. Just go to class and its an A

This course was very easy, and he makes the content enjoyable and easily understandable. As long as you do all the work and the final project, study for map quizzes and exams, you will get a great grade.

Professor Watkins is one of the best professors I have ever had!! He truly cares about each of his students and makes lectures interesting and applies it to our world today! He has been so helpful and was always willing to compromise if i couldn't make a test, quiz, etc. Attendance is important! Great class, 10/10 professor!!

Professor Watkins gives amazing lectures that keep you very engaged in the material. You are graded on tests that are given every few weeks that aren't very hard as long as fill out the study guide he gives you. There is one research assignment at the end of the semester. He is very understanding about make up tests.

Mr. Watkins has been my favorite teacher at UTK so far. He's very understanding and makes the information easy to learn. Definitely recommend taking his class if you can.

Jake was a very engaging and funny professor, I loved his class! The exams were nearly identical to the study guides and the final was not cumulative. Easy A

Jake is such a fun professor to take here. I took this class partly for fun, and the lectures were super engaging and interesting throughout the semester. The exams were reasonably challenging but not too hard, and the supplemental reading was always interesting. Definitely recommend taking one of his classes.

An amazing professor, and very engaging! Filling out the study guide during lectures was the basis of each exam, but paying attention definitely helps with the surprise questions. Map quizzes were a breeze, but start your final project very early!!

I loved Jake's class! I was always so excited to come to class and looked forward to his lecture! Not only does he make class interesting, he actually seems to relate with everyone! There are 4 major tests and a research project! Safe to say I would take any class he taught at UTK.

Jake a cool dude. Easy class as long as you attend most classes and pay attention. Not difficult material. I can tell her is a cat person.

Dude rocks

Jake literally makes my day every time I have his class. The man is hysterical and his class is an all around good time. Plus he's a very good teacher, so all around win. Definitely take his class if you can.

Jake is great! Definitely take his class if you can.

Loved the class and Jake has been one of my favorite teachers I've had.

Jake is literally a GOAT! Map quizzes are easy even just study 2-3 days before and exams are exactly as study guides. His lectures are engaging and he's personally so funny and even allows us to stop him during lectures if have any questions. Treat us like friends! Definitely 100% recommend him for easy A and hilarious professor.

Millennial professor that tries to be the "cool" professor. He's laid back and the class was easy but waited till the end to put grades in for many assignments. Not an issue really because he isn't strict on grading assignments. Would recommend but be ready for some "how do you do fellow kids" moments

Very easy class, Jake is very laid back and funny. Attendance is taken through a Google form every class but you can miss a few without it affecting your grade.

This was my 4th class I took with Jake and not to my surprise, it was one of my favorite classes at UTK I've taken. To moreso rate the class, population geography is his specialty and it was so interesting to learn about because of how many facets it has. Every lecture was fun to pay attention to. I just feel bad I dozed off in class.

Jake is a super chill professor with very interesting lectures. For an upper level geography class, it was very easy. There are 2 assignments (you'll write about 4-5 pgs), 4 exams, and a final research essay. There will be readings throughout the semester, make sure to use the syllabus to know when to read. The readings will make the exams easier.

Great guy and very funny. Very easy class and really interesting. He really focuses on the middle east which is very interesting and very unbiased which is really good. Overall a great course.

He is super engaging and makes class fun. There is little work to do outside of class, mostly just studying for quizzes and exams. Would definitely take him again in the future!

Jake is a great professor! Cares about his students and definitely makes his lectures interesting and funny. I'm not a geography major and he took the time and did a great job explaining concepts that I did not understand. Exams and assignments are easy if you go to class and pay attention!! Can not recommend him enough!

I love Jake

Best professor I have ever taken.

Jake was a great professor, super funny guy. Tests are almost identical to study guides. Lectures are super entertaining, although can still pass the class without attending every lecture.

Mr. Watkins allows for a great environment in his classes and to my surprise I really enjoyed his course. Tests and quizzes are long response style, no quizlet for this course. Show up and participate and you'll learn a thing or two.

Jake is great. He cracks many jokes and tries to teach the material in a way which is interesting. You will learn much about the world and where everything is, which is a useful skill.

You see all the five star ratings. Jake is indubitably that guy.

THIS IS A CLASS YOU WANT TO TAKE IT IS AWESOME AND EASY AND FUNNY BAHAHAHAHA

Prof. Watkins is really funny and a great lecturer. I wish we had more grades in the class but overall a really good class and pretty easy as long as you put in an hour or so to study before the tests.

The ratings accurately reflect Jake as a professor. The best hands down. Just remember to show up for the final map quiz, it's literally an automatic 100% if you just show up to class.

Best instructor I've had here at UTK, very likeable and approachable. Makes the lectures interesting to the point where I felt like attending the class was not a chore.

He has been my favourite professor I have ever had. Wants you to do well but also wants you to learn. He's a funny guy and the class becomes super comfy throughout the semester. The class consisted of map quizzes with locations listed in canvas at the start of the semester along with 4 exams with almost matching study guides. A fascinating class.

Jake's lectures are boring and a total snooze fest but you can get away with anything in his class. For the most part, his exams are the same as the study guide but there's a few hit or miss questions. Show up to the last quiz and he will give you 50 bonus points. It's honestly hard to do poorly in this class.

Jake was the best professor I have had so far. His lectures are great and I actually enjoyed the content a lot with him teaching it. He made even the boring stuff seem interesting. The class is pretty easy as long as you show up do some of those map quizzes online.

Very interesting lectures with his funny personality. Super easy grading. Tests were mainly multiple choice with a couple short answer, but he gives you the short answer questions before the test so you can prep your answer. Final project was individual and easy as well.

Jake really makes the material engaging and is really funny. Only grades are 4 map quizzes, 4 multiple choice exams (he gives you the answers before), and a final project. All of them are basic memorization, so just make a quizlet or use geoguessr. The final project is just a 10-12 slide long slide show on whatever country, and you don't present it

Jake is obviously a great person and professor. He's extremely talented as a lecturer, but some of the course content can feel a little dry at times. However, he tries his best to make it fun with jokes and occasional swear words. Overall, a great teacher I would recommend!

Probably the only class I ever looked forward to going to. He was an awesome professor and I would for sure take him again!

I took this class over a year ago. Right now, my friends are taking him for this class, and I will show up on the occasion to a lecture with them for fun. His lectures are funny, engaging, and very memorable. I believe the fact that I came back speaks to how fun of a class it is. You are missing out if you do not take.

basically just one of us

Hands down the best professor I have had at UT. He's so great I decided to take up a minor in geography and take 2 more classes with him. Hilarious and genuinely cares about getting to know each of his students. You are missing out if you don't take a class with Jake!!!!

Jake was the best professor I have ever had. He is genuinely the funniest guy I know. I wish I could have him for every class. The only grades are map quizzes and exams, but the study guides for the exam are nearly identical, so it is an extremely easy course. Even if attendance was not mandatory, I would still willingly show up every single day.

Prof's not the brightest, he some times says wrong things and then makes up fake explanation. Liberal and pro-palestine (wears keffiyeh sometimes); at least he's nice and funny. His slides are outdated, and some times wrong (wrong maps, data, etc). Otherwise easy class, just attend. For GEOG101 4 Tests, 4 Map Quizzes, 1 Presentation.

Top 5 Teachers ive ever had. Great energy. Great humor. No homework. Class had engaging lectures and was not difficult at all, but still extremely enjoyable.

Sometimes shows slight political bias in things like Israel-Palestine, but other than that is extremely hilarious and can keep you engaged in his lectures. Tests are not difficult, map quizzes are easy, and other than that, there is no work outside of the final project. Loved this class.

Professor Watkins genuinely speaks in riddles but this class was very enjoyable. Would definitely take for a gen ed. He will also randomly start yelling or shouting or doing something crazy during class to grab your attention. He is not a real person which is why his class is so interesting.

There's a reason this guy has a stellar rating. Easiest elective you can take at UTK probably, and he makes it quite enjoyable. I actually looked forward to going to his class.

Jake was recommended to me and I Can attest that he is the best professor I have had. He is so funny and keeps lectures so interesting. I skipped most classes and would make sure I always went to his. Tests are the study guide word for word and projects are fun and interesting. 100% recommend.

I took this class as an elective for my major and Mr. Watkins made it so enjoyable. He was so funny to learn from and his lectures were awesome. There are 4 map quizzes and 4 tests (the last one being the final). All the tests are exact like the study guide he provides. He couldn't make this class easier or more enjoyable.Overall, TAKE THIS CLASS!!

live laugh love jake