Has an excellent and wide range of knowledge and teaching skills.

Very, very smart guy. Presented material in a very organized way. I had him for Latin I and Ancient Greek history. I never had a problem staying awake in his class.

Excellent teacher. Highly reccomend. Presents info in a fun and easy to understand way. Very inspiring!

He is my favorite instructor ever at EMU. He is both informative and makes the subject fun. I hope to be as good a teacher as he is when I graduate

Awsome instuctor. pretty tough but worth it Take his class.

Dr. Holoka is the epitome of a professor. Knowledgeable, professional, magnanimous, and full of integrity.

Quest for Power (team taught with Citino) is the best class that you'll take at EMU and I'm not a history major.

Without a doubt, the best prof at emu. I never skip because I'm afraid I might miss a really good lecture.

He's one of the best teachers I've ever had. Great voice, extremely intelligent (but not in an arrogant way). Amazing stories, extremely funny. FIND something to take from him!

I absolutely love Dr. Holoka!! He is one of the best professors I've had here at Eastern. His lectures and his days in the "blurt chair" are so interesting and in many ways funny. His team teaching with Prof. Citino is awesome. TAKE THIS CLAS

best prof at EMU. inspired my own career in academia. jim holoka is a beautiful, beautiful man.

This guy is a trip. Very good teacher that really gives you a chance to do well. Try to keep a good attendence and you'll be fine.

I love going to his classes and listening to him opine about Bush and the Republican party. You have to take a class with him!

This guy's great. Straight lecture, but great lecture.

Very good at teaching. It's hard not to get drawn into the subject when he's lecturing. You get tons of information out of him, & he's easygoing enough that you can still have fun.Go to class and take good notes, and you will do well.I decided I wanted to marry him but was discouraged by his ring :(

Professor Holoka is probably the best professor that I have had at Eastern. I will be in my 3rd class with him this coming winter semester. I would highly recommend either HIST 323 or HIST 324 to anyone who is remotely interested in history.

Relates well with class. Cool dry sarcasm. Compares Ancient History with today's relevant current politics and events.

You will learn from him.

Loved the class, even though the exams were extremely difficult, had no idea that I would be so interested in the subject!

The course was taught with clarity, energy, and daily-show humor. keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!

This class is great.

He is an awesome prof. i love his classes and i am so happy that he teaches at EMU.

very informative and very clear on expectations

Holoka was just great!!! Sadly there are not as many professors out there that KNOW how to TEACH as well as this man. Plus he is not afraid to hold anything back in the classroom (in translation -- nothing is lost).

very interesting, good sense of humor, stimulates interest in the course....easy to follow.

very clear presentation of material...especially helpful when there is a lot. dr. holoka has the ability to relate historical facts and figures in present day analogies....humorous and fun!

Best professor I have ever had.

he is the coolest

Very interesting and actually fun class. Excellent teacher.

Awsome teacher, a must have!

ON GYMNOI!!!!!!!

Extremely entertaining, engaging, and educative class. He obviously enjoys his work, and the enthusiasm pulls the student into the subject. He carefully melds current events with the period of history he is discussing. I love his classes

good teacher, likes his work, always there for help

Very fun teacher

awsome

The Best

he is a good lecturer... fair and fun. his classes are worth taking.

Dr. Holoka's class was amazing. Great lecturer, knows so much. The class was fun. I'd take another one if I could!

best class I have ever had

Politics should be balanced in the classroom. Other than that the class was very interesting.

AWESOME teacher! He actually makes history fun. I enjoyed going to his classes and now I want to visit Italy! His tests were tricky so make sure you study up.

It was back in the early 90's, but I always remember his class as one of my favorites! He is one of the main reasons I still enjoy reading about and studying Roman History!

What a great guy! Such a wonderful time and if you can take Quest for Power with him and Citino, Do It!

Dr. Holoka was an excellent prof who knew his subjects well and obviously enjoyed talking about them. He's certainly the most adept history prof EMU has. I wouldn't really say he's hot, but if it helps him with the babes, then so be it.

Dr. Holoka may be the best professor I have ever taken. He is not the easiest, but you will learn more from him than most others.

Hard class made easy by a great teacher.

Professor Holoka is a great instructor, knowledgable, funny , and any one as smart as he -- i think is beyond hot!

Great professor, great class! Learned so much!

Awesome class, even better teacher!

very funny awesome prof

Prof. Holoka rules, if you don't take his classes, tu assinus est!

Jim Holoka is a HOOT!!! I love his sense of humor, and I really love the way he includes other sources of information as well as Greek origins of words in the class. WORD OF WARNING! Do NOT miss his classes - this is NOT one to simply 'blow off' and take his tests and expect to get a good grade! He's a great prof and an asset to theUniversity!

The best professor at Eastern without a doubt. I have taken two classes with Dr. Holoka and have become a classics minor because he's just so darn interesting. He could make wallpaper fun to learn about, honestly, and he may be the most intelligent person I've ever met, he knows something about everything and yet still is humble and very funny

It's funny when he swears and makes jokes about stuff the Greeks used to do. He's very charismatic but not very personable. I was told he was a nervous person by a student who was close to him so that might explain his behavior. All in all he's a great professor and you will learn a lot in his class

This was a great class! I learned a lot. My class was a 9am, and I really appericate how entertaining the Prof. Holoka was that early in the morning. Word to the wise, DON'T skip class you miss too much.

A-mazing! He is funny, eloquent, relevant, and overall an outstanding professor. You have to keep up on your studying (it's a language, afterall) but he offers copious amounts of extra credit and consistently engages the class with anecdotes and current events.

Prof. Holoka is one of the best I have had. 9:00 is early and I am happy that he is the teacher. I am ready to go to this class after really regreting it last semester. He likes things to be a certain way and that's cool, as long as he teaches me I am ready to leran.

very organized, very prepared for the class, extremely knowledgable on the topic however does not speak above your head with his great knowledge makes all students understand his meanings

One of the smartest men..... ever!

Great teacher. Keeps the students engaged in all of his lessons.

Holoka is an excellent professor. He has a way of capturing your attention through his little ancedotes. He is the type of teacher that has a lot of passion in what he teaches and it shows. It is essential though to attend class, and his is the type that you will want to. It is also essential that you read the assigned readings.

Holoka is my favorite professor out of my entire college career!

Extremely knowledgeable. All material presented in a clear and concise manner. I've had Prof. Holoka for three courses now and I've never once witnessed him talk down to anyone. He is also not without a sense of humor and is clearly passionate about what he knows . . . which is a lot.

Great prof! Always enlightening and fun even at 9am.

I'm rating Dr Holoka midway through so that should tell you something especially since I've only taken 1 quiz & 1 test & don't know what my grade will be. If you enter into his class not interested in Greek Hist you soon will be. Dr Holoka tells the story of Greek Hist in such a way that you leave class wanting more & can't believe the hour is up.

My prof crush. He's such a great prof, lectures are super interesting.

Not enough good things can be said about Dr. Holoka.

Holoka is full of Greek knowledge! The drama unfolds like an amazing Hollywood movie! As long as you attend all classes (which is not hard, they're so interesting!) you will learn SO much and easily earn an A!! This class is Great!

This class was a combo of American/Roman lit and American/Roman history. I absolutely LOVED everything Holoka lectured on about Roman history and literature. He made me want to get a minor in Classical Studies.

Dr. Holoka is very knowledgeable and passionate about ancient Greek history. His class is informative and entertaining.

Excellent professor. Knows his Greek history and is passionate about it. Very funny too.

He is highly knowledgable in what he teaches. The lectures are very interesting and entertaining. If you go to lectures and take notes you can do well in this class.

very entertaining, relates events to subjects students can understand, very funny

his class is easy to pass as long as you attend his lectures. Also makes class extremely interesting!!!

Great class! Professor Holoka has a passion for Greek history and it comes across in his teaching. Make sure to take good notes as the exams are based on them. The main textbook isn't really used much. He is very fair with exams and quizzes but questions are not always the main ideas from the readings or lectures. Highly recommend professor.

One word= AMAZING! I loved it! Holoka is a great guy with a lot of knowledge!

Amazing

Professor Holoka is awesome!

The class is funny and interesting.

Dr. Holoka was an amazing teacher in Latin. As part of my requirement to graduate from EMU in BA I had to take one year in a language. They didn't offer Arabic, so due to my interest in studying religion, I took Latin. And I ended up loving the class so much that I was top 3rd in my class. I even dreampt Latin. My sister heard me speaking it i

Great Prof! Really knows his stuff. Requires a great deal of vocab memorization, but what foreign language doesn't. Although I'm still confused with all of the cases and declensions, I am enjoying this class a great deal, and am excited to be learning such a language with an incredible history.

I love his class!

Great professor, highly recommended. Funny, crystal clear, and always grammatically correct. Excellent professor to have for ancient languages.

Seriously great professor. King of TANGENTS. But, you will even learn from the tangents. He is SO funny, my favorite prof this semester.

He is very knowledgable and enthusiastic about both Greek and Roman History.

Professor Holoka is very knowledgeable and very fair. The quizzes are easy, the test are not. You will need to study and know your notes well if you want an A in his class. I took both Greek and Roman History with him, got A's in both, and the most important thing i can say is show up everyday and take notes.

Awesome guy.

Prof. Holoka is an extremely wise and helpful teacher. He really knows his stuff and is very accessible and understanding.

Entertainer + Comedian + Scholar + Historian = Dr. Holoka.

Very interesting class and although attendance is not mandatory per say it makes the class much easier.

Professor Holoka is extremely intelligent and funny. He expects participation and understanding from students but his classes are very enjoyable. He knows so much about ancient Greece and Rome! Eastern is lucky to have this professor.

Makes history fun. And you get to learn a little bit of Latin while you're there!

What a great prof. so funny and entertaining; no holds bar, if he wanted to say it, he did! Knows his stuff and passes it on easily. tests are 2 parts, m.c. and fill in blank and short essay, but tells you really what is going to be on test. quizzes throughout but does the same as tests, drops the lowest score at the end. you'll laugh like crazy.

Holoka is one of the best profs at eastern. Great classes, he is the classics department!

Probably one of the most amazing professors I have ever come accross. Learning a foriegn language is extremly difficult for me, and he was always there every step of the way doing whatever he could to help me understand, and to do well in the class. Even if I hated the class he would have made it fun. He is funny and truly cares about his students!

even though the class is at the crack of dawn, i still go every time, he makes it easy to learn greek hist, and makes it funny.

I fell in love with him and history at the same time. The class was romantic. I still think about him.

I am taking his class Greek History now and it is amazing! It is nice to know something else besides American History! He is funny and doesnt demand your attention, he earns it. The best part of class besides the whole class is when he will take a word and break down its meaning and how it came to be. 50 min classes are too short!!

The best way to learn is through laughter, and he finds a way to do this. His passion for Greek History with rub off on you, and soon it will be all you think about. If he were alive during the 1770s he would be a founding father and today we would see his signature on the Declaration of Independece! Seriously, he is that smart.

This man is the true definition of a scholar. The class was Greek history, but it's clear that he knows much more than his field of specialty. He never insults your intelligence, but manages to explain things very well. He is a master of the Socratic method. He's a brilliant man who seems to care about students. There's no one like him.

Tempted to write a negative review so not as many people will take Prof Holoka's future class offerings. He's that good. Amazingly smart and uses that with a comedic twist on history in many instances to make classes interesting and relative. Occasional liberal politic bias, but other than that one of those teachers you "have to take" while at EMU

He makes you happy every day you are in class, and sad when you have to leave. I have taken him twice and without a doubt he is the best Professor at EMU and I would argue one of the best Professors in the country/world. EMU is very lucky to have him and students find out very quickly that they are lucky to have taken a course with him. AMAZING!

Greek History was a "can't miss" this last semester. Holoka makes things interesting and fun, and extremely memorable. This is one of the best classes I have taken, and I have at least 2 more with him before I graduate. I can't wait. This is a phenomenal professor, one whom everyone should take a class with. AMAZING!

After reading these coments,I expected choclate candy to pour from Dr. Holoka's mouth, and for plants to heal as he walked by. Seriously though, he is a top notch professor. If your a history major/minor he is a must take.

By far, one of the best teachers I've ever had. He made me want to switch my major back to a history major. I didn't, but if he taught every mandatory class, I would. I wish I could have the chance to have him again! His exams/quizzes are easy, as long as you come to class or read the books, you'll easily get a good grade. He's amazing!

Amazing - 'to overwhelm with wonder'... Class was not a lecture, but entertainment. Ties in other classes he is teaching during the semester (helpful to those students "doubling-down" and taking multiple class offerings). Prof. Holoka will keep you interested with fun lectures and an exciting presentation of material.

Great Prof. He was the reason i ended up doing a semester abroad. the classes are entertaining and informative, and he really knows his greek and latin.

Easily one of the best professors at EMU. Eastern is not necessarily a bad university, but the ratio of good the bad profs is way off. Holoka is in the 5% of talented, passionate professors. Smart, relevant, handsome and very funny.

He really knows the material and is willing to explain it but he can go off on tangents.

he is a great instructor

Great lecturer. He truly knows a lot about Ancient Rome, a I learned a lot from him. However, he is an outrageous essay grader. He essentially tells you that your writing sucks and practically rewrites the whole paper, word for word almost! In person, he is helpful, but comes off as a bit haughty. Overall, a lukewarm teacher.

Holoka is my favorite professor here at EMU. He makes the subject extremely interesting, and he is challenging enough to make you think. I love going to his classes!

Took him for an ancient language class and succeeded in a language class more than I ever had before. Attendance is verryyy important, so don't register if you don't plan to attend class or do quite a bit of studying. Vocab quizzes every other class period and two exams. Requires you to do reading and translating aloud in front of peers. Great prof

Professor Holoka is a most excellent teacher! His lectures are very structured and easy to understand, even if some of the material is heavy. If you go in knowing nothing, pay attention to him and read the assignments, you will come out with a well-rounded bank of knowledge on the subject.

I highly recommend this professor! He's a classic professor type, with mainly lectures, but he keeps the class engaged and really knows what he's talking about (doesn't need to refer to notes during lectures). His grading is made up of quizzes and exams, and they aren't easy, but if you study you'll do fine, and he gives you the benefit in the end.

Professor Holoka is great! I knew nothing about Greek History when I took his course, and came out the other end educated and with a deep appreciation of the subject. He really cares about his subject and teaching, and if you take him you will learn! I think of him as what all college professors should be! Just make sure you go to every class!

Professor Holoka is amazing! He's fluent in both Latin and Ancient Greek and practically has an encyclopedia of information in his head. He's enthusiastic and really makes learning the subject fun. Taking classes with him makes my semester(s) so much better.

I thought Hot or Not was in reference to how fun the class was, not appearance. Well, the class is fun anyhow. Not hard so much as challenging, nothing unfair.

Professor Holoka, is by far the BEST professor at Eastern. He is so entertaining during his lectures, and extremely easy to talk to. It is very important to go to class because there is so much material he goes over, and not going will definitely show in your grades. I would recommend him to everyone, history majors & non history majors!

Great Professor. Very helpful and knows his stuff. Makes the class very interesting. highly recommend. Going to class is a must as most testing material is covered in class.

My favorite class in all my four years at Eastern.

Absolutely the best professor I have had at Eastern. I was excited to go to class every day, I even signed up for a class with him next semester even though I do not require the class for my major or minor.

By far one of the best professors at Eastern, I have had two classes with him and I am taking a third one. His classes are interesting and fun, he also covers some pretty inspiring topics and characters. Showing up to class is must if your aiming for a good grade. The grading is pretty fair as well.

Great professor! I am a Bio major and have no interest in Latin and I enjoy coming to his class. He is very clear on what is expected. Quizzes weekly, a chapter a week (usually), midterm, and final. He calls on people at random just like in high school. So make sure to pay attention and do your hw! (even though its not graded)

One of the best professors on campus. After having taken four classes from him, I am terribly sad that there are no more left I can take. He's very clear in letting you know what is expected in the class. His grading is fair and reasonable. The tests are designed so that if you paid attention in class, you will do well. Ave Holoka!

He was very enthusiastic. He made greek history come alive! He makes it easy to get a good grade if you come to class and listen and take notes. Take lots of notes!! The class overall was very fun. Hes makes a lot of jokes and keeps it interesting.

Great professor. Exams are a little difficult, but I learned so much from this course.

Fantastic Professor! He is extremely enthusiastic about what he teaches and you WILL enjoy learning in his class. As long as you come to class, pay attention, and take notes you will do well. I can't wait to take another class with him next semester!

Knowledgeable. Hilarious. Great class. Great professor.

This is one of the best professors I have ever had. A true expert in the classics, if you like history, I recommend you take one of his classes!!

The best Professor I have ever had! Listening to his lecture is like someone reading you a story, he makes the history come alive!!

I've taken Holoka for four classes now, and he never ceases to amaze me. GO TO CLASS AND TAKE GOOD NOTES. If you do that, an A is not hard to obtain.

Amazing professor. You must attend class to do well on the tests, but attending the sessions was always the hightlight of my day.

If you skip class you will fail. As long as you attend and go over your notes prior to each class you will get at least a B. Study the outlines and bring them to class, you will be lost without them. Lectures are very entertaining. Bring your notes to him so he can look them over. He expects a high level of detail on the written essay.

This class is so great, one of the best I've ever had and his enthusiasm is top notch. He knows his stuff and its truly inspiring. If you miss class you're going to be sorry when it comes to test and quiz time but why you would want to miss his class is beyond me.

Holoka is the BEST professor I've ever had, took two classes with him even though I was already completed with my major and minor just because he is that awesome. If I had known how awesome his classes were I would have taken them as a freshman. Very knowledgeable on his subjects. Roman and Greek history were the two best classes I ever took.

I've always wanted to take Latin, Dr. Holoka is a fantastic professor and very interesting. If I could I afford to take all the Latin courses he teaches I would.

This class is amazing and especially so with Holoka. He is great and I want to take all of his classes. He really gets into the stories and characters and knows Greek and Latin so you learn a lot about the meaning behind the myth and the creation of them. This is by far my favorite class I've ever taken. You have to read and remember the stuff.

One of the best professors I've ever had, super fun and engaging. We learn about way more than just Latin in our class and he is incredibly knowledgeable about what he teaches. Wish I had taken more classes from him.

He was the best language teacher that i ever had made ever class so enjoyable

THIS IS REALLY THE BEST PROFESSOR AT EMU! Best narrative skills, you wont be bored and you will lear! guaranteed!!!

I LOVE this professor. you know what to expect at all times, grading is very fair, his classes are so interesting, that you wont want to miss them...I actually learned a lot while having fun! you do have to be prepared for tests if you want to pass. I plan on taking more of his classes!

I've taken both Greek and Roman History with him. He is by far my favorite professor at EMU. If you go to class (on time), use the outlines he provides for you and study there's no reason you won't receive a good grade. His lectures were interesting and he's a fantastic story teller. The tests are only hard if you didn't study.

I have had several classes with him and enjoyed every single one. If you put in a little effort and take good notes you will pass easily. Fantastic professor, one of the best!

Dr. Holoka is a very knowledgeable and talented professor. He brings the subject matter alive. My only complaint is that he is a bit prone to short rants on the virtues of "secular humanism" as opposed to religion. I don't necessarily disagree with him, I just felt it was out of place.

Amazing professor! He really knows what he is talking about. Also, really funny always relating the topic in class to something of interest. Even if you're not super interested in what he teaches, would still probably be worth it just to experience a professor like him.

Latin is a tough subject to begin with, but Dr. Holoka makes it easier by sticking to the book. There is a lot of in-class practice, which seems annoying but is ultimately helpful. Vocab is easy and grammar is TOUGH, but the professor is helpful and clear with grading criteria. The exams are easy compared to the quizzes, and there is online help!

Easily my favorite professor at EMU. Very personable, extremely interesting lectures, and he's an excellent story teller. Three tests and three quizzes, and no homework other than reading. Don't skip and actually study for exams and you'll do fine.

I couldn't have wished for a better professor to be the head of my program. His lectures are very exciting and also laid back. He gives 4 exams and 4 quizzes. Quizzes vary, but exams are half easy multiple choice, and half essay. He takes a lot of points for missing minor details on the essays, so write as much as you can!

One of the best teachers I've ever had, and the best outside the hard sciences. He will work as hard as you will to help you learnif you are really trying he will go to great lengths to help. An extremely fair graderyou will know what you need to do to get good grades. He's what academics should be but too often are not.

He is an all around phenomenal professor. I hope to teach college just like him one day. I've had him for two classes now, Hist 323 and CLAS131. He is helpful, smart, funny, and super great. If you do the work, you get an A.

Holoka is very knowledgeable and gives very interesting lectures. If you miss class, you need to make sure to get the notes or less you don't stand a chance on the exams or quizzes. I missed too many classes for reasons beyond my control and dropped the class rather than fail.

Holoka was hands down the BEST professor I've ever had. He lectures as if he's reading straight from a story book, that said it's easy to forget to take notes because you're so engulfed in what he saying. TAKE DETAILED NOTES!! His exams are difficult but if you pay really good attention, you will do well. oh yeah, DON'T MISS CLASS.

Clear about what he wants and expects from his students, and is willing to make accommodations. You could pass this class without frequently attending, given that it's a 101 class, but you wouldn't get a very good grade.

Mythology was one of my favorite classes at EMU and part of the greatness had to do with Professor Holoka. He always has great lectures and really cares about the material. There is a lot to read and you won't pass exams if you don't know the material, but it's not difficult. THIS IS A GREAT PROFESSOR!

Class consisted of 4 quizzes and 4 exams, and if you listen to the lectures you can very easily pass them. The lectures were pretty interesting but some of them were very dry and didn't have to be as long as they were. Test and quiz answers were submitted by email which was kind of odd. Great professor! I'd take him again.

This was an amazing class! Professor Holoka knows what he is talking about and he is so sweet! I had to miss a test because I was sick and he was very accommodating and let me take the test again. Make sure you watch the videos and take detailed notes of his lectures because he wants details

James is one of the most knowledgeable Professors I have had at Eastern. His Greek History course is completely online and the lectures he provides look like he hires a professional video team. These online videos are more engaging than some in-person lectures I've attended, and the 1+ hour videos feel like they're only 15 minutes. Great Professor!

An incredibly engaging professor, the best ive ever had!