2.6
Quality3.6
Difficulty29%
Would Retake95
Reviews29%
Would Retake
95
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
12
4
13
3
24
2
24
1
22
What Students Say
“Nice guy like everyone else has said, but not the best teacher”
HIST1112 - 2.0 rating“He is possibly a genius but his arrogance begins to blind that fact after a week of class”
HIST1112 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
66%
Textbook Required
14%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.15 avg changeRatings by Course
HISTORY1111
5.0
(1)HIST5630
4.0
(3)HIST2630
4.0
(1)HISTORY1112
3.5
(2)HIST1111
3.3
(7)Difficulty by Course
5340
5.0
HISTO1220
5.0
HIST1001
5.0
HIST5336
5.0
HIST3030
4.3
Reviews (95)
This professor is a swollen headed know it all who runs through tons of information without anyone understanding it!!! DON'T take his class!!
he talks too much on things that aren't relevant to what you should be learning. lots of out of class reading. tests aren't bad as long as you read the chapters in the book but he is impossible to follow in class. answers questions with questions.
He always goes off on random "background history" or not relevant at all to what we need to know tangents. Lots of out of class reading which is fine, but the lectures seem to not have any kind of organization at all. Completely pointless in coming to class because he's so hard to follow. We can miss 3-4 days. Just not worth it.
This guy drives me nuts!!! Has power points that do not follow his lectures and usually only have a picture. His lectures are impossible to follow. No one was taking notes, so he changed the syllabus so we have to turn in our notes to him each week. Do not take this class, he is a horrible teacher and always answers a question with a question.
He is extremely smart and you can tell he knows what he is talking about but I think he expects us to be on the same level as him and there is no way... I had to try really hard to pull a B in this class. He does offer a lot of extra credit opportunities that you SHOULD take advantage of. Although his "help" isn't necessarily "helpful" he tries.
Difficult teacher. He is hard to follow and normally goes off on a tangent over information not needed.Nice guy and willing to help but he is too smart for is own good. He doesnt know how to break things down well. If you have him prepare to be lost. Not recommended
He is a genuinely nice guy, but his lectures are incredibly difficult to follow. He often slips into these asides that are completely irrelevant to course material. Attendance is required. He will like you if you answer questions out loud. Must read every long chapter and additional reading to pass exams.
He was very hard to follow, and does not answer questions well. Nice guy like everyone else has said, but not the best teacher. It is possible to make an A in his class, but it takes serious individual study. His lectures don't really help much. For an all campus required introductory class, I think he is too hard.
This professor isn't as bad as everyone claims. His lectures are hard to follow sometimes, but if you read the chapters the tests are a breeze. He also gives students a whole lot of extra credit opportunities. This is an easy class no matter who the professor, and Burson is no exception..
I have had Dr. B several times throughout my college career. I have had him for intro freshman classes, upper level classes, and my senior thesis. Hands down one of the BEST professors ever. He expects you to do your part, and is very intelligent. It is even possible to make perfect score on his upper level exams.
Sometimes the hardest thing about this class was staying awake. Dr. Burson is so smart. It's almost like he knew everything about History- and I mean everything. Biggest to do's in his class: Talk, respond to his questions, laugh at his side jokes, and read the assigned material. He gives lots of extra credit; take advantage of them all.
If you're thinking about taking his class, I suggest you expand your vocabulary. He uses very complex and confusing words multiple times in each sentence. He knows exactly what he's talking about but he's extremely hard to follow and terrible at breaking things down for his students.
It was very hard to stay awake in this class, and it is true that he goes on tangents, however he is aware of that and plans to work on it. He also gets a bit annoyed when no one answers questions. But if you read the book you'll pass all the tests. I wouldn't say that its a hard course or that he's a bad professor,just a little hard to follow.
It is true that he goes on tangents and talks on an on abotu on topic, I can't deny that. However, he is a really great professor. He is also aware of the fact that he goes on tangents and is often unclear about the point of his lectures. He is more than helpful when a student goes to his office during office hours and asks him specific questions.
Unlike the Hist-1112 dunces have said about him, he is a great teacher. Even though he does go on tangents, there is a reason for it, but also he gets so excited about the subject so he will naturally talk a lot. He is very helpful to those who ask for it. Listen to the lectures and read the books. And always ask questions if you don't understand.
Professor Burson is, yes a crazy guy, but he knows what he is talking about and can get his point across easily and clearly. Show up ready to take notes and listen and you will do just fine. He does expect a lot from his students but don't be scare he is one of the best. So, you 1112 cotton-headed ninny muggins actually show up and do the work.
He is possibly a genius but his arrogance begins to blind that fact after a week of class. He goes off on tangents that have nothing to do with the test and is very hard to follow in class. I am a history major and the only way i passed this class was reading the book. I would suggest another professor for your lower level history courses.
Dr. Burson is extremely willing to work with any student that is willing to put forth an effort. His intelligence shows in his lectures. Take notes, attend class, and ask for help when needed, and you'll come out with an A.
He is a genius! His personal life affected his mood and unfortunately that affected his mood towards students. He has a strict tardiness policy and does not like when no one answers his questions. Make sure you go to class and take notes and read the book and you will make a B easily.
Brilliant man. He has expectations, but they are not unreasonable or unattainable. If you come prepared to class and do what you need to, you will do well in this class. If you ask, he will go above and beyond to help you any way he can.
Incredibly intelligent man. He is very nice and helpful. His expectations are not unattainable if you put the work in. I recommend taking him!
Dr. Burson is a great professor. He knows what he is talking about. He doesn't expect too much out of his students but does expect you to learn the information and apply it. You WILL need the book for daily readings! He will challenge you! Take his class!
The man is brilliant but not a great teacher of this course. If you go to class you should be able to make a decent enough grade. At times he's hard to follow. If you are not into history or have a hard time taking notes. Find another teacher.
Burson was not too difficult, but he wasn't very clear with lectures. He moved through subjects really fast. There was only one test, multiple journal entries and reflections, and one paper. Reading and attendance were important. I wouldn't take him if you were looking for an easy grade, be prepared to study.
He tends to tangent while lecturing which can be a little confusing and sometimes he lectures for a really long time about one thing which can also make you tune out. He is very passionate about what he teaches. There is only one multiple choice test that he gives which is the final everything else is discussion questions and short papers.
Lectures are boring but puts powerpoints online, gives extra credit if you go to class.
Dr. Burson is not a professor who should be taken for a lower level history class. He is unorganized in thought patterns and often finds many tangents to go off on. His clarity is subpar and his grading criteria is unclear especially on the final paper. He is a very tough grader.
I love history, but this was the hardest history class I've ever taken. I ended up withdrawing early in the semester. Dr. Burson is a brilliant man, but he's not the best choice of professor for a core class. A lot of confusing reading. His lectures are all over the place and hard to take notes on. Only take him if you have to.
VERY unclear and boring lectures. You can't even rely on the powerpoint notes he posts b/c those are unclear as well. Doesn't make the book mandatory, but the only way to pass the tests is to read the book b/c your notes won't help you study. The thing that saved my grade was the 100 pts of ex. credit for going to every class. DO NOT TAKE CLASS.
He's very intelligent, but he's also very arrogant. Being a senior seminar class, I understand a considerable amount of scrutiny is expected, but he already expects you to have the skills he's supposed to teach you mastered before you even start his class. He's unclear on what he expects from you and your grade will suffer as a result. Don't take.
I would not recommend prof Burson, or take a class by him again. He only has a midterm and a final, and 2 papers. He expects participation in a lecture hall, making his lectures long and painful. He doesn't connect with his students and can be smug and snippy. He does post the powerpoints online, but takes random attendance. Seriously, not worth it
Dr. Burson gave long lectures and went off-topic quite a bit but that's to be expected from a History prof. Only have the midterm, a final essay, and cumulative final. You've got to read ahead of him because he asks questions in lecture about the reading and get super heated when no one answers. Just gotta try really hard. Interesting class though.
As a history major & having taken several upper levels, his class is WAY too hard. Only 2 exams with two 200+ term study guides. He will talk to you like you're stupid if he doesn't like your question. More than half the class failed the midterm & no curve. Gets really pissed if the class doesn't answer him. Don't take if this isn't your major.
Dr. Burson doesn't deserve all the bad reviews. The tests are straightforward and he's pretty laid back. He was very easy to contact (unlike some of my other professors) and he was quite helpful. Just make sure you read and study; there are only two tests that count about 50% each, plus the occasional two-page essay.
The bad reviews do not reflect Dr. Burson's quality. He is an outstanding professor but you have to do some studying on your own to get a good grade. You will earn what you get. I thoroughly enjoyed his class.
He's nice but definitely tough! He's an extremely tough grader, so start the papers early and give yourself enough time to revise THOROUGHLY. His lectures are very detailed and he's just on a higher level intellectually. Because of this, it was sometimes hard to keep up.
The grading scale might actually be the worst one I have ever seen. Your grade is out of 1000 points and your final is 500 of that and the rest is divided up by five 10-question quizzes. So yes, quite literally if you miss 10 questions total on everything together you lose a letter grade. You don't exactly have to go to class but it helps.
only had five quizzes and the final. switched up half way through the semester and the quizzes went from about the lectures to about the book. he really likes to ask questions and will just sit there until someone raises their hand.
Lectures are hard to follow, will remain on the same slide for 30 minutes and go on tangents completely unrelated to whats on the slide. Gets annoyed when you dont take notes or answer his questions. Final is HALF of your grade, and he WILL make the test material harder if class participation is lacking. Would not recommend.
I took this Prof for a World History class during this past spring semester, and I would sincerely advise against taking him - unless you have no other choice. Burson is extremely lecture heavy (I hardly ever used my book), and he goes on horrible tangents that most of the time have nothing to do with the material on the quizzes/final exam.
Burson was nice but his lectures were so hard to follow. I worked my ass off in that class and got a B. His grading scale is way too harsh. Final is worth HALF your grade. Avoid if you can but if you do end up getting him make sure to read and you should be fine
Literally have never had such a hard time with a History class. 5 tests with 10 questions and literally the questions are paragraphs long and so are each of the answers with all slight differences, that makes it hard to decide which answer to pick. His lectures are long and half of the time off topic and won't let you know until you have wrote it.
I didnt enjoy this class because going was really a waste of time. He rambles during lecture and 90% of what he says isnt on the quizzes. I had to put together pieces from PowerPoint slides and the book readings to do good on the quizzes. Hes very uptight about attendance and paying attention to lectures, but laid back other than that.
He talks a lot, and you are not really sure if it is information you need to know or not.
Attendance wasn't mandatory but perfect attendance was extra credit. Powerpoints are not helpful when learning the material and everything is said in lectures. Feedback on assignments was not helpful. Cool as a person, just not as a teacher. Very accessible outside of class
I was nervous to take Dr. Burson after reading all of the feedback on here, but his class was NOT bad at all. Make sure you do your readings, and just listen in class. He is huge on participation- go to office hours, answer a few questions in class, and make sure you have good attendance. If he knows you are trying, he WILL keep that in mind.
Lectures were extremely boring, only gives quizzes and a final no other assignments. You basically teach yourself.
He wants you to come to every class (understandable), take notes from the slides AND what he says because half the things he says is not on the slides, read 2-3 long chapters per unit, and read from two other books as well.
When I say never take this professor, I mean NEVER take this professor! He is one of the worst Ive ever had. I didnt even write a review on this site until I had him because I felt he needed a warning label. His Lectures are pointless (but attendance is mandatory & you have to go) and the exams are crazy hard!
He talks the whole damn time. It makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe 1/4 of the class listens to anything he said by the second month of class. If you can please try to avoid him. Your only grades are the 3 test and a Final Exam.
His lectures are long and boring. Attendance is mandatory so dont skip often. Tests are pretty straightforward as long as you do all of your readings and review the powerpoints. He is accessible outside class and will help you to develop better study habits for his exams! He offers a good amount of extra credit at the end of the semester too.
run far and wide. Criticism is good, but he goes way too far to the point we all lost any motivation to try anymore. Made a lot of us cry with how harsh he was. Would not specify his expectations, then would fail people on their assignments for not meeting them. Just don't. Pretty chill outside of the classroom tho
Good teacher, gets very into lectures. Expects students to listen and engage in class, which is understandable. He is a high IQ guy so a decent amount of students have trouble relating to him. He wants all his students to succeed and he gives effort outside of the classroom to help as long as the student is willing to put in the effort too.
He will ramble on one slide for the entire class period. He gets mad when you do not answer his questions. The test questions are like word problems and are confusing. The one good thing about him is that he offers a lot of extra credit assignments. DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PROFESSOR TO ANYONE!!!
Great guy and teacher! Big brain speaker so if you dont pay attention you will get lost quickly. Explains everything needed for the class multiple times and makes it straight forward. Hates stupid questions because he is very high IQ. Take him. Show up, pay attention, take notes, do the readings and answer his questions in class and youre golden.
Dr. Burson is a real pleasure to have for world history. He is very organized and accessible outside of class with any questions. The class is very straight forward and the information is presented in the textbook, power-points, and lectures. 3 tests and 1 final so be prepared. He doesnt deserve all the bad reviews, very unfair from my experiences
Dr. Burson's class is very straight forward, 3 tests and a final exam. He explains everything in great detail, posts power points online, and is available outside of class if needed. The negative reviews are from people who simply refused to listen in class and didn't put out any effort to engage. His tests are straight forward. Cool guy too.
Prof Burson is a very great teacher. He does expect you to read a lot in the textbook to cover parts in the unit that he can not get around to. You are also graded on very few things. Prof Burson is very interested in history though and you can see his passion for it in his lectures.
He is easily accesible through his email . Any question you have about the lectures or test he will answer to his best ablity. Yes he has the notes on power points but if you miss his lectures you miss alot of key points. Through out the semester he provides questions that you can choose from on the final exam. over all a great professor.
Very knowledgeable and smart. Lectures are very dry and boring. Really hard to pay attention. He gives you so much to read, as well as slides, just for you to have 10 questions on the quiz. Very smart and nice, just not at delivering it to his audience with clarity
I took Dr. Burson for Historical Methods. He is very kind and very intelligent. The class itself is super boring, though. Always available to offer assistance. He has office hours quite regularly throughout the week and is very helpful.
The class itself was not difficult, but you only have 5 quizzes and 7 discussion post. No exams other than the final which was a paper. The lectures were long and boring, he graded tough which sucks because you do not have a lot of assignments so if you do bad you will not pass. Buy the required reading, because his lectures are not much help.
hard class, based on lecture- he just talks and talks and talks. so boring. if you have another option take it... i barely passed the exams, averaged my grade to a C but he curved ma whole letter grade up
I took this as a mandatory core class. While Professor Burson is super nice and very available outside of class, he grades VERY harshly. I never made an A on a paper and I wrote probably 6 for this one class. He also has multiple discussions for each unit. And the quizzes are only 5 questions, so if you miss one, you are straight out of luck.
very long and boring lectures and only a few grades. Most of the work to make a good grade is outside of class. He can be a tough grader but is always available to help you during office hours.
Dr. Burson is a great professor who knows what he's talking about, but can get distracted. There isn't a lot of homework, and you need to read the chapters, but it isn't bad. He is super nice and will help you if you ask. I made a 95 on a paper we had because I reached out and asked for help. Lectures are pretty boring, but manageable.
Do not take this professor. He's boring, and only gives quizzes and two essays to which he grades very harshly. His lectures are boring, the notes of his power points are practically useless since he never gives you enough time to finish writing, and he expects you to receive up to 1,000 points by the end of the semester.
Only took quizzes which only equaled a small part of your grade. Midterm essay and final essay were the same but graded the final much more harshly. You must read. Quizzes, final and papers were heavy on book material. Do all of the extra credit assignments. Lecture is based off the reading and the PowerPoints only do so much.
Jeff is quite boring & is an extremely harsh grader. Avoid if you can.
His lectures are very boring, but he is a good professor. As long as you put in the work and read and prepare for you midterm and final exam essays you will make a good grade! There is a few quizzes outside of class but overall pretty fair
i never rate on here, but i felt like i should for dr. burson. he was extremely passive-aggressive, and honestly made you feel kinda stupid. his lectures are very wordy, and super difficult to follow, and your only grades in the class are exams (which are handwritten, in-class essays with no notes) and the occasional quiz. would not recommend.
Be prepared for harsh, harsh, HARSH criticism on any paper you submit unless you are an excellent writer. He requires footnotes (who uses footnotes?) and doesn't show you how to fix your mistake just points it out. Sometimes will help but usually won't. Forget about having free time over a break that is homework time. Lots of books mandatory.
Personally, I love Dr. Burson. However, I understand why his rating is so low. His slides do not contain a lot of words, and many people are only able to notate what is on a slide. However, if you are good at writing down exactly what he SAYS, this class is an easy A. He gives online quizzes throughout the year, and they are criminally easy. 10/10.
If you want to be BORED in class and learn nothing then this is the class for you. He just does lectures with PowerPoint that make no sense. He speaks in such a boring way and there are only like 6 assignments. Attendance is done randomly so you kind of have to show up. Recommended textbook sucks. Waste of my time, and not a good professor.
he's a pretty nice guy, but his lectures are very very very boring. i never payed attention during them and i still ended the class with an A. but be sure to do the readings and look over his guidelines for essays. there are only a few graded assignments and he takes attendance every few classes but you have to sign ur name at least 6 times
You will do lots of reading if you want to stay on top of things. His lectures were boring, and I was often found it hard to pay attention to him. He was very understanding and would move quizzes to a later date if the class agreed. The quizzes questions can be difficult to answer because of the wide range of readings. This class alright overall.
I zoned out in every lecture tbh but as long as you study for the tests and sort of retain the main topics of info then you will be fine. He is really understanding and moves tests and such if there is a vote. He is funny and is really interested in history. He is very well spoken but could talk about one slide for three hours. He really cares.
Super lecture heavy, only has a few quizzes throughout the semester and 3 written essay exams decides your grade. Grades harshly on essays, cares more about what's coming out of his mouth rather than the students individually.
Terrible teacher who feigns being nice and grades like he is getting paid to fail you. So unbelievably full of himself and thinks his word is outright better than yours just because of where he is standing.
When I emailed him I was sent a rude, passive aggressive response. He likes to ramble and I found the class very boring.
Although a one credit class, took me as much time to complete as classes like sociology and macro. Very tough grader, and kinda rude in emails, very intuitive.
Has a very passive, aggressive tone in his emails, and tends to ramble during lectures. He often provides feedback on assignments and is willing to work with you.
Awful teacher. One day is lecture day and that's you just sitting while listening to him and he is very boring. He goes so deep into history that you have no idea what he is talking about. During the discussions, whatever response you say doesn't make him happy, so he will correct you to his liking. When emailing him, he comes off very rude.
I would not take this class. During group discussions, nobody knows what is going on because on lecture days he throws so much information at us and is so deep into what he teaches that he doesn't teach us good. He just rambles and is not very nice. I have usually loved history but he ruined it for me. He is a awful teacher!!
I took Age of Napoleon with Burson and honestly the way he lectures so hard to follow, if you dont say exactly what he wants then you're wrong, he's also very short and passive aggressive with his responses via email and in person. I don't recommend taking him if you don't have to, he's into the content but not good at teaching it.
Personally, for me, I didn't have any problems with him. He says that the readings are mandatory however I didn't read any of it and still got an A. If you stick with the PowerPoints you should be fine. Lectures are very in-depth and he is very passionate about the subjects. Is he the absolute best? Not really, however, he's not the worst.
Dr, Burson was okay, but He's a Professor that I will not take again. He's extremely harsh when grading papers, and is a little bit passive aggressive. There's very FEW things that you are graded on, and the only exam you will have is the final. Attendance is mandatory if you want an A. Just follow the guidelines however, and you will get an A.
Knowledgeable on what he teaches but he isn't very good at explaining material. His lectures were very boring and he grades roughly on essays. He expects everyone in the class to be history experts immediately and if you aren't he lets you know! His feedback is always negative. He asks questions in class no response is ever good enough for him.
Dr. Burson is really interesting. He has so much insight on World History and will spend a good 30 minutes just talking about history with you if you have interesting questions. He's a tough grader, and the reading is important. But if you pay attention and take good notes you'll do solid.
Dr. Burson is a great professor in regards to his ability to showcase his knowledge in History. However, he spews out knowledge like crazy and unless history is your DNA most of it will fly over your head. Then on top of the monotonous lectures, you have copious amounts of readings. Honestly, I just winged this class and hoped for the best.
You can earn up to a 1000 points in this class. Only have an average of 6 assignments. Grading scale is not great at all. Very long lectures with no depth.
Unless you want a challenge please don't take this professor. Never satisfied with your answer. Passive aggressive through emails. Very monotonous lectures that he expects you to take good notes on. Final exam is 2 essay questions IN CLASS, that is not open book or open note and he expects you to remember course work with references in detail.
He's a tough grader but, by far, one of the best professors I've since I started my student tenure at GSU in 2007. The feedback is carefully formulated to help you become a better analytical writer through a historical lens. He truly enjoys history, and really enjoys French History (class 3437). While stressful, it was worth it.
I wouldn't advise anyone to take Burson's class. He assigns a ridiculous amount of reading, which is unnecessary, as I read none of it and still got an A. He's not personable, and lectures in a way that makes you feel unintelligent for not being an expert from day one. Gets upset when you don't ask questions, and acts pretentious when you do.
Dr. Burson was great! Very welcoming and accommodating. Yes he assigns readings. Yes, you're going to be quizzed over the readings. Is his class hard? No. He knows his stuff. He's just trying to make sure you do too.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
66%
Textbook Required
14%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.15 avg changeRatings by Course
HISTORY1111
5.0
(1)HIST5630
4.0
(3)HIST2630
4.0
(1)HISTORY1112
3.5
(2)HIST1111
3.3
(7)Difficulty by Course
5340
5.0
HISTO1220
5.0
HIST1001
5.0
HIST5336
5.0
HIST3030
4.3