3.0
Quality2.8
Difficulty21%
Would Retake129
Reviews21%
Would Retake
129
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
36
4
21
3
23
2
18
1
31
What Students Say
“My experience with this instructor was not very good”
HIST102 - 2.0 rating“Anyone who wants to learn the backbone of history well this teacher explains that well”
HIS144 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Textbook Required
83%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.68 avg changeRatings by Course
HST102
5.0
(1)HISTORY122102
5.0
(1)HIST10110214
5.0
(1)HIST200
5.0
(1)HISTOFCIV
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HIST200
5.0
HST101
4.0
HIST120
4.0
HIST201
4.0
HISTOFCIV
4.0
Reviews (129)
No Comments
Interesting lectures but sometimes confusing...helps if you use tape recorder
No Comments
Great teacher! Very informative. His lectures draw you in.
His lectures ...all i can say is wow. The only way you will pass he class tho is you write down everything he says and rewrite it in your paper.
He has a unique way of lecturing, his voice, phrases, and especially his facial expressions made the material stick with me and I actually remember most of it. He uses Howard Zin's "A peoples History of the United States"---GREAT BOOK!
Great teacher .. easy learning.. take home essay and open book on test. Only way to fail is not show up at all to class
HE is cool but... he is okay stays at you a lot for no reason, so try not to fall asleep
I took him in the summer and he is the easiest teacher ever. Open book tests and take home essays w. many e.c opportunities.He is boring b/c his talking is random and did not draw me in.Easy A if you write down the notes and attend class.
This man is the worst instructor I have ever had. He 's incredibly boring, gets many facts wrong, and leaves out many important events in history. His tests are difficult because they are on things he didn't go over, and his essays are absurb. AVOID DURAN
Good Lord the man can lul you to sleep! I think I learned more ways on how to stay awake than anything on history!
If you have trouble going to sleep, sign up for this class.Duran is boring.takes attendance beggining and end of class. Easy A if you follow up. Open book test.
Makes history very interesting and I have enjoyed his lectures. Half of test is open book. You do have to take good notes because they are to be used as part of the other half of test which is a take home written essay. Lots of extra credit and an easy "A" with alittle work.
Good teacher.
Good teacher, make History easy to study. However, you do have to take good notes. And you will ace in this class. :)
Good Teacher~ Open Book Test!
Very boring class. He is very one-sided. If you are a conservative, you will not like this class. Not a good instructor.
Good!
Boring teacher and open book test!! Sometimes I ask if he cares about teaching at all. Loves to wear shorts, I think the same ones too. Notetaking is hard now, very critical on essays. Extra credit does not help!! Conservative, close-minded, stubborn, not helpful at all!! Very rude, boring, close-minded, notes not readable!! AVOID DURAN!!
If you're a person who appreciates history, DON'T TAKE HIS CLASS! AHH, it was horrible. I had a drop halfway through, I couldn't take it anymore. He goes off topic, makes you copy the board and doesn't really go over anything. Also, he gets a lot of his facts mixed up. I remember once he claimed William the Conqueror conquered all of western Europe
Boring, rude, and get pissed off if you leave his class early and he will mark you absent for leaving early. He is very easy but he is dork!
as much as i love history, he just makes me not want to go to class. he is real good when it comes to explaining but the best when it comes to making you go to sleep. i love his little tiny shorts thats the only reason why i go to his class sometimes.
great teacher.. altho very boring but its an easy A. He gives lots of extra credit assignments out and also bumps ur grade one whole letter if you show up everyday.. good deal his quizzes are 20 MC questions from the book and he tells you what pages they are on.. and the essays are based on his lectures and he gives you the weekend to do it..
easy! its an open book test (30 multiple choice & a take home essay). he writes notes on the board & its hard to read but write them down anyways cause its great for the take home essays. he gives out extra credit (watching movies & writing a 4 pg essay on it). hes really anal about attendance, but if u're there everday, he gives u 10 points.
No Comments
No Comments
I hated this class. It was sooo boring!!!
No Comments
Keeps going around the point he is trying to make.
DURAN LIKE A MOVIE STAR IN TEACHER FORM! He was very cool actually taught the subject and explained it very well
Hes a bit quirky, but he makes history fun. I love him, its totally easy for me to get a A in his class. all you have to do is take really good notes, meaning not just whats on the board & you're sure to get an A!
This dude is an ultimate dork. great hair and glasses. hot hot wife. needs new wardrobe though. He is super easy but reminds me of that teacher in the Wonder Years (the Clear Eyes commercial guy) open book test with notes and outline he provides, what else can I say?
Booorrriiiingggg. And very very one-sided. Too much unnecessary opinion. Goes off on too many random tangents. Too specific on irrelevant material.
easy a
Funny looking teacher,tripped out on what he wore to class,everyday schedule: sit down,write whats on the board,he explains it all, and class is over.test are easy though thats whats good about it.
He is extremely boring... let's just say I had a good many naps in this class and I absolutely love history. He only lectures off notes he writes on the board...However his tests are really easy: open book test in class and take home essay. If you take this teacher be aware of his teaching style....
No Comments
this guy is WEIRD!but he's very easy.test are open book multiple choise and take home essay.can't beat that. ya he's very boring but it's an easy A. he dresses funny too. sometimes he reminds me of mountain climber in switzerland or a cowboy from the old west (minus the cowboy hat).he's so easy, just take him.
No Comments
Mr. Duran's class can be a bit boring at first. However, he's got a cool way of teaching and he's very passionate about history which makes the class pretty cool. It's important to take very good notes, and not just what's on the board. It helps which the essay's that are required for the class. I'm glad that I took this class.
enter class, sit down, copy notes, take role, and then class begins. This a day with Duran for the rest of the semester. Test divides into 2 parts, open book multiple choice and essay from lecture. make sure you take good notes your vocbulary will increase after his lectures. He loves talking of dark secrets in history! you will be shocked!
he is the good professor ! he is great!
He is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo boring.... you take notes he explains your notes and your done. his choice of clothing is funny!!! he needs to get some.
good teacher. do the essays and read and his class is just fine
I could have shot myself. Class was extremely boring. But if you record his lectures and do the essays, you should be able to ace the class. He is the only one teaching this section, so suck it up and get it over with.
wow... boring... he is hard to talk to... you must attend class or you lose points for not attending... if only he was more lenient on the attendance. if you have 6 absences you lose one full grade, leave class early, it's an absence, i feel like i'm back in HS. if you don't follow his format for the work he ask for you lose a lot of points for th
I can't say Duran is a good teacher nor is he a bad teacher. More so confused teacher. It's hard to register the stuff he's trying to teach. You feel bad cos he's trying soooo hard. You gotta give him an A for effort. But I wouldn't take his class again.
He's soooooooo boring. Dont take this class at night, he'll put you to sleep. He also takes roll at the beginning and end of every class and he'll mark you absent if you leave early.
I think Mr. Duran is an exellent teacher. Those who say he is boring must not like history. He LOVES history, so he tells as much as he can fit in. If you record his lectures it will help you out when writing your essays. His tests cover four chapters and are multiple choice and take home essay. The final is only based on the last 4 chapters!
I'll sum it up. Sit down on time, DON'T talk in class, come early to write notes on board, and invest in a voice recorder for lectures & test. Mr.Duran is passionate about what he teaches. Good teacher but no interaction w/students and not very approachable but will try to help if it's valid.Lots of extra credit. Pay attention and you will learn.
Easy class. Just attend class, take notes and you will be fine. Attendance is important to him, so if you are absent most of the time do not take.
I consider myself a very good student that pay attention to the class no matter how boring the teacher is. But to Mr. Duran, I couldn't help to fall asleep every class. You guys have no idea how much coffe did I drank during the semester. The only good thing about him you can use your essay score to cover up your MC score. 2 words: TOTALLY BORING!!
I took this class on line and it was real cool, He is a good teacher and he gives you chances on quiz's and he is not like other teachers, on the essays he is not that hard as other teachers, I hate history but I loved this class with him.
Took him for History 143 Very easy just take notes and you will be fine. Test are EASY!! He is VERY strict on attendance!!
The professor is great if you bring a tape recorder to class. He also has office hours if you need help.
Go to class, be quiet, and take notes!!! Open book, multiple choice test questions, and take home essays based on class notes. He was ok.
first of all BORING, Duran needs to know what he is talking about, when questions are asked he gives a bogus made up anser or totally avoids them. too much to sit trough id rather wash dishes and i hate washing dishes
I took Professor Duran 5 years ago. His lectures were so POWERFUL, my class notes have got me through my UPPER DIVISION courses. His enthusiam on subject matter is unparalleled. TAKE GOOD NOTES, he offers invaluable information. THIS Guy puts UNIVERSITY HISTORY PhD's TO SHAME !!! RECOMMENDED TO ALL !!!
Ok, so he is EXTREMELY boring, and very hard to sit through, but he isn't that difficult overall. Take GOOD notes, open book MC tests (20 Q, take home essays, but STRICT attendance. If it's pefect thought, it moves you up a grade. Miss more than three and you down a grade though. I say take him if your dedicated and not too lazy. PS..TAPE RECORDER!
I have had him for two classes now and I think he is a good professor. If you do not want to attend class all the time he is not for you. He does give extra credit. Tardiness is not allowed. Overall, a good professor. I recommend him. He does say to bring a tape recorder on the first day.
BORING!!! OFF TOPIC HE IS ALL OVER THE PLACE!AVOID!
The only creature that still exit which use white chalk on the black board with terrible handwriting. Class boring to hell, however attendance is very strict, 3 non-reasonable absent will drop u one letter grade. u can jump from c 2 D. LOL no kidding. however, test is easy open book, term paper graded fairly, GOT A on his class
Prof. Duran is a treasure to Rio students. Criticisms of him as boring are unfair. His views are provocative and his lectures do have a bit of a stream of consciousness feel to them, but hey I'll take that over POWERPOINT! EW!. I am now at UC Berkeley and am doing well in my PACS course, Thanks to you Mr. Duran!
THE WORST TEACHER AT RIO!!!!!!! Not only is he borring, he has these off the wall viewpoints!!!!! Be careful what you say in class your opinion wouldn't matter anyways, he's right your wrong. NOT helpful what so ever.
He is a horrible teacher, his class will make you fall asleep, he is so boring, he is so bored that it looks like he's starring into the wall all the time. I would never take this class ever again.
I would not recommend this professor to anyone. His course is not beneficial, does NOT stimulate student growth and is discouraging and even damaging for students.
This class sucks. His writing sucks. He has a very short temper and has mood swings, and is extremely stern with his attendance and assignments. In short, choose another teacher cause he is not worth the time at all.
If you like history Duran offers a different unique perspective. He gets mad when people talk in class but who doesn't? Term papers landed me a C in his class. If you can write then term papers will help your grade. The ONLY teacher who writes on the board for all his notes, and for people in the back this is bad because he writes sloppy...
Most people say that his class is hard. NOT true! It is about doing the work. If you are planning to transfer to UC, then this is your professor. In his class you WILL EARN your grade.. If you are not a hard worker, then go to another professor. Yes, he does not like to be interrupted, because if he is, then that means you will DO THE TEXT READING.
Remeber one thing-TAPE RECORDER! He only mentions it the first day of class so open you're ears. I found it best to have a laptop to take notes, he lectures the entire class. That lecture is your success to the take home essays before the test(there are 5 or 6). Brilliant man, but comes off boring, so you better get your sleep. lol ;)
Don't take his History 201 online class. The questions are very engaging and without his input or lecture it's next to impossible. His syllabus is hard to comprehend and the amount of research to do the essays are extensive.
He is very boring and strict with attendance and tardies. alot of writting. four test and the one final multiple choice, will give extra credit. He knows his stuff, I really leaner alot about history. I though he was going to be hard on grading but he gave me A.
He is very animated in his speaking. Yeah, sometimes he will put you to sleep, but hes one of the few teachers who take the time to write his lecture on the board. Which without them, I would totally fail his class! Kind of weird to look at though when hes talking. Kin of looks like the actor who played the green goblin in Spiderman.
Open book tests and a take home essay for each test. You have all weekend for the essay. Take good notes off the board and you will do fine. I hate history but he does know a lot about it.Extra credit is available throughout the semester if you need it.10 points added at the end for perfect attendence.
oh my god. this is probably the only class where i HAD to fall asleep every single session. easy A though if you're good at writing essays. gave a lot of extra credit opportunities also which i took advantage of. (:
The most enthusiastic teacher ive ever had from any school. He loves history and will tell you anything you want to know. He enjoys when you volunteer to answer and discuss. I took his class for intersession, two 4page essays and two open book tests. Very easy and he makes history fun. His facial expressions and voices make his lectures hilarious.
great professor! easy class if you pay attention. there are 3 essays & one book report. tests are open book. gives extra credit if you never miss class. take good notes & you'll do fine.
great professor! easy class if you pay attention. there are 3 essays & one book report. tests are open book. gives extra credit if you never miss class. take good notes & you'll do fine.
great professor! easy class if you pay attention. there are 3 essays & one book report. tests are open book. gives extra credit if you never miss class. take good notes & you'll do fine.
Awesome class, taking him again for 102. Lectures may be slow but if you are into the subject he gives a lot of information. Pay attention and you'll do good, test are open book.
If you want an easy semester and don't want to' do anything but sleep than he is your instructor
So.. you are bored. Try taking a class at a University Level; where all the professors do not care about their students. Mr. Duran is a gem to Rio Hondo. He puts the professors at CPP to shame. I had to come back and look at all of his notes from his class. Take his class an buck up... no one likes complainers. Trust me, you will need his class
It is a very easy class! 3 essays, 2 tests, & 1 extra credit essay. ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY!!! On the brighter side, having perfect attendance can boost you LITERALLY a grade up. Open book tests, take home for the essay portion. Record his lecture and life would be so much easier when you're pumping out those papers. Easy, but boring class...
Very easy class, but what he needs to remove from his course is the book report. I found it to be useless because he covers the decline of Rome EXTREMELY WELL and basically leaves you reading a book that only teaches you what gentlemans history is. You can learn that off of wikipedia for FREE xD
This was the worst teacher i have ever had. He is very mean and strict, and he also has an accent and speech problems making him hard to understand. He also takes role at the beginning an end of class. If u miss 3 times you grade will get lowered. You also have to write 5 essays and read a book on your own time
Took his online class in the summer last year, let me just say you get what you put in. History and essays have always came easy to me but this class required a lot of reading, practically gave up mid-semester but I still got a B. SELF-MOTIVATION & READING=SUCCESS. I'm expecting upper level courses to be like this so I can't complain, take him.
You have to earn your grade. 4pg essays after each test, book report, extra credit. I wasn't a very good student, i read the chapters right before the tests and recieved Cs on my exams and B/C on my essays. This class was EXTREMELY boring for me.
The class is not hard if you show up daily and take notes.. It is very easy. tests are multiple choice and open book. and also a take home essay! problem is that the class is VERY boring but he tries to make it entertaining. overall, the essays and tests are very easy if you take notes. Daily attenedance will help your grade!
Took him twice, let me just say that if completely independent courses are not your thing, dont take this class! 4 multiple choice test 4 essays and one book review. the book review is probably the BIGGEST CHALLENGE because its soooo boring (& im a history major)! also he doesnt give any feedback or prompt grading Bright side Easy A if you keep up!
He is so boring! But as long as you show up you can get a good grade.
4 in class tests w/ 2 parts to it. first part is a 15 question in class scantron test based ONLY on the book. It's an open book test. The 2nd part, is take home essay exam SOLEY on the in-class notes.(4pgs+) Do NOT put in any information from the book, points reduced. There is also one BK report, which is pretty long/ extremely boring. TAKE NOTES
Such a boring class, he will literally lecture until the last day. He's such a stickler, so don't be late. & if u leave early he will take attendance again to mark u absent. Wears the same thing practically every class lol. 4 tests ( in class scantron on ch's from bk & 4pg take home essay ONLY on in-class notes. One bk report, that's really boring.
My experience with this instructor was not very good. He is my least favorite instructor in all of Rio. From what I remember, 4 exams, 1 book report and some extra credit.
He is terrible professor. He talks really slow, making it hard for you to stay awake in class. Extremely strict and his lectures have almost nothing to do with the text. I highly don't recommend taking him in this course.
I took his class in Fall 2011. This is a class where I felt I really had to earn my grade. I was there everyday, took notes, turned everything in and studied for tests. He is quite strict on everything but this is for your own good, especially if you want to have what it takes to be UC material. A quintessential "make or break student" instructor
Mr.Duran is very passionated in teaching . He explains things very clearly. The book report is the most compelling And fascinating book I have ever read( well- if you really "read " it ) :)). The test includes one multiple choice ( open book ) and one essay. I like this class
Mr Duran knows his stuff! I took him for the summer. I recorded his lectures for the take home exam essays and when I reheard them at home, lectures were interesting! You must be in class everyday but he gives extra credit so might as well! Got an A in the class b/c I did all my work. Record his lectures, it'll help!
He is very pasionate on teaching history to students. his lectures have nothing to do with the test. must read the book in order to do good in his class. five essays(four pages each). test are open book and only 15 mutlipe choice questions.
First and last time taking an online course. Professor Duran doesn't respond to any email. Not helpful at all.
THE WORST ONLINE HISTORY CLASS YOU WILL TAKE EVER!!! Is super confusing not helpful at all, literally will make your semester hell! WARNING!
Worse teacher ever!!! Is it even possible to stay awake in this class? Stupid humor.
This is literally the most boring teacher you will ever encounter. At the end of every class, literally 70%+ of the class are asleep simply because he is so boring, and I say this with modesty. Do yourself a favor and never pick this guy as your teacher.
His lectures and test weren't very parallel to one another. The attendance factor is weighed heavily so if you're the person who comes in late 5 minutes to class everyday, expect to be dropped a letter grade. Spare yourself.
Anyone who wants to learn the backbone of history well this teacher explains that well. however i don't recommand this class if your going to fall asleep.His is very passionate about history, always replies back to your emails. and don't be afraid to ask questions he'll answer them a bit timmed i'll say. Overall is nice guy
His test and hours of lecture do not correspond what so ever, your best chance is that you use the study guide and highlight everything you can since his exams are open book. Where you will really have to use your head are the 4 page essays assigned after every exam due the following class which the topics can be difficult to write on.
Mr. Duran is very clear with his lectures and never goes too fast. His tests are completely easy if you do your part and read the chapters. Overall, he's a nice guy.
Prof Duran is a great teacher. Classes may seem like eternity but if you attend classes everyday and take good notes, there is no reason to not pass. The essay exams are based of your notes and the 15 multiple choice are out of your book which is OPEN BOOK. Overall I think his class is easy if you put effort in.
would rather sleep than take his class again, he too boring and doesnt grab the students attention, i fall asleep all the time since he is very monotone and doesnt really teach the stuff that is on the test, just trying to cram all the information into your head that is not needed.
he doesn't mention any work that is due and the due date always changes to earlier than later.
not good professor, horrible,
Not a Great Professor would never take him again.
Professor Isnt that good at teaching, voice is too monotone and He makes History 101 harder than it should be....
Dull lectures that will put you to sleep! Doesn't believe in black board, or turning in any assignments online. VERY OLD teaching methods. Take someone else, he really does make history harder than it is.
2 exams, midterm and a final, with multiple choice section that has a 4 hour time limit, and an essay portion where you choose to write one 4-paged essay or two 3-paged essays. There is also a 5-paged book report that is fairly easy. Have to read a lot in order to do good on his tests. Provides study guides, I recommend doing them.
Does not use power point he write everything on the bored and the notes r impossible to copy due to his sloppy writing. His lecture very boring its very hard not to fall asleep. Run far way he is not an easy A DO NOT TAKE HIM FOR ANY HISTORY CLASS
Not a very good professor. His lectures are boring. He gets into detail but in a sense that he doesn't move on to the next point in the next 10 minutes. Plus his grading system is punishable if you don't do or perform well on your essays. Basically, there are 4 tests (essays are half of the test) and one book report essay. That's how he grades you
Took the course online in the spring. It's a lot of reading!! The online course consist of 6 reports (which includes an extra credit assignment) and four multiple choice tests. He takes a long time to grade papers. As long as you read the material, you'll be okay. But it's not easy..
His lecture voice is an acquired taste, not the most dynamic. The lectures are detailed and organized. All written on the board. It helps if you study, I looked up concepts on my own to fill in details on lecture topics. Crash Course videos & Google helped. Exams and papers, yes but that's college. I used the library tutoring services. Big help.
I Would never take his class ever again. Professor Jose Duran was too hard for me this fall semester. Very old school of a professor and I passed my two other classes and to be honest I tried my hardest to pass this world history class and even got tutored from my friends and tutors to help me understand the subject a little bit more too.
Professor Durans class was not hard, easy essays if you take sufficient notes and final essay is also easy if you read the class book. all tests are open book! lectures every single day but very dull lecture voice and very old fashioned. Read, Notes and Listen and it will be a breeze.
His notes and way of teaching are so confusing and he is pretty rude. His tests are pretty easy though and he also never gives homework
Write down the notes, listen to the lectures and try not to fall asleep. Exams are open book plus an essay, read and google the subject not that difficult. Book report and also provides extra credit. Final exam is open book as well. Can be rude infront of the classroom but if you talk to him personally he's nice.
Easy class no homework, All exams are open book. he even lets you take home the essay portion of your exams to be due next class including the final!! You really have to try to fail this class.
He can be rude in class and his lectures are very repetitive so it can be hard to stay awake, I recommend you take some snacks. He messed up on my final grade but when I called it to his attention he changed it to the grade I actually got.
I would not recommend this professor. I took him over the summer and it was always hard to reach him. He would take forever to respond back to emails. The textbook is also very expensive. He also gave me a C and then I calculated my grade and I should have gotten a B. I contacted him and he changed it so always double check your grade!
This guy's lectures are completely pointless don't waste your time waking up for them he doesn't take roll what he lectures on isn't on any of the tests nor essays ( use textbook and the modules) doesn't respond to a single email you send the guy loves to hear himself talk
lecture are mandatory, he only takes attendance at the beginning and the end of class. Tests are open book, and the essays correlate with the lecture. The final book report is also worth a lot of points.
This professor's lectures put people to sleep and many people just use there phones or computers. His grading system although is simple and easy to ace, attendance is mandatory. He cannot answer questions students may have in class and the textbook is published by him and he charges over 100 for it, its is mandatory to purchase.
Lectures are very hit or miss, writes notes on the board for you to copy down then spend the rest of class on your phone while he talks. Final book report is a significant part of your grade so reading is a must if you want an A. The rest of the grade is from the chapter quizzes taken on the $100 online textbook.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Textbook Required
83%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.68 avg changeRatings by Course
HST102
5.0
(1)HISTORY122102
5.0
(1)HIST10110214
5.0
(1)HIST200
5.0
(1)HISTOFCIV
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HIST200
5.0
HST101
4.0
HIST120
4.0
HIST201
4.0
HISTOFCIV
4.0