2.1
Quality4.2
Difficulty10%
Would Retake83
Reviews10%
Would Retake
83
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
10
4
5
3
14
2
20
1
34
What Students Say
“He likes to give map quizzes (we did 5 total) which I found fairly difficult”
HIST101 - 2.0 rating“Don't take this class”
HIST101 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
41%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.04 avg changeRatings by Course
HST370
5.0
(1)HIS
4.0
(1)HIST371
4.0
(5)HISTORY101
3.0
(6)AFEW
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HST101
5.0
HISTO101
5.0
HISTHIST
5.0
WESTERNCIV
4.5
HISTORY
4.5
Reviews (83)
Not only is he a bad prof, he is my advisor and he sucks at that too...we had map quizzes and stupid stuff like that...pointless i tell you...the only history class where i think i got dumber by taking
AS A HISTORY MINOR I HATE HIM a 101 should not be this hard. He falls behind & has no sense of time, sleeper of class. He put a graded component of class on Good Friday, and was going to keep me from going home to MN for Easter for a half an hour debate!!
He is mono-tone or has a voice that reminds me of a TV church mass on Sundays. The midterm was easy I thought but what does it help to memorize dates that texts were written? I'm never going to use this again in my life, but what can you do?
This guy is a pompous jerk. He tried to mix ancient history with modern day politics and his classes were drier than the Sahara.
I'm sorry but if you aren't a history major you are doomed. He loved having a conversation with about 5 guys in my class. Met w/him for a group meeting and he put me and another girl in my group down. He is not helpful, and his syllabus sucked. I learned NOTHING from that class, and now hate history
He was really helpful to me. I never liked History untill I had him as a professor. He puts your grades online and answers e-mails. He knows his stuff really well. You know exactally what to expect from the class... and you learn something too!! I give him an A+!!! :)
Commenting on someone's post on 11-23-04: In my ancient civ class with him in 2003 he did the same thing. He used the trojan wars as an analogy for failed Republican foreign policy (specifically Gingrich and Bush). Oh, and yeah he does only seem to want to talk to a hand full of students in class.
He definatly likes to pick his favorites. He doesn't like it when people don't respond-one time he stormed out of our class because no one knew what he was talking about! Map quizes are a waste of time. Remember all the dates for the sources-he expects you to know them for the exams(he will tell you that you don't-but you do to get full credit)
I have had him for several classes and you definately have to do a lot of work. These classes arent easy but if you do the work you will learn a lot.
The classes are long and boring. he reads off the power point slides. always agree with him on everythng he talks about. tests are all essays. he is a hard grader. if you dont write multiple pages about an answer, dont expect a B or higher. dont listen to him explaining how he grades the test, write you test answer like you are talking to an idiot.
He's tough but very helpful if you go talk to him. His classes are packed with information but you learn a lot.
extremely unhelpful. asked him to explain my grades multiple times, didn't get any clear answers. only thing he seemed concerned with was getting me out of his office. expect to study your life away for his exams, and his map quizzes are pointless and very hard. classes are extremely boring and useless for the final.
I actually really liked Karl. He knows his stuff, is good at explaining it, and increased my interest in the subject. I took him for interim, and it wasn't bad at all, I'd reccommend it.
Tests were essay but not to difficult. If you show up for class and stay through them, they are a piece of cake. I got a B and I didnt even try. He was glad to help me when I asked several times. The only problem I saw was his classes were long and somtimes kinda boring, but everything he talked about he explained so anyone could understand.
He is a horrible teacher!!!!!!!!!!!! He also grades very unfairly. and the debates are pointless!!!
Does not use time Wisely, Talks on and on about one subject too long. Goes over class time everyday by 1-5 minutes. All Essay exams.. and they aren't easy.
he wasnt a bad teacher but wasnt the greatest. exams were pretty easy if you went to class. all notes are usually posted on D2L. he does talk ALOT and usually runs out of time and has to continue the topic next class period.
talks too much
is always behind on his lectures so the map quizs are very hard since you don't know what cities to look up...basicly all the notes you take are some what useless...not totally but the majority of them are...i recommend going to calss but waiting unitl the exam to look over notes cuz he will post them on D2L
No Comments
I didn't learn anything from him. I honestly don't think he reads papers or really listens to debates. Gives out C's to just about everyone and doesn't explain his grading even when asked. Boring and monotone. Seemed like a real jerk. Either wouldn't answer my e-mails or would but wouldn't answer my questions. Hard exams.
I really like Dr. Loewenstein, he is very helpful and always willing to meet with students, sometimes he may be a little unorganized, but it doesn't matter he is interesting and I have learned so much from him, TAKE HIS CLASS!
Unclear on his expectations of student's work; gives virtually the whole class the same grade without explanation. Won't respond to emails half the time. Smart man but unprofessional behavior.
Interesting style to present the subjects to students. Couldn't stop listening! Might be also related to the topic of his class but he definitely contributed greatly to bring it across. Helpful, especially towards international students.
Get your term paper done early, stayed up for 3days writing it; saved my grade. Take very attentive notes on what will be on the test, his syllabus is useless. Did not spend as much time as needed studying 1/3 his exams (short essay on 10+ people)
I took him for interim and he is very vague on what will be on tests. His lectures can be random and out of order. He made me nervous because he kept saying he was nervous and that there was so much info to teach. He isn't very helpful. He says you shouldn't have to read the book, but you WILL. Make flashcards and study your butt off!
He was my favorite history teacher. He seemed the most professional and intelligent professor in the department. If you are unwilling to work, you will not do well. He demands a lot of students, but is fair.
great professor listen to his class and do your work. he's clear and to the point.
Tried to pay attention, but his classes were boring and the stuff he talked about didn't appear to be the same in the tests. He brought up the topics but the stuff that he covered within those had nothing to do with what appeared on the test. Too much in detail, class should be for history majors.
He's a great teacher, but the tests are largely from the book, not the lectures (despite him saying otherwise). He gives out map quizzes which are unnecessarily hard. To get an A in this class, you'd pretty much have to memorize the book word-for-word. He's a nice guy, and I want to like him, but the class is just harder than it should be.
Designs his course so it's the least amount of work for himself. Lectures are useless, turns them into "discussion" sessions which are little more than guessing games about what he wants to hear. Can be condescending. Puts stuff on tests that he's never even briefly mentioned in class. Has no systematic way of grading, just does what he feels like.
Found out after completing the seminar, he had given all 20-something students the exact same grade in participation, presentation, and paper work. Exact B's all around. For example, some students domineered the discussions, some gave what they needed to, and some didn't speak at all. I guess when you have tenure you can do whatever you like.
Not a good professor. He makes it a point to tell you the first day that's he's making you work. It is a LOT of reading.His saving grace is that it is interesting material.Got a B in participation when I talked significantly more than everyone on a daily basis.Not very clear instruction on the paper,which I also got a B on. Gave no feedback at all
Worst teacher I have ever had. Class discussions were very nerve-wracking because he wrote everyone's name down then put checkmarks for participation only if you said something significant. Stormed out of class early one day because none of us could understand an obscure point from the reading assignment (instead of clarifying). Rude and impatient.
Terrible class with impossible map quizzes. Dropped the class.
Not a very professional teacher, I emailed him several times with no response. Also very late it grading and posting assignments. He is a nice guy but not a very good teacher, means well but not all there.
Most boring lectures in all of my life and I was considering history as my major
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS AS AN INTERIM! I took this class over interim and it was near to impossible to get everything in. The amount of homework we had to do was ridiculous compared to other classes. I feel like if I took this class over a whole semester it would have been much easier. The test are super hard, study hard for map quizzes too!
Hardest professor I've ever had. His lectures were long and he never once let out early. Homework load is immense and he is a VERY harsh grader and does not give extra credit opportunities or corrections. Not helpful at all, even when asked. If you're passing his class, he won't give you the time of day to try and improve your grade.
He expects you to have memorized basically every word of the textbook as well as everything on his slides. When asked for a study guide for the midterm by the entire class, he flat out refused and told us to just study the content we went over (7 weeks of class and 300pgs of the book). Upside is that he posts all his lectures w/ audio online
Dr. Loewenstein gives out a lot of homework for this class but if you are willing to meet with him, he is more than willing to help you out. He's a pretty easy grader if you put in the work and effort. His lectures but can be lengthy but will cancel class if necessary. Overall, there's a lot of reading, very organized, do some work at least.
He likes to give map quizzes (we did 5 total) which I found fairly difficult. His tests consists of questions provided by the book, but I found the tests VERY hard to study for. He provides no reviews on the material before exams(which were usually on more than 100 pages of material).
Karl was overall a nice person. He tended to babble on during lectures. He has this awful online homework site. He accepts late grades. He didn't write the test questions, he took them from the textbook, a little frustrating because some things you didn't talk about during class. 10 points for showing up on random days.
Don't take this class! All you do is read & take impossible map quizzes that you have no way of preparing for. There is no review provided & if you don't read all 500 pages of the book you won't have a clue about any of the questions on the exam. Oh, and he likes to add 20 side articles to your workload along with a useless rehearsed debate.
This class was tough, there are 5 map quizzes that are hard to prepare for. also 2 midterms and final exam that prof refuses to provide study guides for, this makes studying extremely difficult. Also a rehearsed debate and essay that weren't that tough, just pointless. You will not pass tests if you don't read the text book.
He is overall a bad professor. He is always behind on teaching he material we are supposed to know for the midterms, but if he doesn't get to it, you are still required to know it. I was stressed over this class 24/7. He always gets side tracked and off topic. He will ask lots of questions in class and gets very mad if you don't answer. Do not take
He's a nifty guy, knows a lot and is personable, just not a great prof... Exams are based more from the textbook than lecture so it feels pointless to go, but random days have class work that go toward participation. Map quizzes are tough, exams are wordy, he gets behind in lectures often, and the class has hard time connecting with him.
Be ready to be punished if he cancels class because he cant make it
He goes off on wild tangents about things irrelevant to the class and was EXTREMELY behind in grading for the majority of the semester. As of finals week, I had not received a grade for an assignment I completed over a month before while people in the same group as me had received a great. BUT he did address the extreme controversy of spring 2019.
Hes always behind, and rushes to get all of the information in right before the exam. The reason he gets so behind is because he rambles on about things that arent gonna be on the exam and ends up going through 3 slides in the hour. When its finally time for the exam they are specific and hard.
He's an interesting and passionate guy, but his grading is horrific. Your grades are composed of hard exams, pointless map quizzes, and a debate. He doesn't even learn anyone's name and slaps a random grade in the 80 range for both the debate and its paper. Super annoying class.
Karl basically doesn't care about his students and he made that pretty clear. very hard tests that have nothing to do with what we talk about in class and only what you read in the book. He rushes through lectures which already make zero sense so you are always left confused at the end. don't bother going to get help from him after class.
I took this as an interim, but it was extremely difficult. He gives you a massive amount of material and expects you to know all of it for the tests, which are very hard and he gives no study guide for. His lectures are so hard to follow because he will go off on a long tangent every five minutes and ends up not covering all the material.
Took as an interim- He is very lecture based but if you are interested in the subject, he keeps you intrigued with fun facts and news related to the subject. He is very educated and a super nice guy! You do need to work for your grade though, lots of reading and exam questions from the book based on lecture. He is available for help if you need it.
I think Loewenstein was one of the best professors I have had in college. He has a unique lecture style, but as long as you are willing to put in the work he is a phenomenal professor. Brilliant and phenomenal writing coach as long as you ask for the help. I would take his classes every semester if I had the opportunity.
One of my friends has him and loved him but I really didn't care for him. He spent over half of the class period talking about things that he saw in the news and then never covered the material. We were two weeks behind the whole time we had in person class. His quizzes are worded weird so it's hard to answer.
Prof. Loewenstein is mediocre at best, nice guy, but is the most UNORGANIZED teacher I have ever had. Takes forever to grade assignments, places material on test that shows up NOWHERE in the book or lecture material. EXTREMELY BIASED, and talks about unrelated material all the time. I learned more about the Washington post, than actual history.
Lecture heavy, but doesn't talk about the class we are supposed to be learning about. He was late every day even though his office was not far from the classroom. He spent 10 minutes talking about the Washington Post rather than the course content. 90% of the exams were WAY too specific, and he wasted time in class instead of giving us the info
I had him for two classes in one semester- an upper level history course and history 101. The 300 level was excellent and he really found his groove, but the 101 was frustrating and the exams were oddly worded and plucked from what had to have been some kind of source material as quizlets had the exact answers and questions. Recc him for 300s.
This professor was one of the most frustrating I have ever had. His lectures are unorganized and so fast-paced it is hard to keep up and the quizzes and tests are extremely specific and almost none of it was ever covered in class. We had a minimum of two quizzes due every Friday even on Exam days. He also thinks it is ok to embarrass students.
Dr. Lowinstein is a really confusing lecture professor. He struggles to follow historical timelines and often does not lecture about history in a straight sequencial timeline, instead he jumps around the timeline which was very confusing of me. His map quizzes are also really unrealistic, as he does not give students a map key or example to study.
The most difficult class I have taken simply because what you go over in class has nothing to do with what is on the test. His lectures are dry and pointless. You are graded on attendance, but if you dont go to class, you will most likely get the same grade on tests because what you learn in class does not help you on the test.
Terrble. Just absolutely terrible. Do not take him.
I would not recommend this class. The lectures were so boring, and he would sit and ramble for half the class about various topics before actually getting to the material. The debates he had us do had no structure and he would get mad if the presenters didn't what they were doing. However, the map quizzes were a nice way to boost your grade.
I would NOT recommend taking any of his classes. He doesn't answer any of his emails, and when he does he doesn't answer what you are asking. His lecture have barely anything to do with what is on the exams. You do small group debates in his class and he does not help you figure out what you actually need to prepare for it. I just would never take.
Took a month of emailing to be able to reschedule a test. He never answers his email. Always late to class. Lecture never lines up with exam content. If you try to email him for clarification he just goes, "look at the slides on canvas." One day he gave out the wrong quiz and said, "this is the wrong quiz, just do your best." Don't take his classes
I've had him for several classes. At the 300 level, he is a stellar professor- knowledgeable, intelligent, and passionate. At the 100 level, he's not the best and uses standardized materials pretty heavily. If you look for quizlets for the AP exam version of the class, you can usually do very well in 102.
Not great
I am your stereotypical grade-A student. I only ever received one grade lower than an A- in my entire time at school. And it was this class, a 100 level class I got a B in! It felt impossible to properly prepare for exams, the questions felt subjective and difficult to interpret, study guides were unhelpful, and lectures were dry, dense, and boring
Not answering Email Unrespectful for students Exams occur different with class Tough Questions SI session is essential which is 90mins Rude person Cant have conversation with him he doesnt care that His office hour is 30min in the morning He might left right away after his class in the morning This Class requires Debate Do Not Ever Take This Prof
Nooooooooooooooo
I wont lie the class is tough
waste of time watching history channel is better
How is he 2.5/5.0 must me 0.1/5.0
he forgets what he said with students this explains the whole thing
I graduated OSH Just take other prof NOT HIM HIGHLY GUARANTEE
If u dont want to regret Out of his class
Drap the class asap
He doesnt care of Students I saw his instagram just care of making Wisconsin drinks
If u email him he will gonna downgrade your grade
mf fr
Always late in class Puzzled lecture Wrong Exam GPA will fell down if u take his clas
He was a really easy professor and made class pretty easy. He just doesn't know much about early civilization. There are a handful of things that he told us that were straight up incorrect. You won't have a bad time there, just beware of taking what he says to heart outside of class.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
41%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.04 avg changeRatings by Course
HST370
5.0
(1)HIS
4.0
(1)HIST371
4.0
(5)HISTORY101
3.0
(6)AFEW
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HST101
5.0
HISTO101
5.0
HISTHIST
5.0
WESTERNCIV
4.5
HISTORY
4.5