2.7
Quality2.1
Difficulty27%
Would Retake84
Reviews27%
Would Retake
84
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
9
4
17
3
19
2
20
1
19
What Students Say
“Nota very good teacher, but his class was relatively easy”
CLASS0030 - 2.0 rating“If you keep yourself accountable for the information that's great”
RELGS0083 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
5%
Textbook Required
44%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.57 avg changeRatings by Course
GREEKPROSE
5.0
(1)MYTHOLOGY
4.3
(6)MYTH
4.0
(1)CLAS0034
4.0
(6)CLASS1120
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1210
4.0
RLGST0083
4.0
CLASS9765
4.0
GREEK1210
3.5
HIST1783
3.3
Reviews (84)
Horrible teacher, doesn't answer students questions or concerns.
Doesn't answer questions and tests on stuff not covered in class.
exams were on his opinions not facts
No Comments
Boring. Obsessed with sex within the Spartan army. His tests are awful, but if you sit next to someone who cares, you may pass.
No Comments
He's a nice man, and pretty interesting. Although, his tests are much tougher than they should be, and he once spent half a class talking about Tom Cruise...he's the standard image of the Nutty Professor
Reads from an outline, that VAGUELY outlines the book, but mostly contains his INCORRECT thoughts. Tests are on his opinions, not material. Did well because I paid attention to my TA in recitation. NOT available at all, impossible to get in touch with.
Way too much to read and understand in little time. Tests are way too hard. He follows an outline that doesn't outline the book hardly.
This sexy beast of a prof taught me things about myths that I never thoguth possible. He is so funny and smart, everyone should take this course
crazy crazy man w/ crazy crazy hair, even the TAs had no idea what he was talking about, the tests were like 'prof. jones thinks that...' like honestly dude i am not an f-ing mind reader, he also ate apples & drink pepsi a lot-in the middle of lecturing-
He wrote the text. Read the chapters the night before the test and get an A. Going to class is not always necessary. You should be slightly interested in the topic of greek history in order to keep following his text.
VERY boring lectures. but thats ok because you dont need to go to them. read the outlines he gives out and skim the text which HE WROTE the night before the test and youll have an A
the most boring lecturer in the whole world... and I've had Gatewood. the class should have been interesting but his monotone voice and lack of enthusiasm put me to sleep every class period.
I seriously question the competence of anyone who doesn't pass this class. Also, attend lectures only to get the handouts; you'll need them.
This class is very easy. He also doesn't care if you hand in papers late.
He's actually a pretty good prof, The class is boring but he gives out the essays on the test ahead of time. One could substitute going to class for reading the book & vice versa. Only hard part about the tests is that you only get 50 min to write a one and half page essay & answer 60 questions.
This guy is awesome. Class can get boring, but he gives interesting insights as if he is still thinking about this stuff as he teaches. He also grades easy and doesn't ask to much. He just needs to speak louder because he seems like he is whispering.
Really cool guy with crazy hair. NFJ rocks. The class is easy, but that is great. Really interesting, you'll cover a lot of material.
Dr.Jones is great. He is very bright on the subject and can relate even ancient material to current events and our everyday lives. His hair is hilarious and occasionally he'll eat in class - do not be alarmed, he's lots of fun.
If a professor could teach without any personal communication with the student..kind of "this is what I said and no I won't listen to your argument"..that would be him. Its easy to know the material and get a low grade because of an unclear question.
Jones rocks. Humor is great, relates things to his experiences with funny off the wall stories of his youth in college. An odd-ball though. I think you either get him or you don't.The more focused the course is, the better he gets. VERY personable if you try to talk to him outside of class. Cool guy. Makes it clear that even he is still learning.
Just repeats himself over and over again. Tests are not very hard, but you have to sit in the front if you even want a chance to understand him. Very average.
Biggest weirdo ever.
Professor Jones is eccentric and entertaining at best. He won't entertain serious discussions, questions, or debates, and wastes most of the time that could be spent on constructive teaching on what about pop culture and his own history amuse him the most.
Although eccentric Prof. Jones is extremely well read on the subjects that he teaches. He is very approchable and kind. He makes learning history very interesting instead of bland. You can tell he has a genuine love and appriciation for his courses.
He is clearly read, but he enjoyed debating the textbook author more than the myths themselves. I didnt go to the class after the frist two weeks and still got an A. His tests are worded weridly but they are managebale if you read the book and go to class once in a while.
snore snore. Very intelligent guy when it comes to classics, but his lecture can put you to sleep like a baby. Likes to show movies though. If you don't read the book you will be LOST. The book isn't a hard read either. Really looks for themes and motifs so you should study for the tests. Best advice, keep up with reading and attend lectures anyway
If you want an easy elective, this is it. Lectures are rather boring, as Dr. Jones pretty much reads the handouts he gives you out loud in class. You watch a lot of movies, too. Make sure you keep up with the readings, which are easy to understand and don't take too long to read. Motifs are key points on exams. Overall a great, easy class.
Exams are easy, but only b/c of the handouts. NFJ is all but useless. He rarely responds to emails promptly, if at all. I have an A- going into the 3rd exam (no final) w/o going to class since the 2nd week. Unfortuneately, a ton of other ppl skipped class over the semester and now he won't post the vocab online... a bit vindictive, but oh well.
it really helps to go to class even though lecture is boring. he talks about things in class that aren't in the readings that help you out on the test. reading and taking your own notes really helps because his lecture notes are all over the place. recitations really clarify and go more in depth.
He knows what he is talking about, but the issue is getting it across to you. You WILL fall asleep in his class. Also, he is very much a narcissist - the textbook is a vanity book and he will refer to himself in the 3rd person occasionally. Your best bet for notes is to underline his book - he reads straight from it, with some annotations.
The sweetest teacher you can ever have. Very understanding and helpful. The most adorable old man you will ever see. Don't be scared his classes get better as the semester goes on. Laughs at his own jokes that one gets but he's funny because of that. At the end you'll just want to hug him!
He thinks he is really funny. He likes to make rude joke and then tell you why the aren't rude. It's weird. No one ever went to class. I didn't study at all and got a B, so it is super easy.
Jones is absolutely awesome. He is extremely personable and helpful. He takes his subject seriously, but doesn't force you to be there. He doesn't waste your time at all, and he understands that students have lives outside the classroom. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
He told my class to go watch ********ography on the internet. He's frighteningly intelligent and somewhat funny - but he's a terrible communicator. He just reads the outline word-for-word. I studied really hard for the first test and got a B, didn't study at all for the second test and still got a B.
This class is extremely easy! After I got an A on the first test I didn't attend any other classes. You can only miss 2 recitations until he'll take points from your grade. As long as you get the handouts - study them and you'll be fine.
This is such an easy class you barely have to work at all. He gives lecture notes and shows movies almost once a week.
Class was pretty easy. He showed a lot of movies. No homework. But a lot of reading. I thought it was useful to keep up with the readings. It helps you remember the information for tests. Tests were relatively easy. Just know the basics of the stories. I studied right from the book, got an A.
nope...don't do it. He tells his students not to ask him questions because he has already answered them in his book. Terribly boring!!!!!
Lectures are unnecessary as he reads straight from the handout most of the time. As long as you do the reading, you should be able to pull off at least a B. He is very knowledgable and can be entertaining at times. Shows a lot of movies in class. Interesting subject matter. Take him if you can
The most absurdly easy class ever known to mankind. Never attend lecture, does not even cover test material. Tests are 60 points of true/false, matching, and multiple choice and 40 points essay which are given beforehand and are straight out of books. Sample question from test 1: Upon which divinity was the city of Athens founded? Answer: Athena.
An excellent professor. You'll get a lot out of his classes assuming you attend and participate. I highly recommend him.
So dull. Spoke in monotone and showed lots of movies. Tests were pretty easy (matching, mc, t/f)...you don't even have to read that much, but the textbook is easy to read so it's not painful. Always go with what HE says; he disagrees with the textbook author a lot. Recitation is required, but at least participation in rec. is bonus!
Had him for Greek history. Very interesting topic and he explained everything very well
Great Professor, sure he can be boring at times, but it doesnt get any easier than any of the classes he teaches. Just go to class to get the handouts and hear what he has to say since it will be exactly what is on the test. Tests are really simple compared to most courses.
Don't go to lectures, don't read the book, don't take this class.
Easy tests, easy grading. Willing to help a lot too, just really boring. Also, probably wants to marry the city of Athens.
Starts off easy but then tests become ambiguous and hard to get good grades on. Interesting class though, despite the fact that he disagrees with everything the author says. No need to really attend lecture, just get the handouts and read the textbook.
Didn't attend lecture after the first test and still got an A. Tests are annoying, with many of the questions not even relating to the material. Reading the text was helpful.
I couldn't help but like Dr. Jones. He's a really nice guy. The exams get a little more difficult as the semester goes on and I didn't like that there were about 10 or 15 difficult true or false questions on each one. You must read the textbook and go to recitation to do well but everything is extremely clear and interesting so it's not bad at all!
Prof Jones is a really nice guy and this class was one of my favorites this semester. Some questions on exams can seem vague and lectures can get boring, but he likes to use movies and lectures aren't mandatory. Study guides are very helpful and you really have to read the text, but it's easy to get an A with some effort. Plus the TA's are awesome!
Speaks very quietly and could never keep my attention. Just read the book and go to recitation and you'll do fine.
He really knows what he's talking about, but often goes off on tangents, instead of focusing on the translations. It doesn't help that the text we are using is awful, but I didn't get as much out of class as I was hoping.
Lecture is useless, didn't go after the first test. All he does is ramble about random topics. I only read half the readings and still got A's on exams. You can pretty much guess your way through his tests as long as you have a general idea. His class was easy but I didn't really learn much.
literally the worst teacher Ive ever had....cant get any worse...unclear, goes off on tangents, hard to understand, not helpful.....do not go to class....memorize handouts. which he simply mumbles to himself off of in front of the class. and read parts of the book....easy class...awful awful awful teacher lol. i dont hate him...hes just bad
Dr. Jones is very passionate about the subjects he teaches, to say the least. I did like him as a teacher, he's easy to understand and loves what he talks about, but sometimes it just seemed like he was reading directly from the textbook and elaborating only a little here and there. Nice guy, but not the greatest teacher overall.
Nota very good teacher, but his class was relatively easy. His lectures are useless, and his tests are confusing and poorly written. Class not ecommended, but buy the book if you do take it.
He is a great person, but his lectures are completely useless. He just repeats all the information in the books that he wrote. Just read the books and handouts.
imagine a $60 text book written so poorly that you not only cant understand it but rely on it to teach yourself because the professor is a useless excuse for a teacher. that is what you are getting into with this professor. jones is terrible. take a different history class if you are able to. i promise you will regret taking this class.
This man doesn't teach. Relies on student presentations EVERY class. He is by far one of the worst professors I've ever had. I HIGHLY recommend you take another class
Professor Jones is very knowledgeable about his field of study, but chooses to read word-for-word from a book during lecture rather than making an effort to teach the class. Participationgoing to class don't help at all. His tests are confusing, but would be easy if he wrote in understandable sentences. He doesn't care about his students.
Professor Jones is very nice and seems like a good guy. His class, however, can get a bit boring. I would only take this class if you are really, really interested in the subject matter, or if you have to take the class for your major. Overall, it wasn't a very difficult class; it just wasn't very exciting and the lectures are long.
I went to class to get each new outline and that's it. You don't need the book at all because he gives you all you need to know for exams on outlines. Easy easy A and I am VERY glad I took this class.
Had him for Greek History and Mythology, both classes had same set up. Lectures are super boring, but pay attention and read over the note handouts and you'll do fine. Only 3 tests including the final. They all have multiple choice, truefalse, matching and a take-home essay. Only used the books for essays, just get them from the library.
He is a very nice man, but not a great teacher. His class is ludicrously easy, just read the handouts online and take the tests and you will get an A. However he goes off on tangents for most of the class, and the only parts of the lecture where I learned anything were during the movies. But the info is on the handouts so..... Easy boring class
The most important part of class is going to get the notes that are basically an outline of the most important parts of the book. Know whats on those handouts and you should be fine. His lectures are ridiculously boring because he either reads his notes, book or goes on a tangent. The movies are helpful. Essays are a joke. Overall pretty easy
Go to the lectures to get his lecture notes. After that you can basically do whatever you want in class--I texted and did other homework the whole time and got full credit on his final test. 3 tests in the course, which are multiple choicetrue falsetake home essay. Extremely kind, passionate man, but a pretty terrible professor.
He's a really nice Professor. 1 time I accidentally only wrote one paper when I was suppose to write 2, and he gave me extra time to turn it in, no penalties. Only 2 test in the class this semester. I honestly barely used textbook, just went off the notes he gives out in class. Skipped a few classes, still got an easy A. Very passionate but boring
Jones is a very decent guy. He comes to class, gives you these handouts. He just goes off directly from them. If you keep yourself accountable for the information that's great. He's not here to trip you up or make this a hard GenEd. With that said, that doesn't mean you can't learn loads from him either. Solid choice.
Prof. Jones is easily the most boring lecturer I've ever had at Pitt. He spends the entire class reading of note sheets that he posts online, so only about 10% of the class showed up each day. Every Friday we got to watch a movie, but even that didn't make up for the boring lectures. Tests were okay but the true/false sections were always tricky.
unbearably boring lectures
HORRIBLE professor. He seems like a nice guy but his lectures are very disorganized, boring, and he does not know how to teach at all. The tests are very difficult and reading the text is a must if you want to do well.
I have taken him twice during my time at Pitt. He is an extremely kind and intelligent man. Provides in class notes as a guide for the lectures. Exams are very straight-forward and questions are pulled directly from the notes. Most who struggle don't show up for lecture or refuse to read the notes. A very generous grader on exam essays.
No need to show up to class. No need to participate or listen. Even if you try to pay attention, youll have a hard time staying awake. No homework. 3 Exams with essays written beforehand. Great choice for FC requirement if you have other classes that are more time consuming.
he's a nice old man who loves his wife and the subject he teaches okay idec about the class itself i love this guy
Attendance isn't mandatory but you should definitely go because some things that'll be on the test aren't on online notes that he posts. He's a sweetie who really loves what he does so he's a real nugget. Tests really aren't hard, even if you don't study extensively. No homework, but there are a few essays.
Dr. Jones is one of the most boring lecturers I've ever had, and I read his rate my professors page so I thought I was prepared for just HOW DRY his lectures are, and I was not. So so so so boring, don't take his class. He's a nice man, but it's just not worth it
Overall a pretty bad professor. His exams are entirely too hard, his lectures are extremely dry and awful to sit through. He curved our class pretty hard (average grade was about 80%).
Jones is a really nice and endearing guy who certainly knows his stuff, but his lectures are boring, dry, rambling, and generally awful. He just reads the chapter summaries from CourseWeb, so there's no reason to attend. Three "midterms": 50% paper turned in on exam day and 50% exam. Papers are graded super leniently, but the exams can be tricky.
The lectures are awfully boring. He reads from the lecture notes he prints out/puts online for the class. A classmate and I asked what were on the first test and if the Greek words were important and he said no. Only to find out, that a good third of test were Greek words. Test wasnt terribly hard but couldve done better if hed told the truth.
He's good guy but his lectures are incredibly dry, boring, and often off topic. On the plus side, there's no reason to go to class because everything you need to get an A is online. He actually said that on the first day of class. 1st Exam is really easy consisting of basic Greek myth, 2nd and 3rd are more difficult. Essays are annoying but fair.
He's brilliant, but a terrible professor. He doesn't answer emails unless you bother him, his exams are hard because he uses trick questions, and he's unorganized. The class is very dry, though I enjoyed the films. I wish he was more accessible and understanding. Thankfully each essay is 1/2 of your exam grade.
Mr. Jones is the worst professor I've had. You have to teach yourself Greek History. He's the most boring lecturer I've experienced. He can't keep a class engaged and so the class learns very little. Most of his class time is taken up by films I can watch on my own. He consistently contradicts the textbook and is often late to class. Do not enroll.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
5%
Textbook Required
44%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.57 avg changeRatings by Course
GREEKPROSE
5.0
(1)MYTHOLOGY
4.3
(6)MYTH
4.0
(1)CLAS0034
4.0
(6)CLASS1120
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1210
4.0
RLGST0083
4.0
CLASS9765
4.0
GREEK1210
3.5
HIST1783
3.3