Turns lectures into stories, and he isn't afraid to wear a toga to class!!!

funny, interesting, direct, enthusiastic

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This class is hard!

He's tough as hell, but it pays off big time! We don't regret getting him now.

I found him an absolutely brilliant professor. Lots of information to cram in, but he teaches it well, and is always available to help. The toga and GI Roman were definate bonuses :)

He makes you work, but is fair, and is a clear and helpful teacher. If you're a christian, be prepared to be frustrated by some of his statements. Throws in lots of interesting tidbits of history!

Best prof in the University. He loves Lord of the Rings...what else can you ask for? Plus, he makes reference to Gladiator.

Knows his stuff. Very geeky, in a good way. Lectures are easy to follow. Very animated guy, makes for an interesting class. Good class :)

Awesome prof. Knows everything about anything related to Rome! Best prof I've ever had! And really sexy too!

He wears a toga to class. what more can you ask for?

he is one of the best teachers I've ever had. his knowledge of roman history is absolutely amazing, and he teaches the course in such a way that I'm able to remember pretty much everything he says.

Demanding, but fair, as long as you're willing to do the work & don't skip class. Very Star Trek obsessed! (Not that I have a problem with that!)

I loved this guy, hilarious, made roman history interesting, and lectured well. Its a heavy course, but I still loved it and got a A.

Although it was a lot of notes to take in class, prof Burgess made class very enjoyable with funny anecdotes we could relate to and I don't think I've ever had more fun writing a final exam essay in my life than that which I wrote for his class

Best class ever! He was very knowledgeable, funny and when it came time to study, I remembered everything he said! The tests were very easy and there was no paper. The exam was actually fun...I got to write about Paris Hilton. In short, I loved this class and this prof!

Professor Burgess is an amazing prof. I've never had so much fun in any class. Fair marker and exams, tests, assignments, ect... are reasonable. Makes classes really interesting and is very knowledgable. Best Prof i've had yet!

A really fun, interested and informative prof who conveyed sooo much information in only one term! Tests were fair if well prepared for.

He is an awesome prof very knowledgable and helpful. His Roman history class is great and he is the best ancient language teacher I have ever had (comparing Latin and Greek).

Very funny.

Extremely funny as well as educational! You won't be disapointed. He is very good at what he does. I love it when Proffs express themselves to the students so well.

awesome prof hes so funny yet i really learn alot in his class. makes the information useful like dressing in a toga and playing with swords lol. the tests can be a bit tough, he expects you to know alot of info but puts funny questions on them. great prof, great class you should definately take it if possible.

This professor was great! He was straight forward from the get go as to what would be expected to students. Teaching styles differ(verbal, visual etc) which is nice for those who learn in specific ways. Lots and lots of examples, funny stories, rumours etc. A little jumpy from Life to History of Romans, but pay attention and its no problem at all.

R. W. BURGESS IS ROMAN CIVILIZATION! BOOM!! Enjoyable lectures, very informative. Exams can be tough, however, if you attend the classes, take good notes and review them after every class.. then, your laughing! Don't fear asking him for help, very approachable. Movie nights he encourages you to come to are actually GREAT! Had him Winter 2007. :)

Great professor!! He was very interesting, I definitely enjoyed the lectures and the slideshows. He was very funny (first course where I laughed while taking an exam because he had put some joke answers to multiple choice questions). Make sure to attend class, because a lot is covered and there are no overheads. LOTS to remember for exams too.

He is just extremely nerdy and funny, and very easy to listen to. Get someone to study with! That way, if you miss a class, you won't miss 2 pages worth of lecture notes you'll need for the exam. There are no slide shows or anything really useful on web ct... I'd take another class by him any time.

wonderfully engaging. funny and clearly loves what he's teaching

Very funny and knowledgeable - the perfect combination of qualities.

This prof is amazing! Funny and makes everything he talks about interesting. I was always looking forward to his. Only downside is that you have to take a lot of notes and remember a lot of dates, but who cares, everything is so interesting. Even his exams are funny! And somewhat easy, as they are all multiple choice. Loved this prof!

I enjoyed his lectures; he is passionate about Roman Civilization - he even dressed up a couple times throughout the semester. There were 400 people in my class, so the scantron machine does the marking. The midterms are based on the lectures so just go to class an you'll be fine.

he's a sweet prof. dresses up in togas and tunics. brings swords to class. main fault is he is a sens fan. haha. i would recommend this class to anyone, its easy as long as you attend and pay a bit of attention which is easy to do because he is so engaging.

CANNOT SAY ENOUGH!!! best prof i've ever had. Lectures are amazingly well-presented and so interesting! He knows everything about EVERYTHING, (especially Monty Python haha). I actually looked forward to going to class, and one of my friends who wasn't even in the class would often come because it was so great. I recommend roman civ 100 times over!

Do not think this is another "easy elective" you have to work hard to keep the marks high.

amazing prof. lectures are well organized and so interactive and interesting! He is a very personable prof, very easy to talk to! He brings in funny things and does great imitations, not to mention hysterical pop culture references on the exams. Exams and midterms are tricky, but if you study what he tells you to you'll do great!TAKE THIS CLASS

Amazing prof. Makes movie references in every lecture and on both midterms and the final exam. He once spent 20 minutes explaning some Roman political history Dr. Seuss-style! He's hilarious and a lot of fun. No textbook. You just have to go to class and actually listen and you can get an A+ easy...Also, he brings swords to class...and a lightsaber

Awesome Prof, any professor that has toga and sword days is amazing.

Amazing Prof! Togas, Light Sabers, and 2 percenter jokes = good times

A gem of a prof. He's funny, he knows how to teach, and keeping a class of 400+ students engaged takes a certain amount of skill that most profs dont possess. I highly recommend taking his class no matter what your program is.

Really funny guy! Worth taking the class even if you're not studying Classics.

A little nerdy but very enthusiastic and funny professor. He knows how to make his students laugh and how to explain this well. Aslong as you take really good notes (including the random references to the coursepack and picture slides) you can ace this class easily. Learned so much in this class and loved every lecture!

A very entertaining and interesting prof. Highly recommended

This is the BEST prof I've ever had. He drilled mountains of information into the heads of 400 students effortlessly. You will get an A+ if you go to class with your eyes open.

Fantastic professor; fantastic course. If you attend all classes, and take notes well, you should have no problem getting an A. He's a great speaker and really works hard to keep the class informative and fun. It's a lot of information to remember, but if you study what he says, you should have no excuse for failing.

Great class to take as an elective. The class was interesting and relaxing and it helps take your mind off other intense classes. As long as you go to class you should have a good grade. Would recommend.

Hilarious and stimulating professor. Uses pop-culture references in lectures and makes it very interactive on certain topics in the course. As long as you takes notes and study decently then a good mar is not hard to accomplish at all.

by far the best professor i have had in my 4 years of post-secondary. he is funny, engaging, very knowledgable and always makes class interesting.

Amazing. End of story.

Awesome. He very clearly knows his stuff and is very clear on what you need to know and for when. He makes a lot of references to Doctor Who, Firefly, Game of Thrones, and other awesome shows (some names show up on midterms for MC). He makes the course fun! Toga day and Sword Day were awesome. Take any course with Burgess!

Great prof but you need to WORK to do well in his classes. He expects a lot of his students but you will never have a better Greek professor. Thanks to him, most of us understand the language inside and out. It's worth working your butt off for this class!

He is the best. You will likely get a few white hair at the end of the semester, but that's because your brain activity will have tripled over the course of four months.

Very entertaining, clear, and informative. A tough class but not impossible if you make an effort. Probably my favourite teacher so far!

One of the best professors I've ever had, hands down. He definitely knows how to connect with his students. I'd say attendance is mandatory, considering that if you miss class you'll probably have a hard time passing. The tests are really fun too; they're long, but keep in mind this course has no homework besides weekly quizzes.

Best class I've taken to date. This was an elective for me, but man it was such an interesting class. Show up to class, take notes on your computer by typing everything he says, study the notes, and you're guaranteed an A grade. Burgess is an awesome prof and sets his students up for success. I'd definitely take another class with him! Too good!!

Prof Burgess was awesome all around. Only issue I found was that he spoke too quickly to get all of his notes down and it IS MANDATORY to get ALL of them down. He will test on little things you might not think are important to write down. Otherwise, hilarious lectures and if you're interested in the subject it's for sure worth taking.

Burgess is the best prof at uottawa! he's always enthusiastic about his class and while he does speak fast, he has no problem with you stopping him to ask a question and is always super nice about it. As long as you take good notes, you'll do great! his tests were great, full of funny references and very fair if you studied the material well.

Very amazing prof, he is clearly passionate with his work! The whole course feels like a movie (he tells everything like a story and it sticks in your head). Still, memorization is KEY. Use the dates to memorize the 'history'. Write down EVERYTHING. Quiz (one every week) consisting of TWO questions (easy). No short/long questions on tests. TAKE HIM

Very interesting lectures. You'll need to go to every class and write EVERYTHING he says (I found you had to type because he talks fast). If you study your notes for a few hours his test are extremely easy.

This was easily the BEST class I have ever taken at uOttawa over the four years that I have been here. Prof. Burgess made this class so interesting and I was excited to go to each one. I can't believe I'm saying this but I wish the semester had lasted longer because I loved every second of it! I took a lot of class notes but it was worth it!

Absolutely Brilliant!

The best professor I ever had! Five classes later and I'm still a fan. He goes above and beyond to help the students who truly care and work hard. I would highly recommend taking a class with Prof. Burgess.

BEST Professor I have had in 5 years of university. He is hilarious and an amazing lecturer. I actually looked forward to his lectures every week. If you study even a LITTLE bit, you'll do fine, but attending class is necessary since he doesn't use a textbook and doesn't post his notes online. Pay attention to the details!

I found the class to be really interesting. Be prepared to memorize a lot but it's not hard at all. He's clear and explains everything well. We had a quiz every week but it's out of 2 and you can use your notes, although it is timed (2 mins) so be ready. Tests are almost all MC, he'll put joke answers in but also trick questions.

Richard Burgess is the model that all history teachers and professors should look up to. His lectures are incredibly interesting and engaging, while also being chock-full of information. Attend the lectures and take notes, and it's an easy pass.

Prof. Burgess' classes are enjoyable if you do the work and have a genuine interest in the topic. He does not have any slides so make sure you go to EVERY class and write quickly because he talks fast. If like me you enjoy the classics, you will learn a lot about Roman Civ and appreciate his cheesy sense of humour. Pretty cool guy, loves his craft

Legendary

Very fun and overall engaging lectures.

Burgess was my favourite Prof at UO and I recommend him to everyone I can. He often loves his material and gets really into it which makes learning easier. His lectures don't feel long which is great and they're always enjoyable. I'd take any of his classes I could.

I took this as an elective in my 3rd year and it was the best choice I ever made. It's an easy class with a bit of memorization. You must attend and/or get the notes from someone else as none of the slides are found online. I recommend attending since the lectures are GREAT. He is inspiring and is hands down the best professor at U of Ottawa.

I am in love with this prof! He is just awesome. Make sure you go to all classes and literally just read your notes- easy A!

great prof, must attend classes or have a study buddy for notes, material is easy to remember b/c he has a story line

Professor Burgess is phenomenal! He makes sure all the content is easily understandable and makes lectures fun and interesting. Attending class is pretty necessary since he doesn't post any slides online, just vocabulary words. Tests and exam are all straightforward, reading over notes is pretty much all you have to do to study.

Great prof but there is A LOT of information in this course. I went to every single class during the semester, took good notes, exchanged notes with two other students and I still had trouble remembering everything. The entire class is him pretty much just word-vomiting the entirety of roman civilization and you scrambling to write it all down.

Richard is the reason I know I made the right choice choosing uOttawa. He is so in love with his field, and it emanates. He is a clear teacher and although it is a hard subject it is so so enjoyable. I honestly cannot tell if I love Latin and should switch my degree or if I just love being taught by him.

Prof Burgess is the best professor at uOttawa. Even if you're not that interested in Roman Civilization, it is still worth it to take his class. You won't regret it!!

Richard is a great prof, he really cares about the subject. The course is very heavy on memorization, but he really does make very class enjoyable.

One of my favourite profs at uOttawa! He is so organized and he will respond to your emails really quickly. I loved the course format, 2 midterms, a quiz every week and a final. Very straight forward grading scale. There is no textbook but the booklet was very cheap and also helpful. Great as an elective course.

One of the best professors I have come across at the University of Ottawa, Telfer professors can learn a thing or two about teaching from him.... I highly recommend taking his class (taking it with a few friends would be smart). The class is lecture heavy but it is not hard, and it is fun for a university course for sure :)

Great guy, interesting class

Hilarious guy. When we switched to online, his lectures on Twitch still managed to be insightful and funny. Best professor and bird course at UO if you ask me. CLA1102 is a great elective if you're looking to boost your GPA.

Class Prof. Hilarious and engaging lectures. If you put in the work you'll get an easy A.

Loved this class! The content was interesting and the prof was great at delivering it. It felt more like he was telling a story than teaching. Midterms were 150 marks each and composed of topics he covered in class. Take detailed notes on what he says in class and you'll do well. If you like Roman history you'll like this prof, he knows his stuff.

Funny guy, really tough essay marker though.

If you like history, you'll love Burgess. Def a very nice prof and very passionate. If you do have processing issues though, either auditory, or visual, I'd steer clear of the course as it is very hard to follow lectures in one shot. I found myself rewatching lectures so many times, not because it's hard content, but because it is hard to follow.

Do Not think this is an easy elective course, I made some terrible mistakes.

Do not think this is an easy elective for easy marks. I made a terrible mistake thinking so.

Attending all the lectures and taking organized notes will get you a good grade because all of his quizzes and exams are multiple choice. The content is very interesting and he is an entertaining lecturer. He was sometimes rude to those who asked questions in class, but he did explicitly say that questions should be saved for after the lecture.

Prof is knowledgeable and cool. Listen and take good notes and you will do amazing DON'T CHEAT. Totally recommend, such a fun prof and class.

This prof was great, very funny, kind of eccentric, but if you listened to his intructions and studied the way he told you to, you could get a good mark.

This prof is amazing! I feel bad for him because he had rampant cheating in my term and you could see it made him discouraged with the future of the course. Please do not cheat, the content is very easy to learn if you apply yourself. Clear lectures, grading criteria, and the quizzes are very helpful. Textbook is provided in PDF format

This is who you want to teach you Roman history. Very organized, one of the few profs who still records his lectures and posts them. Fast at replying. Makes the content interesting. Midterms were fair, weekly quizzes were difficult (2 min to do 4 questions which you barely get the time to understand each question before answering).

If you have him for Intro to Roman Civ, you will have a good time.He knows what he is talking about he makes the lectures interesting, and he records them and has them on his brightspace page.He doesn't take crap but he wants you to give an honest effort in his class.The quizzes are a little difficult because its 2 min and don't have long to think

Teaches the course well and keeps it interesting. Tests are really long and annoying (133 mcq, the final exam is 261), but it's the fairest he can make it. Be prepared to do a lot of memorizing. If you're looking for an easy elective, drop the course and look for something else. It's not hard but it's a big time commitment

Best prof I have ever had. If you write down everything he says and then re read that before the midterm or final you will probably get an A. There is a lot of memorization so be warned. People complaining about his lack of notes need to realize that this is university and YOU need to take notes not get them handed to you like in elementary school.

Burgess is the best Roman prof. He's tough but fair, and clearly loves teaching. Be sure to take lots of notes and review them for weekly quizzes + tests. But he makes history seem like a story and makes everything as fun as possible. Definitely not a bird course, but you won't regret investing the time in it.

This class was so hard. Burgess clearly loves teaching Greek and makes learning it fun, but it feels like his quizzes are meant to make things more stressful and difficult for you. 50% of the class dropped out by the end. While he was super kind to sick students, expect tons of work and heavy lectures. Be ready to eat, sleep, and breathe Greek.

lectures very engaging, for my class left recordings of all classes to be watched at your leisure which was VERY helpful before tests.

This professor is a tough grader, don't even bother going to his office hours to ask for a grade raise. All you need to pass this class is find a technique to remember all the dates, events and traditions and you're set for a good grade. This class is not for the lazy and you will fail if you don't study.

The class is very lecture-heavy so you have to attend all the classes as it is VERY fast-paced. I found that Professor Burgess was funny and good at making the content interesting. But there is ALOT to memorize, mostly all of it in Latin. The tests and exams are multiple choice so if you memorize and pay attention in lectures you should be fine.

Professor Burgess is tough but engaging. Take detailed notes and use Unstuck ai to help with memorizing all the dates and events. It's a challenging class, but worth the effort if you stay on top of the material.

If you are at all interested in Roman history you will do fine in this class. Make sure to write lots of notes but other than that it's just story time the class.

some of the most entertaining lectures i have taken! lots to memorize. not a bird course. you will fail if you do not memorize dates, people, terms, latin, etc. this is easy if you are into the subject. not much posted online, attendance is not MARKED but it is mandatory in the sense that you need the content of his lectures to get a good mark.

My favourite professor ever. Inspired me to switch to classical studies. Loved his lectures so much, I still think of them 20 years later.

underrated

Professor Burgess is my hero!!! Despite what some people seem to think, he does NOT hate his students. And he isn't rude or passive aggressive, that's just the way he communicates!

Crystal clear expectations, entirely multiple choice course, and funny lectures. The perfect class.

Literally the best class/professor I've ever taken. Took it as an elective, and although the class did require work, I was genuinely excited to attend lectures and give it my all. The class is like story time, and Burgess really shows his passion in every single lecture. You will not regret the effort you put in

Call him LeBron cuz hes the GOAT. Take his class. If you don't care about the topic beforehand, then you will afterwards. Go to class or you WILL FAIL. Doesn't put anything on Brightspace but lectures are easy to follow; tests are fair but DENSE (130mc). 2 midterms,1 exam. I'm not a history person but his classes are the BEST! Take his class!!!!!!!