2.4
Quality2.5
Difficulty43%
Would Retake83
Reviews43%
Would Retake
83
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
7
4
14
3
20
2
15
1
27
What Students Say
“Terrible teacher, will never take her class again”
HIST209 - 1.0 rating“I had her for History of the Modern World”
102 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
23%
Textbook Required
68%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.01 avg changeRatings by Course
HISTO389
5.0
(1)HIST3
5.0
(1)HISTO102
5.0
(1)HISTORY
4.0
(1)HIST481
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HIST109
4.0
HIST101
3.3
102
3.0
HISTO389
3.0
HIST215
3.0
Reviews (83)
Watching her would make anyone interested in history!
Her teaching style is terrible. She never looks at the students while lecturing and writes while talking which leads her lectures in very hardtofollow directions. She says "um" nonstop. Her tests are hard and blames the students instead of realizing she is inefficiently getting the information across. She also can't lead a discussion well.
She is a great professor! When she lectures, you can picture everythig she's saying in your mind. Very smart lady. Although, tests are hard.
It's supposed to be an interesting class. At least it shouldn't be made so tasteless and lacking in education value.
I actually counted and she said "um" or "ah" 135 times in 5 min. during a lecture. Her study guides are very helpful and, if studied, will lead to a decent grade. However, class discussions are a joke.
She can be kind of confusing during lecture, but will help you with any questions at anytime. Her study guides are really helpful.
really nice lady but i didnt learn anything in her class she is not a good at lectures all she does is give you ten pages in notes so pretty much just cram for the tests the night before they are incredibly hard but if ya put in at least 2 hours of hard core studying youll manage to get Cs on her tests, super easy grader tho
I would recommend Housman if you understand History, and learn via powerpoint or reading. She grades VERY easily, and is always willing to help if you ask. I would not consider her to have taught me anything more than I knew prior to the class, but it is an easy B or even A if you put some effort into it. Her test are a little rough though.
wow she says AH a ton
She is able to make WWII sound boring.
Her class is SUPER easy but the price to pay to get a good grade is to endure her "lectures". She is so boring that it is painful to sit in her class. It is a pity that she does not seem to know she is such a poor teacher and she ruined the name of history.
I had her for African history. She's passionate about the subject and the tests and assignments are easy, but her lectures consist almost entirely of repetitious powerpoints and are quite dull in spite of the subject matter.
She seems very passionate about teaching, but her powerpoints can get a little redundant, and she goes really fast on them. She's always helpful and willing to answer any questions, and her tests are really easy so long as you fill out and look over the study guide.
Her class is a silly joke. If you want to learn history, take Petkov. He is a better option.
long 19th century is truly long. dont take it, but understand she is a easy grader and she is ALWAYS Willing to help you. Get to know her on a fist name basis and youll get A's regardless
I like thatyou said its a silly joke. It bascially is because you can access the powerpoints at anytime you want and teach it to your self. basically No attendance required excpet for tests &quizzes.
Horrible! learned nothing!! class is dreadful ! so boring ! I love history and she made me hate it! I dont take classes want to just because I cant stand her to be my teacher again!
The class is very easy but also very poor and boring. She tried to buy favor from us by giving us easy and good grade. So if that is what you want, take her. But don't expect to learn anything from her.
She did not seem to know what she was supposed to teach, and her "Long 19th Century" did not live up to what the course title made to expect. But her course is stupidly easy even at 300-level.
Her lectures are the same everyday: she stands in front of the powerpoint screen and reads it to you in a rather boring fashion. She doesn't take attendence and she posts all of her powerpoints online, so you don't actually have to attend class. She focuses more on concepts than facts when it comes to her tests. I would NOT recommend her at all!
She knows what she is talking about.
The only thing she can do well in this class is to read from her own power points in a funny but fake English accent.
I signed up for her class, and was their for one day. After her first lecture I left and immediately dropped the class. Enough said.
powerpoints everyday, she doesnt make it interesting.
Napoleon sounded like a fun topic, but she completely ruined my interest in it. She is unorganized and painful to listen to for 2.5 hours in a summer class. She also didn't know the materials well, so she made the class very superficial and the so-called discussion a laughing matter. In short, She isn't good enough to teach a college class.
Agree 100%.
As a freshmen, I was shocked to find out that teaching to this woman is to read her notes to us. I withdrew from her class, because I know I would not learn anything from her, but I feel sorry for those who stay and have to take her class. My high school teacher did a much better job teaching history than this "college professor."
She's so fatly dull.
Incredibly dull and boring. Reads directly from the powerpoint and does not elaborate. If lectures are online dont bother showing up to class except for tests.
Reads off the ppt so you don't need to go to class really. Show up on discussion days and answer like three questions and she will think you attend every day. I fooled her that way. She was nice and forgiving for a couple papers I handed in late too
I didn't realize a history professor could be so superficial until I took her class. She is repetitive and stays on one topic for too long. She lists Hist 102 as a class we should take before her 300-level class, but she teaches it as a 100-level class, only less challenging. She fails so miserably in making it a decent European history class.
So heres the deal I went to class 3 times excluding tests and got a C+ without even reading the books.
most boring class i have ever taken. i am a history major and this class alone made me want to switch majors. didn't use the pages upon pages of notes given a single time and didn't read the textbooks except to look up information for papers. came out with a B but couldn't do another of her classes.
Awful teacher. Reads everything off PowerPoint. Stay away if to want to learn something.
This is a class about Africa, but she doesn't seem to know Africa to teach it. An easy class though. I only showed up for 1/3 of the class but still got a B. Not a bad deal.
She knows what she is talking about, anyone who gets to know her absolutely loves her. Her classes are boring and easy but if you ask her questions during class she is very informative. She does not let what she thinks of you personally get in the way of her grading. She does notice if you are gone but realizes its your choice. Okay professor
Very reserved at first, will become friendly if people are friendly to her. Uses Powerpoint a lot, not for her (She KNOWS her stuff) but for your notes, tends to be an easier grader, will answer questions in class if you are polite, and will work with you if you have trouble. Not the most entertaining, but I recommend her.
Dr. Houseman is a great professor! She was always helpful and readily available to meet with students during the seminar course. She provides students with course reading assignments that are helpful in the long run in developing and structuring your seminar essay. I encourage History majors to take seminar with Dr. Houseman!
Attendance not mandatory except for turning in papers or giving presentations. She is a little dull but very kind and helpful.I can't complain much about her. She's not so bad.
Very kind professor and helpful when you ask her. She knows the material very well and like someone else said, the ppts are only there for your benefit. It's a fairly easy class, but if you want to learn something then that shouldn't matter.
Dr. Victoria Houseman is a very nice Professor and always has a positive attitude. She is always willing to help students whenever she can. However, I had trouble learning the material. There was a significant amount of disconnect between readings and material in lectures. I often felt unsure as to what I was writing about while typing my essays.
This class is super easy and she is flat, dull but willing to give us good grade.
She spoke way to fast and she never slowed down throughout the semester. EXTREMELY BORING! I suggest not to take the 8:00am class. Homework and papers are pretty easy. Test are ALL fill in the blank.
Going to class is pointless. She puts up the PowerPoints a week before the test, however, the study guide questions are not from anything covered in class. Terrible planning, and oh yeah, be ready to take 1000 words of notes each class period. Terrible teacher, will never take her class again.
I had her for History of the Modern World. I do not like her teaching style at all. All she does is read directly off a power point. Also, she goes way too fast to take decent notes or absorb any of the information. Her study guides are helpful, but it's a lot of work. I would not want take her again ever.
Houseman is a very good professor. She cares about the subject she teaches and those students who are also interested in the subject. She looks for participation each Friday during class discussions but will not call you out if you do not raise your hand which is really nice. She is willing to help if you ask and gives great feedback if you ask.
She is super boring and so is the class. Plus she talks through her nose
Her tests came right from her PowerPoints and the readings discussed in class, and she also included a study guide so you knew what to look for. She handed the tests back in class and gave you feedback on the answers and what you did wrong. If you're looking for a gen-ed, I recommend this over HIST 100.
This is a class that if you don't attend, you won't have the grade you want. Test questions do come from the power point and there are study guides but she grades tough on her exams.
Dr. Houseman is extremely boring. She reads straight off of the power points, says "um" almost every other word, and looks at the ceiling the entire time she talks. I love history and am also majoring in it, but man she really butchered this class for me. She's not the worst professor in the world, but far from the best.
she doesn't take attendance, all of her 300 level courses are graded by 4 papers and that's it. supper easy grader.
Professor Houseman has tons of knowledge regarding history however she lacks to ability to teach. She is often extremely monotone and usually does not make eye contact with any students. The class is not very difficult to pass, it is just hard to motivate yourself to attend the lectures.
The way she teaches, reading her slides to the students without interacting with them, kills any potential interest in her lectures.
Beyond boring and really does not care about any of her students or job. She counts spelling on her test and did not tell anyone she was going to do that. Ask a question she will tell you to look in the textbook or google it. The class is about memorization. if you struggle with flashcards and remembering things this class is going to be so hard.
One of those teachers who values memorization over actual, in-depth learning. Reads off power points in a dull manner and makes little to no effort to keep the class engaged. Had to go to her office once and it was the most crammed, unorganized, garbage-ridden mess of an office I have ever seen inhabited by a college professor. She's a joke.
Prof Houseman's lectures are unbelievably boring. Other than reading discussions, her classes were simply 50 minutes of going through slides and copying them for notes. Exams are just about memorizing all the answers, fill in the blank. The material isn't difficult, but what is difficult is motivating yourself to show up to her snooze fest lectures
Her lectures are a bit dull, but she definitely knows the material. It's not a engaging class and is mainly focused on memorization. However, Dr. Houseman is very nice and is a lot better one on one. I would definitely recommend taking notes on a laptop though because she goes through the slides very quickly.
People are way too hard on Professor Houseman. Does she go a little too fast through her lectures? Sure. But just ask her to slow down or go back, and she will. She is so caring and kind to her students. If you show any interest in the material, she will love you. Plus, upper history courses, attendance is not required!
Professor Houseman's classes are based purely on memorization. Her tests are very difficult to pass, and her lectures are the most boring and dead feeling hour of my day. I would strongly recommend not taking her class unless you must.
HIS209 is Intro to African History. Every class, except one discussion day, is a lecture. You don't really need to show up because she posts the powerpoints online a week before the test. I did show up and it was incredibly boring, but not horrible. Only one necessary book for an essay. I based my essay on our discussion and got an A w/o reading.
Tests were super easy; as long as you're technically right, you get points. Good: she obviously knows her stuff and is happy to teach. Bad: her lectures can be so monotone. I stopped showing up after a few weeks and still got an A
Tests are extremely easy but the lectures are hard to stay awake for. Do not expect much learning from her because she is not inspiring at all. Overall, it is an easy class to get over with the general.
I know there are a lot of bad reveiws on her but she tries her best. She's a really nice lady if you talk to her one on one. Definitely come to the human record discussions cuz she puts a lot of questions from it on the tests. Literally just look on Quizlet for the study guides and you should be good and READ the human record.
She means very well, but her class is tough. She posts study guides a week before the exam and the study guide is exactly like the exam. Half the stuff on the study guide isn't listed in the powerpoint so you have to listen to the lecture. She is very lecture heavy and moves through the content very fast. Be prepared to take lots of notes.
Easy A. I never paid attention to lectures. You are only graded on exams & a paper. She gives you a study guide before each exam & every exam question is on the study guide. Email her with questions & she replies immediately. I never read the book for the paper, got 100%. Can send her your paper before the due date & she will give you feedback.
Had to take her. Her powerpoints are 60+ slides. Studied so hard for her class and still failed. She never gave the correct answer/feedback on tests and they were all short answer. I felt that the tests were very hard and the questions were very confusing. I emailed her several times trying to ask for help and never replied once. Very irritating:(
It seems like she doesn't really care about her students, moreover doing her job. She also doesn't teach, all she does is summarize the textbook in lecture. When in lecture, she goes very fast and she ignores questions so if you mess up while taking notes, you are left in the dust. She is also very bad with email responses, it took 4 days for me.
If not the worst, one of the worst professors in this school. She is super boring and indifferent to teaching. Do not take her.
I have never been so confused with a professor in my life. I think she has some issues in her personal life which I am not judging her for but she has a strange demeanor and is almost robot-like? Classes are just lectures and that's it. Not a personable prof at all. Not too tough of a grader though which is nice
I honestly loved Professor Houseman, she is very passionate about the things she talks about so can at times get off topic but she is still a wonderful professor. I am a History major so I always enjoy her classes making me a tad bias but the only difficult thing about her courses is that she throws a lot of information at you at once.
Dr. Houseman is a nice professor, but this class was very boring. The tests were kind of tricky, but not too bad if you study enough. I can tell she enjoys teaching history, but her voice is very monotone. We did have discussion sessions on Fridays, and I enjoyed going more in-depth about what we learned during lectures that week.
A pretty easy class in all honestly. The professor herself was fine enough, clearly very knowledgeable on history but nothing too memorable about how she taught. If you're looking for an easy history class, check this one out.
The overall course was not hard as long as you study the quizlets and the study guides for the exams. The lectures are extremely dry as she covers roughly 50-60 slides in a 50 minute class. If you can get through the lectures you will do just fine in this course.
Very monotonous. You don't have to show up for any class, except for tests, and easily get an A. All lecture slides are posted (which she reads word for word) before tests. Test dates on the Syllabus aren't always right though so you gotta make sure you know when they actually are.
Houseman is not a good professor at all. She reads off the slides and never looks at any student, she speaks in a monotone voice all the time. You can very easily fall asleep in her classes. WOULD NOT TAKE A CLASS FROM HER!!!
Very monotone and always lectures to the back wall. Never actually talks to the students but tries to get through the lecture/PowerPoints as fast as possible.
Class is very dependent on reading the textbook. the class I took was an entry level class, and she expects you to be familiar with many of the units. generally speaking in class she is very monotone, and rifles through slides instead of going far into depth. You can find the slides after class, and You would have to be stupid to fail this class.
Houseman knows her history for sure. The class was difficult for me because I do not do well with only being graded on exams. In hist 100 there are 4 exams, and an essay. All exams are in person, on paper. She is very sweet, but she is definitely an old fashioned professor so If you do well with only exams I recommend.
All of her exams are fill-in-the-blank without a word bank. I had a difficult time with the exams but I managed to get through. She knows her stuff in history but it's too lecture-heavy, making the class boring. The only things graded was a paper, participation, and exams.
I would not recommend skipping class. As we got farther into the semester, she diverged more from the textbook and the tests were more lecture focused. I would not have passed if I didn't attend class. There are 4 exams and 1 final paper. There are semi-weekly discussions that don't require more than a few sentences to answer.
This entire class was 5 papers written over the course of the semester. Her paper criteria was outlined well, and you got all 4 prompts within the first month, so you could write ahead if you wanted to. I recommend class, but her slides are posted. Lots of readings but because you have prompts you know what to read for and can skip other stuff.
She may not be the most interesting or entertaining professor, but if you love history that shouldn't be too much of a problem. To be honest, I barely did any of the readings, just went to class, and that was enough to get A's on just about every test. Just take good notes, and when you have class discussions, do the very short readings beforehand.
GO TO LECTURES. If you show up for lectures, it is the easiest grade you will ever get. There are 4 tests throughout the semester and one paper. She gives great feedback on your paper if you ask, and you don't have to use the textbook if you don't want to. Easiest credit I'll get. However, the lectures are very boring.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
23%
Textbook Required
68%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.01 avg changeRatings by Course
HISTO389
5.0
(1)HIST3
5.0
(1)HISTO102
5.0
(1)HISTORY
4.0
(1)HIST481
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HIST109
4.0
HIST101
3.3
102
3.0
HISTO389
3.0
HIST215
3.0