Possibly the smartest professor at GW. Knows more detail about the period than I thought possible. Presentation is clear, concise, and interesting. A truly gifted lecturer. Gives you all the questions for the exam, but they are very extensive. Little Reading required. The first time at GW I feel like I had a REAL professor who knew his subject.

Great class and great professor. He was really helpful and knew what he was talking about. He is a tough grader but if you do the assigmnents the way he wants you should do fine. There is one paper a midterm and final but if you go to class then you should do fine just using your notes. Great class, highly recommend.

Very good professor who really knows his stuff. Lectures were both clear and interesting. Tough grader, but if you come to class, the tests won't be that hard. If you saw him on the street, you might think he was homeless.

This professor is the man. He needs to be on a fashion show on TLC, but other than that, he knows everything. He has a great sense of humor and makes the class enjoyable.

Great professor.Highly knowledgeable and interested in his subject, and passes his interest on to students.Lectures are clear and interesting, PLUS he put up an outline of each lecture at the beginning of class which made it really easy to take notes. He can be a tough grader,but this was my favorite class that semester thanks to him and didnt mind

Professor Burns is an amazing professor, one that I highly recommend for anyone remotely interested in history. He puts up outlines at the beginning of class making note-taking easy. Though there are a ton of notes, they are crystal clear. Only two exams and a paper in that class and attendance was mandatory. Excellent class

Great lecturer who can go on and on about the subject matter with great knowledge and expertise. Ask any question, he'll answer it. He can be funny at times, and the way he looks, is also odd. Fair exams, fair grader, good class.

He is an awesome professor, knows his subject really well. He is very helpful and answers all the questions. He includes humor and sarcasm in his lecture so that makes it more interesting. He is a hard grader when it comes to papers but goes easy on the exams. The best way to write the final paper is to talk to him and find out his requirements.

Definitely one of the smartest professors at GW. Looks pretty smelly and dresses like he just sprinted 10 blocks from the metro stop. Dont question his authority or he will run you to the ground. He is always right. Either way, you will learn more about history than you have ever learned in your life.

Billy Burns rules. Incredible lecturer takes the best bits of the last 500 years and makes them into something whole. Loved waking up in the morning just to hear this brilliant (though homeless looking) man speak. Class itself is easy, though your TA is the real arbiter of your grade. Highly recommended.

Professor Burns is the best professor I've had at GW thus far. He knows a lot about his subject and this can be seen in his lectures. He outlines what he will talk about, which makes it easy to take good notes. Attendance is mandatory and for good reason...a lot is covered in each class. Highly recommended class

Burns is an AWESOME prof. He keeps the 'story' in History. The grade is 20% attendance so go to class, but its not bad, since his lectures are witty, fun and interesting. Take this class from him if you want to enjoy history.

For the vast and boring expandse of world history, Burns does an excellenet job of keeping things interesting. I actually enjoyed his class, even at 8 in the morning. He is a tough grader when it comes to papers. But when it comes to the midterm and final, he gives a review sheet telling you everything that will be on there.

Billy Burns is an excellent lecturer not to mention a pretty funny guy. Despite it being an 8am I still always looked forward to class. Attendance is not mandatory and grade is made up of two papers and mid term/final. Go to office hours for papers and study in advance for exams, and you will do well.

Fairly easy. Gives out tests beforehand. Makes what could be a dry topic fairly interesting.

At first he seems weird but he is actually pretty funny and incredibly smart. One of his TAs, Diana, is god awful. She is one of the worst TAs in the entire world. If you get her, drop. If not, take the class and it is pretty easy and interesting

He looks like he just rolled out of bed every morning and he really does not use the book at all. But he truly is an amazing lecturer and he is incredibly knowledgeable of the subject matter. He also has a good sense of humor and makes his classes enjoyable despite his demeanor.

BIlly Burns is the man. HIs lectures are quite clear and his exams are literally 80% of his lectures with one comprehensive reading question. I'm not a history major, but Burns' humor paired with clarity helped me roll out of bed for an 8AM. In short, take his class for an easy history credit that's enjoyable.

He is very easy to understand and his exams are pretty easy. His way of teaching is pretty funny and interesting. That being said he is less helpful than the average professor when you have questions or concerns.

Great teacher. His lectures are well planned and he makes it easy to follow along. No need to read the textbook, many people do not even buy the book.

Great lecture. Makes it fun and entertaining. Very liberal. Has very weird and irrelevant paper topics but still suggest taking.

Professor Burns is extremely intelligent. His lectures are very interesting, it was my only class that I actually enjoyed being there. :)

Burns is a fantastic lecturer, though you may never be sure whether or not he's entirely sober. Personally, I never bought the textbook, but I made up for it by going to all of the lectures and discussions and by taking excellent notes. He's a great storyteller, and going to lecture is enough to do well in the class.

SUCH a great prof! His lectures are really interesting so go! He's a brilliant man, looks like a scrub but he's also hilarious. TA's grade everything (Jack = great TA! barely talked and got at A participation). Midterm, final and 2 papers. Gives you terms/essays in advance. So easy! Don't read book, everything is from lecture. TAKE THIS CLASS!

He is a great lecturer! It was even worth it to attend 8 am class. You don't have to read the text book at all. He outlines everything you need to know in class. You just have to show up. He also gives you what you need to know on the only tests (midterm and final) ahead of time. His disheveled look might be off putting, but he's fantastic!

A very strange guy but probably the most intelligent professor and best lecturer I've ever had. Reading the book is not even necessary if you go to class and take good notes. He gives a helpful study guide for the midterm and final and the papers aren't too difficult if you start them ahead of time. Definitely recommend this class.

Professor Burns is an amazing lecturer and an amazing person and an amazing professor. If you're interested in history you must take this class.

Great lecturer, well set up class, interesting subject matter. A few exams which are short answer and essay graded by the TA's.

very good prof. just remember that attendance is mandatory...exam really aren't too bad, just 2 papers and 2 exams+ attendance for your grade. Highly recommend if you are interested in history!

Tests are extremely easy because he tells you the terms and essay questions that will be on it. Only a midterm and final. The two papers (5-6 p.) are on books that you don't need to read, as long as you can skim for good quotes. The problem is his arbitrary grading, only giving letter grades and not a percentage. Very difficult to get an A on them

Great teacher but tough grader when it comes to essays. He is very helpful during office hours

Professor Burns is a really entertaining guy. I really enjoyed his lectures and I learned a ton. He can be somewhat vague, but for the most part, a really entertaining professor. He takes attendance and outlines what he'll be talking about, which is super helpful.

Burns is a really good lecturer. The midterm and final were not bad at all because you were given the prompts far enough in advance to know what was going to be on the tests. He was a weird essay grader though. I got an A- instead of an A on one of the essays because mine was "awkwardly written."

No need to read the textbook - just show up to the lectures. Reading or at least skimming the assigned books is definitely advised, you will need them for essays. Is an entertaining lecturer.

Burns is probably best described as looking like a hungover hobbit, but the man is a history god. His lectures were engaging and hilarious, once you learn to appreciate his deadpan sense of humor. Don't skip class because he takes attendance and it's just worth it. Midterm and final were easy but make sure you don't write wordy, adjectival essays.

He is a LEGEND!

GREAT lectures. Initially kind of scary looking (if you take one of his classes you'll understand) but would totally recommend. However, in HIST 1011 at least, all of the grading is done by the TAs. He's also not into technology and so there's no powerpoints for his lectures, just a handwritten outline on the whiteboard that you may be able to read

Hard to take seriously at first but he's one of the best professors i've had. Lectures focus on main concepts over time and a few details here and there from class. Your grade depends on your TA because they grade everything. Didn't read the textbook cause readings and lectures were totally different. 2 papers, 1 midterm, 1 final, discussion grade

As the semester went on, I grew to love Burns. He doesn't use visuals and material is fast-paced, but his lectures are so interesting. Super knowledgeable and his dry humor is amazing. He tells you exactly what will be on the tests and there are 2 papers. Grading is done by TAs. I took this for GPAC and ended up loving it and learning a lot.

Professor Burns was an amazing teacher to take this class with. Lectures are very interesting, and you learn a lot from them. He is very clear about what is on the exams, although the prompts for the essays weren't . Grade completely depends on the TA, but I do recommend taking Burns if you have to take HIST 1011.

Fantastic lectures with 4 in-class discussions on books. Go to class because that's what the tests are on and he's interesting. Also he takes attendance. One 15 page research paper, a midterm, a final, and discussion pretty much make up your entire grade.

Burn's lectures are kind of all over the place, but very interesting. He gives good study guides before the midterm and final, which makes it easy to study. Attendance in discussion is mandatory but the discussion itself wasn't very helpful, at least with my TA. TA's grade essays, so it's easy to get help there.

His lectures are really interesting. You don't need the textbook if you take really good notes during class. However, your grade basically depends on your TA.

Professor Burns is a character. He comes off as intimidating, but you grow to love his lectures and his sense of humor. He explains topics very thoroughly and he is a human enciclopedia. That being said, everything is graded by the TAs so make sure you get a good one to help your grade

i took his scientific revolution class and it was super interesting. his style of teaching took a bit to get used to because he does not use power points he just talks. he takes attendance every single class and it's a majority of your grade. he's not a tough grader and gives good study guides before the midterm and final.

Professor Burns is a great pick for an intro history course. He only provides a small outline for each lecture so you do need to pay attention and take good notes because the exams are compeletly based on the lectures. There's no need to buy the textbook, you'll never be tested on it and you don't really need it for discusssion.

I zoned out on many lectures but the textbook recommended for class helped me a bunch. I found that the weekly readings were very similar to his lectures, and the book helped with my papers. When I did pay attention to lectures, I thought he was entertaining. He randomly yells and you can tell he's passionate about the history he talks about.

Prof Burns is really funny and a good lecturer. He doesnt use slides when he lectures , so if ur a very visual learner this might not be the class for you. The lectures are really informative and entertaining though. Lots of writing, which I liked but might not be ideal for others.

Prof Burns is a weird/quirky and funny guy. The class is basically listening to him talk for an hour and writing down every word he says b/c thats what you use to write the essays. TAs grade everything. Doing the readings isn't necessary at all, but helps in discussions.

I loved Professor Burns's class. The only thing you need to know is if you have a bad TA, it's going to suck for you. The TA grades everything (2 papers, midterm paper, and final papers), so if they don't fit your writing style, you won't do great in the class. As for Burns himself, his lectures were fun and informative!

Professor Burns is an all around amazing guy. Although his lectures can be tricky, I loved his way of teaching. He is not boring at all and keeps you engaged in the conversations. Out of all the professors in the history department, Professor Burns has to be my favorite. P.S. He is also funny.

Prof. Burns Hist 1011 class is mainly lecture based with a discussion section every week. Participation is only mandatory for the discussion sections, and I would recommend doing the readings for your discussion, as participation also matters. TAs grade everything and youll have two papers, a midterm, and a final. Overall Burns is a very funny guy

There's a lecture session with Burns and a discussion section with his TAs. The TAs grade everything you do, so keep that in mind. As for Burns, his lectures are funny and informative, but it's just him talking for the entire lecture, and it can be hard to tell what is actually important and what isn't. Doesn't take away from the lectures though.

His lectures were hilarious and chaotic. If you are organized it is fine. The only assessments are two papers, the midterm and the final and the TAs are reasonable so it's not too hard. As long as you put forth effort you shouldn't get below a B+. If you are going to take Burns' class you just have to embrace his chaos and try to enjoy it.

He's so funny because he screams for emphasis. The lectures aren't boring because he just yells randomly but it helps because he yells what is important. The essays are average. The midterm and the final are incredibly easy, as prompts and terms are given before hand so it should be an easy A.

Let me start off by saying this class is very easy. You quite literally do not have to attend a single lecture if you're only taking it as an elective. Class is based on participation in discussion, two papers, and two exams. Exams are very easy, and papers are relatively easy as well if you attend the discussions. Try to get Ofri as TA!

Burns is great at lectures, and made them interesting with his personality. Your grade is based off of two papers and two tests, and then your participation in discussion sections. If you attend lectures, you'll do fine. His tests is writing paragraphs on some terms, and then a few long answer questions.

This man is honestly hilarious and he keeps his lectures pretty interesting with his humor and personality. There are no slides and so you have to listen but the lectures are available online afterwards. There is very little work and attendance is only required in discussion sections. You will be graded off of 2 papers, 2 exams, and discussion.

Honestly loved him! His lectures are amazing sometimes it can be hard to listen in but they're interesting with loads of information. He generally screams important stuff into his mic and is also very funny. TA matters. The world load isn't bad I just would suggest reading the readings he assigns as those will be important to writing your 2 papers.

Lectures aren't a must but they help with understanding content better even tho all u need is ur discussion tbh. sitting in the front helped me not fall asleep as sometimes the mic is lacking. very knowledgable, quite chaotic, funny and interesting. midterm and final exam questions are posted prior so its easy to study and the readings are doable.

Burns is hilarious and is very intelligent. The class is ridiculously easy, and is graded on discussion attendance, 2 papers, a midterm, and a final. He gives you the terms/essay questions for the midterm and final ahead of time, so there is no excuse to not get an A. His lectures can be very hard to follow though. Easy A.

Professor Burns is knowledgeable and funny. The lectures are long and are comprised mostly of him talking with almost no slides. He tells you what you need to know though, and if you miss class, lectures are recorded. TAs grade everything. 2 papers, a midterm, and a final, plus participation grades. An informative and overall good class.

Lectures are recorded and attendance is only mandatory for the discussion section. Two short papers, two quizzes, a midterm, and final. He gives you the prompts that will be on the tests ahead of time. Reading is not necessary. Lectures with no slides but gives you the main points he will talk about and is very engaging. Take this class!

Gives great lectures; no slides but still very easy to follow. Very funny and engaging. Only necessary readings are the two books that you'll have to write papers on. Other than that, workload is very light with quizzes based on lectures and written exams that you are given the prompts ahead of time for. 10/10 would take again.

Does not have slide presentations or any physical materials (how well you do is dependent on how well you're notes are). There are only a couple quizzes and they rest of grades are papers. Midterm and finals are in-class essays but do-able. Got stuck with a bad TA, the class is more dependent on that the professor.

Burns is not your average professor, but he is nice and extremely knowledgable on the subject. Attendance is mandatory in discussion but not lecture. I would definitely recommend going to lecture to feel prepared. Take this class if you need a history credit!

Professor Burns doesn't use slideshows, so make sure you listen closely taking notes so that you'll do fine. His lectures were very amusing, even though he screams at his mic at random moments. Attendance wasn't mandatory in his lectures, but make sure you participate in discussion sections. My TA was super friendly and graded leniently.

Burns is an interesting guy. He teaches this class by pacing and talking about the planned topic for the day, no slides or anything, just talking, so if you miss something you're kinda out of luck. There's 2 paper assignments throughout the semester and the midterm and final are both in-person essays, where the prompt is given before the exams.

Just pay attention during lectures, and you will get an A. He records all lectures online, so you don't need to attend class. Two papers that TAs grade easily, midterm and final, are in-class essays that you get ahead of time. And make sure to participate in recitations for credit.

Class was easy with a couple papers and in class essays where the questions were given in advanced. Professor Burns is sassy and likes to call people out which was funny but he is not personable at all.

The professor is great if you are already a history fan. His lectures, while incredibly simple (him talking in front of a picture for 90 minutes), are pretty entertaining. His humorous yet blunt take on history is pretty easy to understand. If you are not already acquainted with the subject matter, I imagine the class will be hard to follow.

He was funny and it was worth it to attend the lectures. I did really well on the assignments and my TA decided to give me a 90% for my discussion participation (for like no reason) and it brought me to an A-.

Show up, take good notes. Unusual but engaging style of teaching where is no presentation, he recites everything from memory. You gotta be focused. Test prompts given ahead of time so just prepare a few ideas going into each test and you'll be fine.

Class consisted of lectures with no slides, just him talking into the microphone but it was interesting for the most part. Attendance isn't mandatory. Just be careful picking your TA for your discussion section because that's who grades your papers. Overall a good class to take for your humanities credit.

Professor Burns is extremely energetic and funny and although he does not use slides, he posts an outline of what he'll be discussing in class that he follows very well. Midterm and final are in-person essays but prompts are given beforehand. The class is graded entirely through the TAs so make sure to participate in discussion for a good grade.

he loveesssss to shout in class it really piques your attention. tbh i never paid attention in class and it was fine for me. you have in class essays and also take home essays. it really depends on your TA on how chill the work is. my TA WAS NOT CHILL but i did fine in the class.

Professor Burns brings a unique, entertaining teaching style to the class. While the lectures can be a bit unorthodox, staying engaged and utilizing resources like unstuckstudy for study prep can really help you succeed. The exams are manageable if you keep up with the material.

No slides BUT he is such an engaging and organized lecturer. The entire class is based on lecture, and I like that the readings are long but only necessary for the essays. Definitely manageable (if any) workload and the exams were easy as long as you go to lecture. Burns is very knowledgeable and very clear and austere syllabus is something Iliked.

Yells to emphasize points in his lectures, which most students don't attend. Repeat of World History, though Burns spends more time exploring topics that he's interested in (e.g. transportation, suffrage, decolonization). Your TA will make or break this class, as they grade all your work. Midterm and final are easy, prompts are given in advance.