3.4
Quality2.8
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake94
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
94
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
35
4
20
3
13
2
11
1
15
What Students Say
“The most knowledgeable and amiable professor at Nova”
HIS2012 - 5.0 rating“Excellent teacher, fair, listens to your problems, discusses real life events”
HIS102 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.79 avg changeRatings by Course
120
5.0
(1)HIS2012
5.0
(1)HST
5.0
(2)HISOFWS
5.0
(1)WESTCIV
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
RUS241
5.0
AABBC008N
5.0
WESTCIV
4.0
HIST242
4.0
HIST101
3.2
Reviews (94)
The most knowledgeable and amiable professor at Nova. Very approachable & fair
Excellent teacher, fair, listens to your problems, discusses real life events.
cool, interesting
One of the most wonderful teachers out there- community college or ivy league- a very smart man who knows how to keep the class's attention on otherwise dull topics-i miss being in his class
Incredible man who KNOWS what he teaches. Very fair and values your opinion.
Very affable and amiable man, class is dull however.
wonderful teacher, very informative, tests easy, makes history fun to learn
Wonderful teacher. You will grow to love him and he is very intriguing and inspiring. Sweet, grandfather type of person. Is passionate about his field.
take this teacher if you have the ability to write an essay. he is totally awesome.
Kinsella is as old as the institution, yet he's an emphatic and enthused professor. That's why he still teaches. I took him with His 201/202 241/242 ---A's here!
I was dreading history, and he made it more than bearable. I'm disappointed when I miss lecture. Yes, you will have to know how to write a decent essay. Attend class - he doesn't really go by the books so much.
This professor is awesome. I have taken with him 4 history classes(2 western Civ. and 2 Russian History classes). He gives great and clear notes. I wish if he werre teaching different courses so i would have chosen him :)) hE IS VER NICE AND HELPFUL.
At first I was like who is this clown. The thought changed because I had 2 classes with him. He does ramble off the subject sometimes but he is a good teacher and you wont regret taking him
I took Western civilization with him. He is nice, good notes, and the tests are like writing tests. You need to write in order to answer the quesstion
Has a strange sense of humor and material taught often irrelevant. Essay tests were easy since he gave a review sheet, which was the test. Book is not necessary. Very dull!
He us the best teacher i have ever had. I took with him 4 history classes so far. If my major is history i will difinitely take more classes with him I swear (i'm not kiding). Just don't forget to hand him any due papers.
Nice guy, good teacher, almost no work except on rare occasions. Most, if not all, of the tests are based on in-class teachings / lectures. Tests are essay form but easy as long as you've been in class and take a few notes.
He knows his stuff in and out. Very well-read and credible. Clearly he's passionate about the subject and it's contagious (gets really riled up over Russia and Stalin in particular) You will learn a lot of valuable and important things from him. a great teacher also b/c he's so kind and respectful.
Essay, essay, essay...
He is a genious,great teacher-very helpful-loved learning in his class
Knows a lot about history but delves into very irrelevant stuff. I personally love history but would like to know more about incidents than about the deep personalities of the prople. The class deals with some major interesting topics, but prof not recommended for people who are not majoring in hist
Very learned and well-read man. Knows every possible facet of Russian history that you could probably hope to know. Lectures can be a bit drawn out and tests are anybody's guess as far as specifics go. However, if you like history, this is a good class to take. I found it to be very enriching :)
Odd fellow, but knowledgable and enthusiastic. His lectures could drag on sometimes, but were generally pretty good. Homework was mostly short essays on quotes from the textbook - not hard at all. Tests were mostly from lectures. A very good teacher with a systematic approach.
AWSOME! he knows so much on the whole topic of history, and tries to get people involved in his lectures. take notes! and you will do fine. the whole class is essays, and dates are not even discussed.
This was a very enjoyable class
This man is wonderful. He speaks to the intellegent people in the room, as most nvcc teachers tend to dumb it down a little.. hes a great teacher.. lots of notes but he makes everything interesting.. and hes really understanding about everything... I got an A :-) DEF. take him
Very nice. The class isnt even lecture, its copying notes if you want. Just read and you will be fine. Tests are essays on readings...OPEN BOOK! Very hard not to do well. I have taken his class twice.
Great professor, one of the best. Better appreciate him while you have him...others are not as good. Knows his stuff. Take lots of notes. Makes it interesting.
he is the best!!!
You want to learn history and don't know what teacher to take, I say go with him. You will not regret.
I'm surprised at so many good ratings. I'll give it to him; he really likes the subject matter. I didn't think he was so bad, but I wouldn't really recommend him. If you're ok at and don't mind writing essays, then go for it. All tests and in-class assignments are essay form. No homework.
Da best!! So sincere, totally loves what he does and it shows. I got an A, a recommendation letter, and a fantastic example of what a true scholar should be. I want to be a hist prof. myself, hopefully. I recommend him above all others!
this guy has some funny stories, i love the laugh...but his class is pretty much all writing. you get about 1 per week but the class is pretty hard towards the end of the semester but easy in the beginning. Don't be rude or don't sleep in that class cause he gets angry grrr..
I dont think you should take this class if you have even a litle problem folowing along, he goes realy fast and Scribles on the board. realy nice guy unles you set him off. I barely passed and normaly am an A-B student...he practicaly preaches from the bible the entire class, and at times his lectures were just way over my head and hard to follow
hard time following along, his notes are hard to understand (dashes, hyphens, numbers). i wish he was a bit more clear on his subject, more straightfoward. his exams are 10 essay questions which are also complicated. if you're taking or going to take this class....good luck. i know ill need it.
he is not a good profesor at all. I make a mistake taking his class. he gives a lot of notes that does not even make sense.
He loves his work, he loves his subject; he is very knowledgeable. Also, ignore the shallow criticisms of his teaching style and temper. Here is a professor who enters the room and respects you as an intellectual equal by default. By taking his classes you are implicitly signing an honor code. If you break this code, you'll regret it.
one of the most outstanding professors I've ever had a chance to study with! I took both 101 and 102 with him and learned a whole lot! however, do not straggle in late; he hates it!!! show him that you want to succeed in his class, show him the effort of visiting during his office hours. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Initially, you’ll be intimidated by the extent of his knowledge. The ease in which he can rattle off stories and facts ranging from Plato to Marx will have you truly humbled. However if you make half an effort to comprehend the material, know that he will take notice! The only drawback of his teaching was that his notes on the board were absolute
He is possibly the worst history teacher I have encountered since middle school. He seriously killed my passion for history. He is NOT clear, his lectures are very boring. The only thing that makes him stand out is his giggle. There are better HIS teachers at NOVA, i don't recommend this professor at all.
My favorite professor at Nova. Come to class, do the writing assignments, enjoy his giggle, and you're good to go.
Don't take his class, for god's sake, if you like history. He totally sucks at teaching. I love history class, but he seriously killed the history. He teaches bad history, because he is too stereotypical. He thinks everything applies to today, such as North Korea vs. America in comparison to Roman empire vs. Judea.. what the hell is that? He is very straightforward and conclusive on everything.
Dr. K is an awesome professor! If you're intrigued by a truly knowledgeable teacher, take his class. You'll have to apply yourself to do well, but you'll learn a lot & that's the point - right? Dr. K inspired my interest in History & NVCC is fortunate to have him! He's also really sweet (like a teddy bear). Remains my favorite professor @ NVCC!
I'm a 4.0 student and I think he just might ruin my GPA. Your entire grade is Essay Exams and in-class writing assignments, where you basically just write word-for-word what he said in his rambling lectures. His notes make no sense, does not use book at all, no context to his lectures. He grades very randomly, and dislikes independent thought.
Good stuff: Easy writing assignments; easy tests; easygoing teacher unless you make your own convo between classmates. Bad stuff: Notes are unclear, so take own notes during lecture. It is hard to grasp complete knowledge from him; he also tends to add in his own opinion upon history. Other stuff: He is very interested in the subject, and his laugh gets everyone else laughing. He also seems to treat his students as much of an intellect as him. The only thing is, it's hard to grasp knowledge from him when he thinks we already know everything.
I am an honors student w/a 4.0. This class is MISERABLE! Lectures are fragmented, incoherent gobbledegook. He calls it intellect and academia. PLEASE! I call it inept BS. Writing assignments and exams are voluminous and often unclear. When over half of the students in a class drop or fail, something is seriously wrong with the professor.
Professor Kinsella is an awsome teacher. As long as you come on time and do the writing assignments (typical of any class) then you will not struggle in this class.
Good Teacher, All of his test's are essays, BUt very easy
He has a very nice attitude. He tells you what will be on the exams a week before you take it. he is very easy to understand, but he goes over notes very fast. Class assignments are easy, just take notes in class and you will be fine. it is very easy to get an A.
EASY teacher. boring lecture. funny sometimes . make sure you study for the exams.
HE IS AWESOME!! Best teacher ever. His test are all essays but he gives you the essay topic a week before the test, i mean come on how easy is that? His lectures are boring but thats all lectures. just show up to class, listen, do the class assignments which are writing little paragraphs about movies you watched or stuff you talked about and easy A
Super nice professor. Very kind and funny :) Is also a great academic advisor! Extremely knowledgeable about the history of foriegn affairs. Lectures are very interesting, but can be hard to follow if you have no background knowledge of Russian history. Gives explicit study guides for exam essays which is very helpful.
SO UNCLEAR in terms of his powerpoint lecture notes that it drove nearly the whole class MAD. His notes look like this: "egypt, pharoah, nile river, greek, hellenistic," and the list goes on. Endless amt. of commas with non-conprehensible "notes." He rambles on and on about absolutely nothing, and half the time he doesnt make any sense. RUN!!
The whole class hated him! Your grade is 5 in-class essays. He doesn't read them just looks for key words. Students who wrote COMPLETE GIBBERISH but had all the right "names" got As NO JOKE. The class is random, and I was so unprepared for 102. He was not helpful when I went to him with questions. The final exam material was covered in one day. :(
I'll sum it up in three short phrases: Very kind, knows his stuff, horrible teacher. There, clear enough for you? This is the type of guy you like to have as an uncle; he tells great stories. If you like history I suppose you could audit the class and find it enjoyable, but if you're a student... let's just say "joy" will not be entering your mind.
DONT take his class. On the 1st day of class, he is lecturing as if we know what he is taking about. On 2nd day of class, he was talking 2 fast, his handwriting was not readable and his notes were disorganized. If you sat behind the 3nd row, you could only see 1/2 of the board. Plus he is sooooooooo boring. DO NOT TAKE HIM UNLESS YOU HAVE TO.
I think alot of people that rate this professor havnt grasped the concept of doing work while in college... I am a Bus. Major, and Prof Kinsella really made History appealing to me. Yes you have to take and read notes, you can get the book but it really isnt necessary if you take proper notes and actually pay attention (unlike 80% of my class)
OMG, I got an A, which I never expected. He is an awsome teacher, very kind and easy.(However, he talks a lot which might make you bored, but it is very useful though) You can hand in assigment late and the test is already on blackboard. You just have to study it and come to class for attendance. Take his class if you want to get an A. :)
i can't believe i even got a B. the first day of class he kept looking at our feet but after that he was ok. he teaches from his point of view. he tries to make jokes. there are long pauses all the time and he says "uh" a lot. he's VERY smart and knows his stuff though!
An Awesome Teacher, helpful and will try to help if he can if he sees you struggling. Nevermind my bad grade, he made me love history enough to change my major
I looooooove this professor, he is really helpful and knows what he is talking about in his class. makes his class interesting and is very while correcting the assignments... al u have to do is pay attention to him and better if he knows you... :)
This guy sucks! I sign up for what I think is a history course and all I get is his love for architecture and ancient lifestyles. Where's the actual history? Not there what a terrible professor.
Ok so, i signed up for his class thinking it was going to be gravy. I love history and love learning it but with him im not. The only learning is when he shows us videos..His notes are terrible, and unclear and his assignments make no sense. His tests are not even tests and they are the hardest things to study for. Do not take him, trust me.
i'm in his class, teacher can't explain well! when he uses the computer, he just keep typing and typing.. for this semester we have 9 assigments, Yea WRITING ASSIGMENTS! first when i look at this rate my prof. the first page i thought he was easy and good, but guess what! WRONG!
Never take his class. This is a 101 level class, but he will make you work very hard. 9 writing assignment,also in class assignment and exams are very hard. It's very hard to understand his lectures. Take my advice never sign up for his class.
Never take his class. 9 writing assignment, in class assignment and exams are very hard. Hard to understand his lectures. Take my advice donot take his class.
Tests are horrible! 20 questions, all essays.You could easily fall asleep in this class. He is very scattered with his notes and that makes it very confusing. He often tells stories and then can't remember what he was talking about. But, personally he's nice and he loves the topic he teaches!
This teacher has a teaching method not many would like. He talks through the whole class taking terrible notes and never has activities or anything to keep my attention. i understand its college and people should work hard which is fine but i just cannot learn under his teaching style and neither can most of the class from what i heard.
Very confusing class. The way he presents information is impossible to comprehend he writes poewr point notes as he speaks but only writes a few words and not exactly what he's explaining to you. Don't take this class.
First, DONT buy the book. it was a waste of money because we didnt look at it once.. the tests are very easy. It was just one essay question and you write everything you know (he gives the essay question like 2 weeks before) However, he is NOT an organized teacher and the assignments are confusing. Other than that, i'd say easy A.
He is truly a great professor!!....No lie, his lectures are a little boring, notes can be scattered, & text book use was not much. BUT HERES THE THING: attendance, he doesn't call you out when you are late, hmw? barely just assignments that are not very hard, && tests? easy b/c he put what's on the test online!! Pretty easy grader!! =)....
Easy A....why? Here's the thing: he doesn't call you out when you are later, he posts his notes online (not the best notes), No daily HMW, just a few assignments. Easy tests: He put's the Test question online!! plus he is pretty cool about helping his students out when they ask. Over all easy A.
He gives you 7 assignments all semester, they are straight out of the book. 4 exams and a take home final. If you read the textbook THOROUGHLY, you will get a B. You have to go the extra mile to get an A, and unless you work for it, you wont get it. Passes around attendance sheet, never seemed mandatory. Easy B, hard A.
not so clear
I recently took his class. First thing, don't buy a book, coz u dont really need it.Take notes in class,they will help,plus,he posts course documents.Explains good,along with documentries.Tests are'nt difficult at all.Doesn't give alot of homework. Very nice grading.Just make sure you don't miss any test and complete the assignments.Overall, 9/10
JUST want to say,my frnd and i took the class together last semester. I completed 2 out of 5 assignments and all tests were like average(B),just took the notes.In the end,got B.My friend completed 3 asignmnts bt hz test grades were, F,D,then B in next 2 tests.And he also got B.So whatsup!?EASY GRADE.thats all u need!tests r not hard.Easy professor.
Ok, easy A. He just talks all class, goes off on stories about his life/other stuff. Class notes are terrible. Everything that he wants for the essays and exams is online. Memorize it and you'll get an A. NO TEXT BOOK NEEDED. I didnt buy it and got an A.
William Kinsella is the best professor I have had on Nova so far. I have had him for Western civ 101, and two russian history classes. It is obvious he is passionate about what he does, and that is a joy to see. I recommend him to everyone, fantastic teacher.
DO NOT BUY THE BOOK. When he gives writing assignments he will give you the reading material on paper. His notes are terrible. He lectures the whole class or shows a movie. If you put in just a few min. of study time before test you will pass test with a C. Its easy to bring your grade up if you bomb a test. Boring class, but an easy class.
Excellent professor, very passionate about his love of all things history, and it's evident in his delivery. He's very fun to watch and listen to, and very accessible for help or to answer questions. He loves being questioned during class. I can't wait to take his part 2 next semester!
Great teacher! Can be boring in class but he loves his work! Big on the in-class notes (collected every other class and grades)! So show up and take notes and it will really bump up your score! Plus it will prepare you for the tests, only take if you can show up and focus, oh and don't buy the book!
DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!!
Dr. K. is an amazing prof. - passionate and still excited about teaching...there should be more like him. He makes learning fun. He has so much knowledge to share! Notes are a little hard to read, but his lectures explain them...just regurgitate his lecture on the exam and you've got an A. I will take more of his classes and highly recommend!
Half of the class got C on each test ( NO one got A ). You have to take note while he is writing on powerpoint and video note. Sometimes he spontaneously laughs without a reason (something wrong ?). Extremely strict during the test. He also yelling at students if they dont pay attention to what he said. You will waste your money. DOnt take his clas
Half of the class got C on each test ( NO one got A ). You have to take note while he is writing on powerpoint and video note. Sometimes he spontaneously laughs without a reason (something wrong ?). Extremely strict during the test. He also yelling at students if they dont pay attention to what he said. You will waste your money.
Awesome teacher! Pay attention & he'll make things super easy & fun! - is very understanding of the fact that "crap does sometimes happen and when it does it hits the fan hard". I had some issues in my personal life that made me stressed out & effected some schoolwork. Talked to him about it and he was more than fair and helped me out! - has a unique and very fair grading system! More people should use it! :)
Overall a very nice person but few people are compatible with the teaching method. For class assignments, he shows a video and tells you to take notes. Just fill the whole page. Tests require you to write about 6 pages in the span of one hour. Homework is basically the same task as the test, due on the test day. Notes are hard to understand.
Hes kind of all over the place with his notes. Kind of a flexible grader. Not much to it but the test and writing assignment, really cute old man, but not a great proffessor.
Knows what he's talking about. Fair, overall very nice and enjoys what he does; expects a lot from his students, but he respects you. Very helpful when you have questions. Be open and take it seriously and you'll learn a lot from him. Writing assignments key, looks at these for your grip on subject. Easy A if you put effort into it!
The only work assigned are a few essay prompts that are copied directly from the text book (EXTREMELY easy, and I hate writing). The tests are essays. Even though he gives you ten blank pages for the test, I've never written more than 3 pages and haven't been graded badly. His teaching style is confusing, but he's very passionate about the subject.
Great professor, knows his material. Writing assignments in and out of class, out of class essays correspond with the exams (due day of exam). Exams are by topic (not multiple choice) essay or bullets, just put down everything you know. Very fair, understanding, and helpful. Class can be a little dull, but attend!
BEST TEACHER EVER
Dr. Kinsella is a very kind man. He is soft spoken, and knows his material. My biggest problem with his class were the documents we were supposed to study off of - they are incoherent, and just contextual terms that can get really confusing. He loves reading your work, so pay attention and take good notes.
He is such a good guy, he is such a educated prof, and knows too much of materials and it gets little out of control when he explains and get confusing. It is important to take notes in his class, and study the study guide he gives out. His test is short essay, and he just love to see you write a lot on the paper then your good. Easy A !!
Class Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.79 avg changeRatings by Course
120
5.0
(1)HIS2012
5.0
(1)HST
5.0
(2)HISOFWS
5.0
(1)WESTCIV
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
RUS241
5.0
AABBC008N
5.0
WESTCIV
4.0
HIST242
4.0
HIST101
3.2