Richard Minear - University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Professor: Richard Minear

Department: History

College: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIST162
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Professor Minear won a well-deserved Distinguished Teaching Award in 2008.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST601
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This guy hasn't changed in forty years. Amazing! Inspiring! Most comments here ring true. I took four of his classes - outside my major. Lots of non-text reading from current journals - demonstrated rigidity of texts. Daily quizzes assured informed classroom discussions. Concise writing required: "Wouldn't You Really Rather Have A Biuku?" Thanks.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIST201
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He was the best professor I had at Umass.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Inspirational; very sad that Minear is retiring.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Awesome professor. Wants you to question everything you see. Gives you good lessons for life as well as teaching you a little bit about japan. Make sure you go to the discussions prepared and do that papers on time, that should give you an easy B.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HISTHIR
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Wonderful professor. Changes the way you see the world around you and the way you write about it, not only during the semester, but for life!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Great class. You learn nothing, but then again you learn everything. No facts, just more questions!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIST592J
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Loved his Hiroshima writing seminar. Prepare to be challenged. His focus is to teach you valuable lessons about history, the study of history, and how to write about history. He expects you to be honest, and to put in a lot of effort, but works with you to help you get the best grade you can. I know that I am a better student and writer for it!

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Minear's class is amazing. Changes the way you think about history and much more. He's a real tough grader, many students might not like their grade at the end (this is no easy A) but they will know that Minear made them a better students. Minear himself is brilliant (Yale, Harvard), and he knows everyones name after a week. Nice guy.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I thought that Minear was really knowledgable in what he taught. His lectures were a bit dull for the most part, but they weren't required in order to pass the class. You just had to attend the discussions, do well on the quizes before discussion, and know how to write well for the 3 papers. He was a bit of a harsh grader, but I got an A in the end

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: JAP116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Awesome professor with natural ability. I am very interested in the subject so it may skew my opinion but I loved going to this class. Lots of reading. Wants you to compress entire books into 3 page papers. I must admit not very clear and sucks at responding by e-mail. His virtue is his ambiguity.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

a tough grader on papers, but this is the only class I'm willing to sacrifice a lower grade for gaining something more valuable. Be straightforward on the papers. Don't gloss over.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

amazing and insightful teacher. motivates students to question everything even himself. lots of reading but discussions are fun. be ready to pay for 4-6 books. grades 3 out of 4 papers, do readings and papers aren't bad. write first paper and get feed back. attendance recommended. funny, laid back, easy to talk to. answer is always "propaganda."

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HISTHIST
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

simply awesome

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

One of the best professors I've ever encountered. It helps if you have an interest in Japan in the first place, but once you finish the course you realize how much you've learned. He really gets you to question everything and just be a better student in general. It seems like he lives to teach this class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is an amazing professor. I have never taken a history class that really makes me think or question what I'm learning. He is fair and good-humored and you probably won't look at Japan the same way again after this class.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS MAN!!! YOU LEARN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT JAPANESE HISTORY! HOWEVER YOU DO LEARN SOMETHING MORE VALUABLE: TO THINK SKEPTICALLY ABOUT EVERYTHING & NEVER BE CONNED! GREAT CLASS- ONLY 3 ESSAYS & NO FINAL EXAMS. TAKE IT!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I loved this class but absolutely hated history before taking it. I am NOT a history major and I knew nothing about Japan. Minear is a great professor and loves when you argue his views in the essays. If you can write papers easily then take this class (3 papers). Talk about George Bush and Harvard and you're set.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Minear is a great teacher with an interesting teaching style. His lectures can be boring but his discussions make up for it. He changes the way you view history into a more skeptical point of view. Entering this class I did not think i would like it at all, but this ended up being my favorite class. Three essays, no tests.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: HIST116
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Great teacher. Some lectures can get a bit dry, but for the most part, the class is very interesting, especially the discussions. Attendance is only mandatory at discussions, but these are much better anyway.