Jacob Kovalio - Carleton University, Ottawa, ON

Professor: Jacob Kovalio

Department: History

College: Carleton University, Ottawa, ON

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIST4705
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He is a wonderful professor and person. He can come across as strict but he is very understanding and accommodating. He is certainly a respectable person and he is very inspiring. He encourages questions as he is more than happy to answer them. I suggest that you visit him during his office hours as well. He is very passionate and knowledgeable.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST3805
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I liked Kovalio. His lectures were a bit dry at times, but he knows his stuff and is exceedingly approachable. He also gets to heart of issues, which I appreciated, even if we didn't always agree. A solid prof.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Brilliant professor. One of the best, if not the best, I've ever encountered. Knows the material inside and out with a remarkable memory for details and the ability to present things in a cohesive and interesting way. Also, very friendly and helpful if you approach him for help outside the classroom. Highly recommended.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIST3805
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

About the worst professor Carleton has to offer. Don't take any of his courses.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIST3805
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

The man is a genius and is nice to listen to when he speaks about the history of any country. He comes off a little intimidating but don't shy away. Attend class and show interest because he's very observant. Class was easy, 50% essay and 50% identification test of 20 terms from 40.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HISTA
• 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:

knows his stuff, lives it

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• 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:

Its very repetitive, but I won't question whether he knows his stuff...he clearly does. I don't know how much notes u need to add if u already have the course pack though.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• 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:

World-class professor. This man speaks 7 different languages! I am honoured to be in his class.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• 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:

Absolutely wonderful man. Such a sweetheart if you go and have a chat with him in his office. He is so helpful and willing to up your grade on a term paper if you go see him. Wonderful man to talk to. He is so interesting. Believe me, you will not regret taking this course, the workload isn't high at all. Dr. Kovalio is an AMAZING professor!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Very intelligent, helpful, and respectful guy - but he marks the assignments like he hates you! Seriously, I got a D in my first term paper and I thought it was worthy of a B+!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• 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:

I am unsure why there are ANY negative comments on here about Dr. Kovalio, I don't understand. He is a great professor, knows exactly what he is saying, is always available and returns emails promptly. He wants to make sure students understand everything clearly. A full year course - 2 papers and a 'definition exam' - I highly recommend his class!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I think he's a good professor. His course is more aimed at, if you want to pursue Japanese history at the graduate level. He comes in, teaches the class, and grabs your attention. Nice guy, but don't annoy him (eg, eat in his class)

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took both Chinese and Japanese History with Kovalio. He doesn't provide mandatory readings and his lectures consist on him reading from the course pack. His exams are all Chinese/Japanese terms and he makes you memorize 250 terms and only puts 50 on the exam. He is approachable but an extremely hard marker and very boring. I wouldn't recommend.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIST3805
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Do not take this course unless you are fluent in Japanese because it is a language course, not history.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIST3805
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

i don't know what happened to kovalio in the last few years, but he is cranky, ill-informed & insulting to students. he deducted marks from my essay bc of typos in source doc marked [sic], but when i showed him the sources he called me a liar. then he lost my exam! i regret that he teaches the east asian classes at carleton bc i won't take another.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIST2600
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

He can be very boring at lectures, but for the student who likes to coast, his class is a dream. He's still a great prof though, open for discussion and meetings outside of class, and will help you with anything in the zone of asian history. I'd say he's been highly underrated because his dedication to asian history is unparalleled anywhere.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I am currently taking one of his classes and let me say by far the worst prof I have ever had. It is beyond me how he is teaching at this school, the most boring lectures, learning nothing from the materials, designed so you could show up for the last classes and just study from the review material (which I Will be doing) Very Ignorant individual!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Hated him, absolutely boring. Arrogant, refused anything that was not of his exact point of view. terrible professor, agree with the comment before this. Much more of a japanese language than japanese history.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Horrible, do yourself a favour and don't take this course. Lectures a great bore, they basically allowed him to read the coursepack and rant. Very arrogant. More of a Japanese language course.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: HIST2806
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Worst professor I've ever had. Arrogant, unapproachable, and impossible to understand in class. He gives a coursepack of all the lectures, which seems nice ... but then he just reads from it word-for-word, making the class useless to go to. We learned more of the language than the history of Japan. The exam was pretty much defining Japanese terms.