Michael Lestz - Trinity College, Hartford, CT

Professor: Michael Lestz

Department: History

College: Trinity College, Hartford, CT

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HST242
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Really bad at giving lectures. He speaks more in Chinese during his lectures than English, and his handwriting is on the level of a third grader. He spends more time showing off his ability to write in Chinese than actually explaining the course content. This doesn't even factor in his insane liberal bias and his cringe-worthy jokes about Trump.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST312
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Clearly a very knowledgable guy but not the best teacher. Lectures are often confusing and seemingly constructed at random, and other than a huge amount of reading, the only graded assignment that we had for my class was a long final paper for which there were literally zero guidelines.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HISTORYOFCHIN
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Doesn't know how to manage a class. Long, repetitive lectures. Doesn't give specific instructions for essays. Our class is a seminar but we rarely discuss anything. He just lectures for 50 mins.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HST242
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

This professor is a great guy and clearly brilliant. However, he's a scholar first and a teacher second. His lectures were interesting, but the assignments lacked direction, papers still haven't been returned, reading would go unassigned for long periods, and sometimes he missed class. Maybe he's better in more advanced courses.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HISTORYOFCHIN
• 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 professor. passionate about teaching, very knowledgeable. always eager to help students and genuinely cares about them regardless of whether it is related to class or not. friendly and funny.wants students to do well. lecture format class no discussion but for a 50 minute class thats the best method. happy i was able to take a course with him

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: FYSM174
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Lestz is such a nice guy and his classes are pretty easy. He's an easy grader and will generally do everything he can to make sure that you're doing well, understanding everything, etc.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: FYSM6597
• 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:

AMAZING!!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIST312
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's a nice guy and he knows virtually everything that there is to know about the history of Asia, but his lectures are disorganized and repetitive. He does not do a good job outlining the course or syllabus, and he does not have a blackboard course section. He only had 4 grades all semester, and sprang 2 of them on us at the last minute.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HST242
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Has a passion for the material. Hes not a terribly tough grader but you need to know the material pretty well.

Rating # 10

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Super smart and funny. Can be a little foggy - like assigning 10pp papers for the day of the midterm - but he is very reasonable if you need some flexibility. Does not suffer fools gladly, but will be your champion if he thinks you've got potential. And yes, he's a schmoozer par excellence. Runs like a goose.

Rating # 11

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHINA
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 13

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIST
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I once squeezed in "I know you're not f-ing even reading my****" on the top of page 3 of a write-up, and I got it back with a B+. Haha

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIST241
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I did not get the impression that he really read the papers or particularly cared about the students in the class. Lectures are generally very good.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHINA
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

His lectures are excellent (except when he tries to use PowerPoint). You could ave him for years and he'd never remember you. I would recommend taking his modern China course.

Rating # 17

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

I signed on to the course expecting the worth of my tuition paid. Instead I ended up with a buffoon-like act day-in day-out.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: 1STYRSEMINAR
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I luved his People of Himalayas Seminar. Alot of reading and papers, but learned alot. He, himself is strange but knows heck of alot.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HST241
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Nice guy, but it was hard to tell in this lecture class what seemingly trivial stuff was actually important. He pretty much is a study hard and you will succeed character, but I found the material rather mundane just sitting listening and writing every single class.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: HIS
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Smart, entertaining and reads people well. But when it comes to being there for students when and where it really matters, Lestz fails miserably. Made me feel like he was always quietly calculating: "What's in it for me to do this for you?"