Richard Allan Rajala - University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

Professor: Richard Allan Rajala

Department: History

College: University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HSTR325
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Richard is a great prof and really respects his students. Discussion classes with him are wonderful, he provokes good discussions and treats all student ideas and thoughts with respect.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST324C
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

BC in the 20th century was a great class with Prof Rajala. His mandatory group discussions are an excellent learning tool that forces you to engage with the material. He is very friendly, and his expectations for the final were clear; there were no surprises. If you are willing to work hard, you can do well in his class. Bonus:There's no textbook!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The good news is that there is no textbook for this course. The bad news is that Rajala had to cut the course down from six months to three, and it really shows in the lectures, which are fragmented into disparate topics. He split the class into two for mandatory discussion sessions, but the number of people in each group made them unworkable.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIST132
• 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:

Rajala is by far my favorite history teacher so far. He has very interesting lectures, which are strengthened by his personal insight and great sense of humor. His work load for this class was light, and there was no midterm, which was great when trying to balance other classes. This was the only class I never once zoned out in.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• 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:

Dr. R. is a great prof. His natural focus is Labour and resource history in B.C., and this is great, but tends to be the overpowering trend in the year-long narrative. It's great though - certainly no complaints and would take him again anytime!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HIST354C
• 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:

Great prof! Definitely not an easy A, but if you care about the material I can't think of a better history prof to give an in-depth analysis of it. Warning: lots of reading that you have to do- I loved it but this is not everyone's cup of tea.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• 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:

The best proff at UVic at teaching BC history in a variety of different contexts: labour, social, environmental, cultural and ecology. I would recommend him as proff to anyone looking at learning more about the Canadian landscape and political history.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

one of uvics top profs.so many publications it will shock you.perhaps the greatest scholar on bc's forestry industry anywhere.fair,funny.covers all there is to know about bc, including things no matter how well adversed you are in bc history, you'll learn new stuff.highly recommended for history students focusing on cdn stuff.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• 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:

Interesting prof, very funny and has excellent grasp of BC history, he has written many scholarly papers in the area so he deserves your respect. Class was scattered though, lectures ranged from boring to interesting depending on topic, and discussions were interesting overall. 2 small essays, one major paper, and a final, pretty fair marker.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HIST132
• 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:

Brutal. Just Brutal. Lectures were "structured" (according to his notes on the board) but he did not coherently follow any of these plans. He is of the mindset that a class always has to follow the curve, no matter how well they preformed. 'A' students were receiving undeserved C+ grades. He has taught this course before, and it shows. (Dull!)

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This class should have been a half-year course. Moreover, I found Rajala to have poorly structured lectures and chose boring readings for seminars.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HIST358
• 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:

You will either repeat the same doctrines as everyone else, or you will say something true, and it will sound like you're from Neptune. Part of Rajala is from Neptune, which is great. Think of it as the hidden side of BC's history: The true side. Depressing course, but only because the truth is depressing. Helped me become a better historian. GREAT

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• 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:

I did not like this class at all. I had hoped for a fun and informative class about environment, but his lectures were about industry, PLUS they were boring. After thirteen three hour classes with him, I don't feel any more informed on the subject. However, he was very helpful in finding sources for my essay and is friendly on a personal level.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Rajala pulls through again - great, clear lectures; straightforward assignments. Just attend class, and make sure to do the discussion group readings. Makes a potentially dry subject interesting. Highly recommended.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIST132
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

A very helpful prof, an easy marker if you know what he is looking for- just make sure your grammar is perfect though, as he is tough on that. I had him for discussion groups, and he challenges the students and makes sure they understand the material correctly. He is a very good first year prof, and I would recommend taking 132 with him if you can.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He is a hard marker

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIST132
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The most boring history course I've ever taken- what happened to cultural component? Useless lectures. Paper topics a boor, no choice, just question and answer. Belittled and mocked when I went to discuss my paper grade, yet had no justification for his mark. Avoid if you actually enjoy history.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I never thought there could actually be an entire year of BC history to study without it being long and drawn out- Dr. Rajala proved me wrong!! Thanks- nice guy, fair, good lectures, approachable, he had a straight forward syllabus with the entire semester planned out which was really appretiated:)

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HIST355
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Rajala might try to focus less on social history of B.C. to keep class fresh. How many lectures on minority issues can one handle? In spite of this content issue, which probably isn't his call anyways, Rajala comes ready to 'party' every class and inspires students with humor, intelligence and approachability. Quality discussions-but be prepped!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: HIST132
• 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:

For a first year history course, Rajala was a great professor. The assignments were straight forward and were more of an introduction into writing a history paper. The final exam was a gift, if you put the work in and he made the material interesting.