Yuzo Ota - McGill University, Montreal, QC

Professor: Yuzo Ota

Department: History

College: McGill University, Montreal, QC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIST318
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

As everyone has said, he has an accent. However, he provides notes for you to follow, so that should not be a problem. Being enthusiastic and interested in Japan is expected, otherwise you will be bored. Grading is extremely fair and workload is minimal. 2012 will be his last year; best wishes to Prof. Ota's retirement! I will miss you.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST387
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Lectures are just regurgitations of the readings. I got an 80% on the midterm despite never having paid attention to the class because I did the readings. He hands out notes for the class and lets you choose between a paper or a final. Easy course, but really boring.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIST318
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

You get used to the accent. He somehow looks very shy, so can be boring to some, but he is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Fair marker, and he allowed to chose between final exam of extra term paper. Very good professor, tries to help everyone.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIST214
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He has a strong accent, but it's easy to get used to. Lectures are not recorded so being at class really helps, but most of the material comes from the textbook. Overall the material is pretty interesting, and he's a fair grader.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIST359
• 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:

You get used to the accent. In fact, he's one of the best lecturers I've had so far at mcgill. He's to the point and is really knowledgeable. I LOVED listening to him. If you go to all the lectures and pay attention, you'll do well because everything I listened to was automatically just soaked up. Option to do paper or final which is amazing.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HIST203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIST359
• 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:

I admit that, at first, his accent made it hard to follow. But after a few classes I got used to it and found him to be extremely clear and on point. He is an amazing man and very well respected. His stories always made class interesting, and his enthusiasm about the material was obvious. If you take class seriously, you will really enjoy O

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIST208
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIST318
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

In every one of his lectures, he has a wrestling match with the English language. English often prevails. He makes up for it by giving out lecture notes at the beginning of class. Other than his difficulty with English, Sensei Ota's a pretty good prof. He gives you the option of either writing a 60% term maper, or a 60% exam, which is fantastic.

Rating # 10

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIST337
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: INTELLHIST
• 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:

You should be interested in Japan before you go into his class, otherwise you will be very bored.His accent is quite a quick thing to get over. he can be very humorous. He also is straight forward about exams and rarely fails any students. He is fair. Overall i've taken many of his classes and will go back for more because of the subject matter.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIST208
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

It's only an interesting class if you're interested in the material. Sure, he stutters and has a thick accent, but he very clear about what he's going to cover at each lecture and can tell some pretty funny stories. Not a bad prof.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: INTROTOEA
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 15

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Easily the worst lecturer at McGill (and that's saying a lot). Horrible stuttering, fear of public speaking, and a heavy accent = worst.lectures.ever. I have no idea how this man was able to procure a job at such a "reputable" school.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIST356
• 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:

Not only very intelligent but also incredibly passionate. For those looking for leading authority of Japanese history look no further. May seem akward and shy but once you get to know him you won't remember where you were without him. Also very approachable and flexible about dealines.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIST359
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The worst prof ever! Don't bother asking him for help because he'll say "I'm a professor, not a tutor"-- there's no TA. He also threatened to take marks off my EXAM after questioning his instructions on the MIDTERM. Save your money, don't bother with this prof.

Rating # 18

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Sometimes incoherent, sometimes uncomprehensible. It's better to have previous knowledge of the history of Japan before taking this course. I did not. Shoen and Suryo still confuse me.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HISTOFJ12
• 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:

So damn cute. And he told our class right off the bat that he's *extremely* shy, so I'm not surprised that he's awkward in lecturing. Incredibly nice, very knowledgeable, but sadly also puts you to sleep. Take it if you're genuinely interested in the subject matter.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Tough for new students because he has trouble explaining the basics. He's not bad in a seminar though. You've got to be patient.