Brian Platt - George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Professor: Brian Platt

Department: History

College: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIST356
• 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:

Professor Platt is an awesome and kind teacher. He makes the class very interesting and makes you actually want to learn the material. The class is not an easy A but if you read the reading and go to class you will be fine.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST125
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Awesome Professor so knowledgable but can break down materials so everyone understands. He wanted the kids who showed up and put in effort to do really well.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIST356
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I love Dr Platt. Very kind and knows his Japanese history and language. I'm taking his second sequence in of Japanese history in the fall. Highly recommend taking his class if you get the chance. If you participate, do the homework, and study, you will def get a good grade.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIST356
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's a gentlemen and very well mannered who has an expertise knowledge on Japan. He has 3-4 textbooks as well as online readings. Three exams, all the same format. He can be humorous at times but one thing to look out for is that he tends to run over class time. I would take him again!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIST125
• 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:

Dr. Platt is extremely nice. His course does not have an official textbook, so everything that you learn basically comes from his lectures. He has powerpoints but they only have pictures on them, so they won't make sense unless you attend his lectures. If you miss class, you will NOT get an A. The readings support his lectures. Take notes!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HIST125
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Platt is super nice, but beware; I took his class based off his rating, which was inaccurate. although nice, he's really tough at grading, doesn't have good powerpoints to study off of, and is very boring. For a gen ed requirement it's okay, but if you don't do well on an essay you're screwed. He was just ok.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIST356357
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

His classes were really enjoyable. Some written assignments and tests can be hard but he is a fair grader and very helpful. I especially liked his course HIST 357 which focused a lot on movies of that time period. He also knows Japanese and can write and speak it, I can really see how much he loves the topics he teaches.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIST356
• Grade Received: 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:

Professor Platt is one of the best professors I've ever taken at Mason. His lectures are both concise and informative, and he is almost always available to meet with students during his office hours. If you do the readings and prepare thoughtful essays, you're sure to get an A in the course.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIST356
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Great professor. I'm not that interested in history but needed for my Japanese minor. He explains things well. He gives test questions in advance so make sure you know those. I never read but made sure to read the portions that were going to be on the test. Did fine in the class

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HIST356
• 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 history professors at GMU. His lectures are compelling and he establishes clearly what will be covered on the exams.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIST356
• 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:

He's a nice and a helpful man. I respect what he does. However, if you're taking HIST-356 Modern Japan, you're going to have to work your butt off. I stayed up all night to prepare for the exams and they are not easy. You will fail if you think you can slack off. If you need help, he will ALWAYS help you.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HIST386002
• 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:

Remembering Hiroshima was an exceptional course. Dr. Platt taught the class with Dr. Sherwin and both were excellent! So, interesting, thought provoking and engaging was this class it left me wanting to research more! We even had the incredible opportunity to Skype with an a-bomb survivor. Lots of reading, but no exams-instead 2 oral pres.'s. Fun!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIST386002
• 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:

Remembering Hiroshima- Platt was one of two profs that taught this class (the other being Sherwin), and it was absolutely awesome. We had in-class discussions, watched movies, and had weekly memos as hw. Lots of reading, but you can get by w/o reading them all, although they help greatly when you have the presentation and mock argument. Fav. class!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIST356
• 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:

Dr. Platt is a brilliant professor who definitely knows his stuff. Exams are somewhat difficult but straightforward. If you take good notes and skim the required readings, you'll do fine. He allows you to bring in a basic outline for the essay portion of the exam so there aren't any surprises whatsoever. Attendance isn't mandatory but useful.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIST125
• 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:

Very knowledgeable. Explains material clearly. Make sure to keep up on readings. Gives test questions prior to test so tests are very easy to prepare for. Attendance isn't mandatory for lecture but is very helpful for this class. Recitation has mandatory attendance though.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIST125
• 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 had Dr. Platt for lecture and recitation. He is very picky when it comes to the essays. He evens takes off for grammar. Last I checked this was a history class and not an English class. His lectures are terribly boring, as well. Don't take him. I heard Dr. Michael Chang is much better.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIST121
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

awful class. TA's are very picky and you pretty much have to be smart as hell or a nerd to pass this class. avoid at all costs. if you dont like reading or history, very boring, past with a C and i had to work for it. just an awful and boring teacher. i have no idea what the rest of these ppl are talking about. avoid at all costs. trust me.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HIST125
• 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:

He taught the lecture sections so I didn't have much contact with him. The exams were relatively easy. A combination of matching and essay. The course was very interesting and I would recommend taking it. You do have to read though to keep up with what is going on.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HIST125
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

i had a TA for the class so i only had a class with DR.Platt once in a week n i wish i had more classes with him.. cuz he's just so cute to watch! n i loved his voice also!!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: HIST357
• 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:

He tried something new with our class; having us submit a blog on blogger.net about the readings before every class showing that we read, understood, and had thoughts on them. The bonus was that we had no exams. There were simply two short papers with the blogs counting 40%. We were allowed to miss three. He's nice and funny and a great teacher.