Michael Chamberlain - University of Wisconsin - Madison

Professor: Michael Chamberlain

Department: TBD

College: University of Wisconsin - Madison

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIST205
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Chamberlain is, by far, one of my favorite professors. His stories and lectures on architecture were especially interesting. He never took attendance, but I still attended every lecture out of sheer interest in the class and his lectures.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIS205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I only took this course for 8 weeks, but I was still left with an indelible impression. Class, professionalism and dedication. Also, he is a foremost expert on a fascinating region of the world I wish hed be a little more dialectic, deductive and explanatory than so inductive and primary source heavy. Be prepared ask questions, complex region.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIST205
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Chamberlain knows everything there is to know about Middle Eastern history! His lectures are very traditional, with no slides or outlines posted online. There are a lot of readings, but students are not tested on them. There are two six-page papers, and one paper due for the final exam. Other than having to write so much, I enjoyed the class!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIST225
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Chamberlain's lectures are off-the-cuff but extremely informative and interesting. Tests are mostly based on lecture, so the readings (while helpful) aren't always used. His stories about travel and architecture are also fascinating.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIS439
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Chamberlain is one of the best Professors as Madison. A giant in the field, but it hasn't gone to his head. Study your ass off for the midterm. Download everything from Learn at UW; He provides you with massive resources. Go to office hours to work on papers when your have a good first draft . He is an incredibly kind person! Take this class!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HIS205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Inspirational. I moved to a different state and to a different college. There is a big hole in my gut where I could've taken the class and I will never get that opportunity, heard lots of good things about him.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIS225
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Prof Chamberlain is among the nicest professors at UW, and while he may tend stutter and miss class due to his illness, if you're ever confused about anything his office hours are very beneficial. Extremely intelligent and knowledgeable and wants everyone to do well in his class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIST439
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Chamberlain was super helpful and was flexible with office hours. The lengths he assigns on papers seem more intimidating than they are. Tests can be a bit tricky, but the essay portions are graded very fairly. I would recommend this class if you're interested in early Islamic History.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIS205
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

There are a lot of assigned readings, of which almost none are essential. You could probably get away without buying any of the required books. There are almost no graded assignments, except for two long papers. Definitely an easy A, but if you are passionate about the subject, Chamberlain knows his stuff, and can be really helpful.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HIST225
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He's a nice guy, if you go into his office and ask for clarification he's more than happy to help you. He wants students to do well. However, his lectures are incredibly disorganized. Reading assignments and paper expectations are never clear. if you want to do well you have to ask him tons of questions. its best to have a background in Islamic his

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIS205
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Chamberlain is very knowledgeable about Islamic History. If you have an interest in the topic you will like this class a lot. The exams and papers can be stressful but if you don't do well he gives you a chance to improve your grade. He is also very helpful if you have questions. Definitely would recommend taking this class for credit.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HIST225
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I would definitely not take this class unless you are VERY interested in Islamic history. He is a smart and interesting guy, but his lectures are all over the place and it's impossible to take notes. The only visual aid during class is a slide with a bunch of confusing Arabic terms with NO translation/explanation. Office hours helped a lot.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIST205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I would not take this class unless you are very interested in the material. The professor is very knowledgeable but expects a lot. The prompts for the paper are way to specific to be able to effectively use lecture notes, so you must do a lot of extra research (and he gives very little guidelines of how the paper should be written). Overall, bad.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIS205
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Most confusing class I've ever taken. Lectures are unclear and way too long, he goes off on tangents and taking notes is impossible. Prof emailed out the 80 terms we need to know on the midterm (worth 30% of your grade) the Friday before the midterm on a Tuesday. Don't take this class unless you have an IMMENSE interest in this subject.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIS205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He is one of the top historians in the world and probably the foremost Islamic historian in the country. To not take him would be foolish and in my opinion if any human wanted to be morally complex this is the class to take and in wake of terrorism it helps to realize that they come from a great civilization that is fascinating. LECTURES WO NOTES!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIST205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He is a great professor with a lot of knowledge in his field. Sure, he goes on tangents during lectures but they showed just how much he loves Islamic history. One midterm (essay questions given ahead of time), one paper and one final (ours was take home). Great professor, would take another class with him if I had the time.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIST439
• 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:

He really knows what he's talking about. Very helpful and mindful if he misses class. His lectures are great if you like the material. Alot of people miss lecture, but I doubt they're failing.. Absolutely take this class if you're interested in Islamic or Middle Eastern history.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HIST205
• 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:

He Missed Class alot due to a health issue. I felt like I didn't learn anything and we failed to cover half of the material due to his absence. Take home midterm and Final and thats it. Didn't read one page of the textbooks and managed to do well. Hopefully his health turns around and remains a great guy.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HIST205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof missed many classes because of poor health. Interesting lecturer. No section made expectations on exams less clear. However, was incredibly helpful if asked. All in all, very knowledgable. Take if you're interested in the material.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: HIST205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Very easy. He misses a lot of lectures because of his health. Tests are simple, paper is simple. Don't have to go to lecture. Pay attention in section. Easy A