Neil D Kamil - University of Texas at Austin

Professor: Neil D Kamil

Department: TBD

College: University of Texas at Austin

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIS350R
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I could imagine he might not be the best in a lecture setting (he DOES love tangents and stories that may or may not have huge significance to what we're talking about) but in a discussion based class this was perfect. A very friendly guy, the work was manageable IMO (a 3 pg paper every week with an 10 page final paper)

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This class was very disappointing. The professor does not use any powerpoints or other visual aids. It is a pure (tangent-filled) lecture that lasts for 90 minutes. There are very few grades, which leaves little wiggle room. Do not buy the textbook, the only materials needed are the two novels that you have to read. Overall, avoid this class.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Graded by VERY few things. You really have to pay attention during his long HEAVY lectures. It's really hard to keep paying attention unless you really know your history from previous courses. Grades really depend on the TAs and how they feel about your writing. Don't really have to read much unless you really want the A, but quizzes were horrible

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

do not take this class!! I got 5s on all the history AP tests and when ppl on here said he was bad I figured they just didn't try but this class rlly is terrible. He doesn't believe in powerpoints so he spends the entire 90min lecturing. Its SO HARD to keep track of what he's saying. TAs are extremely disorganized & make or break your grade.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The TA's really make or break this course. Prof Kamil's lectures go off on tangents & confuse everyone frequently. It is possible to do well in the class, though. Grade is based on midterm & final & very short "pop" quizzes online. Communicating with your TA will give you your best chance of success in this class.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Do not take his class. He is a terrible professor and the majority of the grade percentage is based off the midterm, final, and short online quizzes that have tricky questions most of the time. He takes forever to get things graded and goes off topic many times throughout the lecture. Take a different professor if possible..

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Kamil's class isn't bad. If you were to attend his class in the 1980s, likely not much would have changed. There's one test and one final strictly over what he discussed in class. There are not PowerPoints or other notes, so you have to attend to do well. You don't need the textbook, but you have to read the shorter novels to be successful.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Kamil is an amazing professor. He tends to go off on tangents sometimes, but just know that they wont be on any tests. To the people who say its hard; they don't show up and it shows. The lectures cover the tests (1 midterm essay and 1 final essay) perfectly for the knowledge you need. Just show up and listen to the parts that seem important.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

literally just go to class and actively listen and you will be fine. he does ramble, but just keep listening. only one midterm and one final and they give you the essay prompts for them. take notes. idk why everyone on here is freaking out. he is a nice wonderful man who knows what he's talking about.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Kamil stands at the front of class and then goes on a thirty minute tangent about how much he loves Thomas Jefferson basically. Absolutely no structure to his lectures and I never knew what information I should actually be writing down. Additionally, his TAs graded extremely harshly.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's a cool person, but lectures can be a slog. Not really many visuals, it's just him talking for an hour and a half, which can really zone you out after a while. The real meat of the grade comes from a single midterm and the final, so there's little room for error, and the TAs are not really lenient. There isn't much workload, though, I guess.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Every review of this class is true. Only one midterm and a final, both essay exams. Very little assignments outside of the exams and lectures are not helpful. If you for whatever reason take this class, don't buy the textbook.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I took his class for 2 weeks and have no idea what he is doing. He rambles nonstop. He can't follow his syllabus, let alone write a clear syllabus. Take Professor Mintz at UT or just take the CLEP exam. Dropped that class ASAP

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Kamil is nice but he rambles a lot. The textbook is not used, but you do have to read other assigned texts for discussion and for the tests. The TAs grade hard, and the tests are completely lecture based. If you show up to all SI sessions, visit the TA's office hours, go to class all the time, and read all assigned readings, you MIGHT get an A.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Attendance is non-mandatory, so personally I rarely attended and got by in the class by preparing for the few grade-impactful essays as well as the 1-3 question quizzes he releases on Canvas. The class is run by the TAs, who are semi-lenient graders. Lectures are pointless as it is rare to actually understand what Kamil is saying...

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He mumbles a lot so if you don't sit in the first couple of rows you won't be able to hear every word, which is very important for your midterm and final. Midterm is 30% and final is 40%, both are essays exams. Midterm is after the Q-drop deadline so you can't even drop if you do badly on the midterm. Very little grades outside of the two exams.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIST350
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Easy to make an A minus or below with but plays favorites. Participation is a big chunk of your final grade and he doesnt really have a clear criteria for how he determines that. Even if you talk a lot, it still may not really matter. Good to take if you need a WR flag.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Kamil's lectures are difficult to stomach due to lack of visual aids, monotone voice, lack of enthusiasm. You also have to read two books to prepare for essay questions. Some TAs were more approachable than others. The online quizzes and map exercises were easy but the midterm and final are 70% of your grade and are difficult to study for.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Lectures were long, he was very monotone and unexciting. No visual aids except for pictures sometimes. He also sometimes went on tangents. It was hard for me to stay focused. The SI sessions were helpful. There are a few easy quizzes, and the grade is based mostly off of the final/midterm (essays). Two boring books you have to read. Not that great.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: HIS315K
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Dont take Kamils class; the TAs are extremely subjective graders. Youll never truly know what to expect from these graders even if you speak with them. Except for rambling at lecture, Kamil, the actual professor, puts barely any effort into the class and never helps the students. The TAs grade differently and unpredictably, unfair class overall