David Painter - Georgetown University

Professor: David Painter

Department: TBD

College: Georgetown University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIST282
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This professor is very nice and funny, but the amount of reading for this class is truly ridiculous. You don't have to do it all. There are no tests so come to class but feel free to do something else during class. Work on the papers early, and go to TA office hours.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST282
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS unless you are really into history. An insane amount of boring reading is assigned each class, making it impossible to keep up with the class. Grades are based on three tedious 12-15 page papers. Little guidance is given about the content of the papers, but TA office hours are really helpful. Start papers very early.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIST282
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Very knowledgeable about the content, always eager to help at office hours. He personally takes the time to work with those who seek his help to better improve writing/understanding. Grading is based on two 12-15pg essays which are rough to write and a research paper. He notices if you participate/work hard and awards for it. Fantastic teacher!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIST282
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Painter does a good job adding nuances to American History to make it more interesting for non-majors. He makes some pretty painful jokes but his lectures are easy to get through and the slides are clear. There is a lot of reading but no tests -just three papers. He is a fair grader and it is easy to do well if you put in the effort.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIST099OIL
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

TAKE PROF PAINTER!! You will not regret it. Class is a bit rigorous with five 10 page papers, but are quite straightforward. Often started them a day or two before and still managed to get an A-. Immensely knowledgeable in his field and has tons of experience. Easily accessible, answers emails quickly and a very understanding man.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HIST099OIL
• 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:

Professor Painter is one of the nicest professor I have ever met. His lectures are amazing and the readings are also very interesting. There are five papers but it is easy to write since the topics are straightforward. I feel like I learnt a lot about oil and power taking this course. Take him for your hisotry requirement!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIST099OIL
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This class was amazing. Lectures can be a bit dry, but in general are very interesting. Prof. Painter is incredibly knowledgeable about the subject and is flexible and helpful during office hours. This class has five 10 page papers (which may seem rigorous) but they are on interesting topics and you get used to them. The grading is very fair.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIS099OIL
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Painter is a really great professor with a total mastery of the course material. His lectures can be a little boring, but the material is interesting if you like foreign policy or want to learn more about politics in the Middle East/USSR. Do readings for Friday assignments, but skip lecture readings if they don't apply to the 2 long essays

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIS099
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

PROS The prof is a nice guy. The weekly papers are graded REALLY easy. Some interesting material. CONS The lectures are straight up not good. The midterm and final papers (10-12 pgs) are within a few weeks of each other and require an inhuman amount of reading. Final Word: Try to take another class for your history requirement.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HIST099OIL
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Absurd amount of reading and 2-page papers every week. 2-page papers aren't horrible but have to do the reading to get a good grade on them. Midterm and final are 10-12 pages, which are pretty brutal and are due within less than a month of each other and final due pretty much right when you get back from Thanksgiving break. Lectures super dry too

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIST099OIL
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This class is a LOT of reading and writing!!! A 2 page paper is due every week. You get almost no feedback. There's also a midterm and a final paper (10-15 pages). No tests or quizzes. This class took up TONS of time. I was just trying to fulfill a history requirement. I learned a lot, but the class was more than I bargained for.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HIS099
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Impossible class. So much reading, content is extremely complicated. Lectures are long, dense, and boring. Crazy amount of research/writing required for the papers. DO NOT TAKE UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIST099OIL
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Everyone is saying that there are very long readings for this class- this is a History course; what are you expecting?! Of course there is a lot of reading. Even though, history may not be your major, Professor Painter makes this course so captivating that by the end of the semester you will want to take other courses taught by him. Great Prof.!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIST283
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

(1) Dry Lecturing. Outline given night before, adds 2 or 3 sentences of personal input for each bullet point. Extremely rushed. (2) Massive amounts of reading BUT you will learn a lot. (3) 3 15 page papers but is a fair grader. (4) You have to go to office hours to get real insights. Overall: take if you want to learn & A/A- is easily doable.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIST290
• 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:

I meant to say that the course format for Amer. Dip. Hist. seems very similar to that of his "Oil and World Power" class (with the 3 papers - the second and third are in lieu of a mid-term and final)

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIST282
• 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:

Really engaging and interesting lectures, and most of the readings are pretty good as well. Three 12-page take home exams, which are difficult and take a long time to do but are graded generously.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIST290
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Great teacher, but you have to put in the work if you want a good grade. LOT of reading and long papers.... beware.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HIST290
• 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:

Oil and World Power was a very dry class. There was a TA that didn't offer any help (what was the point of having him?). Painter was VERY nice and friendly. But the papers were absurdly hard and long. Everyone stayed up working on them the night before. This class is only worth it if you're into American history and its relationship with oil.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: INAF300
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

(Oil and World Power) Do not take this class unless you really have to. It's hard as well, might be well be a 6 credit class for the amount of work reqiured for each of the three papers. It's only 10-12 pages each, but it's more demanding than any paper you'll ever write. grading is unfairly hard.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: HIST290
• 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:

Painter is no doubt a really nice guy and a knowledgeable prof, but I'm not sure why his rating is so high. His lectures are not very stimulating (and im interested in the subject). The grading is fair, though the work may be more than you are expecting. The three 10 page papers demand more work than your average 10 pager.