David Biale - University of California Davis

Professor: David Biale

Department: TBD

College: University of California Davis

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIS142B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

His grading scale is based on a midterm and final (essays) along with participation surveys (full score for credit). The professor is extremely considerate and will always make time for students who need it. His knowledge and discussions about the Holocaust is extremely worthwhile. This is a great upper division GE class to take!

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIS142A
• 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:

This man is a real gem. A brilliant man, kind person, and awesome professor. Take his class, it isn't an easy A, but you will learn so much and you won't regret it.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIS142A
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Biale is incredibly knowledgable on the subject he is teaching. The class consists of 3 essays and regular surveys that were graded on participation rather than accuracy. The reading in this class is a LOT but if you manage your time well you should be able to get it done. He's really helpful in office hours.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: 142A
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Biale is a great teacher and lecturer. He structures his class in a reasonable order and wasn't super difficult to keep up with. He has so many assigned readings so make friends and share books to cut costs. This quarter his participation surveys and quizzes required an access code to take so, friends come in handy. Essays are reasonable.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIS142A
• 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:

I love Professor Biale, he is an adorable old man who knows the material extremely well and presents it in a well thought out order. He is very understanding with paper extensions and easy to talk to in office hours too. If you're interested in the subject matter highly recommend!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HIS112A
• 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:

He has very clear grading criteria and is open to rewrites. This class had weekly 1-2 pg single-spaced reading journals, which was a LOT of work. The class was extremely enjoyable and the topics were fascinating. He's very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject, which makes the lecture incredible. Highly recommend!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIS142B
• 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:

Professor Biale is a real gem! His teaching style is extremely warm, effective, passionate, and clear. He answers to emails extremely quickly and is always available outside of class. His feedbacks are also very helpful. You are graded on 3 essays and on multiple class surveys. There are a lot of books and articles to be read, though.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIS142A
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Very simple class. You'll be graded on three essays and weekly in class participation "surveys." I stopped going to class after week three and simply did the surveys from home. The ability to do that may change in the future. From the 3 weeks i attended class, Prof Biale seemed like a very nice man. His lectures were interesting and informative.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIS142B
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Such a wonderful/ interesting class! I took this for fun and did not regret it. There are clickers that count towards your grade, but it's opinion based questions. There are several books to read, but I didn't read any of them(too busy) and I did great. Basically write down his thoughts during the discussion of books/films and use that for essays!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HIS142B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

His lectures are so interesting and not only that but so are the readings. He has clicker questions during class so participation matter. The class consists of 2 papers and a final paper, which are really easy if you did the reading and went to class.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIS142A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This class was great and the professor did a good job at explaining it. So far the best history class I have taken, highly recommend. Also there were no tests, just three essays and participation (clickers)

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: 142A
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Well all your Midterms and Finals are take home so that really helps because you're given time to perfect it. But its graded ten times harder. Participation matters because he uses clicker so you really gotta be in class to get those points. He is super easy in the case that you only have papers which isn't that bad. Not an easy A. Gotta work!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIS142A
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof Biale gives amazing lectures. He really knows his stuff and brings the material to life. He uses iClickers and you're only allowed to miss one without penalty. There are 3 papers and no exams. Your grade is pretty much up to the student grader. I had to have my papers regraded by him and both times received higher grades. Overall, pretty easy

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIS142A
• 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:

Professor Biale is an awesome instructor. He knows so much and really brings the subject to life. There were no tests, only three essays. If you are a decent writer and can keep up with the readings, you will succeed.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIS142A
• 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:

Cute old Jewish grandpa.Wears a lot of khaki and forest green.Essays dont require much critical thinking, just do the necessary readings.He used clickers for the first time, so most of the class attended all his lectures.We did better on essays than his previous classes, so I guess there's a connection between attending class/getting a better grade

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIS142A
• 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:

Professor Biale is amazing! He's clearly so passionate about the subject, and has stimulating lectures that fly by. I did well on the essays, but definitely needed to do all the readings- which there were a lot of. You need time to devote to this class, but definitely worth taking. I've also heard that he's great with letters of rec!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIST142B
• 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:

Extremely boring class. You have to do multiple journal entries each week 1-2 pages singled spaced. The readings are long and boring. This class was so much work compared to other history classes I have taken. The only plus is that the midterm is a paper and you can redo it. I would not recommend this class.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HIST142A
• 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:

Biale is awesome. He genuinely cares about students and the subjects he teaches. I've taken two of his courses on the subject of the Holocaust and he is a master of the subject. Do the reading, 3 essays, all are easily answered questions. If you don't want to learn don't take his class, if you do the reading you'll be glad you did!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HIST142A
• 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:

Fantastic professor! Clearly he is an expert in his field. LOTS of reading, and it's crucial that you do most of it. Three papers, no in-class exams. I made the mistake of waiting until the final paper to seek Prof. Biale for help--he is SO HELPFUL! Take him if you can--his classes fill up quick!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: HIS113
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Biale is a clear lecturer, but honestly, if you dont go to his office hours and write what he wants to hear you'll get a C on everything. Oh, and did I mention that 100% of your grade is subjective essays? I recommend this class if you are the sort of person who exerts a ton of extracirricular effort, and will read every page. If not, avoid.