Zhiwei Xiao - California State University San Marcos

Review your college professor, faculty and staff

Zhiwei Xiao - California State University San Marcos

Professor: Zhiwei Xiao

Department: History

College: California State University San Marcos

Rating # 1

Overview:

Course: HIST364
Grade Received: Not sure yet
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Syllabus literally states that you'll read 80 to 100 pages a week for a film class and its an elective. Essays are pretty to the point and straight forward but they are pretty heavy and demanding.

Rating # 2

Overview:

Course: HIST362
Grade Received: INC
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Ridiculous and unclear class structure. Has quizzes every Tuesday, and expects to have read multiple chapters, sometimes near a hundred pages, and watch a film. You have ONE day to do this. Also, cut the quiz time in half because 5 minutes wastes too much time apparently. Extremely confusing, and very harsh criteria to do well in the class.

Rating # 3

Overview:

Course: HIST102
Grade Received: B+
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Xiao can be a caring and helpful professor, and he truly cares about teaching the students History. However, I don't think that he should be teaching World History. He has a degree in Asian History, and focuses what I would argue is about 80% of the class only on Asia/China. Unless you want to to mostly learn about Asia, look elsewhere.

Rating # 4

Overview:

Course: HIST102
Grade Received: Not sure yet
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof Xiao is great! He does an excellent job tying in modern history to our lives. Weekly quizzes based off reading, the syllabus, & online forums, so stay up to date. Lectures are easy to follow, but also discussion-based. Three papers and one group debate required. As long as you show up, do assignments, and participate, you should be fine.

Rating # 5

Overview:

Course: HIST364
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:

I've never felt compelled to rate a professor until taking Xiao's class on Chinese History through film. Highly recommended. He, like all good historians, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the material and loves to play devil's advocate to challenge the average american's preconceived ideas about China. You must keep your reading schedule structured

Rating # 6

Overview:

Course: HIST363365
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:

Amazing professor! Very knowledgeable in History of China and Asia. I highly recommend Professor Xiao. Super helpful, quizzes are each week and they consist of 2 questions.

Rating # 7

Overview:

Course: HIST364
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Xiao is a great professor, but be warned abouta few things: Each week is a quiz on the (average) 100+ pages of reading he assigns. You will be assigned to teach the reading one week with a class. Accent isn't too thick, but can cause issues. Tests and quizes are easy as pie if you do the reading. Participating is manditory in class an on forums.

Rating # 8

Overview:

Course: HIST361
Grade Received: B+
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Xiao is a great professor and historian. He was very passionate about the subject of Modern East Asian History & went into great depth in each of his lectures. The reading load is heavy, and if you miss a lecture, you miss a LOT of information. He really wants to make sure you understand the material & is always happy to help you.

Rating # 9

Overview:

Course: HIST367
Grade Received: B+
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

In class presentation which isn't too bad, and small quizzes every lecture as well. He takes feedback very well and tries to accommodate students as much as possible. Tests consist of multiple-choice which is a godsend on a college campus, and he brings a lot of outside material to help relate to lectures. Overall a very good professor.

Rating # 10

Overview:

Course: HIST102
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Xiao is interesting. He is nice, but strict; helpful, but confusing. Basically if you read the news and the book you'll be absolutely fine for the weekly quizzes and papers. The group debate wasn't my favorite but it wasn't bad. Heads up though, he has a very strong Chinese accent - so if that affects your learning then avoid taking him.

Rating # 11

Overview:

Course: HIST367
Grade Received: B+
Overall Rating: 3.5
Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Took this class first semester, turns out I didn't need it. Anyways his class is alright. He is fairly strict person, but the subject itself is not too hard. He gives regular quizzes on readings, you get assign few paper essays, and there is an online forum. The class btw was women in china. Half of about history and other was movies.

Rating # 12

Overview:

Course: HIST102
Grade Received: A+
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Took world civilizations 1500's-present, he goes on and on for 34 of the class about current events. I did not sign up for a current events class. He is very knowledgeable but is teaching the wrong class, his speciality is about Chinese history. The class average on the midterm was a D... Attendance is mandatory

Rating # 13

Overview:

Course: 50060
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Xiao is a genius. He seems to know everything about Chinese history. He is also a great professor. He gives out a quiz every wee, and as long as you do the reading (there is a ton of reading) and watch the film scheduled for the week, you will be okay. He gives out 2 tests and 2 papers, which isn't bad. I highly recommend this professor.

Rating # 14

Overview:

Course: HIST102
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Xiao seems like he is really strict, but in the end he really rewards those students who participated and had great attendance. He is extremely passionate about history. The work is not hard, there is just a lot of it. If you are willing to do it, you'll get a good grade! I would recommend him!

Rating # 15

Overview:

Course: HIST267
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

He really wants everyone to pass. This is a easy class if you do the readings. There is a quiz once a week on the readings. He will do everything he can to help you understand what is going on and really knows his information.

Rating # 16

Overview:

Course: 362
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

show up, read, and start writing as soon as essay prompts [2] are assigned and you'll be great. the material itself was interesting and fun to imagine. you learn about historical perspectives in this class while focusing on the topic of women in china. tardiness will eff you over, so just show up on-time. overall breezy class.

Rating # 17

Overview:

Course: HIST301
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:

Overwhelmingly challenging when it came to the standards on how much work to get done. Easy concepts. I would have developed more as a student if the class were not too rigorous to allow me to focus more on writing component. It was still an honor to learn from someone so accomplished in teaching and research.

Rating # 18

Overview:

Course: HIST102
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 3.5
Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

World History 1500-Present: extremely easy quizzes and exams, however he assigns two brutal essays that take a couple days of research. Sometimes the lectures would get dull but overall the class was interesting and pretty laid back. He has an accent but his vocabulary is great and he's understandable

Rating # 19

Overview:

Course: HIST130
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

EASY teacher! 2 essays throughout the semester if you do well you will get a lot of extra credit. Weekly "surprise" quizzesSUPER EASY)just read the syllabus and u got the A. Just attend class(its mandatory)but as long as you read what you need to or you know what its about you can just go to class and go on facebook or sumthing.

Rating # 20

Overview:

Course: HIST202
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Not the easiest to understand, but he is very easy going and the assignments aren't hard. The tests are pretty easy if you read. The midterms and final was only 20 questions. He uses cougar courses a lot. You write 3 papers with a group and have a debate. Every paper you only have to write 1-2 pages and the debate is really easy. Take him!

Add Your Review Below:

Search Professors:

Welcome:

Before signing up for classes every students should gather as much information as possible to make a decision on which professors as well as which courses to take. This website will help you make this decision easier.

Here, the students can rate, research and cross-reference the overall performances of the professors to select the best ones, and always be informed and up-to-date with what’s important.

Join the fun! Visit all pages and get all the information you need to choose the best class and best professor that you’ll enjoy listening to and learning from.

Our Friendly Sponsor:

Schools:

Our Friendly Sponsor: