HIAF 2002

As people have been saying, the class is indeed extremely boring just as the Professor is impersonal(he looks as bored as we are and I'd like to see anyone find him outside of class - Ill wait). I wouldn't even say Modern African History is being taught unless you consider slavery and the Berlin Conference to be all there is to offer in terms of the continent's rich history, advances, and culture. Even towards the end of the class, which would chronologically be some of the most recent events, there was nothing modern about it. I found it to be extremely negative but more importantly distorted and a clever omission of other history that is more "Modern African History". I learned more from lighting browsing the Modern African Art Museum in DC lol. The curators there would laugh at this course. To be completely honest, I am not surprised coming from a southern college like UVa, they usually don't have up-to-date or even reputable scholars teaching this information. Like their "Media Department". I also don't see anyone coming at their review from this perspective, but of course....I know whyte. P.S. this is also coming from an actual American born from a country within the continent.

Professor Mason is one of the meanest professors I've experienced at UVA thus far. He lacks the warmth and genuine care for students that I would use to distinguish between a good professor and a bad one. He will NOT be learning your name, letting you eat in class, or listening to an opinion that counteracts his own. As well, his lectures go on and on about the same things over and over again. You will feel like you haven't learned anything of value most of the time and attendance is a waste. Just read the textbook to make sure you're actually learning the correct material for the 2 exams and weekly quiz. Do not take this class unless you have a passion for history because you will soon regret it.

This class is incredibly boring, and that's coming from someone who is minoring/is very interested in African History. Mason will drone on and on about a particular subject (usually photography) for 45 minutes and get completely off topic. There were also reading quizzes every Tuesday, which was a drag. That being said, the midterm/final are not that demanding and as long as you do the readings you should be able to pull off at least a B.

Can't say enough about how much Mason has earned his reputation as a condescending, pompous ass. Would not encourage anyone to take this class. Weekly reading quizzes, after which a dozen or more students would leave the small lecture. The readings are mostly memoirs or novels, which is a matter of taste I guess but not for me. Cody Perkins was an EXCELLENT TA, however, and made the class tolerable.

The material is incredibly easy to understand. I understand people are at different levels, but I honestly have a difficult time understanding how anyone can fail to grasp it. The material is really straightforward and the readings are really easy. To be frank, it is so easy it is dry. Mason can be pretty tough to follow when he goes off on what seem like tangents. The subject matter is informative though, and given the work I had to put it, I'd say it was a good value of a course.

It was really interesting material because I love the region, but I really do not like Mason. I got an A, but I found him pretentious and really biased, and IMPOSSIBLE to approach out of class.

Awesome class

Mason makes some good points, although sometimes came off a bit haughty. I didn't let it bother me and would just laugh when he tried to 'click' in a South African language. The week's reading is due on Tuesday, and it can be a bit much but for the most part it is really good reading/literature. (We read Things Fall Apart and Invictus this semester). There are also weekly quizzes and the reading helps on the tests so it is worth your while. No writing assignments, though.

Only History class I have taken at UVa and gotten less than an A-. Looks easy, sounds easy, but Mason makes up for with arbitrary grading. Also, very lazy--he only gave us the midterm back 3 weeks late and forgot to print out the map section. If you know anything about the history of Africa, you won't learn anything.

It was hard to get above a B, but professor Mason was AWESOME and the lectures were great. I loved this class and would take it again. The midterm and final are tricky and there's a ton of reading, but totally worth it.

The lectures were fairly interesting, but the midterm, final and quizzes for the class were a nightmare. The tests are graded extremely arbitrarily and the quizzes asked about very minute, trivial details about the reading. Getting anything over a "B" in this class seemed impossible, even if you do all the reading and take good notes.

I have mixed feelings about this class. It was a great introductory class to African history, and Mason did a good job in explaining how the rest of the world contributed to Africa's current problems. I didn't enjoy Mason as a professor though, he enjoyed name dropping and is very arrogant. There are weekly quizzes based on the readings that are nitpicky and unfair. The midterm and final were both set up differently than how Mason said they would be. The material is great, the setup and professor could be better. Never missed a lecture, did all the reading and got a B.

Mason is very nice and extremely knowledgeable about Africa, but his lectures are a little out there and sometimes off-topic from that weeks reading. The class seems so easy, but I did every bit of reading throughout the entire semester and somehow managed to pull a B in a class with a TAKE HOME final. No idea how that happened, considering I've never received anything below an A/A- in the history dept. Great guy, some interesting reads, but I'd pass on this class

I felt Mason gave some valuable insight into Africa, especially how colonialism has continued to impact current conflicts. There are weekly quizzes and lectures review reading and expand a bit; sometimes the class seems a bit disjointed and Mason can gets sidetracked, but overall he's knowledgable and it's a worthwhile class.

Mason is a good professor and you'll learn a lot. His grading seemed a little too harsh to me - I did every page of reading and didn't miss a single class, and only managed a B. It was still worthwhile and interesting. You can tell Mason enjoys teaching the class.

HIAF 202 is one of the best classes I have taken at UVA. This was my first time learning aout colonialism and how it transformed the African continent. Mason is a great lecturer and you will read interesting novels.