Thomas Havens is a Humanities professor at Northeastern University rated 3.72/5 by 218 students, with 3.43/5 difficulty and 92.0% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Thomas Havens professor reviews and ratings: 3.72/5 from 218 student reviews at Northeastern (92.0% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
Great guy! Extremely passionate and knowledgable, has a lot of experience in the area. If you like the subject his lectures are cool, if you don't they can be boring. Grades: quizzes (based on lecture material and readings) & essays (based on a book read on ur own). Get a good grade if you listen to lecture & pay attention to essay guidelines!ASNS1150 2021-12-20 20:05:23 +0000 UTC
Love this dude. The only teacher and class i was excited to go to. He lived in Japan for a decade or so i think. Crazy when he speaks Japanese it's fluent. Sat front row every time and was always open for questions and what ifs. I am biased since i loved the topic in general but he brought a new view to it.HIST1246 2020-11-12 19:30:59 +0000 UTC
Professor Havens is great. You can tell he is very knowledge and his lectures have a lot of interesting content as long as you keep yourself engaged. the content of quizzes is always talked about in class before hand, but it helps to do the reading on the syllabus that the quiz will be on. There are many books for this class, so get them online.HIST2351 2019-12-02 16:53:17 +0000 UTC
He's is a really epic guy.HIST1 2019-04-01 15:28:35 +0000 UTC
Awesome professor!1150 2013-05-06 01:05:15 +0000 UTC
The class contains a lot of reading and it is useful to do it. The lectures are pointless and a complete waste of time. Take detailed notes on the readings and READ ALL THE BOOKS. The notes will help you organize your papers better and make it very easy to study for the midterms and finals - both consisting of essaysASNS1102 2009-12-19 04:20:36 +0000 UTC
His classs is very boring, I don't feel like I've learned anything during the lecture. There are tons of reading.CHNS1101 2009-11-19 22:58:39 +0000 UTC
Boring lectures, learn on your own from the textbook and other readings type of class. Not recommended.HST150 2009-11-13 11:58:25 +0000 UTC
Talks. A lot. About stuff you don't need to know. The class is at least 100 pages of reading a week, several essays, and a final. If you're really interested in the material, it's great. Otherwise you'll be bored out of your skull. The only complaint is that grades are somewhat arbitrary -- often based on how much he agrees with your paper.HSTU252 2009-04-29 00:54:17 +0000 UTC
Havens is a so-so teacher. He is very smart and knows his stuff but he is very boring. He lectures for a very long time, and it IS a good idea to bring a tape recorder. There is A LOT of reading, but virtually no homework. Asking questions in class will get you on his good side. Attendance is not enforced but is noticed.EAH150 2009-04-02 16:43:27 +0000 UTC
havens is the nicest guy ever, but he makes you do the work. you will do well on your essays and midterm/final if you can memorize/use dates (seriously people it's a history class) because it really impresses him. do at least some of the reading so you can participate in class--he will love you for this. if he likes you he writes great recommendatiHISTJAP 2009-03-30 19:00:04 +0000 UTC
Nicest man in the world! His lectures can be a little slow and there is a lot of reading, but the reading is not too challenging and as long as you do it you'll be fine. He's incredibly understanding and approachable- awesome professorHSTJAP 2008-11-06 12:21:49 +0000 UTC
No CommentsHISTU105 2007-12-04 09:30:53 +0000 UTC
havens is a really smart guy, and he has a lot of really interesting things to say, however, can be a bit boring. there's also a TON TON TON of reading for this class in particular. i also took his intro to EAS and there wasn't as much reading in that one. he's a fair grader, and wants you to do well. i got an A- in both courses i took with him.JAPANESELIT 2006-08-12 11:10:49 +0000 UTC
He is good and really knows his stuff but he can be really boring. But he does have funny stories all the time so its not all that bad. He is a fair grader and he explains papers and exams pretty well. Tons of reading though.HST313 2006-05-02 18:29:28 +0000 UTC
Thomas Havens has an average rating of 3.72/5 from 218 student reviews. 92.0% of students said they would take them again.
Thomas Havens's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.43/5 based on student reviews.
Thomas Havens has taught ASNS1150, HIST1150, HIST2351, HIST1246, HIST1252, ASNS4920, HIST4701 at Northeastern.
Data updated July 2026.