Lacson, Katherine G.

PhD · Assistant Professor · Associate Editor, Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

Philippine history (women's history, media history, business history, visual history)

Education

PhD History, Université Côte d'Azur
MA, Ateneo de Manila University · 2008

Career

Anonymous

Heed our warnings and stay away

mixed

CourseHISTO 12
Retake?No

[ REVIEW AS OF MAY 2025, copy-pasting months later ] 🔔 LONG READ AHEAD ‼️ Heed our warnings and stay away. Genuinely the worst professor I have ever encountered during my stay in the Ateneo. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, so I didn’t loadrev out of her class. Suffice to say, I regret it immensely. I’ll try, as much as I can, to be objective, but even from an objective standpoint it is truly a horrible experience not at all worth any portion of your hard-earned tuition. Genuinely, loadrev or revise your IPS if you care about your grade. THE PROS: + Self-paced class. Asynchronous hours for literally 90% of the semester; you only come to class for graded activities, so if you work well with absolute free-range study, with no assistance whatsoever, then she may be just the professor for you. + Understanding naman, TBF, she removed Respondus when my class voiced concerns about it being potential malware that damages your laptop. She is nice and approachable, but has an impatient streak. + She has a passion for the subject that is unfortunately misdirected, and seems to go hand in hand with a passion for tormenting, intentionally or not, her students through Squid Game-esque activities. + Easy B, but it depends on the adjustments she makes. She did not give a grade lower than B for the group class activities. The pros end here. CONS: - she does NOT teach at all. The class is entirely self-paced, with all study materials being uploaded on Canvas. You are expected to go through material that is arguably so much longer than just the hour and a half of class, so it’s not exactly doable nor manageable. - you are literally graded based on games, a la Squid Game. Get ready to play Bring Me and Amazing Race: Ateneo de Manila edition to secure 40% of your grade! The catch? Only ONE group can get an A! Another catch? Lacson’s instructions are extremely confusing and misleading. She conveniently left out the detail that it would be preferable to be at home for the Bring Me game (which took place online), and only specified that we needed some place with a strong internet connection. Please, do explain to me how the 2021 quarantine pass and a framed picture of your parents relate to HISTO 12: Readings in Philippine History. And what are the odds that students in school would even have any of those objects, which all count towards your final grade? - she is not A-able, and is barely B+ able. I came into this class believing that I would be an exception, and I was not. Believe me when I say that you most probably won’t be, either. The only people who were exempted from her final exam were ALL from the same group, and barely made it past the cutoff for B+. If that doesn’t attest to the “fairness” of her grading system, I don’t know what does. - Highly competitive, toxic, and stressful environment. Studying won’t cut it; a dramatic portion of your grade is based purely on luck and circumstance. - Her quizzes are purely based on memorization, and I suspect that Lacson doesn’t seem to understand that what is common sense to a PhD holder in history is not common sense to the average college student. Incredibly specific questions, you might as well die trying to digest a history textbook. Paired with the workload, it’s simply undoable. TL;DR — RUN, DON’T LOOK BACK, DO NOT TAKE HER. LOADREV, REVISE IPS, OR ENLIST IN INTERSESSION. ANY OPTION IS BETTER THAN LACSON.more

Witty Bison

such an experience lmao, 95% for an A, 5-6 readings per module

mixed

4.0 attainableYes
WorkloadHeavy

hii op! i was her beadle last sem and all i can say is that having her was such an experience lmao - we had 3 group activities, 2 group presentations (pls take note na all these group act and pres are games), and 3 long exams - she has around 5-6 readings per module (modules 1-5) that range from 7 to 50 pages - to get an A u need a 95% (this is vv hard na actually) ❓PROF FAQs❓ - di nakapaglecture ng onsite si miss but she posted a lot of her prerecorded asynch lectures in advanced and u can actually feel her passion in the subject there (note that these asynch vids r the literal summary of the module) - miss uses FULLNOTE CITATION! pls na pls lng na u make sure na tma ung citation nyo (iba ung author note citation ni chicago ha!) - miss doesn’t rlly have any template or guide questions on how u shud be writing bc it shudn’t erase the voice of the writer - she loves it sobra if ang creative ng presentation nyo or like smth na never beforeseen (she gives u sm creative freedom) - sa grp pres and acts, u cant rlly convince miss na “everyone can get an A,” magiging hunger games talaga eh 🫠 (in short, u guys need to vote which grp deserves an A in presentations, and fight for that A in activities) ✨TIPS✨ - watch the asynch vid muna before u read the readings (if meron) bc sometimes the readings r very intimidating and u might need some context muna - when making ur notes, u need to create a timeline so u can understand the bigger picture in how the events unfold - sa mga readings, when u see na it’s from “Kasaysayan” some of its pages r literal pictures, and they are smm easier to read - also in readings, if u see “Agoncillo” expect na mahirap sha basahin kahit 9 pages lng yan - nung time namin, miss has bonus games to give opportunities for plus pts sa exam (sadly she mentioned na she will remove them na sa mga susunod na batches daw) - in terms of writing, make sure coherent ang thoughts nyo and maayos structure nyo, literally think critically abt the question - pls download the mybib extension to cite faster sa chicago style 17th edition (IT HELPED SM!) - in terms of exams, walang masyadong lalabas na items sa asynch vids nya, they all come from the READINGS - galingan nyo na ng bongga kasi if ur grades fall on the B+ or A na range, u are EXEMPTED from the final exam TLDR: depending on the outcome of ur games, u can either get a B, B+, or an A kahit gano kataas exams nyo (this is coz her grading system is sm higher sa mga grp acts and pres)more

Vivid Gecko

High standards, weekly work, walked out with an A

positive

4.0 attainableYes
WorkloadHeavy

one of the most memorable profs i ever had! some reviews of her are intimidating talaga. i do agree that Ma’am Lacson has high standards, but i do understand why given her background 😮‍💨 initially, i was scared din kasi i was aiming for an A but i learned so much in that class (and also walked out with an A 😄) for the course itself, you really have to be EXTREMELY creative with the assessments/presentations. try to be extra as much as you can because she really likes that! every week, may ganap talaga kayo so i suggest prepare for it as soon as you can kasi gusto niya talaga yun. i would say that her class challenges your creativity but in the best way possible. she gives out constructive criticism din after presentations so try to remember that for your future assessments w her! i was lucky/unlucky that i was in a class full of creative people (lucky because we got to learn from each other and unlucky because the competition was FIERCE). i remember there was one specific group task we had where there only one group can have an A, two groups B+, and one group B (lacson survivors please correct me if i’m wrong), but instead she gave the groups A-B+ because she felt like everyone deserved it! so i really recommend you putting your best effort for her to have an A :))more

Anonymous

genuinely loadrev if you can

negative

Retake?No

good luck op 😭 genuinely loadrev if you can

Icy Llama

she'll publish all modules in canvas in advance, more lenient

positive

she’ll publish all modules and resources in canvas in advance :] goodluck op, i’d say she’s more lenient compared to before

Icy Urchin

op natanggap ba loadrev mo asking for a friend

Vivid Alpaca

Passion for historical truths, hard projects, everything is in the readings

mixed

WorkloadHeavy

You can hate the way ma’am Lacson grades, but ya can’t hate her passion for historical truths. She really enjoys it when you put effort into the projects; albeit they’re definitely difficult. The readings are primary goal 1. Everything - projects, games, quizzes, exams are all based on the readings. And you need the details moreover, and I mean specific details (these are historical readings, not just any books). If you want it easy in the long run, finals week, do great in the previous projects. She exempts you from the final exam if your grade reaches B+ before it. Plus, she’s more willing to curve grades just a tiny bit if she enjoys your class especially, so it’s a group effort.more

Mellow Moth

You get to delve into the details of Philippine History like never before, hehe, like never before indeed🌊 The readings are heavy but not impossible to finish, just improbable. I suggest you start reading WAY BEFORE the session. For activities and tests, like it is mentioned in previous comments, you REALLY need the details, but I think it would be beneficial if you can think critically using context clues. Otherwise, you just need more passion, more energy, more passion, more energy~~more

Anonymous

Barely teaches, memorize every period, RUN AWAY

negative

Retake?No
LeniencyNo

As a person she sounds nice and friendly but like...she'll expect you to memorize everything down to the last period of a sentence + her assessments do not make sense Also she barely teaches so if you still can, RUN AWAY AND DONT TURN BACKmore

Swift Zebra

LOAD REV immediately, grades are hunger games

negative

Retake?No
LeniencyNo

LOAD REV IMMEDDIATELY for every assessment only one group will get an A, B, C+ etc its russain roulette hunger games and she does not teach (source: my batchmates HAHAHASH)more

Lively Lynx

LOADREV! you can't survive it unscathed.

negative

Retake?No

LOADREV! you can't survive it unscathed.

Quiet Ibis

you'll learn how to play pinoy henyo and bring me in class

you’ll learn how to play pinoy henyo and bring me in class 😊

Brave Osprey

tubig at dasal na lang talaga mhie oo

negative

tubig at dasal na lang talaga mhie oo

Anonymous

Worst teacher from preschool to college, beg for the loadrev

negative

Retake?No

i never comment on here but she deserves one from literal preschool to college now, shes the worst teacher ive ever had. actual disgrace to teaching. id be begging on my knees for the loadrev if i were you 😂 good luck 🤞more

Calm Gecko

negative

Run as fast as you can

Happy Falcon

Amazing and lifechanging, outdated terror reviews

positive

Retake?Yes
4.0 attainableYes
LeniencyYes

AMAZING AND LIFECHANGINGGGG outdated na yung reviews na terror siya tbh she's so nice and gives As if u put effort in

Quiet Jay

Likely half asynch with a 3-cut max

negative

If she teaches that class like she teaches her histo classes malamang sa malamang kalahating asynch and she will make max cuts 3 in that case. Just letting you know this kasi may na-W saminmore

Anonymous

Heed our warnings and stay away

mixed

CourseHISTO 12
Retake?No

Witty Bison

such an experience lmao, 95% for an A, 5-6 readings per module

mixed

4.0 attainableYes
WorkloadHeavy

Vivid Gecko

High standards, weekly work, walked out with an A

positive

4.0 attainableYes
WorkloadHeavy

Anonymous

genuinely loadrev if you can

negative

Retake?No

good luck op 😭 genuinely loadrev if you can

Icy Llama

she'll publish all modules in canvas in advance, more lenient

positive

she’ll publish all modules and resources in canvas in advance :] goodluck op, i’d say she’s more lenient compared to before

Icy Urchin

op natanggap ba loadrev mo asking for a friend

Vivid Alpaca

Passion for historical truths, hard projects, everything is in the readings

mixed

WorkloadHeavy

Mellow Moth

Anonymous

Barely teaches, memorize every period, RUN AWAY

negative

Retake?No
LeniencyNo

Swift Zebra

LOAD REV immediately, grades are hunger games

negative

Retake?No
LeniencyNo

LOAD REV IMMEDDIATELY for every assessment only one group will get an A, B, C+ etc its russain roulette hunger games and she does not teach (source: my batchmates HAHAHASH)more

Lively Lynx

LOADREV! you can't survive it unscathed.

negative

Retake?No

LOADREV! you can't survive it unscathed.

Quiet Ibis

you'll learn how to play pinoy henyo and bring me in class

you’ll learn how to play pinoy henyo and bring me in class 😊

Brave Osprey

tubig at dasal na lang talaga mhie oo

negative

tubig at dasal na lang talaga mhie oo

Anonymous

Worst teacher from preschool to college, beg for the loadrev

negative

Retake?No

Calm Gecko

negative

Run as fast as you can

Happy Falcon

Amazing and lifechanging, outdated terror reviews

positive

Retake?Yes
4.0 attainableYes
LeniencyYes

AMAZING AND LIFECHANGINGGGG outdated na yung reviews na terror siya tbh she's so nice and gives As if u put effort in

Quiet Jay

Likely half asynch with a 3-cut max

negative

If she teaches that class like she teaches her histo classes malamang sa malamang kalahating asynch and she will make max cuts 3 in that case. Just letting you know this kasi may na-W saminmore

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Lacson, Katherine G.

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