This course helped students develop skills for analyzing and writing about history. The professor was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and gave helpful feedback on papers. The negative aspect was the long, once a week lecture format. Some students also thought the class focused too much on the technical aspects of writing papers and that the readings were not useful. Suggestions for improvement included meeting twice a week instead of once, making the readings more connected to each other, and tailoring the class to individual students’ research projects. Students should know that the course requires a lot of reading and writing, but teaches important skills for writing a thesis.

Students liked having the freedom to choose the direction of their own research project and appreciated getting support from the professor and TA. Downsides of the course included the large amount of reading and the professor’s lack of involvement in the class. Students suggested the course would be improved if the professor provided more guidance on choosing a research topic and gave more specifications on the assignments. Students should know that this course involves a heavy workload of reading, writing, and researching. Students are encouraged to go in with a topic they are passionate about; otherwise the commitment required may be frustrating.

Most students praised this course both for the breadth of historical topics it touched upon as wel as the way it challenged them to learn the art of writing about history. Students expressed concern about the amount of reading the course required with one student saying the class required students to read about a book a week in addition to hundreds of pages of articles. Suggestions for improvement included reducing the amount of required reading or restructuring the course to al ow for the independent research students need to complete their work. Prospective students should know students found this to be a great class to learn the art of writing history. Students also recommended choosing their research topic early on in order to insure prospective students have sufficient time to balance class work and their own project.

Most students praised this course’s instructor as well as the way the course challenged students’ research and writing skills. Many students expressed concern about the amount of reading the course required, with one student saying the class’ requirement to read a book a week or more didn’t allow students enough time to reflect on what they were reading. Suggestions for improvement included reducing the amount of required reading or restructuring the course to al ow for the students’ independent research. Prospective students should know this class required a great deal of work but was rewarding. The course is geared to history majors or those interested in history and may not be a good choice for others.

Students thought this course was highlighted by the engaging and invested instructor and TA, the overview of research methods, and independent research. The class was intellectual stimulating and the original research was exciting. The worst aspect of the course was by far the demanding readings that often felt disconnected from lectures. Suggestions to improve the class included having fewer readings, more discussion, and better organization in the research schedule. Students interested in this course should know it is only relevant to history majors and is focused on independent research.

Students felt the best aspects of this class were the class discussions, the introduction to various types of historical research, and the useful feedback on research topics. Additionally, there were occasionally home baked goodies. The worst aspect of the class was the uneven distribution of work. Many students would have liked more class time dedicated to the thesis work, or additional one-on-one meetings to review research topics. Prospective students should know this class is designed for people who want to be a historian and that the instructor is highly recommended.