The best aspect of the course was the professor, who was always prepared and enthusiastic about the course subject. The worst aspects of this course included the hefty assignments and papers, which many felt were a bit excessive for an entry level course. The course would improve if the exams had more variation and were more contextual. Prospective students should know that this is a very easy and straightforward course. The class is engaging and as long as the student participates and does the readings, they will be successful.

Students found that the professor’s down-to-Earth nature and enthusiastic passion for the materials were the best aspects of this course. They felt comfortable posing questions and asking for help, and found his lectures to be very engaging and enlightening. Several of the students thought he went a bit quickly through the lectures and felt that the minute details they were expected to remember was a bit daunting. Suggestions for improvement included making the lecture slides available, perhaps online, and a bit of direction as to what information they should focus on. Other students also thought that the research paper on top of the intense exams was very difficult to complete, so they suggested either getting rid of the paper, cutting out one of the exams or shortening the length of both the exam and the paper. Prospective students do not need to know the material going into the class to understand the materials. They should be able to keep up with the readings and work on their paper throughout the semester.

Students broadly praised this course for having an engaged and passionate instructor who covered an intellectually challenging subject matter. Perceived issues with this course varied; while many students couldn’t find an issue with the course some students found that the instructor assigned an excessive amount of reading. Suggestions for improvement varied as well. While many students were happy with the course as it was taught, others suggested it might be helpful if the instructor was more selective in the reading she assigned and uploaded her lecture slides and notes online so students could access them. Multiple students also wanted to have more opportunities in-class to discuss readings and other items covered by the class. Prospective students should know that students broadly complimented the course and instructor and found it to be an unbiased look at the texts and the history surrounding them.