He was not a clear lecturer and if you depend on slides for notes, this ain't for you. I got a B after skipping class the second half of the quarter. Material also was not that interesting; not a difficult GE though.
He is a good lecturer with an incredible understanding of the material. The class isn't particularly difficult and his lectures are thorough, but if you really want an A or A+ you really need to do all the readings as well as show up to class. The readings will usually take between one and two hours to complete but are definitely worth it for the A
DO NOT TAKE AFRICAN HISTORY, unless you really love Africa. This class is sooooo much reading and its very boring. DO NO RECOMMEND
Textbook is dense and I only used it for about two weeks bc it's a lot of reading with the course reader (REALLY helpful btw) and the 3 novels we read. He posts slides online after class, so you can miss a class or 2. Participation matters and if you miss section, you'll automatically get a C in the class! I really enjoyed this class overall- STUDY
Not a good lecturer but it is doable. Assigns a ton of unnecessary reading, if you show up for lecture don't both. He is hard to understand at times and slaps a ton of words on ppt. Not a hard class info is interesting but he is pretty scattered.
lectures are super in-depth to the point of being overwhelming. It's obvious he is passionate about the subjects he's teaching, but the curriculum is almost unapproachable, the amount of and density of the readings make it really hard to stay on track or know what you need to know for tests/finals. PSA there's a free pdf of the textbook online.
His lectures are very clear, but you should take note of what he says first as some info was not always on the slides. He responded to my emails very quickly, and his help was very generous. You do have to read and go to lecture to do well, but the info is super cool. The TAs clarified confusion (I had Ryan Minor), and all wanted us to succeed.
He's very soft spoken and knowledgeable about African history. Nice guy overall. Always happy to talk to students about the class or current events after lecture. Tricky accent to follow (Swedish) but you get used to it. Long paper about longer book which was tedious. Material was a little dry but a good class in general.
Overall the professor is one of my favorites; lectures are fairly dry but the subject material was fascinating.
Ton of reading, more than my major classes but they are interesting. Don't take the class if you're not interested in Africa, go to class if you want an A and do the extra credit! Stay On top of the reading and pay attention to what he emPhasizes in class
I have never before been asked to read so much material in a single class in my entire life, it was excessive, bordering on the ridiculous. Wouldn't recommend this professor either. Lectures are boring, he reads from a piece of paper and so is usually looking down. Doesn't show much effort or enthusiasm in lecture.
He can be a bit hard to understand, especially the first week or two when you haven't gotten used to his Eastern European accent. Having said that, if you pay attention, he really is an amazing lecturer. He always does a review of the previous week's material, incorporates music.. etc. The readings are fascinating though plentiful. Fantastic class.
Hard to understand the guy. 1 large essay and 1 midterm. Tests aren't that bad as long as you read. Topic is super broad
4 short papers, 2 book reviews. Easy grader. Discusses all books' main arguments in class. Very nice guy, helpful, demonstrates high interest in subject matter. Amazing class!
Assigns a lot of books. Lecture seems like he's just reading off notes, even though he's clearly very passionate and knowledgeable about Africa. You don't have to do most of the reading if you go to lecture
Great guy...thick accent but always willing to repeat anything that is unclear. More than willing to answer any and all questions. Can do extra credit if wanted.
very thick accent. passionate about africa, but if you aren't interested in it, do not take the class.
He is so cute, he is totally into this topic and really educating you about the information, not just testing you on it. No tests, just 4 small papers and two big ones, but you get to choose which weeks you want to do them. Very easy grader, I would have gotten an A if I had just participated in class more, but I still got a B+
Smart guy, very passionate about Africa. Only difficulty is his thick accent, makes taking notes difficult at times. Other than that very fair and effective.
This guy will hook you up if you show interest in the course. Super friendly and loves what he teaches. Stutters alot, but its funny to keep track of if you get board. If you want to learn about Africa then take one of his courses.