Comments:HIS 1300 - Professor Himler is a new prof and still figuring out her teaching style. Her lectures are very fast, but interesting and you do not need to memorize every detail (just core themes and events). At the beginning of the sem, pop quizzes were super specific and I failed like 3 of them, but by the end they were much more generic and easy to get a 100 as long as you read. That being said, some weeks we would barely have any readings while others we could have a lot which could be annoying. She was not a harsh grader at all on essay tests (which were 40% of the class). Most people I knew got A's and she gave us extra credit. The other big grade was a geography quiz which is not difficult at all. There is a lot of group work and you are expected to contribute to a class discussion everyday. You should do well as long as you read, come to class, and contribute in class.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1300 - I took Annie Himler Cheng for Asian American History. She is a brand-new professor currently working on her PhD, and that shows in her teaching. In class, she often seems anxious and unsure of how to command the room or keep students engaged. The class is structured with lectures on Mondays, primary source discussions on Wednesdays, and secondary source readings on Fridays. Wednesdays and Fridays involve a large amount of group work, which often feels like a waste of time and not very productive, especially given the heavy reading load. The amount of reading assigned is very inconsistent—sometimes just a page or two, but other times 35+ pages of dense academic material. She also gives random pop quizzes over the readings, which significantly hurt my grade and were the main reason I did not earn an A. She does offer extra credit opportunities, including chances to drop quiz grades and add points to the midterm and final. These extra credit options are essentially necessary because she is a harsh grader, particularly on essays. The midterm and final are in-class, open-note, five-paragraph essays based on vague prompts related to Asian American history. The exams are manageable if you prepare thesis statements and organize sources ahead of time. Overall, she is a kind person and clearly knowledgeable, but the course feels disorganized and more stressful than it needs to be. If you have another option to fulfill this requirement, I would recommend taking a different class.  - Grade In Class:B+