I took this class through Zoom and he altered the class to be as convenient as possible due to COVID restrictions. Our grade was based on two small papers, final paper, and participation credit in discussions. I really enjoyed going to discussions as we went over primary sources that we would end up using as evidence in our papers. My TA, Rebekka, was very kind and understanding. She was very considerate of the students who had a hard time speaking up in class so she gave writing assingments and such. She helped us by reviewing our drafts and also advising them. Dr. Meranze gave awesome lectures. His voice is monotone so you may zone out here and there, but he is very passionate about the topic and is always willing to help you and answer your questions. I went to his office hour and he was so nice and considerate of my questions and concerns. He also took his time answering my emails as he explained and answered my question very thoroughly. I would recommend for a STEM major who is trying to fulfill a GE on top of their rigorous science courses.

Meranze really does care. His lectures are extremely boring and I found it difficult to stay awake sometimes though. I did not choose this class, I just got thrown into it at orientation because I needed a third class and ironically it was the only class I got an A in this quarter. I think Meranze does a good job explaining things in a way that is easy to understand for people just coming out of high school. I went to his office hours a couple of times and he expressed genuine concern that I understand his answers to my questions. I also had an awesome TA, which helped a great deal. This discussion was definitely my favorite academic part of the quarter.
Your grade consists of two papers (20% each), the final (30%), and participation (30%). If you go to all your discussions and put in the effort for the TA, you will get full participation points. I didn't think the papers were too difficult, there is just a lot of reading. The final was really easy but I was kind of annoyed that I could have taken that final without studying at all- it was completely information I learned in APUSH (Glorious Revolution, Great Awakening, Pontiac's Rebellion, the development of slavery, etc). I probably could have gotten an A without doing any of the reading out of the Give Me Liberty textbook.

Overall, I think this is a good class to take if you're looking for a relatively simple GE. I wouldn't say it's the easiest class, but the reality is none of the GEs here are going to be easy and classes will always be more difficult if you aren't interested in the subject matter.

You need at least 93.5% to get a solid A for this class. No curve, extra credit, or anything similar to save your grade, and one single mistake can ruin your whole paper and/or exam essay. Enough said.

I have mixed feelings about this class, mainly because of the two essays we had to write in the class, both of which were EXTREMELY time consuming. Seriously. The first essay was a historiography paper where we read 4 historian's perspectives on the origins of slavery and had to write an essay comparing and contrasting them. The second essay was an argumentative essay about another book we had to read. Each essay corresponded to a book, so needless to say, there was a lot of reading for this class. The problem I had with the essays is that the prompts were sooooo long-winded and general, you didn't really know what he was asking. Professor Meranze even acknowledges their general nature, but claims he does that on purpose so students can have a broader range of answers. However, they were SO general to the point where you really had no idea what he was asking you to write! Even after speaking to my TA I was still confused. That really bothered me.

However, because the material itself is so familiar to students (APUSH, anyone?) that the final wasn't that difficult because it was geared more towards the American Revolution and less on the 17th and 16th centuries. He lectures in such a monotonous voice, but he really has great insight into the subject. If you focused on his words and not the way he speaks, he has some interesting analyses of the material, so I enjoyed that aspect. In hindsight, I wish there was a midterm to ease the burden of the papers, but since 30% of your grade is attendance and participation in section, I think that is enough cusion for a G.E.! That's a great grade booster. All in all, this is pretty much what I expected from this class as a G.E., but it was kind of heavy on the reading side. We even had a full book to read in Week 10 and it was a waste of time! Totally pointless as it was in no way represented on the final. That really bothered me.

Overall, I felt Professor Meranze was a very good teacher; the man is brilliant, but overall did an effective job teaching "at our level." Going into the course, I wasn't overly thrilled about the material, because that period of history is not my forte. Do NOT let this discourage you though! I learned SO much, and now approach the pre-Civil War era from a refreshed and more informed perspective; what I had previously considered a "bland" historical period I now feel re-energized about. Most of the books we read (Foner and Countryman) were fascinating at times. The only real complaint I had on the course was that the books hardly ever coincided with the lectures, which made the tests a little more difficult.

Also, my TA was Ben Nelson. Don't know if he is TAing next year, but if he is definitely try and get him. I met most of the TAs at one point or another and they all had very good reputations, but Ben was awesome. One of the best teachers I've ever had, period. And always willing to help.

I'd definitely recommend this course. If you go to lectures, attend discussion and study even just a moderate amount outside of class, you really shouldn't end up with anything less than a B.

I thought that this was a fairly easy GE. Professor Meranze was a good lecturer, but I felt that the assigned books were very dull. I agree with the previous review that the books never coincided with Meranze's lectures. The midterm and final were very fair and the paper was easy because the possible topics were talked a lot about in discussions.

40% mid-term, 60% final. The class can tend to get boooooring, although Professor Meranze makes little jokes here and there that alert me to attention. I don't think his exams are too bad, but it's really unfortunate he doesn't give us a study guide or review session. It's extremely time consuming to study EVERYTHING we went over in class, especially since a lot of the stuff we copied down for notes (like every monarch in England for 200 years) didn't relate to anything on the exam. Unless you REALLY want to know constitutional history, there are surely better history classes to take.

Meranze is an interesting professor-- he obviously has much knowledge about the colonial era, but lectures in a peculiar way, almost as if the audience is made up of middle schoolers. Nevertheless, I enjoyed his powerpoints and format of presenting information; be sure to listen to what he says rather than simply reading his bullet points to understand what he really means about each topic. I agree with the other reviewers that the books he assigns don't coincide much with his lectures, but he probably does this on purpose, and I didn't particularly mind it. Overall, a history course of average difficulty. I studied a good amount and came away with an A, so it's definitely possible.

Let me be blunt, I am an engineering student whose never taken American History before this class. History's not really my thing. During lectures I oscillated between being genuinely interested and really bored. If you knew all of this from APUSH, then you'll probably be bored.

Okay, for the essays, make sure you get your TA to skim through it. My TA, though a hardass while grading, was very nice. He gave great feedback which was probably responsible for my good grade.

There is plenty of reading, reading Foner, the textbook, though not strictly necessary for discussion helped me out a lot. It gave me the background for giving input during the discussions. Just talk during discussions to get a good participation grade.

Read Foner before the midterms. Midterms require you to showcase your knowledge, rather than you argumentative abilities.

Getting an A is 100% possible, you just need to put a little work into it.

I had Prof. Meranze for U.S. History 1800-1850, and overall it was not a good experience. The class consisted of a midterm (30%) and a final (70%) in which he fails to provide any type of study guide; thereby requiring that you study everything, i.e. notes and readings all the while hoping for the best. As a history major who loves U.S. History, I found myself studying endlessly for his exams only to end up with a B+ in the end. If you enjoy sitting through boring lectures, and walking into a final exam that is worth 70% of your grade then by all means take this class. If instead you value your GPA and don't want to take a class that makes you hate U.S. History then don't bother. This class is not worth the stress, wait for a better class.