Asia-Pacific Wars 1931 · History
100-150 pages of reading a week, a weekly coursework posting, discussion section, one large research paper (10-15 pages), a midterm (a map, IDs, and two essays) and a final exam (IDs and three essays I think)
He doesn't dole out the work but he does grade it. He's not an easy grader (have you ever run across a grad student that is?) but he's fair and extremely helpful.. I found myself trying extra hard because I didn't want to hand him crap.
It has been well over a year since I took Prof. Armstrong's course, which at first I was very "meh" about, and I still use a lot of what I learned in that class in other history courses. If you have any interest in military history, any of the wars covered (World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War(s), and the Cambodian genocide), or Asian history, I highly recommend this class. My only regret is that I did not spend as much time on this class as it deserved. I rushed my final paper and skimmed most of the readings. If you do take this class, it deserves attention. The class does have a lot of reading but all of it is well chosen and interesting when you take the time to do it. Professor Armstrong is really underrated; as one of the reviewers noted below he seems a bit dry (although he does have a sense of humor) and unapproachable but the depth of his knowledge and his ability to pack a LOT of information into one lecture is really wonderful. This man has more information in his pinky finger than most of the other professors in the History Department combined. He was also very quick to offer personal anecdotes about his time in Korea and Japan and personal photos from his visit to North Korea, which was very insightful. He is an interesting man who is passionate about his work and I regret not speaking to him more than once the whole semester. He also offers an expanded look on e…
Best T.A. I've had in my three years here, hands down- no other one even came close. I'm not kidding- this guy's a born teacher. Plus, he's funny as hell- and his dry wit enhances whatever it is he's talking about. If you EVER have a chance to get him for a discussion section, you'll end up with the one discussion section that was actually worthwhile. Awesome.
100 pages a week, weekly responses on courseworks, a midterm and final with ids and essays, and a 10-15 page paper on topic of your choice.
At the beginning of this class, I felt ambivalent towards both Charles and the material. However, I came to realize that Charles is a damn good lecturer, he packs a lot in a single session and covers everything you need to know. And now that the class is over, I also realized that I learned a lot from him. This class was a little more work than other history lectures, but you don't necessarily have to do all of it. Overall, I would recommend it if you're interested in any of these wars, time period or Asian history.
A fair amount of reading-- maybe 6 or 7 (give or take a few)fairly dense history books?-- and one film. Two 6-8 page papers, midterm, and final. Nothing too outrageously difficult if you do all (or at least most) of the reading and come to the lectures. All grading is done by the TAs.
The first day, I thought this class was going to be awful. Prof. Armstrong, as one reviewer noted, does not project his voice very well. However, once you take the time to listen in a bit, you realize that even though he cannot project much, this does not mean that he is not a good speaker. He has a really great sense of humor, and his lectures are always fascinating. After a while, I entirely forgot that he was not projecting much; honestly, he is never difficult to hear. The subject matter is also really fascinating. My one complaint would be that he uses a LOT of movies (although I think this was exacerbated in my class by a few unexpected trips / absences). Aside from that, great professor and great class!
Professor Armstrong is an amazing professor. He taught this course for the first time last fall and I am truely pleased to have taken it. His lectures are interesting and the assigned reading is good also. While having to watch movies for the course is rather annoying, this movies are great, and you also do not have to go to all of them. The workload is fair: a midterm, final, and a term paper on anything you please. Take this course, and any other course offered by Professor Armstrong