HIST W4322

"nice teacher and good lecturer" - Yes they each say that but do not be fooled by those stary-eyed freshmen. Reads his "this happened, then that happened, and then that happened" lectures from notes - there is not deeper engagement. Mentions a totally obvious historical term in class and then proceeds to ask the class "do you know what THAT means?" Uhhhh! Shades of high school. And his "jokes"? They should stay at home. Nice guy is true but what does that mean? Knows his stuff cold but presents it in a high school manner.

weekly readings (approximately 50-85 pages per week...it's pretty interesting though), no midterm, one 3page paper, one 8-10 page research paper, final

if you like history, definitely take this class...it was great. professor frey is a well organized and engaging lecturer and though his jokes were not exactly stand-up material, i suppose they add character to the class and the fact that he knows they are bad jokes makes them amusing. discussions were interesting and informal as well...go to them (participation is helps). it was also nice to finally understand what the hell was going on in that country over the past hundred years and how it all happened. the only problem is that the professor and alex moulton (the TA, who happens to be well informed and helpful) are somewhat tough graders.

Medium level of work- about 100pgs of reading a week (not necessary to do all of it during the semester, but you should do some of it to prepare yourself for the huge final that covers everything). One 4-6 page position paper, no midterm, one 8-10pg project paper at the end of term, and the final. His grading isn't easy, but it's defintely fair. You get what you put in.

After taking this class I really wished that it wasn't too late for me to major in history. Frey is a great lecturer, and a really friendly guy. His classes are always interesting, and packed with a lot of information (so you're always taking loads of notes). He's famous for his bad jokes, which are so stale they actually become funny when you come to expect them. Very approachable outside class. He's one of the only professors who actually teaches one of his own discussion groups. My end of term paper came back with a full single spaced page of analysis, in addition to the regular comments on the paper. Alex, the TA is also really good. The class has a really friendly feel to it

Frey is a nice guy, but unfortunately a very poor teacher. He overwhelms you with detail and never puts any of it in a meaningful context. Overall, a really boring class, which is hard to pull of given how fascinating the subject is. If you've had great history professors at Columbia, then you'll be disappointed with this class.

Medium; lot of reading, most of which doesn't NEED to be done, but is very interesting and useful; no midterm, big final (encompassing entire semester); one 3-5 response paper on a discussion question; mandatory discussion sections; attendance NOT taken during lectures; one 8-10 page research paper. Ultimately, fairly standard for a history course.

Frey is a great teacher and all around nice guy. His lectures are almost always interesting, and the course deals with one of the thorniest issues in recent history, namely the Holocaust. The approach to the material is fantastic, Frey being open to any and all opinions people have regarding many different aspects of German history. T.A. Alex Maulton was also great. I strongly recommend this class; it is a must-take if you're interested in German or European history.