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James T Baker is a cranky egotistical professor whose retirement from teaching is long overdue. He expects you to read around 150 (sometimes over 200) pages of reading a class. That is not unusual for a 400 level history class, but class is not a word I would use to describe this course. It is more of a discussion group which Baker ineptly leads. You’re supposed to read a lot and discuss the subject material of 3 or 4 biographies, but in class, Baker will talk about the bio and then go off on tangents that have nothing to do with the readings. Then you have two exams (all essay), a book review, and a 15 to 20 minute presentation on yet another biography of your choosing. All of these are graded very hard, but not impossible to pass. Also, this class is very hard at first, but later on it tapers off thanks to the month of only student presentations. However, Baker’s attitude was my biggest problem with the class. The best example of this point is when he berates people who are late to his class. It is one thing to lock the door (to a class which you are paying for), but Baker will literally speak to you as if you were a child and ask you if you understand that when that door is closed, you don’t enter it. I witnessed him do this to a man who was less than a minute late, but it also doesn’t help that on several occasions, he closes the door a minute early.
In conclusion, this class has a lot of reading, a lot of writing, a terrible discussion group, and worst of all, one professor with a very bad attitude. Try to avoid this class if you can, but it is not impossible to pass with a B or even an A.
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Multiple Choice
Essay