Western Kentucky University / H / Anthony A. Harkins

This was the first class I took with Harkins. He's a really cool guy. He usually teaches on Tuesday and Thursday so since the classes are long it does get kinda boring. The tests are composed of 4 Identifications which he will give you a list of ten terms and you pick 4 to define. Then 1 or 2 essays, one is worth more that the other. He gives you a study guide before every test, which is why this was one of the best classes I've taken. On the guide he gives you a list of probably 50-ish terms, they obviously won't all be on the test, and most of them will group together for the same big event or person so it's easy to complete. And he gives you 5 essays to outline ahead of time. Three of those will be on the essay. There's no reason you shouldn't do good on the tests because he basically lays it out for you. He has powerpoints everyday.Take good notes. His attendance policy is if you miss 6 you fail. He says he doesn't pick between excused and unexcused but SOMETIMES he will excuse an absence, he only did once for me. If you're a freshmen this isn't a class that you can take for your gen-ed and get an easy A in, you do have to try a little but it's COMPLETELY doable. He gave me an A at the end of the semester, when I should have gotten a B, because he enjoyed my participation in class and liked the fact that I emailed him questions etc. So if you stick out to him in a good way he'll probably bump you up a grade.

As with most Gen-Ed professors, you can too often tell they do not really like teaching this course. Dr. Harkins is no exception. While he at least tries to make the class somewhat stimulating, I would too often start to fall asleep in class. His lectures tend to be so crammed that if you miss one day, and you will miss too much. There were times he would break up the lectures with a short video, which does help a lot. He also has reading everyday from primary sources. He does tend to be very vague and sometimes unrealistic in his expectations on writings. He recommended us to make a short outline of our test essay before actually writing it out, which doing so would only cause you to run out of time. He does give possible questions ahead of time. These questions are often copied directly from the test. This is nice, but also means he expects much more from us. Overall He doesn't seem to be a bad professor, but he does expect a lot.

Any West Civ class is going to be hard. It is a tough subject that requires a lot of reading and note taking. Dr. Harkins does a great job of presenting the lectures and working with you if you have any questions. The tests are straight essay, with some multiple choice map quizzes thrown in. There are 3 papers that you must write as well. I reccomend taking Dr. Harkins because he is willing to sit down and work with you if you are having trouble. You must try to get an A though!

Little hard for general ed requirement.

This is not an easy class by any means, but it's college and it is not meant to be, Dr. Harkins loves history and you can tell by how he teaches his class. He is more than willing to help you if you need it, you have to study quite a bit, but it is very easy to get a good grade in his class

Harkins is a pretty good teacher, he likes to make jokes to keep the class awake! He knows what he's talking about and expects you to be reading. I never bought my textbook and still made an A on the midterm. I do recommend buying the documents book though, because he usually talks about that assigned reading in class. The hard part about this class is that you have to read three different novels/books and write two five page papers, one 2-3 page reflective essay, and also a 7-10 page research paper over a colonial newspaper.

This teacher talks all in monotone. He gives tons of notes and is very boring. His class is very hard to stay awake in. There are quizes every week and the tests are all essay.

I hated Harkins and his class. He is an aweful professor. His tests aer HORRIBLE! I warn you, DO NOT take this course with him!

This class is interesting, disscusions were good, and readings were well selected. If you have a busy schedule though I would not reccomend the course. The reading load is intensive but the topics are interesting. Dr. Harkins always seems to attempt to present alternative viewpoints on given historical subjects, especially focusing on women's role in history. I had Dr. Harkins before for a 200 level course and this was an entirely different beast. You are in a upper division course and he sure lets you know it. For me taking this class was like trying to climb a giant greased weasel, but if you have time for it it is quite interesting.

This is a really hard course but Dr. Harkins is a really good teacher and is extremely nice and very willing to help. He is not an easy teacher and his class required ALOT of work. We had weekly quizzes over readings and 3 tests, and had to write 3 papers, but he gives you a review of exactly whats going to be on the test and has study sessions before the test. The test are all identification and essay so if your good at memorizing it shouldn't be hard, if you read the readings and study you will do fine, I would take him if you have the chance.

I enjoyed this class very much. It was a hard class only because it required alot to keep a good grade. There were three books, besides the textbook, and you have to write a paper on each. He is extremly picky about the papers. There is also a research paper. However, I learned alot of things about history that I had never learned before. I liked this class, but it was alot of work. He is also very willing to meet with you and help you in any way he can. He is a very good teacher, and an interesting person.

Dr. Harkins loves the subject, and enjoys teaching. It should be sonsidered an honors class, but if you keep up it is not that bad. There are a lot of note and a lot of material that gets covered, but the involvement and extra work helps the students understand how history has played into society today and why some things happen. If you are looking for an easy Gen. Ed. class, this is not it, but if you like to learn, really learn, then Harkins is the man. He is a great guy and easy to communicate with, don't get scared! This class makes you grateful when you get into upper level course.

Dr. Harkins is a very good choice for this course. There are a fairly large number of readings. Three books and 10 to 30 pages of primary and secondary sources per class plus one simple research paper. Luckily you will not be tested over all this material. You will be warned of possible test topics before the tests. Writing is EMPHASIZED. If you are a history major this class is a good preparation for Upper Division courses.

Anthony Harkins loves History and it is apparent in his lectures. If you are a visual person, he includes a power point presentation of his notes, and they can be found on BlackBoard. He is a really nice guy, but his tests are almost impossible. He does infact give you a "study guide" a week or so before the test, and it has the questions that will be on the test on the study guide (along with about a million others), BUT he does infact give you what to study...so if you can spare a little study time...take this class...

This course is certainly in the upper bracket of a moderate difficulty rating. There are five films to go see outside of class in the afternoons at Cherry Hall that can be hard to make if you are on a tight schedule. Also, the three papers can get lengthy and he grades them difficulty. His tests are easy and I got A's on them but I couldn't get above (or below) a B on the papers. Extra credit came for taking papers to the writing center.

Dr. Harkins is a nice guy one on one with many pleasantries and numerous emails to help you keep up. However, he is boring as a teacher, at least for me. His presentation style is not that exciting and he is a social/cultural history expert; so, you get history a bit too heavily from that perspective. Still, some days are better than others and Dr. Harkins always seemed fair in both the history and to give the reasons why I got a lower grade.

Would I take another class from him? Well, he also teaches the US since 1945 which I really wanted to take, but now I will take a wait and see approach to see if anyone else in the department is better.

This class is not one of the most fun, but who can complain about a teacher which gives you the test before you take it? His study sheet has several identifications (36), eight will be on the test, 5 essay (3 of which is on the test-you do one). The class has some extra quizzes and short papers, but if your able to keep up it will be challenging but also moderately easy.

This is a difficult class that requires a lot of study time. But dr. harkins enthusiam and ability to teach makes it more enjoyable. The he gives you the questions that are going to be on each of the tests and then leaves it up to you to study them. He is also willing to work with students and always asks for student input. This is a very diffucult class to take but Dr. Harkins definitely is the guy to take it with.

Terrible terrible terrible class! It is almost a weed out class and the professor is pretty new. It should probably be a small class of honors students. It is not about memorizing facts and information - it is about ideas and movements that happen in history more than anything. Hard to focus in class and it is complete lecture. Tests have about 36 possible topics that are given before the exam and 8 will show up on the test and you will be required to answer 4, telling who, what, when, where, why, and the significance of the event. Then there will be 5 essays given before the exam, three will show up on the test, and you will be required to answer one (worth 60pts), with a well developed thesis statement and comprehensive analysis of the question. These tests are terrible because they cover over 150 pages of reading that you probably will procrastinate and not do -- plus extra readings of articles. You will also have to write 5 papers answering specific questions on the added articles that are required reading. Do not take this class. If you want to be challenged, take an honors course and get some kind of credit for your hard work.

After reading the other raters' poor grammar/spelling, I decided someone with half a brain might be of a little more help. Western Civ. is a tough course-- no matter who the professor is. Dr. Harkins rewards people who will put time into studying. He gives a review packet of the EXACT questions that will appear on the exams. He gives extra credit for attendance and there are more grades than just the usual 3 tests. I find him EXTREMELY helpful and intelligent. Give his course enough study time and you'll feel like you actually absorb some information when it's all said and done.

If you are someone who does not like history I do not suggest you take Harkins. He loves this subject and loves to discuss it in class. He gives a lot of notes and a quiz usually once a week. He does not seem very friendly and kind of strange. If you like history though he is your guy.

This teacher is awful! He is a monotoned little wiesel! I gave him a chanceand found him to be of no real help in class. He puts a small outline on computer power point for you then gives his "sermon" in a monotoned voice so you have no idea what he infisizes on. The reading is awful. We had a quiz over 3 chapters and many online readings that he calls "small readings". This guy is completely full of himself. When we took the quiz the class average was a 4 out 10. Stear clear of hark the nark.