Connor Williams

This course is very lecture based and there was not much diverse learning strategies until students brought that up to the Professor. Definitely a reading-heavy course, with interesting readings, but with so much constant reading it was hard to grasp everything that should've been through the readings, if that makes sense. Lectures and the few discussions in class were thought-provoking. Going into this course, I was intrigued by the memory part, but we didn't talk much about this, the lectures were just history focused, and there was not much talk of "remembering " catastrophes in the way the course seemed like it would. Overall, this course was an intersting expereince, but would be considered boring to someone who is not a history major.

This course is very lecture based and there was not much diverse learning strategies until students brought that up to the Professor. Definitely a reading-heavy course, with interesting readings, but with so much constant reading it was hard to grasp everything that should've been through the readings, if that makes sense. Lectures a …Read more

Professor Williams is a very passionate historian and lecturer, and is very skilled at this field of knowledge. But sometimes his class content could be quite boring, as a non history major. Easy grading, easy to talk to/

This course was well-structured and engaging. The readings and lectures provided a strong balance between historical detail and theoretical framing, and the subject matter—memory, trauma, and how societies process catastrophic events—was consistently thought-provoking. Professor Williams kept discussions grounded while also encouraging students to draw broader connections, which made class conversations meaningful without being overwhelming. The workload was steady but manageable, and assignments felt designed to deepen understanding rather than just add busywork. At times, some of the theoretical material could be dense, but the professor did a good job unpacking it and making it accessible. Overall, I would recommend this class to anyone interested in history, memory studies, or the intersection of politics and culture. It’s not the easiest elective you’ll take, but it’s rewarding if you put in the effort.

This course was well-structured and engaging. The readings and lectures provided a strong balance between historical detail and theoretical framing, and the subject matter—memory, trauma, and how societies process catastrophic events—was consistently thought-provoking. Professor Williams kept discussions grounded while also encouragi …Read more