middCourses
with Jacob Tropp23 days ago

Very valuable class. Lecture content is fascinating, well organized and very fast paced. Readings are mostly supplemental, except for three novels, of which you choose two to write papers on. The books were dense and difficult reads (each took me 15-20 hours) but felt relevant to contextualize the lecture material. Tropp is a tough grader but he gives the most thorough feedback of any prof I've had at Middlebury. My returned papers had comments on almost every sentence, and the feedback pushed me to improve as a writer. The midterm exam was also intense but much more forgiving. Definitely take this class if you have the opportunity, and take advantage of office hours (they were super helpful!)

Very valuable class. Lecture content is fascinating, well organized and very fast paced. Readings are mostly supplemental, except for three novels, of which you choose two to write papers on. The books were dense and difficult reads (each took me 15-20 hours) but felt relevant to contextualize the lecture material. Tropp is a tough …Read more

Fast-PacedFair GradingDifficult Exams
3hrs / week Some difficulty Extremely high value Would take again
with Jacob Tropplast month

Professor Tropp seems intimidating at first, but is very fun. His presentations do not include any written words, just pictures, and he does not provide any additional notes on the material. Thus, you have to be good at taking notes to do well in this class.

Fast-PacedConstant ReadingTough Grading
3hrs / week Some difficulty Above average value Would not take again
with Jacob Tropp7 months ago

Professor Tropp is super knowledgeable about African history and you will learn a lot in this class and have really interesting discussions. However, the essays are all based on novels (which is kinda weird for a history class) and he grades them harshly.

Fast-PacedConstant ReadingTough Grading
6hrs / week Extremely difficulty Above average value Would not take again
with Jacob Tropp7 months ago

So Lot to say about this class -- the material itself was fascinating and I thought that the prof was a great lecturer and always had my attention. Lectures were really well planned. But I would say that the readings were my biggest source of frustration. I hated the readings. It would've been great if the readings truly were a supplement to the course, but not when there are two essays (which he grades actually quite harshly). I thought I was a good writer until I took this course.

So Lot to say about this class -- the material itself was fascinating and I thought that the prof was a great lecturer and always had my attention. Lectures were really well planned. But I would say that the readings were my biggest source of frustration. I hated the readings. It would've been great if the readings truly were a suppl …Read more

Fast-PacedTough GradingEasy Exams
7hrs / week Average difficulty Average value Would not take again
with Jacob Tropp4 months ago

I learned a lot in this class. Tropp would assign textbook reading required for lectures. He would then go in depth about the readings in class. He was very good at explaining conflicts, concepts, etc and identified clear and relevant connections between each topic. His teaching and lecture style were very engaging and easy to follow. In terms of major assignments, he gives two major papers based on novels and two sit down exams that include vocab recall, geography/map labelling, and a take home essay portion. Overall, I liked this class, learned a lot, and would recommend it to others.

I learned a lot in this class. Tropp would assign textbook reading required for lectures. He would then go in depth about the readings in class. He was very good at explaining conflicts, concepts, etc and identified clear and relevant connections between each topic. His teaching and lecture style were very engaging and easy to follow …Read more

Fair GradingEasy Exams
5hrs / week Average difficulty Average value Would not take again