An amazing lecturer. Definitely history heavy, so if you don't really enjoying learning about history, I would skip out on this course. But as a history major, Professor Boswell was a really fantastic instructor. Readings can get dense throughout the semester, but other than that, the workload is quite light for this course. Highly recommend!

Prof. Bowsell is amazing lecturer and he makes history extremely engaging. He also is very funny and often would tell us personal accounts of the historical topics we are going over in class which is super cool. This class has 2 major papers but other than that it isnt a burden and I often just had to read interesting books.

Great lecturer. Manages to keep things engaging and can be kind of funny, but you definitely have to somewhat like history to enjoy the class. LOTS of reading (like a book a week, but you can sparknotes a bunch of them) and frequent papers. TA is much more responsible for your grade than Boswell is

I can't speak to his assignments or grading since I was just auditing the course, but he is a terrific lecturer! I thoroughly enjoyed this course.

One of the best lecturers I've ever seen - he makes the content very interesting to listen to. However, would not recommend taking this class as a graduation requirement for STEM majors since the workload can be pretty significant - very reading and essay intensive

Professor Boswell is one of the best professors I have had here at Madison. He is very passionate about the material he teaches and makes lectures engaging for students. However, the course is extremely heavy with reading material, as you are expected to read a full book every week. Would recommend for those into history/reading

Overall fine class. LOTS of books to read! Do not take this class if you can't read a book within one week. Around 4-5 papers to write based off of the books given. Discussion attendance mandatory, lecture attendance not. Pretty funny dude during lecture, and lecture is super useful, TA can have most affect on your grade. Also there is a map quiz.

Boswell was by far one of my fav professors, he is very passionate about his lectures and always cracks good jokes. Although there is a lot of reading (about a book/week sometimes) and lots of writing, you develop a very clear understanding of the course. Final and midterm were a little challenging, only way to do well is to go to class and read.

This class is hard, way too hard for an introductory course. Unless you have interest in being a history I seriously advise you to NOT take this class. You read SO MUCH like 9 different historical novels that are hard to understand and put you to sleep. You also write 3 short papers and 2 big 5/6 page papers. You have no idea what will be on exams

Professor Boswell is a relatively good professor, it is just the content of the class which can feel tedious and overwhelming at times. I barely read the 8 books yet I managed to make my way through each of the papers and did decently well on them. The essays need to be organized in a certain way in order to get a good grade but it's possible.

Professor Boswell is one of my favorite professors I've ever had, & I'm not even a history major. He's incredibly well-versed in his subjects & is very passionate about what he teaches. He is also great about extensions and is always available in office hours. There is quite a bit of reading at times, but it's well spread out and super interesting.

There was textbook for this class, however, there were about 8 books that had to be purchased. He inputted bias and opinion into every topic. There were a few one-page papers, a 3, a 4, and a 6-page paper. The lectures were useless when it came to the papers it was all based off of the books, and these papers were graded incredibly hard.

Lots of writing! if you cannot write solid/strong papers you may struggle in the class. There is also about 8 books you need to read throughout the semester which can be a lot. However, the lectures are tremendous and he is very knowledgable. The papers are mostly on the books that you read so they are not all super difficult. Overall, good class.

Professor Boswell is very knowledgeable, but online his lectures are incredibly boring and ineffective. It is hard to take notes. The class is made up of mainly readings and papers, but overall the class is not that hard. It is a reliable AB, but it mainly depends on your writing ability. But I dont highly recommend this course.

Professor Boswell is a very caring and nice professor. I communicated with him a lot throughout the semester and with that, he was very willing to give me extensions/extra time. He cares for his students and wants everyone to succeed. But, be prepared to READ AND WRITE!!!! Around 8-9 different books to read this semester.

Boswell is a great guy and a great prof. Papers are graded by TA's and aren't graded too hard, average of around an 87. Really knowledgable and his lectures are interesting, but don't really relate to the classwork. The lectures are more of a background for stuff you talk about in discussion. Enjoyed the class and he makes the history interesting.

Laird is the head of the history department, so he definitely knows his stuff. A ton of required books and a discussion post every week that got a bit tedious. Also 2 one page papers and 2 4-6 page papers, which were graded pretty hard. If you don't go to lecture, you're missing out but you can still pass. Gives final exam questions before the test

Seriously one of the best professors Ive had at UW-Madison. Great lectures with clear outlines and some history related jokes as well (a definite plus for me) average grader, can be tough at times but is fair and can be lenient in my opinion. Meeting outside of class has never been an issue during or even outside of office hours.

Professor Boswell's fun personality and interesting stories are what ties his class together in History 120. He is a great lecturer, and I really enjoyed the class. I am not a history major, but he made the class fun for everyone. There are several readings, so be prepared for that.

Attendance wasn't mandatory, but I would recommend going to each lecture because Boswell is great. Lecture follows the textbook, and the books are useful for discussion and homework. Go to your TA for papers, pay attention in lecture, and read the books (or at least have a good understanding of each one). Study guide is sent out for the two exams.

Professor Boswell is so great! He is super nice and patient, and we can talk long time during his office hours. His lecture is very interesting and well-organized, even students who are not history major will easily understand. He does not give many homework or tests, and he will give us study guide for midterm and final exam.

Great professor and funny. Two papers, two tests. I threw a 6 page paper together in 30 min. and got a 94, they send out the study guide with the answers for both finals. 8 books but I didn't read one, didn't read the textbook and still got an A. Awesome class, very interesting

There are a lot of readings every week, but just for use in discussion. The midterm comes with a really nice study guide that is long but makes the actual test easy. Laird Boswell is adorable and gives really cool insight into European history since he used to live there. If you are looking for an easy history class, take this one!

4 major problems: 1. He thinks "Balzac" is the best author in history, and it is a complete grind to read. 2. You have to read a ton. 3. Your term papers have so much red ink corrections, you can read them. 4. If you go to his office hours, be prepared for every visual indication that he doesn't want you there. Eye-ball roll, tongue clicking etc.

Lectures are great and you'll walk away from the class feeling like you've learned something valuable. Although the readings may seem overwhelming, they're not too bad. If you're a solid writer and want a fun and interesting class, take Boswell.

His stories are what make the class so great. It is also a plus that there's no textbook and just a few novels to read throughout the semester. He has a weird writing style and imposes it in his grading. I'm a journalism major and he did not like my writing style at all.

The best of the best. A truly amazing lecturer. Easy to follow. Boswell's class inspired me to double major in history. I learned so much in this class, and he made the material not difficult, and made you want to learn. Loved reading short novels instead of a textbook.

Extremely smart and interesting lecturer; knows what he's talking about.

This has been my favorite class at UW-Madison. The lectures were extremely interesting, and I really enjoyed reading novels instead of a textbook. Professor Boswell does a great job choosing books that related closely to lecture content. There was a lot of reading, a few long papers, and a few short papers. The final was fairly easy.

Overwhelming

Possibly one of the best lecturers out there. I always looked forward to his lecture because he made history so interesting and approachable. He connects new material with old and explains the material perfectly. The guy loves history and loves to teach, and it's easy to see. I wish I could take this class again, because I absolutely loved it.

HIS 120 with Boswell has been my favorite class this semester, because: it's a well-thought out class with structured assignments that are easy to follow but also prompt you to synthesize your own thoughts based on what you've learned. I can't get over how effective reading novels is! I don't remember ever being so satisfied with a history class.

Professor Boswell is my favorite professor I've had so far. His lectures are interesting and helpful, and although there's a lot of reading it's not impossible and actually helps you feel like you understand history.

Professor Boswell is fascinating and visa lectures are always interesting and PACKED with information. His 50 minute lectures can be 5 pages long with of notes. There is a LOT of reading for this class though and TA's do all the grading. Still, Boswell is smart, knowledgable goofy and hilarious. IF you have interest in history, take his class.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS UNLESS YOU HAVE TO! This professor is boring, full of himself, unhelpful, and makes you fall asleep during lecture. He also goes WORD FOR WORD from the book - I managed a B in this class and only went to lecture once because that was the case. The TA I had was not helpful either, he would rather discuss football than be a TA.

Great professor, always has something interesting to say. Love his ties, sarcastic jokes, and life stories that he throws into lecture. The TA's are helpful as well.

Boswell is truly a unique Professor. His lectures are unbelievably interesting and his lecturing skills are immaculate. he lays out the class information in such an easy to understand way its incredible. The TA's are all also very helpful and speak clear english which helps.

I found this class very interesting overall, but the interest level of each lecture was dependent on the topic. Some lectures were better than others. My TA was also very helpful and made the class that much better. If you have even a mild interest in history I would recommend taking this class.

Lectures are dry, boring, and long. Professor is full of himself. The papers basically amount to lit review. My TA went over a lot but was not well liked. He was very socially awkward, tried to ban laptops in lecture (no one listened), and gave pop quizzes on the most tedious readings. I'm very happy this class is done and I don't recommend it.

Laird Boswell is great! Uses novels instead of textbooks, definite plus. Lectures are funny and informative, although the TA was rude and completely unhelpful.

Laird is the best professor I've had at Madison. I wouldn't miss a lecture of his for anything, so funny, so coherent, so interesting....I also have a thing for dirty old men, and Laird's mind is definitely in the gutter....lol, his jokes about leather and bondage got a little old after a while.

Excellent professor! Very knowledgeable. Lectures coherent. Incorporates novels. Professor Boswell has a great sense of humor. Good at explaining complex events. He makes it easy to engage in the material. I love the bow-ties! Definitely recommend. Hope to take more classes with Professor Boswell.

He really loves his subject, and is very knowledgable about it. This isn't a class where you can just memorize a bunch of dates and expect to do well. He really tests you on your comprehension of the material. It was often hard to know what material would be on exams, which made them very difficult.

Outstanding. One of the few profs at UW who made me think on exams rather than regurgitate. Fascinating readings, engaging lectures. One of the best.

One of the best professors I've had at Madison. Its a pretty easy class if you show up to lecture. He's definitely keeps you entertained for the entire time and I actually learned a lot in his class

Don't hate on Bozzy, he has a touch of goofiness needed in a professor and wears cool ties.

What a total tool! He thinks he's so funny, but he's just joking about Hitler the whole time. I have gotten great grades in his class, but have to work my ass of for them, because he's so unclear and so in love with his own voice. Not a good professor, not funny, should not be allowed to teach.

Terrific professor. Very clear in his explanations of Modern European History. Very good experience with this professor.