He definitely waxes poetic a bit, but he's an incredibly knowledgeable lecturer

Not a great lecturer but makes up for it by being a relatively easy class. I found it difficult to take notes because he would repeat the same thing over and over and thus would zone out. But, he's pretty clear on what he expects out of you and it's different material than traditional history classes, so he's okay.

Professor Balto obviously cares a lot about the class he is teaching. Great guy.

Professor Balto is very knowledgeable and this is a good class if you want a more nuanced approach to American history than what high school classes can provide. However, lectures were hard to follow and disengaging because he tends to talk in circles without ever making a solid point.

It's clear that professor Balto is passionate about what he does. I liked how engaging his lectures were but in the beginning month of class, it was difficult to discern what he wanted us to know and what he didn't. He tends to talk about one point for 10-15 mins when it could be 3. Once you get used to his style of teaching though, you're fine.

Professor Balto, is very passionate about history, and it shows. He does talk ALOT so be prepared, sometimes he just talks and talks, and its hard to dicinerate what is important and not. He also does not use slides to help students understand what he is talking about. Not bad exams, but he is just alwas getting off topic, and constantly talking.

I find that Professor Balto had a tendency to talk himself in circles, he would make one noteworthy point and then find ways to restate that same point for the next 10 minutes. On top of that it would take him forever to get to the point which made note-taking hard.

Professor Balto is one of the best professors I've had in the History department. He's knowledgeable and intelligent but presents information in a way that is easy to understand, and is hilarious and clearly cares about his students. History 201 was discussion-based; participation, attendance, and paying attention to the readings are crucial.

I enjoyed Professor Balto's class. He was very clearly passionate about getting students to unlearn what they thought they knew. He was fair in his course load and grading. I had no issues with his class.

Great Professor. Be careful to pay attention in class, he will pounce on you like a wild tiger if you are not doing so. He hates poor attendance because he wants everyone to learn. Great feedback on short prompts. Beware, the finals are quite challenging, specifically in the timeframe given to take them. Good Luck, and as Balto would say, Cheers.

Simon made me love this class even though I had no interest going into it. He's a fantastic lecturer even though the readings are very boring but not all necessary. The 2 papers aren't very long and the exams are extremely straight forward. But class would be impossible without going to lecture, but he makes them worthwhile!

Easy class as long as you go. 20% of grade is discussion/class attendance and participation. Only other graded items are 2 short papers and midterm and final. He says straight up as long as you come to class it'll be easy and its true. Super chill guy and made the class really interesting!