great class! very passionate...mostly lectures,some films. Would highly recommend for Contemporary European History!!!!

easy to understand, frequently available. uses several teaching methods. great professor, and not hard as long as u do the reading (at least skim it.) definitely reccomend Lapp.

Had him for Senior Seminar in History. Always available. Excellent guidance and commentary. Helped me write a lean and mean senior thesis. The lectures and discussions were quite good also.

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great teacher, enthusiastic and challenging. makes history interesting. I liked this class a lot.

Very good teacher. It's mostly lectures, but you get into them and get interested in them. Tests are a little hard, but bearable. I would def recommend him.

Very knowledgable on the subject matter. Selects good reading material. Listens and allows deep discourse.

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This guy is a riot.If anything, his blank stares into space at times will hold your attention span.Really into his material which is a good thing.Whatever you do, buy only the Sources Book. Save $$$

Lol, this guy is a bit strange. He's always sweating like crazy so that his shirt is soaked, and he will stare into space blankly for literally around 15-20 seconds at a time. He's a good teacher though, I recommend him.

good guy, stimulating teacher

if you actually are interested in the class it's definitely worth taking. this is the second time i've had him and he's very knowledgable about his subject. doesn't grade too hard either

odd man, but wrote the book on his subject - literally...he is fantastic if you like history...most of the mouth-breathers can't get past his eccentricities, unfortunately...

intesting class, he knows europe very well. 2 small papers aboout a couple of novels, easy. but the the two tests, quite hard, many short quotes from the reading that need to be recalled and analyzed, + essay questions, he does give them out in advance though. ok class, but i won't take him again.

This professor is very helpful. He sweats like crazy, and always seems like he is nervous. He supplies you with a lot of information. The class is not too difficult for non-history majors. You have to books to read, and two papers to write on those books. Also a midterm and final. Ok class.

Great Prof.teaches history the way it should be taught-readings with discussion of material.he is challenging and requires a lot of reading but the books are all readable and informative.you can tell he knows his stuff during lecture/discussion.every history prof should be like prof lapp.

I expected to perform better in his class since I worked really hard in it. He is interesting but I am sour about his grading system. If you like History, take him.

Excellent Professor. Very demanding.

So easy and interesting. You learn a lot and the tests are easy. He gives you essay questions and ids you will need for the exam so it's as easy as can be. Just go to class and you'll do fine. The only book you really need is the sources and novels. Only 2 exams and 2 short essays.

Anyone who gives a bad rating is just lazy. He has only 2 test and 2 papers. He tells you everything you need to know for exams and gives a review sheet including the essay questions on the test. Very fair grader. Shows alot of videos to support material. Very good professor and very helpful.

Great professor if you're interested in the subject. Very fair grader and lets you know what he expects from you.

Papers are easy...his midterm and final are demanding..doesnt care about attendance.

I liked him. He knows his stuff & some of the readings were good, while some others weren't so good. 8 assigned books & 2 big papers for the whole class. I thought it was a bit too much reading, but the class could have been worse. If you don't mind reading & writing a lot, then take him.

The best--cares about teaching and cares about history--passionately!

He is such a great teacher and such a nice person, only 2 exams and a paper.Exams are easy if u study exactly what he gives on the review sheet and pay attention in class.Paper on a book,but otherwise great and interesting class, he knows what he's talking about...+ doesn't take attendance!

This guy was great, don't listen to the other posts on this thread. Very helpful, knows what he is talking about and genuinely passionate about his job. Only complainers are the imbeciles. "Was the Soviet Union democratic?" Indeed.

good class, interesting lecture, nice guy.

lapp is such a great teacher! there's a lot of reading in his upperlevel classes but it's still worth taking. TAKE HIM!

Great class.... kept interest, even though I don't love history. He's very knowlegable and and an easy grader! Also, the books are interesting documents and novels, not boring history fact books! Definately take him if you have the option!

Awesome and passionate...lectures much and walks back and forth in front of the class....has a lisp, very cute. Super smart and loves teaching...appreciates participation...lots of reading

Have to support my old Grad Professor Ben Lapp. This guy rocks!!!! My pleasure to take two of his graduate courses. Very interesting, enjoyable classes. All around great teacher, who cares about his students. The man truly enjoys his work. Can't ask for more in a Prof. He helped me receive an Adjunct position at MSU. I'm eternally grateful Prof!

Lapp is on of the best history prof. at MSU his enthusiasm for the subject and genuine want to make all of his students understand makes his lectures that more enjoyable! I recommend him as a prof. for any section of history (watch out for the lisp though, u miht not want to sit in the front)

I had Prof. Lapp 2 semesters in a row, (nazi 3rd reich, and genocide) he is very smart and makes the subjects very interesting. He does give a lot of reading, and for someone who doesnt like to read I have to say I enjoyed most of the books he assigned. There are no tests, just 2 papers, keep up with the reading and you will do fine.

Very easy. Reading every night. mid-term, paper, and final. Doesnt take attendance. Learned a lot. worth taking again

He is such a great teacher and such a nice person, only 2 exams and a paper.Exams are easy if u study exactly what he gives on the review sheet and pay attention in class.Paper on a book,but otherwise great and interesting class, he knows what he's talking about...+ doesn't take attendance!

WHAT A CLASS!! If NAZI 3rd REICH is offered again, take it without hesitation. Beware, though, there's a LOT of reading! About 6 books worth. Your midterm & final are papers based on questions from the readings. Dr. Lapp knows his stuff & the discussions he provokes are awesome. Not for anyone who is looking for an easy class!

Be real, it is European Hist so you have to be prepared to be serious but if you do even half of the work, you will get lot of this class. Dr. Lapp makes this more interesting than you could imagine. He is so passionate and knowledgable about history you can't help but get into it. You have to try to do badly in this class.I would take him again.

his lectures are really interesting and he does trail off onto other subjects sometimes but he is a sweetheart and knows his stuff! he is more into german history and thats when things become more clear but if your not a history major, i wouldn't really recommend his class. his tests are hard, the essay is easy, there is ALOT of reading.

He is the best! But expect loads of reading....

DONT LISTEN TO THE POSTS BELOW.Lapp is an amazing professor. He makes every class awesome and so interesting- and that is coming from a guy who doesn't like history. Readings are long, but he goes over them in class. Make sure you mark which readings he goes over though because they WILL be on the tests. 2 tests, one essay- All fairly easy.Take him

This course was on the Holocaust and if you are not willing to read do not take this course (and why are you a history major?) If you can do the readings and you are willing to participate you will do fine. Dr. Lapp knows his stuff and it was a great class. Hope he teaches the Nazi Third Reich before I graduate *crosses fingers*

Lapp is a great guy. He assigns a whole lot of reading, but most of it is really interesting so no need to worry. He'll help you out if you need it and he doesn't like to have anybody fail. Highly recommended.

If you're looking for a non-western class to take, take it with prof. Lapp! There is a lot of reading and his grading can be tough on hw but the midterm and final are a breeze. Only one paper to write which wasn't that bad at all to write. His lectures kept my attention and I was always focused. Do the work and take good notes and you'll get an A

Awesome teacher!! Highly recommend because his lectures are interesting, enthusiastic, and he is extremely organized on Black Board.

the cutest man ever! So enthusiastic and makes it interesting so sweet and nice

Very nice guy and knows his subject. A lot of reading like 8 books and 4 or 5 short papers, no midterm, and a final paper. Participation in class discussions is 50 percent of your grade so attend class and participate in discussions. Do not take this class if you have a loaded schedule or if you are too shy to participate

Love this guy! Lots of reading and he expects you to do it. But its a great class.

Great professor. Lots of reading from textbooks but hey it's history. Weekly assignments from the books,one midterm one final. Wants you to include details from the readings; this is the only way he can be sure you read and understand it. If your essays are vague, be prepared for a C. He gives helpful guides for the midterm and final too.

Classes were awesome with him! Be prepared to discuss the readings, but if you keep up with them there will be no problem. Outside of class, Dr. Lapp is a great person to talk to and goes out of his way to give help and guidance both about class topics and many other things. He wrote me a few letters of rec, and he helped me greatly.

Great professor! I have taken several of his classes and have enjoyed all of them. If you keep up with the work and reading, you will get a lot out of the classes. If you are lazy and don't keep up, then his classes are not for you. He is also really helpful outside of class, and has no problem aiding students in class work/other things.

Lapp was really good, engaging, interesting and available for help. Lots of reading.

Best professor I've ever had. Passionately thorough in his knowledge about history, and a great speaker. If you enjoy learning about the Nazi's, take this course! He is fantastic.

Ben Lap is the master of mid-twentieth century history, especially the study of Nazi Germany. I had him has a grad student and learned a lot from his lectures and ideas. Thanks Dr. Lap.

I thought Lapp was an amazing Professor. I was never interested in history before, but after taking him, I declared a history major. Great guy!

Professor Lapp is a great guy, and a great professor. Be advised, there is a lot of reading. It's not an unfair amount, but you will need to set aside a decent chunk of time each week to keep up. You also have to be on your toes in class during class discussion, because he will sometimes challenge you. Well worth it though!

I thought he was great. Really good lectures and a manageable workload. Nice guy. Probably my best class last semester.

He is a good professor that will explain anything you don't understand. He doesn't grade harshly and gives you good feedback on your assignments.

Hybrid course so we would have online assignments due every week. You dont have to go to the lecture but it helps with the online assignments. Hes an okay grader and a nice guy. He also made the final optional

I don't understand why he ever got bad reviews lol HES AWESOME. 100% recommend to take his class (contemporary Europe 1914-present) if you are not into history. Its a hybrid class so you only have to meet once a week. He brings a very energetic vibe into his lectures so You won't fall asleep/get bored. The assignments are easy and not hard to do.

This guy is a great teacher. Lots of writing assignments but pretty manageable if you keep up with the syllabus. Really nice guy. And I learned a lot. Lots of computer work since its a hybrid course. But you only meet once a week. He is very willing to provide help.

He makes the final optional, thats the best thing. His class is not hard at all.

In class you just take notes from his power points as he lectures, the online work is what is tough, but manageable. The inquisitives are easy. The essay questions are hard bc he asks you one question, you answer it, and then he gives you a 7/10 and comments "what about this & this???", even though that wasn't the question. BE SPECIFIC & EXPLAIN

Overall he is decent, however his essay questions are difficult he will say he want this and later say no I wanted that. The essay questions took up most of my time because nothing was ever good enough it took me about 6 hours a day to complete it. Everything else was fine and the inquisitives was easy, he will ask you questions in class!!!

Lapp is an amazing professor. He gives really good feedback and makes the subject interesting. When I've had problems with the material, he has been really helpful.

I took this course spring semester asynchronously. Every week there was a 30-40pages to read for the chapters. 2 weekly assignments based on the reading AND a short essay with very specific question that you can't answer unless you read. Lots of work you HAVE to read the chapters.

Honestly this class was really easy. It was hybrid so we only met in person once a week. Grade is made up short essays every week but as long as you read what you need to, it is not hard. He took attendance but didn't do anything with it. Final was optional so as long as you do your homework you don't need to do the final

Outstanding Professor! His lectures are really interesting, and I learned a lot about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. There was a lot of reading but it was all good. He wants the class to participate.

Informative teacher, and grading is based on the homework if you do it or not. But for the essay questions make sure you used the textbook and show details, he will give you decent grade.

Prof. Lapp is an excellent professor. You can tell that he is passionate about what he teaches. His lectures are interesting to anyone who enjoys history. He does require a handful of writing assignments that can be tedious at times, but straightforward nonetheless. There are also some Inquizitive assignments that take some time to do.

Great Professor! He really cares about the subject and is willing to help if you need it. You need to do the reading in order to complete the assignments.

Professor Lapp is a solid professor in the history department. For this class we had 3 papers based off 3 different books- all 5 page minimum papers. Class involved discussing the week before reading assignment . Overall Lapp's class was one of the better higher level history classes I've taken, I recommend him.

Professor Lapp was great, felt like he didn't care about the class much but you can tell he definitely has an interest in History. Good professor, no midterm/final exam either so that's a plus.

A great professor and super easy class to pass. Understood that it is a gened and did not give a lot of work. Lectures are entertaining.

Easy hybrid course and a great professor if you need a gen ed. I used his lecture notes and a couple lines from the textbook to get 10s on the weekly short essays. He will ask a lot of softball questions for easy participation. Pay attention and you'll be fine.

I liked this professor a lot, very clear that he was passionate and informed about what he was teaching and the content was interesting. Homework can be a little heavy and tedious at times but I'd rather do that than take a midterm and a final (he didn't do tests) overall very cool dude and the class is relatively easy, def recommend

I thought he was good. Lots of writing assignments but no midterm or final. Good lectures.

Nice person. The course involves a chapter and questions each week. The lectures are long, and there's an essay-based question every week. The rubric for the assignments is unclear, which can make it difficult to know exactly what's expected. Not terrible, would take again.