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Lectures, although completely academic, are interesting and you will remember what he talked about. Could be more considerate with scheduling of exams.

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Interesting, solid lectures. Exams remind me of 3rd grade, though. A massive list of terms, with a map and timeline thing. They were strictly graded. Just know the terms stone cold. Tests are only 30%. The two papers are 50% of the grade.

Great class and great lectures.

Sure, he's opinionated, but it sure means he isn't boring. If you're already fairly familiar with the subject matter, he's great and you can learn a lot about different arguments regarding events. You can definitely tell he specializes in Polish history, though. Get ready to learn about Poland.

Very liberal, very overdramatic, but overall, an excellent teacher.

Very energetic in lectures, first history class where I haven't fallen asleep at least once. Course covers a ton of info, but most of it is really interesting. Not as opinionated as people say.

porter breaks the barrier between students and professor by opening the floor several times during lecture to student questions. easy exams: term identificaiton and map test, offers alternate final dates. very intelligent, clear, energetic, great lecturer. good use of other media (ie. video/sound clips) too, uses ctools to post lectures notes

Best history class I've taken yet, easily. Porter is a really, really powerful lecturer - sometimes a bit overdramatic, but he always leaves you with something to think about. Loved him.

Good. Easy test. Just write a good paper and you are home free. Knows endless information on Europe, E. Europe and WWI and WWII. Take this class!

really good class...not exactly what i expected though...hes a really good teacher though and is really into his subject matter...you dont really need to do the readings either the tests are all lecture and are very easy even though he scares you by giving you this huge study guide...only 2 essay a midterm and a final...

Porter knows a lot about the subject and he uses a lot of multimedia in his lectures. There is a TON of reading, some interesting, some not. If you can get through it somehow, the exams are not that difficult. Interesting class.

Smart guy and a GREAT educator - lectures are crystal clear. Write down what he says, memorize, ace multiple choice test. 2 fairly long papers IIRC. His pop attendance quizzes are kind of dick. Give me a break.

This class is fantastic and was my favorite one by far! The material is fascinating and the format of the class is great. It's kind of a lot of reading, but Professor Porter is great at explaining the concepts and really making you think about them. Would recommend highly to anyone who is interested in political theory or intellectual history.

Great teacher, lots of reading!

Extremely knowledgeable about his subject matter. Lectures were often interesting and useful, but mandatory blog posting in place of a discussion section could be tedious. A lot of reading, but grading is fair on blogs and tests - a great professor!

amazing professor. very enthusiastic and knowledgable. always willing to help students. you really do have to keep up with the reading, but if you do the tests are really easy and straightforward.

Amazing Professor who thoroughly knows his stuff. Mandatory lecture w/ a sign-in sheet, but lecture is very important (write down everything he says). Discussion is your bread and butter, do well there obviously. The weekly blog gets annoying, but you'll be thankful for how it helps you stay up to date and never fall too far back. great class!

Excellent professor. His lecturing style absorbs your attention so effortlessly the 1.5 hour class flies by. There's a lot of reading that you must do if you want to do well on the i-clicker quizes and the weekly blog is annoying but it's not so bad because it keeps you up to date. Discussion is easy and interesting. Take it!

Very great professor, have taken multiple courses. Is very knowledgeable, clear and helpful with the subject. Blogs are a little annoying yeah, but just suck up to your GSI and you should do ok. Do the readings too.

Brilliant professor; best class I've taken as a history concentrator. Top-notch lecturer, very animated and engaging. Attendance policy is tough, but quizzes are easy...if you pay attention.

Amazing Professor! I am a history major, and Porter-Szucs is by far the greatest lecturer/person I have ever had.

Amazing Professor! I am a history major, and Porter-Szucs is the greatest lecturer/person I have had. What a great guy!

Interesting class, but I don't really understand where he gets some of his conclusions. He is one of the best lecturers that I've ever had, and he keeps class interesting. He is also madly obsessed with Poland, as you'll notice as you go through the class. The blog posts are really annoying though, I would prefer papers.

The Prof. is very approachable, loves Poland and is always enthusiastic. He bashes ctools, but his site is 10 times worse than what the school provides, despite his insistence to the contrary. He knows his stuff, and the classes are interesting. No Exams, but the blogs are annoying and rigid, and the iclicker quizzes range from easy to ridiculous.

I have attended every lecture Professor Porter-Szucs has given (iclicker questions make them mandatory). He has a way to keep the lectures really interesting and I rarely tune out. He's extremely animated and passionate, and loves to answer questions. His opinions sometimes get in the way, but overall, great class, great lecturer.

He's a great professor. Always keeps you engaged. Some of the readings are long but they are interesting and challenge you. Not an Easy A by any means but a worthwhile class. Clicker questions not too bad if you pay attention and do the readings. Blogs give you a chance to really interact with the material. Thoroughly recommended.

He is a very interesting professor. It is easy to listen to him and his lectures are gripping. The iclicker quizzes make attendance mandatory but the questions aren't too bad. I would definitely recommend taking his class.

Pros: Prof. Porter-Szucs is a good teacher and he's interested in helping students learn. The class was fascinating and I felt like a learned quite a bit. Cons: Bashes CTools while his site is poorly designed as well. Can be overly theatrical, but that's a style preference.

Lectures were very interesting and time passed very quickly. iclicker quizzes were confusing, it would help if you could talk about the readings in section before quizzing the class on them because the readings are not always clear. Make sure you don't blow off the blogs, they need to be written like a short essay for you to get a good grade.

emphasizes learning over grading. iclickers reinforced learning. great class,learned a lot. one drawback is not enough time was spent on WWII.I think he fell behind or over emphasized earlier material, but I wish we could have touched more on ww2 itself. granted, the course is more geared towards the ideologies and political atmosphere of 1890-1945

Good narrative lectures. Almost wish the class was harder. Feels like the blog post assignments don't match the depth of the lectures.

Poland is so cool

Professor Porter-Szucs is one of the best lecturers that I encountered during my 3 years at U of M. The course material is interesting, and Professor Porter-Szucs has a great sense of humor. I highly recommend this class!

The best professor I've had so far. His lectures aren't lecture-esque -- they're more like narratives, which makes class a lot more interesting. Very charismatic and entertaining. I highly suggest any class taught by him!

Took a class with him freshman year and again senior year. Absolutely loved it both times. I had no interest in or connection to Poland prior to taking his history class about Poland, but he made it interesting and exciting regardless! Be sure to do the reading, write your blogs, and pay attention in lecture. Take his class--you won't regret it.

Best professor at this University. Take the class. And make sure to do the readings.

BEST PROFESSOR I'VE EVER HAD. His lectures are awesome and he is so smart. The class is kind of hard, but it's not unreasonable. Attendance is very important because he has quizzes every day, but there are no exams or papers (just weekly blog posts). He rocks, I'd highly recommend this class. I learned a lot and enjoyed it.

Hands down one of the most passionate and helpful professors at this University. Lectures are delivered like a sermon, which makes class interesting. Prof. Porter goes out of his way to help students. Class is easy in the sense that there are no exams, but you must keep on top of the reading, as 75% of your grade is based off that.

Very interesting lecturer, all of the grade is based on in-class quizzes and weekly blog posts, can be a little tough to get an A but impossible to fail. Porter-Szuc is of the rare breed of professor who seems interested in teaching his course rather than torturing his students. Highly recommended.

Prof. Porter has been one of my favorite professors at the University. He is enjoyable to listen to and a great resource outside the classroom. Get him talking about polish history and you might become his new best friend. He is a fair grader, but do the work. He really looks for effort and original thought.

Prof. Porter did a very good job of teaching this course. Instead of just talking about events and dates, he really made the class more about overarching themes that made you really think about the period. I learned many things thanks to Porter and I think he's an excellent professor. Would recommend.

Easily one of the best classes I've ever taken. His lectures are amazing--at least once per class Professor Porter blew my mind. If I could take this class again, I would. It's that good. He finds ways to keep your attention for the long lectures, not wanting them to stop. Daily quizzes necessitate readings, but they are entertaining anyways.

This was the second class I have taken with Brian, and it was amazing. He always kept me interested in the material, and blew my mind at least once a week. The blogs can be annoying, but you get used to writing them after the second week. Easily one of the best professors I've had.

I initially took this class because I wanted an easy course - I didn't think I would love it this much! Prof. Porter made what would seem to be a rather well known time period be seen from a compeletly different light! His lectures are clear and his iClicker quizzes are fair. Reading is a must, and you get about 100 pages per week, so beware.

Professor Porter-Szücs is awesome! His lectures are incredibly dynamic, and he is really passionate about his subject. I wasn't the most dedicated student for a myriad of reasons, but he is definitely a great prof.

He is a great professor and a phenomenal lecturer. His class is fascinating and he presents a somewhat dull topic in the most insightful of ways. He has a unique grading system that didn't require too much effort, but produced great results. I learned and actually understood the material. No examspapers.

Presents quizzes on reading (books & PDFs) at beginning of lectures - reading generally necessary to do well on them. Online discussion board homework. Tremendous lecturer-very engaging. Accessible outside of class for help/content conversation if you want it. I loved his class and I loved this professor. One of the best U of M can offer.

Professor Porter-Szucs is the best professor I have had at Michigan. He has fascinating perspectives on thoroughly studied time periods. There are daily quizzes which are not difficult if you go to class, and has weekly Blog Posts that go over the 20-30 pages of reading per week. No final exams. I'm 100% taking another class of his.

Professor Porter-Szücs is a great professor. He is obviously knows his stuff and is an incredibly engaging lecturer. Don't expect a lot of text on his slides, but he's very clear and a large portion of class is spent answering questions. The grading system he uses is completely different than anything else you'll encounter, but it's a fair system.

Professor Porter-Szucs is one of my favorite professors at the university. His lectures are always entertaining and highly educational. I learned a lot more about the Catholic Church and I actually had fun while learning. He creates a great environment for discussion and he will be an excellent mentor, if you seek his advice.

BPS is a terrific lecturer and knows his history very well. Class has a very interesting format that requires you stay engaged all throughout. Every lecture has a 4-6 question iClicker quiz that replaces typical exams. You also write a 500 word blog weekly, however its not too demanding. Great class.

Not a hard class if you put a lot of effort in. He knows his stuff and gives interesting lectures but also presents his opinions way too often which can get annoying. Lots of reading, but no exams or papers which is nice. Weekly blog posts, attendance at section, and in-class pop quizzes. Not impossible but decent amount of work.

Best professor I've ever had. Captivating lecturer and just a very nice guy. Strongly recommend taking his classes. Lots of reading required, but it is actually very interesting. Not hard to do well in his class if you attend lectures and do the readings. Professor Porter-Szucs is phenomenal.

Fantastic lecturer. Lectures so interesting, easy to follow, eye-opening, inspirational. Brian changed my life. When I saw this class in the course guide I knew I wanted to take it; I left more than satisfied and thankful Brian was the man to teach it. Readings great & aren't too heavy; skim for daily quizzes, read for full learning experience.

Amazing lecturer; best I've had yet for sure. He really cares about students learning; builds class around short quizzes (not exams that students cram for) during every class that are easyish if you go to lecture and at least skim the readings. Always leaves gaps in lecture for insightful Q&A about material. Readings/class interesting/exciting.

Professor Porter-Szucs is a lecturer like none I've ever had. The way his class is structured (no exams, short I-Clicker quizzes, optional extended essays) ensures that knowledge is RETAINED and not just forgotten after lengthy exams. He is very interested in the content that he is delivery, as well as pedagogical mechanism of guaranteeing learning

Pronounced Porter-Zooch. Lecture style class w/ 225 people. This guy is hilarious, entertaining, & brilliant. In a class that teaches so much ideology, he remains surprisingly neutral, and everything he says is supported by graphs on-screen. Students often ask complex questions, and he always comes up with equally complex answers. TAKE THIS CLASS

Easiest class ever. He doesn't believe in tests so the only things that are graded is a a weekly 500-word blog post based off a couple readings and a class discussion, in addition to a daily 5 question i-clicker quiz. You only need to get 60% on the quizzes to get credit for the day and they are easy--all you have to do is pay attention somewhat.

I loved his 282 class so much that I opted to take 331 the very next semester. He uses the same class structure for both. He doesn't use a conventional grading system. Instead, your final grade is determined by "total points acquired" instead of percentage grade, which I preferred as it was less stressful. Papers are only required if you want an A

BPS is a very good lecturer who makes learning history fun. Taking 331. There are, I admit, a lot of weekly readings to do in 282. We use a program called Perusall, where students make comments on the required readings and other students can see and reply. Really enhanced my understanding. In-class quizzes greatly enhance my understandings, too.

BPS' passion for the material makes his class so fun and enjoyable. Classes are intriguing and captivating. If you are interested in history, you'll love this professor. His unique grading style allows you to learn without excessive stress and cramming.

Prof Porter-Szucs is great. I have taken three courses with him (HISTORY 282, HISTORY 331, and HISTORY 318) and enjoyed all of them, even as a CS student. His unique grading scale allows me to learn as much as possible without cramming for exams. Taking the course with P/F allows me to enjoy the lectures without worrying about the final grade.

Great professor. His teaching and grading method really makes you learn about the course material thoroughly. I took the class remotely and the class structure makes it easy to follow along. The first few weeks's homework seemed like a lot, but as you pace yourself through the class, you will get used to the workload, which is not too bad.

BPS is an absolutely wonderful professor. The class is definitely a lot of work, but I found the material really interesting throughout. BPS consistently engages with the class. He answers questions really quickly and there's a lot of discussion with peers. Class format is great.

Easy A to bump up your GPA. He was a good lecturer for the ones I attended and he seemed passionate about the material. History 282 is far from the best class in the history department but its easy and Professor Porter-Szucs does his best to make it an enjoyable experience.

Professor Porter Szucs is one of the best professors I have ever had. He runs his class using a point system, where each week you gets points for reading and annotating, going to discussion, posting on a discussion board and completing a quiz. It adds up to be a lot of work, but if you spend 8 hours a week doing it, you can easily get an A

Awesome, one of the best courses I have ever taken despite being online. Stimulating and interesting lectures. He uses points system that actually prioritizes learning instead of grades. If you do the work as he says you will get an A and learn at the same time. Super nice guy, incredibly knowledgeable.

Prof. Porter is incredibly knowledgeable in his field and emphasizes the importance of learning the material thoroughly, rather than just memorizing some terms to pass the course. His point system grading has made the class extra engaging, and his enthusiasm to teach in HIST 282 is evident. He makes learning enjoyable. HIGHLY recommend!

Professor Porter-Szucs is outstanding. His lectures are consistently interesting. He grades on a point system where as long as you do the work, you will be able to get the grade you want. The work can be a lot, but class expectations are very clearly laid out at the start of the semester. I highly suggest you take this class, you won't regret it.

Amazing professor

Professor Porter's lectures were engaging and well organized despite the course content being heavy at times. The weekly quizzes got progressively harder as the semester went on but as long as you went to lecture and section you should be able to pass most of them. Readings were long ranging from 35-55 pages but manageable.

I really enjoyed Professor Porter-Szucs' instructing. He is very passionate about what he teaches, and it shows! If you're used to ECON101 style economics, this class takes you out of the mathematics and supply/demand, and introduces theories and ideologies to help understanding on a deeper level. Amazing class, and- pretty much an easy A!!!

I had Professor Porter-Szucs for Hist475. It has been my favorite class and professor that I've had in college. He's incredibly knowledgeable and interesting. He obviously cares about the subjects he teaches and his students. He always took the time to answer questions and engage in conversation before and after class.

I can't recommend Professor Porter-Szucs enough. I took History 318 during spring semester which is only 8 weeks long, and the class was online. Even though it was an online class it was one of the best classes I've ever taken at UMICH. There is a lot of reading but it he grades pass/fail mostly on participation and then weekly quizzes. It's chill.

Clear grading scheme so you always know how many points you have left to get an A. The readings can be a lot for some weeks, but at the same time its a condensed term. Overall, a good professor.

Professor Porter will probably remain my favorite professor in my umich experience - he is super passionate about the subject and his lectures make a lot of sense but I'd recommend taking a lot of notes. If you don't attend lecture you won't pass the quizzes or the class. He forever changed my perspective on history so I can't recommend him enough!

Lectures are pretty interesting overall, but can be very boring at times. However, it is super easy to get an A if you just do the work. Everything is based on completion with very clear and easy grading. There are weekly quizzes that you need to get 75% to pass. But basically everyone has other tabs open, super easy to pass.

Prof Porter Szucs is a fantastic lecturer, and makes His282 a life changing class that I believe every single university student should take in their four years at U-M. Changed my entire perspective on economics. If you are considering this class, take it. It's one of those classes that you will remember years down the line.

Entertaining class and very clear grading requirements. Theres some work but if you do the readings and attend section you'll be fine.

This was a pretty difficult class, and definitely not worth it if you're just looking for a SS distribution in your first year. That said, it's one of the most interesting classes I've taken in a while, and taught me so much about the economy that really should have been covered in ECON 101. Love this prof, and I definitely recommend the class.

I took this class for a SS distribution requirement, and I'm happy with choosing it. Professor Porter was clearly passionate about the material, yet I will confess that many lectures drag if you don't have a particular interest in this topic. However, you don't have to go to all of them, and you can still get an easy A with minimal work overall.

No exams, point-based. There are 56 total points and each assignment is one point and you need 53 points to have an A. 40ish pages of reading, discussion, quiz, and essay (500 words), I enjoyed everything because he makes lectures really interesting and I found the topic interesting, put in the work and you'll be fine, but not a blow-off class

350 characters are not enough to encapsulate the beauty of my glorious king BPS, so I will not bother trying.