hardest class ever

fun class...interesting subjects...and hes a really nice guy and funny... take his class youll really like it =]

if you think this class is hard then you are retarded, Gastil is a funny, kinda wierd, in a good way. He truly loves the subject and wants everyone to do well. He hands out A's like candy on halloween. TAKE THIS CLASS!

Great teacher! Easy to understand. Take home exams and final. Lots of writing though..but overall pretty easy

I loved this class, not only is he very knowledgeable but he is hilarious and quirky. You get take home essay exams, write a journal for every chapter and read some very interesting smaller books too. I loved the history exhibitions! His class is not hard or ambiguous, the lectures are interesting and he's passionate about his subject. Take him!

Gastil is one of the most laid back teachers when it comes to grading midterms, which are take home essays. I didn't have to rely on reading the text book or take good notes, internet was enough to get an A. He is a teacher that wants to hear your thoughts and opinions on history rather than trying to memorize an historical event.

Take him! Not only do you learn about interesting things that you will actually remember but he is so funny. Just skim the readings and go to class--for participation points and you will get an A

Gastil is one of the better professors I have had at state. If you are reading this to decide to take his class or not, DO IT! He is a funny dude, and a great teacher. Don't be a dumbass and not go to class and be over it.....Attend his lectures and participate. You will be suprised how much you get out of his class.

He is so interesting and makes the material very clear. He is very helpful and understanding.

SUCH A GOOD TEACHER. He is so funny and makes class fun. You should go to class and do the reading.

Gastil is a very nice professor. He really cares about his students and is one of the nicest teachers I've met. He's funny, comprehensive, and flexible with student. Lectures are interesting most of the time and one of the things I liked the most were the take-home exams.

Nice, funny professor. Takes attendance so go to class. Read the books. Speak up in class because discussions help with your essays, which are your exams. They're short, easy essays. Use Blackboard to turn in your assignments to save paper! If you're crashing this class, stay (it's usually full at first, but some leave) because it's sooo worth it.

I took this class as a GE and I'm glad I did. It was my favorite class. TAKE THIS CLASS then read the book. Your tests will come directly from what you read and what he talks about in lecture. Lectures were fun for me- he's funny.

Funny as hell! Lots of reading involved and writing but easy easy A.

One of the best professors I have! Super funny and genuinely cares about his students. The course sounds intimidating at first with all of the papers but those are the exams so it makes the class easy. He is a fairly easy grader so just do the assignments & show up to class and you'll get an A.

Best teacher ever. All exams are take home papers that range from 6 to 10 pages long. And you discuss everything in class before hand, and he lets you turn in papers late with "grace periods." he is funny and nice and very helpful and understanding. He truly cares about his students. I would take his class again!

Gastil is an amazing professor!! Be forewarned that all the tests are take home packets of different essay combinations to choose from. You should like reading and writing if you choose to take this class. If you took and passed AP English in high school, you should do extremely well. I highly recommend professor Gastil.

great prof who truly cares about his students and his community. He will work with you as long as you care about the class. It was pretty easy. all assignments and exams were essays you did on your own time.

Professor Gastil was very helpful, and he genuinely cares about his students. He allows a week grace period for every assignment, and all of the exams are take home essays.

Take his class! Super awesome teacher! He will make you laugh. Lots of papers to write but they help you learn. Don't let the papers scare you. He grades easy. Just wants to know you learned and did the work. History is not my favorite subject but Professor Gastil made it enjoyable!

Nicest guy ever. He really cares about history and his students. This class had a ton of essays but they're very easy yet consistent so DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. He gives grace periods for every essay so you basically have two weeks to do each assignment including the final. Also an extremely easy grader. He takes attendance each class as well so go

Best professor i have ever met! Very clear and very kind. He really makes you LOVE his classes and he likes to talk about what the students want to hear. No exams, all take home essays with flexible deadlines that can take up to 2 weeks. I got a 91.5 and have done the extra credit (tons of extra credits), which boosted my grade up to a 99!

Such a great professor. I really enjoyed every bit of this class. The papers are kind of long but pretty easy. If you like someone who covers all aspects of history and don't mind writing, this class is for you.

I'm not a huge fan of history but Gastil was a very nice teacher. There was a LOT of at home reading and writing assignments but there's nothing else homework or test wise. Don't stray away because of the reading and writing though because he is a very easy grader and I got really good grades with minimal effort.

Gastil is awesome. He is so passionate about history it always interests me when he talks. He also cares a LOT about his students, almost to a fault. Constantly gives extensions on assignments because he knows things happen. He wants everyone to succeed and offers extra credit constantly. I even proposed an extra credit idea and he agreed to it!

By far the easiest class I've taken at State. No real homework or tests; all of your points come from 3-4 papers pretty easy, 'self reflections', attendance, and one or two presentations. His voice is kind of annoying, and it wears you down over time. I had a 3 hour lecture, so it seemed to drone on and on, so beware. Overall, easy class easy A.

PROS: super lenient on due dates, easy grader, a lot of extra credit opportunities CONS: lectures are boring and long, there is A LOT of reading and essays. I didn't read much which made writing the essays difficult but i managed to bs my way to getting an A in the class. Just do your best on all the essays and you should get a good grade!

Professor Gastil's classes are an "easy A", IF you are willing to do the work. He assigns A LOT of homework, but there are no actual tests, just take-home essays. He gives A TON of extra credit too! If you're willing to participate, do the reading, & write a lot, you are guaranteed an A. I'm taking him for all of my history classes!

A teacher who is passionate about their job. A person who makes history important and appealing. If you are an individual who does not have a single effort to do essays and writing then why bother on failing. One thing i recommend is to take him if you ever get the chance .

This class was pretty easy. He's a little boring but an easy A unless you really don't do anything. Lecture breaks out into smaller sections so your experience really depends on whatever T.A you get. All exams are home essays.

Prof. Gastil's class was not difficult; the worst part was the essays he assigned. I believe there were at least 7 papers that had to be 6-8 pages, and they were based on the readings. The lecture can help, but reading the textbooks will help your paper. You need to sign into class. You need the textbooks for the essays. He is a very nice man.

Gastil is very kind and helpful, as were his TAs. There was a lot of writing both the journals and exams where essay based but the prompts were specific and helpful. As long as you put in the time and work it's an easy A, not a difficult class but can be tedious at times. Sometimes his lectures get behind so the book is helpful for assignments.

This class was easier than my high school history classes by miles! I highly recommend this class for an easy A. Lectures are short, you get participation for showing up, and the TA's are very easy graders. All the tests are take home including the final! 10/10 recommend. Also, he teaches 110 and it is the same set up!

Very engaging professor. Very motivated to engage everyone into learning about new material (that said, if you are one of those people on your phone the entire time, he will ask you to leave). You must attend lecture since you will use Course Key to check in and even answer poll questions that randomly come up. If you care, you'll do very well.

The extra credit helped save my grade to an A No homework! I think we had three or four essays though which were graded pretty fair.

Gastil is passionate about history and about teaching. He shares his enthusiasm during lecture, he's also kinda funny in a silly/sarcastic way. He's also very helpful. He's a great professor plain and simple, and this is not a demanding class.

The class was essay heavy, but all essays were take home with a few online discussions. Also, you could rewrite essays until you pass, but the essays aren't graded too hard. The only points gained in class were attendance and participation which was super easy. Just don't have your phone out in class. Also, plenty of extra credit if needed.

A lot of essays and a few online discussions. Easy upper division class.

Super easy class theres a lot of essays but if you take notes they're not hard at all. Most due dates are negotiable if you just talk to him, I turned something in two weeks late and got full credit. Hes a super easy grader, I wrote my final at a party and in his feedback he literally said he didn't know what I was talking about and I got 100 on it

Professor Gastil is a great guy overall. His lectures are a little boring, but if you pay attention and ask questions they are very helpful. All of the work in this class is essays. The essays are pretty easy if you have done some of the reading and have paid attention in class you will do fine.

Basically the students teach the class. The classes are boing, but he takes attendance everyday. As long as you do the assignments you will get an easy A.

Gastil is a very sweet professor. He really cares about the subject matter and about students and is very willing to work with you on deadlines, just ask him. There are a lot of essays in this class but they are all done at home and, like I said, he has flexible deadlines. Take notes on the lectures and you'll be fine.

Gastil is the best! He makes California history fun to learn about. He is very passionate and offers plenty of extra credit. You will receive an A is you complete the assignments. I passed with over 100%. I highly recommend taking him for the GE req.

You can clearly see that he is passionate about the subject but, from the way he teaches, it's basically discussions that leads the course. He is pretty funny and has interesting things to share but there aren't many visual aids in class. He also offers a pretty decent amount of extra credit which is nice.

He hates giving students a bad grade. He grades incredibly easy. He gives a lot of essays but they are super easy. I got 100% on my first essay and I barely tried. If you do get a bad grade on an essay you can rewrite it up to 2 times for full credit. He has "participation reports" which is why you need to show up. Easy A for sure, hes funny also.

Gastil is hilarious! His catchphrase "oh my gosh" gets me every time and puts a smile on my face whenever I'm class. He reminds me of Hannibal Lecter, but in a good way. Take advantage of the extra credit he offers. Lots of writing in this course!

Professor Gastil has been one of my favorite professors thus far. He is SUPER attentive and will work with you on due dates as long as you communicate with him. The exams are all essays but they are 3-4 two page responses to questions he gives you. Be prepared to participate in class since he structures his lectures as class discussions.

No tests. A LOT of papers. The papers aren't hard but take time. He's very flexible about deadlines, just email him. He's also pretty awkward and stutters during his lecture. If that doesn't bother you he's a decent professor. Lot's of group work, but you have potential to make some new friends.

He is an awesome history teacher! And he def brings out the fun and importance of teaching history. And also, he brings the meaning of community into his teaching. Overall, Great class!!!

Gastil is a really nice guy, his class is one of the easiest I've taken in college. There are a lot of small and tedious assignments such as discussion boards and participation updates. They're really easy just take up a lot of my time. He also is kind of a tough grader for such an easy class. I almost never got the full points for assignments

He's a great guy and a really nice professor. There's not that many things that are graded in this class but if you put effort into those things you'll get an A. He also has a sign in sheet so make sure to go or to have someone sign in for you. Basically if you put effort into the papers and special project, you'll get an A.

Professor Gastil is a really sweet guy. You don't really do that much in lecture, but you can get participation points, which can help you out. His exams are all take-home essay exams that are easy, but take up time. He gives grace periods, which are live savers! I would definitely reccomend him.

This class is predominantly a participation class because this is discussion based course. 5 Take-Home Essays, 2 Participation Self-Reports, 4 Online Discussions, and Enrichment Activities that are a total of 3 hours. Definetly email your draft of your essay because he can provide you feedback to help you improve your essay. Approachable guy!

Professor Gastil is a great guy! He cares about his students and wants them all to succeed. Yes, there are a plethora of essay exams we must do, but they are not hard. The textbook is not a hard read; he lets you use older editions too! Participation is vital because he'll get to know your name when your present and eager to learn. Great professor!

Take this class! Books can be borrowed from the library. Most of your grade comes from the Exam Essays which requires a review and reflection of your reading. Essay topics and questions are provided. These essays are pretty easy and simple if you address all the questions in your essay, ensured A if you go deep into it. He's nice/kind

He is an amazing professor and brings out the best in his students. He will work with every student base their needs.. The way he teach's the class is outstanding, I have learned so much in this class. Professor Gastil is what i define a prefect educator, one of kind, that I have not seen any educational institutes. great way of teaching.

He is a really sweet guy and really wants his students to pass. He assigned a couple of long essay exams that aren't hard, but take time to complete. These exams are honestly graded incredibly easy and generously. He does participation cards in class, so get ready to participate! I would definitely take him again.

George is a lovely man. he really cares about the students learning and surprisingly agrees with anything a student says. He doesn't really teach history as his class is more a relaxing time to just sit back relax and enjoy the Gastil show. if you care about history don't take this class, but if you don't care about history, TAKE THIS CLASS!!! yea

This class has essays as exams which can be rewritten for an improved score. If you hate reading and writing papers then this is not the class for you. Easy A if you put in effort and show up to class.

As a person he is wonderful. however in class, its important to participate + the 3 essay exams + weird journals and projects. if you read the book and follow up with lectures it will be a great class. defiantly not an easy A. but you can work through. he is carrying, understanding, passionate. and he is the best in the department for this class

Super sweet professor, just a lot of textbook readings and writing essays. Material is interesting, just lots of tedious coursework to complete. Professor tends to be lax about deadlines and will work with you if you turn in something late, need to rewrite an essay, etc. Participation matters, lecture can be kind of awkward when no one participates

Not an easy class if you arent a humanities major. Tougher grader than others, but gives constructive criticism. Makes you look at history a different way by posing questions on essays that make you analyze everything heavily. Very caring, and accepts late work. Very understanding of everyones situation, but hes not to be messed with.

Professor Gastil is one of the most caring and hardworking professors I have ever had. I hate to see that some people are ungrateful with his teaching style but he goes out of his way to interest his students in the subject. This class has a lot of essays but just work hard, show dedication, and be nice to this man, he has to grade so many papers!

I honestly didn't attend class too often, but I still did really well in the class. It's actually a lot nicer to have essays instead of exams. He's willing to provide feedback and there's a great opportunity for extra credit at the end. While it is a lot of busy work, if you just stay on top of it, you'll be perfectly fine. I recommend this teacher

Genuinely nice guy and passionate, regularly extends deadlines, class is paper heavy - no exams, you'll write about 40 total pages worth of essays discussion boards and open ended questions, read the book to succeed, class is non-mandatory - dont recommend going - time would be better spent reading the book, book homework problems are very annoying

Lectures were not mandatory, so I didn't attend a single one. Mainly a lot of reading from 2 textbooks. There were chapter tests that you could take 3 times for the highest grade and the other textbook came with online assignments. He does a lot of discussions where you have to reply to 4 other people. Very easy class, but ALOT of work.

Great professor. you basically do 5 essays (pretty long), discussion posts per week, and reading. I didn't read any of the readings only the topic of the essay and I got a B. pretty easy upper division.

Professor Gastil is a very nice man and he cares about history a lot (very knowledgeable). He does give out essays, but they are not as bad as they sound. As long as you read the textbook, you will do fine in the class. If you ever need anything, just email him and he replies very fast. If you can, definitely take this class. He is great!!

Gastil is an extremely caring and reasonable professor. He's super flexible with deadlines, you just have to reach out to him. 2 textbooks. The main one you'll read a ch per week and do homework on the platform (engage). Reading is pretty important for this class. Lectures not mandatory but help w/ essays. Occasional discussions and 4 big essays.

Prof Gastil is a very nice man. He is very flexible with deadlines, but only if you email and communicate w/ him. There are no exams, but weekly discussion posts and 5 long essays. As long as you generally understand the material, there's no need to do every single reading. Great teacher w/ v interesting prompts if you're into history and writing.

Hes a really great teacher and is super understanding when it comes to missing class or work graded. He only lectures and they can be long but they are super helpful when it comes to writing the essay exams. He gives three essay exams but the topics are ones overviewed in class.

Gastil is a solid professor with a unique sense of humor. Show up to classes because he makes you grade your participation, which is worth 100 points on the year. Overall he is a good professor that is extremely understanding and will bump up your grade if he feels you earned it. Beware of a lot of writing, but besides that he is awesome!!!

He is passionate about history and WANTS his students to succeed. Pretty much any insight his students give in class, he appreciates greatly. The papers can be intimidating, but he is generous with extensions; discussion posts & self-reports can be a lot of work if you get far behind. He goes on tangents often, but nice guy.

He is a very caring professor that really wants his students to be successful, and is very willing to give extra time to complete an assignment if students need it. Your grade is mostly dependent on the five essays, but they're not extremely difficult. Really creates an environment that fosters participation and different perspectives.

Gastil's HIST 109 class is almost entirely based on small reading quizzes and essays. He is a good teacher that enjoys lecturing. His class can be boring at times if you don't enjoy listening to teachers talk and walk around the room.

Professor Gastil is highly knowledgable on history and cares deeply about student's learning the material. It's important to attend lectures, which will help you prepare for the essay exams. Essay exams can be overwhelming, but are much more manageable if you space out the work and not wait until the last day to start them like I did :/

Gastil is one of the best professors I've ever had. He's funny, has a great textbook, and is always happy to help. He's willing to give extensions, so don't be afraid to ask, and will always regrade something if it's improved.

he is a very nice professor who cares a lot about his student if you can get past his monotone voice and side tangents. Overall, I had a great time in the class and the only reason I didn't get an A was because EVERYTHING IS DUE AT 11 AM!!!!!

Professor Gastil was very sweet and understanding. Lots of reading from the textbook but it is reviewed during class. He always gave great feedback on papers. Lots of writing throughout the semester, he requires 4 total essay exams (where you write 3 individual essays for each) and 3 participation essay reports. But he is funny and very caring.

Professor Gastil's class does require you to read but its honestly not that hard. 4 Essay Exams with lots of discussion posts but as long as you put some thought into the writing, you'll earn at least a B. Overall, not a bad pick if you want an easy B and need the GE credit.

A lot of writing throughout

I understand other's gripes with Gastil, but he's a really nice guy. Lots of writing, and I mean lots, but he will tell you how to get an A. If you put forth just a little bit of effort to go to class, participate, and demonstrate critical thinking, he will reward you with leniency. He just wants to know you're getting something out of the class.

pretty easy course, attendance is mandatory (sign in sheet) and he lectures about the unit topics. notes are not required. Assignments are weekly online "LearningCurves", which is just multiple-choice questions based on the textbook. the only major assignments are 3 essay exams (in class) and self reports. overall great course, and would take again

Professor Gastil is a great guy. Super nice, understanding, and caring. Though attendance is "mandatory", it won't hurt you if you miss a few classes. The assignments are online through MyPearson and are incredibly easy. The only thing that you may need to study for are the in-class essays, which are not hard and he is an easy grader. Easy A.

Gastil is a sweet guy and cares a lot about his students, but he rambles during lectures and doesn't really add to your learning. Gets annoyed if you don't pay attention or do other work in class. Lots of reading and writing, but very easy, just a little time consuming. 3 in-class essays, 5 discussions, and 3 self-reports on your learning. Easy A.